Dynasty Warriors 5 Empires - Xbox360 review

Full Review

The Dynasty Warriors series has got to be the longest gaming joke ever. You see, very little has changed since the original title was released on the PS1 almost a decade ago. How can something as "retro" as this still keep selling?

Set in ancient Japan, the series has always been about pure button bushing action as you take on armies virtually single handedly, racking up hundreds upon thousands of kills per battle.

But can its move to the next generation of consoles keep the fires of adoration burning? Or will it simply be shown up to be a tired series that’s been flogged like the proverbial dead horse?

The makers of Dynasty Warriors have promised dramatic new features with each new release and there was no shortage of fanfares this time round either. Each and every time we’ve been seriously let down.

You’d have thought that a move to the Xbox360 would have prompted the developers to sort the graphics out. As a series famed for its battlefields packed to the brim with hundreds of unique characters, you’d expect to be given the kind of graphical glory that a decade ago we could’ve only dreamt about.

But no. This title wouldn’t look out of place on the original Xbox. Though there’s been a slight increase in the number of characters on the screen, the step up in overall graphical quality is barely noticeable.

The action is the same as ever although there’s been a feeble attempt at adding strategy this time round. You can choose which areas of the map to attack or defend and choose a number of generals to head into battle with you. And as for the strategic input you have, that’s about that.

Out on the battlefield things are the same as always. You run around, hack away at a mass of enemy soldiers, take out a few enemy generals and finally beat into submission your opposing commander in order to win the overall battle.

Verdict

Although it’s refreshing to be able to just pick up and play, Dynasty Warriors gets boring way too quickly. When you’ve played one battle, you’ve played them all and you’re interest goes downhill from there.

OK, it’s good at what it does. But this latest Dynasty Warriors doesn’t do anywhere near enough to make this an essential purchase.

• Comment on this story for your chance to win a TomTom XL Live IQ Routes Europe