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Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends Review for PlayStation 3 (PS3)

You Versus The World

If you’ve played anything from the Dynasty Warriors series, then you undoubtedly know what to expect from Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends. Do you get a feeling of satisfaction and/or accomplishment after you hack and slash your way through hundreds of enemies? Do you relish the idea of orphaning potentially hundreds or even thousands of children as you mercilessly slay their fathers on the battlefield? Do you fancy yourself some cheesy dialogue that’s decidedly Japanese in flavor? If you answered yes to any of those questions, there’s a very good chance you’re going to find something in Xtreme Legends to enjoy. If none of that sounds very interesting, this might not be the game for you.

Personally, a few hours after booting it up I was still sort of enjoying squashing my enemies like they were little more than bugs, but it was already starting to get old.

Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends Screenshot

Call me crazy, but I actually enjoy a little plot and character development in my video games. I’m not saying every game needs to be a BioShock or an Uncharted, but it’s nice to have something that can carry the overall experience even after the actual gameplay starts to grow dull. After a few hours of Xtreme Legends, the game becomes more of an endurance test than anything else. The sense of power I was first overwhelmed with faded to a dim feeling of overconfidence as I ravaged horde after horde of enemies, pausing every so often to catch my breath and maybe take in some of the poorly written dialogue before jumping back into battle.

Xtreme Legends doesn’t have much in the way of interesting characters or an engrossing story, and the dialogue felt like nothing more than a distraction. On top of that was the unintentionally goofy voice work and some iffy sound effects, which are backed by a surprisingly stale soundtrack. Now, since this is a Dynasty Warriors title, I wasn’t expecting a strong cast of characters. I wasn’t even all that disappointed when I found myself not caring about the name or back story of a single character in the game. However, the sub-par sound work is jarring. I wanted to feel like I was cutting my way through dozens of enemies with my massive double blades; instead, it felt like I was cutting through air while someone made sound effects off-screen while they hastily tried to keep up with the bedlam I was causing.

Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends Screenshot

But the real point of this game is kicking tons of ass alone or with a friend without being bothered by pesky things like realistic characters or plot twists. You don’t play a Dynasty Warriors game for those things; you play it to escape to the past where you’re a general who has a seemingly insatiable appetite for causing pain. So it’s a good thing that Xtreme Legends excels in the combat department.

The campaign is pretty much what you’d expect from a Dynasty Warriors game, and you can import your Dynasty Warriors 7 save file for use in the story to start off with an even stronger character. Add a handful of new weapons and generals and the game starts to get a little more enjoyable. Yet in a game where you’re spending pretty much every minute fighting waves of enemies, I was expecting a meatier arsenal of weapons and equipment to choose from. While the equipment selection here isn’t anything to scoff at, it’s a little disappointing nonetheless. So it’s a good thing there’s some decent variety in the weapons, including bows, spears, swords, staffs, axes, clubs, and more.

Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends Screenshot

Once you find the weapon that best suits your unique playstyle, you can take the Seals that are dropped by slain enemies to shops to upgrade your equipment and abilities, making you more efficient in combat. They can increase your attack speed or damage, and they’ll eventually transform you into a veritable one-man army. Some of these weapons, like the Dragon Spear and the Podao, can only be unlocked by completing certain tasks such as beating a mission on a harder difficulty setting or killing a specific enemy. They aren’t incredibly noteworthy, but having these smaller side goals does help to break up the monotony of the overall experience.

Like many games of its kind, Xtreme Legends is far more entertaining when you play it with a friend. The co-op is limited to two players, but that’s understandable when there are dozens of enemies on-screen at any given time. Any more players in a single game may have potentially slowed down the experience too much. But on your own you’re already practically unstoppable, and that’s doubled when you take on the bad guys with someone else. If you have the chance to do so, I highly suggest giving the co-op a try. It’ll be worth it, if only so you have someone else to make fun of the dialogue and scantily clad females with.

Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends Screenshot

Xtreme Legends brings with it some new content to keep you busy for a while, including the brand spanking new Legend Mode, which lets you take on fights from past Dynasty Warriors games. There’s also a Challenge Mode that gives you the opportunity to compete against players from all over the world as you complete different scenarios to claim your spot on the leaderboards. Xtreme Legends certainly isn’t lacking in content, especially for its cheaper $40 price tag, and the few new things it offers are worthy additions that don’t feel tacked on, but much of it will probably feel too familiar to fans of the series. There isn’t much that’s new here, and this sometimes makes the game feel like it should’ve been DLC, rather than a standalone expansion.

Even at a budget price I’m finding it a little difficult to recommend this game. It’s not bad by any means, and if you’re a fan of the series there’s a ton here for you to enjoy. But right now there are so many games out there that are trying new and innovative things (Dark Souls, Arkham City) or simply excelling in their respective genres (Battlefield 3, Skyrim, Gears of War 3). So when a game like Xtreme Legends—which is essentially more of the same—comes along at a time when gamers are already inundated with a myriad difficult choices, it’s tough to recommend it. If you like fighting your way through a seemingly endless sea of soldiers, this game won’t disappoint. Otherwise, I suggest you skip this for a few months until it’s nestled comfortably at the bottom of a bargain bin.

RATING OUT OF 5 RATING DESCRIPTION 3.8 Graphics
Nothing jaw-dropping, but that’s understandable when there are so many enemies on-screen at once. 3.8 Control
Hacking and slashing your way through waves of enemies has never been easier. 2.8 Music / Sound FX / Voice Acting
The dialogue is cheesy and the sound effects and music are only distracting. 3.5 Play Value
There’s plenty to do here, including extra modes to play with a friend oncce the campaign is over. 3.4 Overall Rating – Fair
Not an average. See Rating legend below for a final score breakdown.

Review Rating Legend
0.1 – 1.9 = Avoid 2.5 – 2.9 = Average 3.5 – 3.9 = Good 4.5 – 4.9 = Must Buy
2.0 – 2.4 = Poor 3.0 – 3.4 = Fair 4.0 – 4.4 = Great 5.0 = The Best

Game Features:

  • New generals join the action, and old ones return. Play as Guo Jia, Wang Yi, and Pang De!
  • Legend Mode allows you to experience the battle from the eyes of each individual warrior.
  • New weapons to use, as well as personalized weapons for old characters.
  • The ability to use your save data from Dynasty Warriors 7 to get a head start, allowing you to use your beefed up characters from the beginning.

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