Folks, as of press time i know Dynasty Warrior 6 is not out yet in US and Europe ... but I've been playing the Japanese release of the game for a while already (i'm briefly done with most of the game already as we speak)
I was hoping to put in the review for the game earlier to help people decide if they should get it or not, and since I can't, i'll stick with blogging and tagging it here first. Then when i can provide a gamer's review, i will do it for the Xbox360 edition (which is what i have at the moment)
First off ... if you're not buying the Japanese edition of the game, you won't get the boxed set (artbook and very nice metal plates of all the characters) or even a simple official freebie ... mine is the cloth with the game logo imprinted on it ... still sealed up and not open. If you're not a collector, then you can stick with the normal edition of the game.
The game is much more beautiful in detail and much more interactive than the previous games. They have also managed to introduce a few gameplay mechanics from the previous Koei titles and put it into this game ... here's 2 that i like alot:
* Calling your horse from anywhere - taken from Orochi Musou (Warriors Orochi)
* Rolling - taken from Samurai Warrior series
The interactivity can also backfire on you sometimes ... expect to be thrown off hills, knocked off bridges, bumped around from object to object, long distance projectiles .... the list goes on.
Mission objectives are far more important in this game as it helps you get more experience points to develop your characters ... people who love the Legend Mode in Dynasty Warriors 4XL (EU/US version DW5 xtreme legends) would remember this objective-oriented system to gain experience points. Unlike the Legend mode, you are not restricted to complete one or two objectives ... but best that you get all done up to develop yourself more!
Characters have mostly changed their weapons ... no more fanciful stuff like claws and elephants ... now most weapons are quite fixed at swords, spears, bows and whips. The only fanciful one is Mr.Lu Bu's weapon ... which at first sight is almost a joke weapon but you'll live to regret laughing as he tosses it at you.
No more video cutscenes ... expect CG cutscenes all the way this round ... but it's not a loss as they can allow the character to be more expressive in their expression ... i hope you all will get the Japanese voice over option ... i've heard some of the English voice over and you'll be really disappointed (as always). Trust me, i'm always thankful that they kept the japanese voice over in Gundam Musou (Dynasty Warriors Gundam), it sure helped me feel more motivated to play the game!
On the other hand, why can't we get the Chinese voice overs? Let the warriors speak in their rightful native tongue for once!
Be prepared for one heck of nightmare in trying to earn the rare horses. At least in the Japanese problems, i'm having a nightmare figuring out which horse is able to develop into more powerful (and become the rare steed) horses ... i hope the english version would provide better clues ... if only i could read the japanese words to figure things out!
All in all ... it's a good buy ... better yet if you can get a 2nd hand copy (like me) ... i'll give a more detailed review when it's officially out, so stay tuned!