Someone tell me about Dynasty Warriors 6

[General Zod]

I realize it's an old game, but I never got into the series before and after looking at some gameplay vids, I've decided this is relevant to my interests. That said, the reviews seem mixed but most of what I've seen criticize it for being an imperfect translation onto a next gen console.

I'd prefer not to slog through hundreds of worthless reviews, and I know some of you have played it on here. I'm mostly curious as to what the aggravating aspects of the game are. Does the camera suck? Broken enemies? Bizarre powers/abilities scheme? It's only $40 at Gamestop, which makes it seem reasonable but I'd rather get the lowdown from mostly intelligent people who've played it first-hand who aren't paid off by the gaming industry.

[Nephtys]

Based on interpolation from the series, I can say this:

It's like Dynasty Warriors 5, only 6.

I really can't tell any of the series apart. You pick your pseudo-Historical chinese superhero(ine), and then mow down thousands of worthless schmucks too scared to actually swing at you by mashing square a lot. Does it really need more?

[General Zod]

So the enemies are totally worthless? Is it insanely easy or is there some degree of challenge involved? (I've never played a DW before 6, also. )

[Nephtys]

So the enemies are totally worthless? Is it insanely easy or is there some degree of challenge involved? (I've never played a DW before 6, also. )

I remember playing one or two of the older ones, and given that they've made like 15 editions of the damned thing with no changes, I can't see them changing it now.

Basically, rank and file infantry platoons would just charge at you, then hover around, scared. Until one member, MAYBE every five seconds tries an easilly-dodgable swing. Then you slaughter all 50 of them, and wait for bosses to show up to actually provide mild challenge since they have all the same moves you do.

[Ryan Thunder]

I view it as a stress-relief device, myself, so the (lack) of difficulty isn't too much of a turn off. The hardest parts are keeping your mission-critical guys alive. Sometimes that can be hard.

I like some of the new costumes, but others, not so much.

And truthfully, I think DW5 was actually better. Maybe not better-looking, but overall it had a tonne more features.

[General Zod]

Basically, rank and file infantry platoons would just charge at you, then hover around, scared. Until one member, MAYBE every five seconds tries an easilly-dodgable swing. Then you slaughter all 50 of them, and wait for bosses to show up to actually provide mild challenge since they have all the same moves you do.

Does it get better at higher difficulties? There are higher difficulties, right?

[Ryan Thunder]

Basically, rank and file infantry platoons would just charge at you, then hover around, scared. Until one member, MAYBE every five seconds tries an easilly-dodgable swing. Then you slaughter all 50 of them, and wait for bosses to show up to actually provide mild challenge since they have all the same moves you do.

Does it get better at higher difficulties? There are higher difficulties, right?

Yeah, they just have a better chance of knocking you down. That's about it, near as I can tell. They might attack a bit more often, too.

[Chardok]

clearly none of you schmoes ever played the battle of hu lao gate on hard.

Or He Fe Castle

and Mt. Jing-whateverthefuck.


Seriously, play it on hard without an insta kill 3-rd combo weapon. you will fail, and the private who kills you in tree hits will dance on your corpse.

[Steve]

I disliked the new Renbu system and the fact that a number of old unique playable characters were reduced to generic models and movesets (Sun Shang Xiang and Yue Ying, for instance, have the same archeress model). Nothing particularly wrong with upgrading appearances and even weapons in an attempt to shake things up from the same old-same old, but I think they ended up detracting from the game.

Now, what I did like was stuff like scaling siege ladders, swimming, etc.

Mt. Jing-whateverthefuck

Mt. Jing Don? Shu vs. Wei, with Xiahou Yuan vs. Huang Zhong?

P.S. Er, Mt. Ding Jun is what I came up with in a quick check.

[Ryan Thunder]

I didn't like the Renbu system itself, but I did like the results of it once you got up to Infinite.

[Stargate Nerd]

I haven't played DW6, but I played DW4 on PS2 and the PSP version.

From my experience the PSP version was a cake walk until you reached Lu Bu. That demonic SOB kicked my ass quite a bit.

The PS2 version on the other hand proved somewhat more difficult because of the time limits for completion of the levels. The actual fights though again aren't too challenging until you reach a boss character.

[The Yosemite Bear]

Makes me wonder if someone could do an Akira Kurosawa game, and do it justice?

aside from the obviously needed battle in a rainstorm, where you really can't tell what's going on....

[Tasoth]

I personally like DW6, but my opinion is biased as I enjoyed DW4 and bought both the Samurai Warrior games.

It isn't just Sun shang Xiang and Yue Jin that share the same moveset. I believe Huang Gai and Wei Yan, Zhang He and someone else are linked amongst several others. And the renbu system is kinda whacked for me in that it degenerates over time, a problem solved by getting a horse with renbu gait.

On the topic of horses, you know get them randomly dropped by officers and crates. Including the legendary horses. This makes it mind boggling difficult to get them unless you have luck and the Lady Luck character trait on your side. And even then you have to build the horses up with a character that possesses the Horsemanship trait (Guan Yu or Xiahou Dun). I've had the game since its release and only recently have I managed to get a legendary horse. There are still 5 others.

Weapons are also similar. IIRC, no more 4th weapons and there are three types of weapons available: Normal, which increases your reach as renbu goes up, power, which increases its damage as per above and speed, which does the same only makes your attacks faster. Kinda it, just go for random grabs on harder stages with higher difficulties to get particularly good weapons.

If DW is your thing, go for it. It's pretty, the gameplay is more or less the same and it works for stress relief. If you can wait, I say watch Kingdom Under Fire 2. It actually gives you units to command, has your personal unit follow it and allow limited orders such as tightening or loosening rank for different effects, degenerates into a chaotic melee when you engage another unit, use of magic, equipment purchases for your unit, branching unit progression tree and, as of the new one, an online MMOesque portion. I'm going to assume you can design your officer for that bit.

[Edward Yee]

On the PS2 version of Dynasty Warriors 6 (Japanese version was Shin Sangokumusou 5 Special), some of the similar-weapon characters get different weapons and new movesets to boot; for example, Yue Ying gets a wrist-mounted "crossbow," Zhang He gets his claws back, Taishi Ci gets his staves back, and so on. I don't mind the lack of the other characters' story modes, as looking previous ones (DW5 had the most ever in one DW game, wasn't it 48?), a lot of them seemed rather "generic" or rather similar, even to me...

I'd actually recommend it over the Xbox 360/PS3 versions for this, as well as for how each of these characters also gets their own Story Mode, despite the graphics issues... I've had slowdown, clipping, and the infamous "draw distance inconsistency that can let Lu Bu sneak right up to you without appearing until it's too late to avoid DEATH."

P.S. Go here for a webcomic that parodies the hell out of both the game and its setting.