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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!

Not for all Dynasty Warrior fans

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 6 / 7
Date: July 09, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Like I said, most Dynasty Warriors fans will be dissapointed by this game. recommended for strategy buffs and the super-thick manual can back me up on this one. Think of it as Stronghold but with such a wider range and more, way more complex. The graphics are all not as well as you would think, but hey, they never were good. Well, to get right down to it, it is a strategy gamers hardest challenge hands-down. You must keep your headquarters while spreading over more of your land and taking over others. You can use your army or political propaganda to take over everyones land. THis game is fun, but ... it is one player and if you want 2player action, stick with ROTTK4. At least rent the game. It probanly will be worth your money. Koei ROCKS
. THis I am Now editing. It appears there is a 2payer thing goin on with this game if you hold down R2+R1+L2+L1./ Thank you whowever voted for this review

for those of you who dont know yet-IT HAS MULTIPLAYER

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 5
Date: July 10, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I dont know why they did this but to get multi player you must hold R1+R2+L1+L2 and press select. Anyways, this game is the best of koei's series yet! This game has plenty of gameplay since you have nearly 500+ characters to choose from with many different positions to play as. Each game you play will take you atleast 10-12 hours and after you are done, you are provoked to just play it again! Being a ruler, officer, governor, advisor, or even a wanderer is fun for this game. The battles are long and challenging but that is the fun part about this game. Become the evil person that brings turmoil to the land, or try to bring peace and unify china. Whatever you would want to do you could do in Romance of the Three Kingdoms 7.

The crown jewel of the series!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 4 / 4
Date: April 09, 2004
Author: Amazon User

To me, this was when the Romance of the three kingdoms series hit it's high point. Romance 8 expanded upon it but I still like this one a little better. For one thing the combat is slighly easier to get into. You don't have to wait three months before you can engage in warfare. The gameplay is hard but not so hard that you go crazy unlike Romance IX. If you want you can just forget about trying to conquer China at all and just live as a ronin and build your characters stats which is cool.

The music in the game is some of the best in the series. It is worth playing through the game just to hear the majestic score at the end of the game. Multiple endings are good of course although it can be hard to get the 'good' endings. I always became a tyrant and then got conquered by the Xianbei. I hate them so much.

Anyway, this game is a great strategy game but is not for beginners or people who like fast paced games although with this series that goes without saying.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms 8 -- even better!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: July 30, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Romance of the Three Kingdoms by Koei is the kind of game that I have been hearing about ever since I was little at elementary school. I still remember how some of the history teachers actually encouraged us to play it IF we had to play any game.

Not until VIII came out would I FINALLY get to play this legendary game. And YES... I was amazed and helplessly addictive to it -- the content, the story, and the characters!
(Before this, I had never liked to play any game-- not PC game, not PS/PS2 game, not any XBOX. I just did NOT like to play the games... period. )

I don't know how the pervious versions of RTK are like. However, I do believe RTKVIII IS the one to go.

There is one thing though -- Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII is not yet available in US stores and Koei has not yet announced a release date or translation. The only way to play it is having the Japanese or Chinese version of RTK8 installed in the Japanese or Chinese window (as if you know either Japanese or Chinese

Cool

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: July 08, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I think personally this game is great. In my opinion it takes more after Kessen 2 then Dynasty Warriors. I like the fact you can make up a character and climb the ladder of power. Although it is designed for one player, I still enjoyed it because I am a big RPG fan and I am used to playing by myself or taking turns with a friend. Koei has made many games about this period during China's history. The basic story is there is one big kingdom, Han and in Dynasty Warriors you piece it back together, alot like Kessen even though it focuses mainly on Shu forces. In Romance 7 you are supposed to defeat powerful opponents like LuBu, Zhang Fei, and Guan Yu.You are also supposed to win wars, expand your kingdom, and keep a good relationship with your people. In summary it is a well thought out game. The fighting and graphical capabilities are amazing. I say this is a game for RPG fans, Kessen 2, and Dynasty Warriors fans. Enjoy!

Excellent, excellent game.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: August 23, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This is a great game- I was afraid they weren't going to make any games of this genre on the PS2- everything seems to be glitz, glammer, and non-stop button pounding any more. We've accepted high-cost graphics in place of great gameplay nowadays- or so I thought.

This game is absolutely engaging- you can easily lose yourself for days in making your decisions and making your kingdom grow. And the satisfaction you get when you defeat an opposing army of over 50,000 troops is just too difficult to put into words.

If you like strategic warfare, god-sims, or just freedom, this is the game for you. And to top it all off, it's actually got support for up to 8 players! Turn-based strategy doesn't get any better than this.

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