Review of Dynasty Warriors DS: Fighters Battle

Dynasty Warriors is an odd franchise.On one hand, it never really changes up its formula or anything like that.But on the other, its usually been a pretty fun hack and slash game.At least the console versions have been.In the handheld department, Dynasty Warriors hasn't been all that exciting, and the DS version of it is really no different.

It took a while to get here, but it's finally here: Dynasty Warriors Fighter Battles.Problem is, it's really nothing special.There's not much of a storyline here (as if Dynasty Warriors focus was storyline anyway) and you only get to choose between three characters.There's a character who wields an axe, a character who wields a sword and one who wields a spear.So there's no big array of characters to choose from like the console version.Certainly the gameplay has to be fun, right?Well, it was on its way there, but there are just some things that really mess it up.

In each mission you and your enemy have bases.Your job is to go to each base and take out the soldiers there.You'll then move from one base to another in an attempt to get to your enemies main camp.All the while, your enemy is doing the same thing, taking out your bases.You'll get a chance to select officers to put in each base, but in the end you know you'll be doing all the work.Your enemies keep on the prowl, and so will you.You'll get messages telling you when an officer has been defeated, when they defeat an officer so on and so forth.If you should run into the enemy captain, however, you'll both duel in a one on one match.The loser of the duel is then whisked away to a different location on the map.

It sounds like its fun, but the gameplay suffers.The idea of going to your enemies bases and taking them down is nothing new, really.It's similar to the PSP title in that respect.You defeat the enemies at the base and then you select another base to move onto and do the same thing.When you're actually battling it's fun at first, but in reality it just doesn't feel as engaging as the console games.It's a hack and slash, but for some reason on the DS it just feels a bit more limited.You can string together light and heavy attacks, and in the process you can also use your musou, but that's really it.Not much different from the console versions, but again, it feels a bit more limited here.

The enemy AI is something of a joke.Most enemies are taken down quite easily.When defeating enemies not only does your musou gauge fill up, but they also drop coins.Coins eventually let you pull off some special attacks like a whrilwind to decimate your enemies.It seems like there's a variety of things to do, but there's no real challenge in it at all, and your enemies are easily taken down by your normal attacks anyway.

Then there are the duels with the enemy captain.At first it seems really cool and simple, until you actually defeat him.Sometimes they're sent back to a starting point, but sometimes they're not.In fact sometimes defeating the enemy captain will send him closer to your main camp.Likewise, sometimes you losing the duel will send you into a better position.It doesn't make much sense why sometimes when you win the duel you're the one who gets punished and the enemy gets a boost.The reverse can also happen, but it's a terrible terrible flaw in the design of the game.It doesn't make the game fun, really.

Visually, the characters look fairly good, but everything else is just sloppy looking and pixelated.Sure it's got some 3D elements, but the game is just downright ugly.Sometimes there's a dip in frame rate as well.

The game also won't take you long to complete, and when it's all over there's really no incentive to do it again, nor is there anything more rewarding for you.In other words, there are virtually no extras.There is multiplayer, though.You and your friend can go up against one another, but it's really no more exciting than the main game and it suffers from the same flaws as the main game.

In the end, even the die-hard Dynasty Warriors fan will find it hard to enjoy this game.It's marred by flaws all around.It's very rare to find a game unsatisfying, but here's one you may want to avoid.If you must play it, then at the very least, don't pay the full retail price for it.

The Good

+For the most part, the base to base gameplay adds some kind of strategy
+There's multi-player to play against your friends
+The character sprites aren't bad looking

The Bad

-Gameplay feels somehow limited
-Enemy AI is atrocious
-Forgettable soundtrack
-A horrible pixelated mess
-The way the duel system is set up is terrible, what's the point of winning a duel if the enemy isn't punished but could be helped instead?
-Incredibly short game
-Nothing rewarding after it's all over



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