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Fun game!... but...

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 14 / 17
Date: June 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

DW4 is a great game. I would recommend it especially if you haven't played the previous titles.

Pros (compared to dw3 and dw3xl)
1. Better graphics... more details and colors...
2. Music is more fitting to the story line... (I favored some sort of asian music to go along with the Chinese storyline)...
3. Some of the worst characters in the 3rd game (Zhuge Liang for instance) have been improved... though some have been toned down... (like Cao Cao)
4. Enemy AI is more interactive... sometimes too much... will almost always try to knock you off a horse when you try to get onto it...
5. Many more levels...
6. Enemy archers are less annoying.. even on the harder boards...

Cons:
1. too bad you can't control where the other officers should mobilize/advance/attack/defend, etc... so the game is still a lot of beat em ups... and watching your own officers die on harder levels...
2. there should be more clues in the game on how to acquire special items and level 10 weapons... instead of having to look them up on the net
3. gameplay is still the same basically as the other games...
4. many more levels.. but many of them are basically the same levels with different sections cut off... for instance if you play a level located in one scenario/province... it is basically laid out the same way as another level in the same scenario/province... but maybe with some parts cut off the map...
5. just 3 new characters... and only one of them is actually good (Zhou Tai)...
6. should be more time to duel... should be a full minute... why 40 seconds???
7. can't do multi-juggle combos... computer will always recover when launched into the air...
8. some pretty useless orb attachments... like blast and poison... and death has been toned down a lot so it doesn't always work... just a percentage of the time...
9. overall ... the game is very easy for someone who can and know how to take advantage all the features...

Non-stop actions, too addictive.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 11 / 12
Date: June 09, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I haven't had so much fun playing video games for a long time. Although there isn't too much difference between DW4 and DW3, it's still worth a buy. DW4's graphic has improved compared to DW3. Enemies AI has also improved, they now like to backstab you. Duel system is also fun, allowing you to fight one-on-one with an officer. Officers costumes are nicer than before, and many of their moves are slightly improved too. The most important thing is the way you level up your weapon is so much better than before. You now earn better weapon by earning experience points during gameplay like RPG style instead of picking up weapons with random features in the stage. the 10th (max) level weapon is now easier to obtain than DW3. There are also 3 new characters and their moves are unique. Voice acting has improved, but still not good enough, they need to correct their pronounciation of the officers' names - like Cao Cao should pronounce Zhao Zhao, NOT Cow Cow!!! The cut scenes and the movies are also well done. Also, you will need to fight with strategy, mashing buttons will not help much, which makes the game so fun to play. The stages are much more fun than before. Also, now you can get on any horse regardless of your rank. Edit mode allows you to create and customize officers and bodyguards, but the customization is too plain, not much you can do. The new features like siege ramps and catapults and stuff are just eye candies...you don't get to see them too often, and you cannot command them, they will just tell you to protect them from being destroyed by enemies, pretty disappointing. enemies still become invisible sometimes. game is in slow motion when the screen has too many actions, i guess the processor can't pick up the busy actions fast enough. anyway, even with these minor flaws, the game is still very fun. If you've been a fan of DW series, you should give this a try. If you've never played it before and you like this type of game, you should try this out too.

Great Fun Like Always

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 8 / 8
Date: June 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

As an avid fan of the Romance of the 3 Kingdoms games, I am fairly biased towards the Dynasty Warriors series. However, where these games excel is not in the strategy department, but in the pure excitement they generate for knowledgeable fans.

Don't get me wrong, inexperienced players can easily understand the stories contained in this game, but its the wealth of detail that pulls in us old-timers. Besides the great in-game cutscenes, the countless enemies in each battle, and the ludicrous amount of discoverable items and generals, there is also the wealth of history.

The 3 Kingdoms story revolves around one of the pivitol times in Chinese history. The Han dynasty was in collapse, and numerous warlords were attempting to carve themselves an empire. Among the many, there were 3 whose skills at diplomacy, combat, and treachery allowed them to stand above the rest. Dynasty Warriors 4 places you as a general in one of these empires. Will you help your sworn leader conquer, or will you let his enemies succeed.

Choose from approximately 9 starting generals, and with each successive victory gain new choices. Unlike past games, you are free to change your chosen combatant between each battle. Unlocking items, generals, and new stances and weapons for a general you created. That's right old-timers, Dynasty Warriors 4 allows you to create your own general, just like the old Romance of the 3 Kingdoms games. The only unfortunate part is the small numbers of choices for weapons and outfits. Given the large array of uniforms and designs, I only wish they had given these parts to build with.

All in all, Dynasty Warriors 4 is more of the same, but with more options, more generals, more battles, and lots more fun.

An improvement, but not an Innovation

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 10 / 13
Date: April 27, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Let me start by saying I totally love this game. Everything about it sucks you in, and keeps you hacking away. However, while a great deal of problems were fixed from it's predcessors, it plays as almost the exact same game, just buggier. My tohughts are Koei rushed to develop this one, and thus left a lot of things unfinished.

Story/Characters: This is kind of a split for me. While they managed to give us greater background to the story it was done so in a text basis. Most of the previous cut-scenes that added flavor to DW3 (Guan Yu maiming Yan Liang and Wen Chou, or the Triangle Duel against Lu Bu) have been replaced by a simple phrase, "Lord Yan Liang, I have come for your head". Also, those familiar with the Romance Novels will find Koei takes a great deal of liberties(Guan Yu fighting at Yi Ling... it was his death that triggered Yi Ling). But this really shouldn't deviate too much from the gameplay esspcially if you are new, so in that respect I give it a 4-.

Graphics: Firstly, the resolution was reduced, so everything runs smoother, a nice touch. Second, the levels are incredibly re-vamped. My biggest problem with the old games was the large flat areas of nothing, but most of those hvae vanished from this game. The characters are better defined, and Ma Chao has a face! However, DW3 had pretty much pushed the PS2 to its limits, and unfortunatley these great graphics have drawbacks, mainly in the 2 player mode. The biggest problem is if you and your buddy get to close and theres a mob of 15+ guys, you lose your interface screen, and thus have no idea what your health is. Dual Musou and True Musou's are pathetic, and the drawing distance is still pretty bad. Again, somewhat minor, but things that really could have been fixed had they spent an extra 6 months, so again a 4.

Gameplay: They added some nice touches. The AI has made a big step, learning how to block(maybe a little too much) and hit you back. Leaders will make a break for it if their moral is shattered, and can ocme abck in a Gaiden Stage. The first and third Charge moves have been altered, altohugh I was dissapointed half the characters have the same first one. These are nice, but when you come down to it, the basic objective will always be "Kill the Enemy Commander". Siege Engines are practically non-existant(except for the damn Juggernaughts, which are totally unbalnced by having lighting speed, and massive damage). There was 1 new item added(none of the items form XL are in it), and your final weapon is pitful(no stat bonuses, all it does is allow you to use your orb when your musou isnt full). O yes, the orbs, well Ice and Posion are pretty much ineffective(excpet for a few characters), and you'll find that your best bet is Lightning and Fire for damage. All this was meant to balance the game better, but many hcarcters end up falling short(Pang Tong w/o his Tornado Staff from DW3 can't do his Super Musou Charge, Lu Xun is quite slower, and lackes his excellent Death Attack which made him an equal for the Likes of Guan Yu). Not to mention we only got 3 new Characters, and a ... Create a Warrior. While the same concept enthralls me, it just dosent deliever what it's predcessors had.

Audio: Wow, the sound is definetly better. Crisp with wooshes, block breaking, crunching action. The music once again goes into the "Love it or Hate it Category". Some tracks like Yi Ling and Chang Ban have excellent adreniline pumping, yet mood set music. But then we have Yellow Turban Rebellion(whoever composed this needs to be shot, esspcially since every character plays the freakin level!), Nanman, and this one song that sound like a Reject 80's band. And finally the dubbing... I'm used to watching Anime, so I know good dubs and totally awful dubs. Thank heaven this isn't an awful one. For one, the lip synching is done rather well, and we don't have people stretching or trying to speed up there voices. Second, most of the voices fit, Dian Wei, Guan Yu, Sun Jian are really good. Some like Zhao Yun, Sima Yi, and Zhang He could use work, but aren't anything as bad as DW3..."You Flaming IDIOTS!". I big improvement, so this earns a 5.

Replay: With 50 levels as opposed to like 18 you'd think "Wow I'll never get tired of this!" unfortunatley, everyone has the same Musou Mode(One for Shu, Wu, Wei...) Ending( 1 basic Cinema for all Kingdoms, then 4 Indivdual ones for Each Kingdom) and, some levels are re-used(Yellow Turban Fortress and Guan Du). Without Weapons to collect, or a plethora of new characters to try out, there just doesn't seem to be as much to do as there was in 3. Lu Bu is a pushover (aside from dueling, which is rigged anyways due to the enemeis unlimeted msuou, life recharging, and the bug that turns off your items during the duel, but forgets to reactivate them afterwards!). With less events, and smaller maps its some what of a let down, getting a 3.

Is Dynasty Warriors 4 a good game. Yes, infact it's worth the 50 dollars. Is it for everyone? Probably not. Is it a major Improvement? Not really. If you enjoyed the past games, pick it up, and you'll probably still have a blast. If your new, try renting it first, you may become bored within 2 days.

GRAPHICS,GRAPHICS, AND MORE GRAPHICS

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 26
Date: February 24, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Dynasty Warriors 4 for is ten times better than the first three! Their are four all new playable characters including your favorites like Zhao Yun,Guan Yu,Zhang Fei,Zhou Yu,Sun Ce,Lu Xu, Lu Bu and more.There will be fifty stages of intense battle.A all new Officer Edit mode!Now you can now make costom character from parts of existing cast members.The graphics are th best of the best that is all I tell you now till later days!

BIG step up for the series

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 8
Date: March 30, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I've been playing this game for two days, and have only seen about a third of the levels (and probably less than half of the events on those levels), and all I can say is WOW!
Having read ROTK and played DW2, DW3, and DW:FW, I'm simply amazed by the amount of detail that went into this game. While DW2 and DW3 did a good job of portraying the conflicts, DW4 does that PLUS telling the story and getting into the details of the conflicts. The saving of the infant Liu Feng in the blaze of battle; the cowardly burning of the capital by Dong Zhuo; the treachery of Yuan Shu at Hu Lao (which was only touched on in DW3); it's all there.
Story-telling is MUCH stronger in this game. Instead of a single battle against the Yellow Scarves (for example), there are three, and they're tied together logically. Additionally, the mid-battle one-on-one Duels add a LOT of the original cinematic/dramatic flavor of the novels.
If you're a ROTK fan and you've played all of Koei's games, remember the difference of the experience in Kessen II to Dynasty Tactics? It's about the same going from DW3 to DW4.
If you're been playing the DW series all along, I'm sure you've already got and love this game. If, on the other hand, you've been a casual player, this is one you should not miss.

It's worth the Money

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 16 / 29
Date: March 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Dynasty Warriors 4 is probably one of the Best games a person can buy for there PS2. It's Graphics and Story line alone are great quality and further more the game play is awsome. If Playstation could crack out a few more games like this they would be in buisness

Great Game

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 5 / 5
Date: April 13, 2003
Author: Amazon User

DW4 puts you in the shoes of a general during the three kingdoms era in ancient china. You basically just run around huge battlefields and hack away at advancing columns of enemy troops. Those who have played previous installments will notice a lot of new imorovements but nothing too innovative. the souped up charge attacks, and increased number of combos are cool,but the best improvement is the weapon experience system is probably the best feature. no longer will you have to run around chasing supply captains trying to get certain weapons. So to sum it up

-pros
1.weapon experience system
2.better charge attacks and combos
3.improved maps
4.more detailed storyline into the three kingdoms era
5.more scenarios w/ different armies including lu bu
-cons
1.weak voice acting
2.seige engine isn't that great

Amazingly addictive fun lesson in Chinese military history

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 7 / 9
Date: September 20, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Talk about a game that gets better with each release! Dynasty Warriors 4 is a cult classic with great graphics and a combination of button-mashing fighting and strategy.

The graphics in Dynasty Warriors 4 are REALLY impressive. Maybe not in a Splinter Cell sort of way, but the facial movements in the cut scenes, the body movements during sword attacks, the fields of reeds and rolling plains are quite impressive for the PS2.

The game is in essence the same as previous Dynasty Warrior games, but greatly enhanced. You are a General in China during a rebellion of the Han Dynasty. The Yellow Turbans sought to bring a time of peace by overthrowing the Han dynasty, and of course the Hans resisted!

The well done encyclopedia fills you in on all the factual background of the locations, events, and personalities involved in this series of battles. You can customize your own character - male or female - down to the color of the outfit and style of armor worn. You can customize the bodyguards that protect you. You can play around in duels or skill contests. But the real fun is when you head into the main campaign.

Each level is huge and involves a variety of terrain and landscapes. There are numerous generals each with large number of forces under his or her control. Luckily you're not alone in this - you have fellow generals and tons of troops under your control. An overview map keeps track of where each main force is, and within that you are hacking and slashing your way to victory.

It seems a bit overwhelming at first - is this a strategy overview, a first person slayer or a combo of both? Once you get into it, though, it's quite easy to understand and extremely addictive. You can't hurt your own forces. It's very reassuring to see your bodyguards hanging out nearby and taking out enemies. The map and status bar help you keep track of the tides of war. You gather up powers and health from fallen enemies and nearby barrels. The combo attacks and powerup attacks are great!

Your weapons gain levels, your loyal troops get stronger, and you really feel like you've accomplished something of worth when you get through these historical sequences and stand with your troops, battle hardened, at the end of the road. This is way more than a hack-and-slash - it is a strategic lesson in real life history.

Highly recommended!

Kung Fu Fighting!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 6
Date: November 05, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I got into this game because I am a Romance of the three kingdoms fan so I was familiar with the characters. This game is nothing like that one however. This is almost constant action from the first moment which is pretty cool. It was pretty awesome being able to deliver a beat down with Lu Bu for the first time. A lot of people have written about how this game is similar to previous Dynasty warrior games but as this is the first one I bought I can't complain about the originality, or lack thereof. I suppose if you have any of the others you may want to rent it first to see if it is truly worthy of your fifty bucks. The best thing about this game is the two player option. It makes defeating the harder stages more feasible. The next best thing is all the cool items you can unlock, including the mysterious level 10 weapons which can be quite difficult if not impossible to unlock without the aid of a second player. It took me forever to unlock Cao Ren's weapon, among others.
Anyway, be sure to but his game if you like the romance series or you just like action games. Romance of the three kingdoms is still probably my favorite game but sometimes you want to defeat Dong Zhuo with a well planned strategic attack and some times you just want to backstab him with Lu Bu and chop him in the neck with a huge halberd. And if that last sentence made any sense to you then you definitely need to buy this game. Of course you probably have it already.

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