is a
hack and slashHack and slash or hack and slay refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes close combat with short-range weapons. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games .-Origins:...
video game set in
Ancient ChinaChinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River valley in the Neolithic era. The written history of China begins with the Shang Dynasty . Turtle shells with ancient Chinese writing from the Shang Dynasty have been carbon dated to as early as 1500 BCE...
, during a period called
Three KingdomsThe Three Kingdoms period is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty emperors. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the Wei in 220 and the...
(around 200AD). This game is the sixth official installment in the
Dynasty Warriorsis a series of tactical action video games created by Omega Force/Koei! The award-winning series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, based loosely around the Chinese epic of the same name. The first game titled Dynasty Warriors, Sangokumusō in Japan, is...
series, developed by
Omega ForceOmega Force is a video game developer working for Koei that is most well known for its Dynasty Warriors series for the PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3....
and published by
KoeiKoei Co., Ltd. , formerly 光栄 ) is a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978...
. The game was released on November 11, 2007 in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
; the
North AmericanNorth American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
release was February 19, 2008 while the
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
release date was March 7, 2008. A version of the game was bundled with the 40GB
PlayStation 3The PlayStation 3 is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series...
in Japan. Dynasty Warriors 6 was also released for Windows in July 2008.
is a
hack and slashHack and slash or hack and slay refers to a type of gameplay that emphasizes close combat with short-range weapons. "Hack and slash" was originally used to describe an aspect of pen-and-paper role-playing games .-Origins:...
video game set in
Ancient ChinaChinese civilization originated in various city-states along the Yellow River valley in the Neolithic era. The written history of China begins with the Shang Dynasty . Turtle shells with ancient Chinese writing from the Shang Dynasty have been carbon dated to as early as 1500 BCE...
, during a period called
Three KingdomsThe Three Kingdoms period is a period in the history of China, part of an era of disunity called the Six Dynasties following immediately the loss of de facto power of the Han Dynasty emperors. In a strict academic sense it refers to the period between the foundation of the Wei in 220 and the...
(around 200AD). This game is the sixth official installment in the
Dynasty Warriorsis a series of tactical action video games created by Omega Force/Koei! The award-winning series is a spin-off of Koei's turn-based strategy Romance of the Three Kingdoms series, based loosely around the Chinese epic of the same name. The first game titled Dynasty Warriors, Sangokumusō in Japan, is...
series, developed by
Omega ForceOmega Force is a video game developer working for Koei that is most well known for its Dynasty Warriors series for the PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS, Game Boy Advance, PC, Xbox 360, PlayStation, PlayStation 2 and PlayStation 3....
and published by
KoeiKoei Co., Ltd. , formerly 光栄 ) is a Japanese video game publisher, developer, and distributor founded in 1978...
. The game was released on November 11, 2007 in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
; the
North AmericanNorth American generally refers to an entity, people, group, or attribute of North America, especially of the United States and Canada together.-Culture:*North American English, a collective term used to describe American English and Canadian English...
release was February 19, 2008 while the
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
release date was March 7, 2008. A version of the game was bundled with the 40GB
PlayStation 3The PlayStation 3 is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series...
in Japan. Dynasty Warriors 6 was also released for Windows in July 2008. A Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires has been announced for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360. It was unveiled at the 2008
Tokyo Game ShowThe , commonly known as TGS, is a video game expo / convention held annually in the Makuhari Messe, in Chiba, Japan. It is presented by the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association and the Nikkei Business Publications, Inc...
.
Gameplay
This installment varies greatly from past games in the series. One of the game's key additions is the Renbu system, a new way for characters to build up their attack combos. In previous installments in the series, combos were affected by the quality of weapon the character was wielding, with more powerful weapons allowing characters longer, more elaborate and often more powerful consecutive attacks. The Renbu system replaces this system with a gauge that gradually fills as you perform attacks. Performing attacks and dealing damage to the enemy fills the Renbu gauge, eventually earning a new rank/level, while taking damage and not attacking for a time drops the gauge; if you take a lot of damage or go for a long time without inflicting damage then the gauge may even drop back down to the previous level. However even at Renbu Rank 1 characters will be able to perform non-ending combos on the enemy. Without unlocking Renbu Ranks 3 and Infinite from the skill tree though, players can only progress to Renbu Rank 2. (With the exception of the temporary Rank Infinity acquired temporarily by collecting a certain item on the battlefield.)
Another major addition is the skill tree, from which characters can earn higher Renbu Ranks, special abilities and improve their attributes. As the progression of the skill tree moves from left to right, those on the right side of the tree are harder to unlock than those on the left. Typically the one which unlocks Infinite Renbu is on the farthest right. In Dynasty Warriors 6 horses must now be unlocked by collecting saddles from boxes or beaten officers. These horses can gain levels, skills, and some can even change into the legendary
Red HareRed Hare was Lü Bu's horse during the Three Kingdoms period of China. Historical records only mention the horse when Lü Bu temporarily became a subordinate of Yuan Shao, where he charged and defeated the armies of Zhang Yan while riding the Red Hare...
, although this is very rare.
Dueling from
Dynasty Warriors 4Dynasty Warriors 4, known as in Japan, is a hack and slash video game and the fourth installment in the popular Dynasty Warriors series. Dynasty Warriors 4 was developed by Omega Force and published by Koei. The game is available on PlayStation 2 and Xbox and is based on a series of books...
returns, but has been revamped; duels now take place on the battlefield and the nearby soldiers will circle around the two fighters, and other officers may jump into the circle, as opposed to the duel taking place in an arena that appears out of nowhere.
Bases have been altered too; they are bigger and where, before, in order to open the outer gate to a base, the player had to defeat a defense captain, now they must simply break it down with attacks. There is also a new corporal unit which guards bases. Defeating troops and corporals within the base reduces the base's defense. When the defense of the base drops to zero, the player has claimed the base. However, defeating the corporal is worth defeating 20 troops while defeating the guard captain results in immediate capture of the base.
Two new 'innovations' to the series are the abilities to swim and climb ladders. The ladder means that the player can now climb onto castle battlements in scenarios such as the Battle of Hu Lao Gate, and dispose of enemy ballistas and the new 'guard' unit. The first ties in with the improvements to enemy AI, allowing them to travel across rivers and other bodies of water in order to attack you or allied bases. Swimming is now a part of scenarios such as the Battle of Fan Castle.
Characters
41 playable characters return from the previous installment.
Jiang WeiJiang Wei was a military general and later regent of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of China. He originally served Cao Wei as a middle-level military officer, but because his mother was captured by Shu Han strategist Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wei joined him on Zhuge's first Northern Expedition...
, Xing Cai,
Pang DePang De was a prominent general under the powerful warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. He was noted for his loyalty when he refused to surrender after he was captured by the enemy general Guan Yu at the Battle of Fancheng.-Life:Pang De initially...
, Da Qiao,
Zuo CiZuo Ci is a legendary personage of the Three Kingdoms period of China. Though he is known as a local of Lujiang, the years of his birth and death are unknown. It is believed that he had existed before the collapse of the Han Dynasty, and it is claimed that he lived to three hundred...
,
Meng HuoMeng Huo was an aristocrat in the Nanzhong region, south of Shu Han, during the Three Kingdoms era of China. He was involved in several small skirmishes with Shu Han, and in retaliation Shu's strategist Zhuge Liang launched a full invasion on the Nanzhong region...
and
Zhu RongLady Zhurong, sometimes known as Madam Zhurong, was a fictional character in the historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, a semi-fictional account of the Three Kingdoms era of China. She was the wife of Meng Huo, the king of the Nanman tribes of southern China. She claimed to be descended...
are completely cut. These characters are non-playable and they are not mentioned at all, through-out the entire game, with the exception of Xing Cai, who is mentioned in
Lu BuLü Bu was a military general and later a minor warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty. According to the Records of Three Kingdoms, Lü Bu was a master in horseback riding and archery, and was thus known as the Flying General...
's last cut scene (as "the daughter of Zhang Fei"), Da Qiao who is mentioned in Xiao Qiao's biography in the encyclopedia, and
Jiang WeiJiang Wei was a military general and later regent of Shu Han during the Three Kingdoms era of China. He originally served Cao Wei as a middle-level military officer, but because his mother was captured by Shu Han strategist Zhuge Liang, Jiang Wei joined him on Zhuge's first Northern Expedition...
who is mentioned in the "Collapse of Shu" in the encyclopedia.
All characters have been given extensive makeovers to their appearance and weapons (Lu Bu for example no longer wields a
halberdA halberd is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm , and Barte . The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft...
as he did since his introduction into the series).
Although all of the characters with Musou Modes are unique (with exception of Sun Shang Xiang and Diao Chan, the female characters, who share movesets with Yue Ying and Zhen Ji respectively), all of the free mode characters with the sole exception of Xiao Qiao share movesets and weapons with other characters, although their skill trees are unique. For example,
Zhang HeZhang He was a distinguished military general under the powerful warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. He began his military career when the Yellow Turban Rebellion erupted in 184 and subsequently served under Han Fu and Yuan Shao before defecting to...
,
Sun CeSun Ce was a military general and warlord during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era in ancient China. He was the eldest of five sons and one daughter of Sun Jian, who was killed in battle when Sun Ce was only sixteen...
and
Taishi CiTaishi Ci was a military general of the Three Kingdoms period of China. He served several warlords, including Kong Rong, Liu Yao, and Sun Ce.-Early life:...
all have similar weapons and virtually identical movesets.
Only 17 of the 41 playable characters have a Musou Mode (Story Mode), with the others being playable only in Free Mode & Challenge Mode. The 17 characters with Musou Modes are Liu Bei, Guan Yu, Zhang Fei, Zhuge Liang, Zhao Yun, Cao Cao, Xiahou Dun, Zhang Liao, Dian Wei, Sima Yi, Sun Jian, Gan Ning, Sun Shang Xiang, Zhou Yu, Lu Xun, Lu Bu and Diao Chan.
Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires
Dynasty Warriors 三國無双6 Empires has been officially announced by Koei. Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires released May 28, 2009 in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, June 23, 2009 for
North AmericaNorth America is the northern continent of the Americas, situated in the Earth's northern hemisphere and in the western hemisphere. It is bordered on the north by the Arctic Ocean, on the east by the North Atlantic Ocean, on the southeast by the Caribbean Sea, and on the west by the North Pacific...
and June 26 in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
for
PlayStation 3The PlayStation 3 is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment, and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series...
and
Xbox 360The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft, and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles....
.
Confirmed Features:
Edit Mode: Edit Mode is to be featured once again with the highest total of characters so far in all of the Empires games. There is a grand total of 100 characters you may create from in edit mode. More characters will most likely be added as DLC (Downloadable Content) upon release.
Background Music: Over 150 tracks will be available to play with more available as DLC.
DLC: Background music and character costumes will be available for download as DLC.
Free Mode has been cut from this game, instead opting for a more full and rounded Empire Mode, with the option of being a Ronin (unaligned wanderer), Officer or Ruler of one of the kingdoms. You can step down from your force at any time, and can make oaths of friendships with fellow officers and even marry.
Confirmed Characters:
Meng HuoMeng Huo was an aristocrat in the Nanzhong region, south of Shu Han, during the Three Kingdoms era of China. He was involved in several small skirmishes with Shu Han, and in retaliation Shu's strategist Zhuge Liang launched a full invasion on the Nanzhong region...
: Meng Huo, the Nanman leader of the South has been confirmed to make a return in Empires. His design has changed from an overweight character to a giant, and noticeably more muscular one. He wields what appears to be a massive pillar as his weapon. Generic Nanman officers and soldiers will return along with Meng Huo and their Nanman territory. No other cut character has been confirmed to make an appearance as of yet.
Little else has been confirmed so far by Koei as of yet for new content.
Decloned Moveset
The Change in the Movesets for the PS2 Special Version of DW6 has also been confirmed for Dynasty Warriors 6 Empires.
Dynasty Warriors 6 (PS2)
Dynasty Warriors 6 (Shin Sangoku Musou 5 Special in Japan) was released on October 2, 2008 on the
PlayStation 2The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony. The PS2 console is the sequel to the original PlayStation console. The successor to the PlayStation, and the predecessor to the PlayStation 3, the PlayStation 2 forms part of the PlayStation series of video game...
in
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and November 17, 2008 in the US. Musou modes for
Ma ChaoMa Chao was the eldest son of Ma Teng and a military general during the end of the Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. In Luo Guanzhong's 14th century historical novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms he received the nickname "Ma Chao the Splendid" due to his elaborate armour and...
, Yue Ying,
Cao PiCao Pi , formally Emperor Wen of Wei , courtesy name Zihuan , was born in Qiao County, Pei Commandery...
,
Zhang HeZhang He was a distinguished military general under the powerful warlord Cao Cao during the late Eastern Han Dynasty and Three Kingdoms era of China. He began his military career when the Yellow Turban Rebellion erupted in 184 and subsequently served under Han Fu and Yuan Shao before defecting to...
,
Taishi CiTaishi Ci was a military general of the Three Kingdoms period of China. He served several warlords, including Kong Rong, Liu Yao, and Sun Ce.-Early life:...
, and
Ling TongLing Tong was a military general who served Eastern Wu during the Three Kingdoms era of China.-Early life:Ling Tong was born in Yuhang, Wu Prefecture . His father Ling Cao was one of Sun Ce's generals who contributed greatly to the founding of Eastern Wu...
were added, and the 6 characters have received new weapons and movesets. Weapons changes are as follows:
- Ma Chao from a Spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a sharpened head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be of another material fastened to the shaft, such as obsidian, iron or bronze...
to a Great SwordA sword is a long, edged piece of metal, used in many civilizations throughout the world, primarily as a cutting or thrusting weapon and occasionally for clubbing...
(similar to Fu Xi's in Dynasty Warriors 3, Dynasty Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends, and Warriors Orochi 2).
- Yue Ying from a longbow to a 'Bladed Bow' (an original weapon inspired by the Repeating crossbow
A repeating crossbow is a crossbow where the separate actions of stringing the bow, placing the bolt and shooting it can be accomplished with a simple one-handed movement, all the while keeping the crossbow stationary. This allows the bow to shoot at a faster rate compared to a normal crossbow....
, it fires flaming projectiles and contains an extending stationary blade).
- Cao Pi from a shortsword
Shortsword may refer to:*Arming sword, a single-handed cruciform sword of the High Middle Ages*Baselard, a historical Swiss blade weapon with a crescent-shaped pommel and crossguard*Cinquedea, a civilian short sword...
to a longswordThe Longsword is a type of European sword used during the late medieval and Renaissance periods, approximately 1350 to 1550...
.
- Zhang He from a spear back to his original claws from the previous games.
- Taishi Ci from a spear
A spear is a pole weapon consisting of a shaft, usually of wood, with a sharpened head. The head may be simply the sharpened end of the shaft itself, as is the case with bamboo spears, or it may be of another material fastened to the shaft, such as obsidian, iron or bronze...
back to his original pair of rods from the previous games.
- Ling Tong from a halberd
A halberd is a two-handed pole weapon that came to prominent use during the 14th and 15th centuries. Possibly the word halberd comes from the German words Halm , and Barte . The halberd consists of an axe blade topped with a spike mounted on a long shaft...
to a three-section staff (or a sanjiegun).
There are 5 new stages included in Dynasty Warriors 6 (PS2). The 5 new stages are Jiang Dong, He Bei, Tong Gate, Ru Xu Kou, and Jie Ting. The abilities to swim and duel were removed in the PS2 version. There is not yet any information on whether or not the game will be released in
EuropeEurope is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally divided from Asia to its east by the water divide of the Ural Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian Sea, the Caucasus Mountains , and the Black Sea to the southeast...
.
External links