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no friends allowed

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 18
Date: July 02, 2002
Author: Amazon User

What a dissapointment. They add all types of new play, improved graphics, and a chance to climb up the ladder of power. But, they took away why I even play the game. I actually have friends and enjoy playing games with them. If you dislike playing games with your friends, this is a game for you. If you like kicking some [rear] in a game and only being able to impress yourself, this is your game. This is a 1 player game. Unlike every other romance I've played (and I've played since part 1). I preordered it, with me and my friends dying to play. Then I opened the box and see it's a 1 player game. I sent the game back the same day I got it. So much for improving on a great thing. I recomend for the people that have friends, that you stick with romance 4.

Yawn. Almost Like A Board Game

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 7
Date: February 15, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game is based on stats. Which means, you get a menu after choosing who you want to be, and pick a command like, "Visit"
You never see a visit, just see a talking bubble and a faceset of a character pop-up thanking you for visiting them. Then your stats are raised. This goes on and on for all of the commands. Nothing big happens, just a message telling you what happened after selecting it.
I'm a big fan of "Show not tell"
I don't want to be told defense went up in my region, I want to place my men accordingly and watch them defend. I want to go up to the person I visit, see them, press X, and then talk. Not see them pop up in my menu screen and thank me for visiting them.
I do have to say that once you get farther into the game, it gets more involving with battles and taking over regions. It still, however was not a game for me.
It reminds me of a really complex game of Risk, which again, reminds me of "the board game" aspect of it only turned into a video game.
The music is great, but repititive. And multiple endings to the game adds a ton of replay value which is always a plus!
I suggest rent before buying...and read reviews before even renting. :)

Taking Over China.... the Fun way

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 14 / 15
Date: December 07, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I'm a fan of the RoTK Books, and a major supporter of Koei for it's exemplary games. This is by far their most innovative, and engaging game. Obviously considering it's spanned 9 games since the old days of the NES(8 is currently out in Japan, and I'm not sure about 9 yet). Stratgy and mangement are the fundmentals of the game. It doesn't bog you down with micromanaging, or limit your control, rather it has a nice median. If you don't wanna worry bout a kingdom, fine go off and be a prefect of a city, or a general/tactician on the battle front. Even better is you can have up to 8 players, and get a big game of hot seat going like in the good old days of all those older strategy games.

Story/Plot is obviously good, considering it's taken from historical(and fictional) accounts. Whats better is if you've read the books you can see how you sort of alter history, and create your own story of the Three Kingdoms(in my cas eit's more of the 5 kingdoms ^_^). I took over the riverlands, had my providences split when He Jin sneakily captured my supply route, killed Dong Zhou, made a 3 pronged attack on the province He Jin stole, had one of my prefects defect over to He Jin, Took out Han Sui who was threating my northern provinces, allied with Zhang Bao and cut off He Jin from half his kingdom and his warlord Cao Cao, took over He Jin's southern Territories, then decided to turn on Zhang Bao because I noticed he had my Warlord's(Liu Bei) Swords, and currently am on a campaign to reclaim his swords, and grab the Emperor from He Jin. Now thats what I call ownage. Story totally gets a 5.

Graphics tend to be where the major downfall is. I for one don't mind, most Next-Gen games spend their entire budgets and resources to make games graphically incredible for about 5 hours of gameplay. I would say the graphics could be better, but I still get excited about battles and duels even with it's less than par visuals. I say if you looking for graphics, play Dynasty Warriors. Graphics earn a 2, although true startegy players will tell you great graphics don't make for great strategy games *cough War Craft 3 cough*.

Gameplay as I've already said is totally excellent. You can be a Liege, a Prefect, a Ronin, a Common, or a Warlord. I got beef about the Warlord though, your liege asks you inane questions about his generals, and you pretty much have to memorize everyoens stats otherwise he won't let you do ne thing. Aside from that the game has foriegn, demostic, military, politcal, diplomatic, and interpersonal aspects. There are skills to learn, stats to improve, countries to conquer, and an emporer to kiss [butt] to for a title. You can make friends allies, enemies, and even coup your own lord. Combat is excellent, forcing you to watch out for terrain, traps, guard your rear, and complete strategies. Even with a 110 war you can still get wasted in battle if you charge without thinking(bad memories). Gameplay totally gets a 5.

Sound is basic. The msuic is authentic, can kinda get repetive. Theres clanking in duels and battle etc. Nothing spectacualr, or terrible about it. Basically a solid 3.

Replay, 10 different time periods, 500+ characters, create your own, multiplayer, changes every time you play. Nuff said. Another 5.

It's good to see a game like this not dpendent on Graphics, but on the Gameplay. If you like Diablo, or Dark Ages of Camelot, chances are you won't care for this game. If you enjoy Civilization, Age of Empires, or Masters of Orion you'll feel right at home. Hopefully the 8th installment will be coming out soon.

Also, forgive the numerous typos, I'm a terible typist. ^_^

Ancient Chinese History Can Be Exciting.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 0 / 0
Date: February 16, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I admit that when I first started playing this game, it wasn't exactly what I thought it would be. Nevertheless, I got addicted for a short time once I figured out how to play the game. This game is pretty much a decision-making, strategy game, kind of like SimCity. It takes place during the the first 500 years of Chinese history. A "game" ends either when your character dies without an heir or when all three kingdoms of China are united under one ruler. You can choose to just be a warlord or plain officer or a wandering ronin with no allegiance to anyone or a liege in charge of a 3rd of China. Out of all the options, I found the liege option to be the most rewarding. You have to make the most decisions, but it's the only way you have total control over how the outcome of the game will end (in all the other choices, the game can end without you rising as far in status and power as you would like). Not everyone will enjoy this game, but it can be rewarding. It's a great way to learn a bunch of names from ancient Chinese history.

As you get in it more it gets better (maybe)

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: May 12, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I rented this game 1st. and i wasn't sure what to think about it but as i played it more it got better. you can create a new person (hint: type in Sun Tzu) give the person skills and how good you are. the battle system is pretty cool. the ploys you can pick very on which person you have. there is a secret which alouds you to pick another person (up to 8, i think) and you can have 2 players if you want. The code is R1+R2+L1+l2+START+SELECT. You can create a new dyansty too. to win you must take over ALL of china which can be a challang. Over all the game is good.

Koei Does It Again

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: June 10, 2003
Author: Amazon User

As a fan of both Koei and the strategy simulation games, I knew Romance 7 was going to be enjoyable. And I wasn't wrong. I've been playing this series ever since it was on the original Nintendo in the late 80's, and it's gotten progressively better since then.

With Romance 7, you're still in China around 200 AD, struggling to gain control while the famous warlords vie for power. The Wu, Wei, and Shu clans are at each other's throats, and it will be up to you to determine where your allegiance lies.

You can use the characters from the Three Kingdoms storyline, such as Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Jian, but you are also able to create custom characters to use as yourself and your subordinates. The gameplay for building your empire and acquiring new talents is very involved and fulfilling.

The combat is not as good as I had expected. Fortunately, it is turn-based, but there's very little you get to see graphically.

Other than that, though, it's just what I'd expect from Koei. Rent it if you're not sure if you like the strategy series, but if you've played any of the other versions, I recommend just purchasing it.

PS2's first TRUE strategy/sim game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 33 / 36
Date: June 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Romance of the Three Kingdoms, by KOEI Corporation, is an 8-installment franchise. The United States has seen 6 out of these 8 so far, with part 5 being the only one not released.
The flagship of KOEI, Romance of the Three Kingdoms is based on a period of China's history known as the Han. A lot was going at the time, but at the crux of all the events, three kingdoms clashed for total ownership of the land. In this game, you take full control. You can be a ruler and vie for the title of Emperor, or be an Officer and serve who you wish for as long as you wish. RTTK gives you complete control over your facilities; thereby making for almost infinite replay value. For strategy buffs, this is the game for you. If you prefer fast paced action games and don't care about WHY you're playing the game, then this probably won't suit you. This game requires thought...a lot of it, and you have to pay attention to a lot of different things at once. With patience, you can learn to love this game. Guaranteed.

Another great entry for this great series...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 23 / 23
Date: July 28, 2002
Author: Amazon User

First, let me just say that I'm glad there are other reviewers/players out there that are enjoying this game.
Secondly, I didn't know there was a multiplayer option so I thank all those that have clued us in on that.
Thirdly, my impressions on the game. I bought this game when it first came out and enjoyed it from the start. It seems daunting at first, but if you give it time(and refer to the manual if you're a newbie), the options/controls become second nature soon enough. The graphics could be better, but anyone who puts gameplay above graphics will be richly rewarded. The game has a good mix of strategy(turn-based battles/diplomacy), simulation(simplistic resource management), and rpg(character development) elements. The best part of the game is probably the role-playing aspect of the game. Pick (or create) any character...and do whatever you want to him/her. Whether it's improving their abilities, interacting with other characters, or trying to rise through the ranks; you can do it in this game. It gives you the freedom to do all that. This allows for massive replay value. The worst aspect of the game is the slightly tedious nature of the actual battles. They can be engrossing at times...downright boring at others. Still, the game is very involving, addictive, complex(at first), interactive and enjoyable. The objective may be to unify China, but the journey in getting there with your character(s) is the true reason for experiencing this game.

An example of why: when i first bought it, i just booted it up and started playing(not much for reading manuals). I picked a character i didn't care much about, so i thought "just play it for an hour to get the hang of it...then start a real scenario". More than 10 hrs later and I was still playing my "throw-away" scenario(which is still saved on one of the six allotted save options). During this time my ruler character: died, his son took over, Sun Ce demanded I surrendered, I did and became one of his officers, became a ronin, snuck into an empty province, set up my own kingdom again, got beaten and recruited(by Sun Ce again!), decided to be a loyal officer this time and rise in the ranks, got caught in battle against Cao Cao's forces, joined him, etc. Again, all this in my first "gonna play for just an hour" scenario! So if you want that "what's gonna happen next to my character" type of game, this is for you. Whether you are the type that knows you can control your own fate, or enjoy the unpredictability of events around you controlling your fate; I highly recommend you give this game a try/rental for its high replay value. For die-hard fans of the series, you should already have bought it long ago :)

Top-notch historical simulation game

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 15 / 15
Date: July 11, 2002
Author: Amazon User

ROMANCE OF THE THREE KINGDOMS VII is the seventh installment in a long-running series of historical simulation games made by KOEI based on the book of the same name by Ming Dynasty author Luo Guanzhong. The book, as does the game, takes place in second and third-century China. The goal is to reunite a China torn apart by warfare and rebellions.

If you are new to the series, I can honestly say that this game is not for everyone. It is built in the mold of games such as Europa Universalis and Civilization, and has a lot of micromanagement. If you liked those games, you might very well like this game. If you didn't, this game is definitely not for you. Like Civilization and Europa Universalis, RTK VII has the potential to be very, very addicting. Be forewarned.

For fans of this series, what can I say. BUY THIS GAME. It's got several improvements over previous games. New features include playing any officer, not just the ruler. There are ten scenarios, including two entirely new scenarios in "184 AD: The Yellow Turban Rebellion" and "257 AD: Sima Shao's Ambition." Other interesting additions include dueling tournaments, poetry contests, and a system for building friendships between officers. The graphics are also tremendously improved over previous incarnations, but are still nonetheless dated. Creating new officers is also greatly expanded, as you can now create parent/child relationships and can create a total of up to 100 different characters.

Simply put, highly recommended for fans and people who love in-depth strategy games.

P.S. For those who have heard that there is no multiplayer option, that is an incorrect rumor. After you choose your first officer and start the game, press L2 + R2 + Select to add new players/officers.

Best of the Series

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: July 12, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I must admit, until this one came out RTK 2 was still my favorite. But being able to play any of the 5 roles as a general is fantastic. The game is involved but it is not overwhelming by any means, especially not for someone who has played other games in the series. As for being only 1 player....well this is only true if you dont know the secret to getting more players. I.E. Choose Multiple Characters:
After choosing a player and enter the game, hold down R-Shift, left mouse button and right click twice to bring up a menu which allows you to choose multiple characters instead of just only one. Enjoy!

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