Finished the demo. Thoughts

[StackzGaming]

So...just for the record. I wrote the original FAQ that used to be on GameFAQs for Dynasty Warriors 3, my favorite of the series bar none.

This felt like a strong throwback to that era.

Now, that's both a good and a bad thing.

What Didn't Work

First of all, I wasn't a fan of "DEI Hua Xiong". Looked and sounded completely out of place. Fairly certain the historical version wasn't dark skinned. But I digress.

I also didn't like how much the AI was getting wrecked. I got rather tired of seeing them get smashed all over the place. Certainly this was a thing in DW3 and 4 for sure, but it feels like it's been amped to the N'th here. Guys like Xiahou Dun that simply shouldn't be struggling against foot soldiers.

Camera was my greatest enemy. Felt like I was constantly fighting it especially against Lu Bu for some reason. Not sure why, it just didn't feel right.

Not sure about playing the one guy with a partner ala Ys X: Nordics. I had more fun switching to Sun Shang Xiang than playing the main guy, but he can also equip her weapons (just prefer looking at women vs. men is all).

Text is fuzzy. Scaling issues clearly, couldn't solve it.

Not a fan of the QTE defense prompts. But I understand.

What Did Work

Great to see duels back (DW4). Love the strategy involved in these once you master it.

Love the number of enemies on screen. Performance was decently solid, never went below 60fps. Also seeing carcasses across the field afterwards; a nod to Kessen.

Graphics are decent. Didn't need to be overly amazing. They get the job done. You get the feel of being on the field.

ENGLISH. MOTHER. FATHERING. VOICE. ACTING! It completely makes the experience, I'm sorry. Don't like that your guy is mute, but eh. If they do a Samurai Warriors Origins, I want to hear the version of Lord Nobunaga from the first one: "It's just...that...simple."

HDR tweaking. Every game should have this setting.



I enjoyed what I played. I won't go so far as say it was better than DW9, because I felt more "free" in DW9 than here. But if you just want the beat-em-up, this is up there with the best of the Warriors games at least based on the demo. This kind of engine makes me extremely curious about maps like He Fei (Seige of He Fei was brutal on DW3).

As far as Lu Bu...he got me like three times. Fourth time, after all of my allies and soldiers entrusted to my care laid brutally slain upon the battlefield, I resolved to smash this demon...and as I clashed blades with the beast, it occurred to me: this dude is easy as hell. He just cheats sometimes like that ground slam move. Other than that it's just dodging his swipes, palm striking to stop him, then wailing on him. Lather-rinse-repeat. Then when he was near dead he tried to cheat, I dodged around him and sliced him clean in the back, laying him waste.

It was actually satisfying beating him BECAUSE all of my allies were laid slain around us. It's a completely different experience from the older games.

[StackzGaming]

Originally posted by _Snake__:

Well if the game is good, the hua xiong thing is not even that important. In a logical way, those officers are in battlefield. outdoor training/hunting etc, getting exposed to sunlight long enough the skin will also be darker than normal.

That’d be fine if they recalibrated all characters as you suggest AND didn’t pick a voice actor to deliver lines like Barret from Final Fantasy VII.

[SlyCoop]

Yuan shao having 6 officers around him. Yelling he needs help, Then 10 seconds later loses to 1 enemy luitenant and games you over.

This is my biggest pet peeve of the game. AI needs beefing up when your not on screen with them so you dont have to go save them every 5 seconds and be in 9 places at once. Makes more sense if they are within range and they die fast because your already there to help.

[Runneth Over]

Originally posted by StackzGaming:

Originally posted by Author Unknown:

I swear people who use buzzwords like "DEI" and "Woke" are so miserable.

Sorry, not giving you free clown credits.

He needs none if you're here.

[Runneth Over]

Originally posted by StackzGaming:

Originally posted by HaoleDonburi:

Look I hate DEI as much as you do but this ♥♥♥♥ is simply not present in this game. They never have been. Because the corpos simply don't care about the franchise. Throwing this term around loosely is what makes people not take this stuff seriously.

Hua Xiong has had this design since Dynasty Warriors 9, which was in 2018.

But didn't sound like Barret from Final Fantasy VII (since you didn't bother to read the other reply).

And as to that person, I also am not going to be baited into giving you clown credits. Sorry

Bro thinks that everyone that disagrees with his "woke" radar virtue signaling is somehow trying to get Clown Badges.

This right here is why no one takes you people seriously lmao.

[Runneth Over]

Originally posted by StackzGaming:

Originally posted by Smugass Braixen-Chan:

The Romance of the Three Kingdoms is set in China.

Realistically, EVERYBODY should have varying levels of dark skin, depending on exactly where in Asia they are from. But they make most of the characters look Japanese because it's a Japanese game.

Yeah, but nobody in China ever talked like Barret from Final Fantasy VII.

At some point, some of you need to STOP focusing on one line in a review that is ONE negative of an otherwise glowing review, because when you do that, you expose the problem these developers have to deal with - they can’t get constructive criticism because you’re too busy overlooking things.

They picked a bad voice actor and darkened him for no reason. That’s it. Move on. Provide your thoughts about ALL of the points.

Nobody in China was on a horse charging through thousands of soldiers using a halberd that emits red energy either. And people are focusing on one part of your review because it is a usual neckbeard cop out. Don't get mad because you lost credibility at that point.

Take your own advice and move on.

[StackzGaming]

Originally posted by Senoka:

I wish the camera wasn't right up your butt considering the scale of battle. I didn't see an option in the settings for increasing FOV but I hope that's something they consider.

It's actually an improvement over DW3 and 4 for sure, so it didn't really bother me. But options are never a bad thing. Might help appreciate the scale of battle better too.

Someone will probably have a C.Table with such an option at some point, they almost always do.

[soulofmana]

Originally posted by StackzGaming:

Originally posted by Senoka:

I wish the camera wasn't right up your butt considering the scale of battle. I didn't see an option in the settings for increasing FOV but I hope that's something they consider.

It's actually an improvement over DW3 and 4 for sure, so it didn't really bother me. But options are never a bad thing. Might help appreciate the scale of battle better too.

Someone will probably have a C.Table with such an option at some point, they almost always do.

Can you share some thoughts on DW9? Haven't played a Warriors game in quite some time, but looking at DW9, reviews seem to lambaste it.

[StackzGaming]

Originally posted by soulofmana:

Originally posted by StackzGaming:

It's actually an improvement over DW3 and 4 for sure, so it didn't really bother me. But options are never a bad thing. Might help appreciate the scale of battle better too.

Someone will probably have a C.Table with such an option at some point, they almost always do.

Can you share some thoughts on DW9? Haven't played a Warriors game in quite some time, but looking at DW9, reviews seem to lambaste it.

The main problem with DW9 is that it lacks the general "structure" of the other games. You're largely just galloping from fortress to fortress or just randomly exploring the land, but there's not much out there. Occasional skirmish or camp. It clearly wanted to capitalize on the open world rush - and while it does have a rather open world, it's not a very exciting one.

It's not like something on the vein of Elder Scrolls games where, despite having an open world, there's at least something going on at all times.

I personally didn't dislike DW9. But I fully understand why people dislike it, coming from DW8 which was much more structured.

If I had to rate them, DW9 is what I would play when I have an itch for the Three Kingdoms stuff but don't want to be limited in how I experience it. If I wanted to play out "the story", I would avoid DW9 at all costs, because in that vein it falls short, in my opinion.

Voice acting is also questionable. But that's if you play with English dub and largely only affects the men, not the women.

[Chortles]

Originally posted by StackzGaming:

It's not like something on the vein of Elder Scrolls games where, despite having an open world, there's at least something going on at all times.

I personally didn't dislike DW9. But I fully understand why people dislike it, coming from DW8 which was much more structured.

If I had to rate them, DW9 is what I would play when I have an itch for the Three Kingdoms stuff but don't want to be limited in how I experience it. If I wanted to play out "the story", I would avoid DW9 at all costs, because in that vein it falls short, in my opinion.

Voice acting is also questionable. But that's if you play with English dub and largely only affects the men, not the women.

One positive commentary on Origins I've seen has been that it appears to better execute some of 9's goals... such as the "classic 90s JRPG" style overworld map turning Sishui Gate from 'a glowing dot on a map of China' to a literal barricade on the path between two mountain ranges, with the northern one bordered by the Yellow River while the southern one extends quite a bit further inland, thereby explaining-by-sight why the Expeditionary Forces (this game's name for the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition) would have to take it to get to Dong Zhuo. SOURCE: https://youtu.be/nZW8n1xr62o?t=75

As for the voice acting in 9... at least two of the voice actors disclosed on the franchise's subreddit some of what went wrong there. As for Origins, I'm not certain how many fans of DW4-8's iconic VAs will like what's going on here, however:

• There's at least two actors returning from DW7/8, while the vast majority of the rest have at least some video game voice acting credits if not being long-time veterans elsewhere, while a few (as with the recent reveal about Metal Gear Solid 3's EVA) others may be pseudonyms. For an example of the first phrase DW7-8's Sima Zhao is now Origin's Gan Ning, while an example of the second phrase would be that "Yu Jin never asked for this"...
• At least two characters got hard rebooted to the point of getting new Japanese voice actors, while it seems that DW9 Lu Bu's characterization shift (the one that his 'suddenly' golden armor was supposed to allude to) has stuck, as the Japanese voice actor had changed his performance compared to the earlier games... so Lu Bu and Jia Xu's new English VAs are performing consistently with the Japanese ones.
• I'm not cringing at the name pronunciations... although for some reason, instead of sticking with "loo" or finally getting the Mandarin "lyu" seemingly everyone in Origins is pronouncing it like the Cantonese "looi"/"lui".

[Namekujisennin]

Originally posted by StackzGaming:

The main problem with DW9 is that it lacks the general "structure" of the other games.

I had heard the reputation of DW9 being bad and had not even checked what it looked like (being so happy with DW8). Now I know that I do not need to bother, as I do not enjoy open world games to begin with!
Thanks for the useful comments.
I did not enjoy the demo very much because I do not like dodging buttons in games (I am not a Platinum games fan, to say the least) and though the control scheme cumbersome.
I had many issues with being able to see at all enemy generals until I lowered the number of soldiers displayed at once - Suddenly, the performance issues of displaying more characters of older games got exposed under a new light, as that limitation made sense for the simple ability to play the game!
I am very glad that the soundtrack is preserved, and of the comeback of DW4 duels.
One thing I really enjoyed was the final battle of the demo scenario which really felt busy and not simply finishing the business. Another thing was that the characters had their expected age in the presentation. It really gave a Three Kingdoms story feel that had always been lacking from the previous games.
One thing I simply hated was the camera that could get you killed if you ventured into the wrong angle of a camp

[Author Unknown]

Originally posted by SweetGula:

Originally posted by Author Unknown:

I swear people who use buzzwords like "DEI" and "Woke" are so miserable.

just like you ? i can feel those miserable life coming from your writing

Not miserable at all. I just don't get worked up or triggered about skin color or gender in a fictional/fantasized game. I vote with my wallet and others should too. I tried the demo and I enjoyed it. Will probably not get it at release because of my backlog.

[Xzoviac]

Originally posted by StackzGaming:

Originally posted by JRS:

Do they finally know how to make a simple xbox controller compatible ?

I have DW 7 and 8 on steam both are unplayable trash

Zero issues with a Windows controller that uses Xbox 360 layout. Configurable to boot.

The only default that bothered me was the horse on Left Stick press but I can get used to it.

i used an xbox controller and it was fine

[Gravious]

Originally posted by StackzGaming:

Originally posted by koinzell:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Y_SfhEUuBAc

DEI? i don't think so dude. they don't wanna offend china.

DEI in this day and age means=not a creative way of doing things.
aka the we know better then you by focusing too much on filling in pointless race and gender quota and trying hard to play it safe by appealing to the easily offended activist.

the fact that lu bu a "man" knocked out sun shangxiang a "women" in 1 or few hits is a good indication that the game is 100% not woke.

if its DEI/woke, meaning lu bu after killing you(doesn't matter if you win). he will still lose to the overly competent sun shangxiang via forced cringy cutscenes.

Hua Xiong new design looks good TBH.

Two things.

Hua Xiong isn't that dark in (ANY) other game of the genre. That's one.

Two...his lines before you get to him sound like Barret from Final Fantasy VII, which takes you out of it. And no, it's not "change to Chinese, doot doot doot!". It's get the right VA for the character. It's like they purposely went for a deep-voiced person, which is fine, but don't have them feed lines completely out of character.

Tim Budas was terribad in DW9, but hell...even that was better than this.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9bne59rwyG0

Wait, you play it in English?

.......bruh.

[StackzGaming]

Originally posted by Chortles:

Originally posted by StackzGaming:

It's not like something on the vein of Elder Scrolls games where, despite having an open world, there's at least something going on at all times.

I personally didn't dislike DW9. But I fully understand why people dislike it, coming from DW8 which was much more structured.

If I had to rate them, DW9 is what I would play when I have an itch for the Three Kingdoms stuff but don't want to be limited in how I experience it. If I wanted to play out "the story", I would avoid DW9 at all costs, because in that vein it falls short, in my opinion.

Voice acting is also questionable. But that's if you play with English dub and largely only affects the men, not the women.

One positive commentary on Origins I've seen has been that it appears to better execute some of 9's goals... such as the "classic 90s JRPG" style overworld map turning Sishui Gate from 'a glowing dot on a map of China' to a literal barricade on the path between two mountain ranges, with the northern one bordered by the Yellow River while the southern one extends quite a bit further inland, thereby explaining-by-sight why the Expeditionary Forces (this game's name for the anti-Dong Zhuo coalition) would have to take it to get to Dong Zhuo. SOURCE: https://youtu.be/nZW8n1xr62o?t=75

See, I have a different perspective.

I don't want to "be" Cao Cao.

I want watch his story play out as I have control of the various murdering/marrying/setting fire, etc. events. That's why I maintain to this day that Samurai Warriors was always superior in that regard even if its story wasn't quite as compelling as Dynasty Warriors.

I believe it was the first Samurai Warriors that featured a memorable cutscene in Honnoji where you finally approach the temple after fighting your way through and notice Nobunaga sitting calmly as the flames roar around him. That type of experience that you earn by playing through the game is what I like. Not the exploration.

So what you've shown there is actually a slight turn-off for me. Looks like Ghost of Tsushima's map experience, and while it's visually impressive, it's not what I like or care about.

The Origins demo was good enough that I can overlook it - the hallmark of a good demo, by the way.

[StackzGaming]

Originally posted by Gravious:

Wait, you play it in English?

Hua Xiong VA word deleted.

The team (allegedly) spent money to give us English voice acting.

Fancy that - English is my native language. Means I can just listen instead of missing cutscenes looking down at words which is why I've skipped the later Samurai Warriors games despite not wanting to.

That's how I roll.

You are free to listen to the Chinese VA and enjoy it since all you care about is the fighting.