Dynasty Warriors 5 Critic Reviews

Dynasty Warriors 5 fixes the problem by using a smoother game engine. Not only does the game look sharper, but slowdown is reduced to almost nil.

While ancient China seems forever destined to bust apart at the seams, and Koei seems forever destined to remind us of this, DW5 rejuvenates the series with a series of subtle changes that make it worth taking the plunge yet again.

What's truly satisfying is these games make history entertaining.

The critic in me tells me this series needs to innovate, but as a gamer I'm once again completely satisfied by the experience. Defying conventional wisdom, Dynasty Warriors is unique in that the gameplay achieves a near perfect harmonious balanced and change would only upset that.

Any hardcore DW fan will be ecstatic to find another billion hours of gameplay to wade through.

With the fog finally pushed back to a manageable horizon and smooth gameplay, this is the version to get.

Just be warned that this is one long, long fight and even though the game may be epic it would be nicer if it was not quite such a gigantic tale to slowly read through.

After seven games in 4 1/2 years, we simply need more evolution in the next iteration.

The game is no way lacking button mashing. If you have a little pent up anger, or are just tired of thinking and want to take a break from what’s going on around you, Dynasty Warriors 5 will be just what you’re looking for.

Improves on its predecessors in the right ways, and removes a lot of the useless features. That said, the core gameplay is still the same, and may strike some as being either repetitive or milking a series to near death.

As the most challenging Dynasty Warriors to date, 5 is also the most satisfying - but with so little changes over the years this latest installment may feel like a rehash to most.

While I admit this is undoubtedly the best version so far, it's far from original. It's built on the foundation of past games and smells suspiciously of a "best of."

The improved graphics make this the best-looking DW installment to date. Too bad the tweaks to the time-tested gameplay (smarter bodyguards, more balanced weaponry, etc.) and handful of new gameplay modes (Bridge Melee) are beginning to show more desperation than innovation or creativity.

Falls too often into the trap where it just feels like an add-on to the series, instead of a brave new sequel.

The Dynasty Warriors games are brain-dead fun, but each new title is no more or less fun than the one that cam before or the 30 that will come after.

The action might draw fighting-game fans, but Dynasty Warriors has no real back-and-forth.

For even a huge fan of the series like myself, you can't consider Dynasty Warriors 5 anything more than a letdown.

There’s nothing here that would draw in gamers who can’t stand the genre, but if you do have a soft spot for mass slaughter, Dynasty Warriors 5 is as good a place to get your fix as any.

A good solid game, as it should be considering it’s the fifth in the series. Being released around the same time as "Tekken 5" though, it’s incredibly noticeable how one series can progress and develop new modes of gameplay, while another can simply try to release the same old.

Odds are you'll simply grow tired of grinding through the same battles yet again, with only a half-baked storyline to keep you interested. Ultimately, you're probably better off waiting until Koei announces the inevitable first Dynasty Warriors 5 spin-off, rather than picking up this game.