DW8:Empires vs. DW5:Empires

[RetrogradeRun]

How does this one compare to the 5th installment of Empires? I've only played 2-3 Dynasty Warriors games, the other one I remember for sure being the 3rd.

The 5th Empires game struck a nice balance with me between cathartic, mindless battles but also having enough depth in the strategy aspect that I felt satisfied and accomplished by the end of a scenario.

Would those of you who know say there's more or less aspects to the strategy comparitively? Have they toned it back or made the strategy more layered or nuanced?

[Friendly]

Currently downloading, I will reply when I've put a couple of hours in as I played 5 empires to death so should be able to give you a decent comparison :)

[Nobuyuki Sanada]

I never played DW5 Empires before because this is my first empires series for DW.
I am just wondering about it.

[Sol]

5 Empires has a much bigger map - this one has fewer territories.

[hickwarrior]

Well, I don't know what to think. I might have caught a bug that breaks the game in my favor, where I get to use a character's 2 EX moves from the start, as well as the musous, which probably shouldn't happen. I'll have to go through the game like that if that thing sticks.

[RetrogradeRun]

Well, I had the opportunity to play the game a bit and the series sort of headed into the direction I figured it would after having not played an empires game since the 5th installment and not playing the base game since the 3rd.

Instead of the devs improving things like the AI or character pop all over the screen they seem to have gone in the opposite direction and forsaken the adage "less is more". The game was never realistic in the first place but the series "improved" by ramping up the number of fodder, making the weapons even more massive and stylized, and adding flair to costumes and characters. I don't mind the idea of being able to use a second weapon but the rocks-paper-scissor style of them seemed like a pointless addition to force a player to weapon switch.

The card dealing/collecting aspect of the strategy has been separated into "stratagems" and a menu option for "rest" and "heal". Granted, the special abilities used mid battles weren't needed in the 5th they don't seem necessary here either and a lot of the effects feel rushed and look a bit out of place, the arrow one in particular having no feedback and just a slow drain on health similar to the poison gas. I also miss searching for health in dire straits but now a card instantly heals (and is infuriating when the enemies does it when "hard" combat is slowly whittling away at their health), and methodical play isn't even possible with how quickly battles will end with most of the action outside of the player character happening off-screen and just not present if witnessed by him/her.

To cut this short I'm just disappointed the direction the series has headed and glad I didn't purchase it myself, even though I thoroughly enjoyed a few of the older entries in the series.

[Skarbrand]

Agreed, it's a shame what this series has become.

[Sol]

1. There are fewer territories in 8. Empires 5 had a bigger map.

2. Treaties in Empires 8 only last 6 months, you cannot negotiate them higher.

3. I have not found any means to start with better gear for harder modes. Completing medium, I don't have any weapons with modifiers that permit me to exist in Hard Mode.

4. You can have a kid with your wife who grows into an officer after 3 years. When your game ends you can save the kid a a new officer.

5. Assigning prefects are worthless and doesn't do anything.

6. The "battle objectives" are usually crap.

7. The "Strategems" (or Tactic Card things from 5) have improved a lot, adding new depth.

8. Items, when used are not consumed. Buying any weapon/stretegem one time gets you the thing until end of game without producing more.


You have a smaller map, there is less to achieve on the map, there are fewer goals outside the map, a lot more ramming you into battles. You can play a free officer or leave your empire (even as leader) but there is nothing to do other than gain a few worthless resources.

This is the basic sum-up so far. The game is okay, it has 1-2 advancements over 5. RoTK is still better overall.

NO LOADING SCREENS.

[Moga CMDR]

Originally posted by Thadian:

3. I have not found any means to start with better gear for harder modes. Completing medium, I don't have any weapons with modifiers that permit me to exist in Hard Mode.

There is a second screen when you start a new Empire game. On that screen you spend bonus points to unlock previously earned weapons and items, and/or the ability to start with more resources and at a higher level. I only finally figured this out yesterday after reading some posts. This does help a ton.

[Spartanlemur]

They have certainly taken the game in the wrong direction. Their initial premise seems to have been: "let's assume that players are idiots", which has left the game shallow and a bit boring.

The map is small. Everyone is ageless. Nobody dies. Battles are not fun. Everything seems like a gimmick rather than a well-integrated part of the whole.

The average gamer in 2015 is around 30 years old and is of above average intelligence. They're not doing enough to target this core demographic. Even the Romance of the Three Kingdoms games have been going downhill after X, becoming increasingly dumbed down.

This is all a shame because the Dynasty Warriors series has so much potential.

Obviously DW8:E is better than DW5:E, but relative to other games that are out today, it's just not that good. I'm having way more fun playing Romanct of the Three Kingdoms X again on my old PS2. That game actually makes you feel like part of a dynamic, living world.

[Sol]

Nice! I didn't see anywhere to start with bonuses but I did find the weapons.

I would buy RoTK 7 for PC. I have 11, I just don't play it much because it doesn't have the same "feel" - While 11 is fine, 7 is better to me.

[Raz//RIP Kentaro Miura]

The Empire series has shifted focus ever since 6E.
Away from the more strategic map focus of DW5E and SW2E to a more battle mode focus in 6E.

I feel your pain,5E and SW2E gave hope that we got closer and closer to a game thats actually a mix between the Warriors series and ROTK/NA but instead we got...well Warriors with a map selection and a shallow diplomatic metagame.
To make it worse,Koei never bothered to fix the broken PSN version of SW2E...

[kyegaskins3773]

Idk I gotta say DW5E was a good game but after awhile of gameplay it gets boring. The DW series was the first video game series Ive ever played, since age 7 I been obsessed with the games. The only one I feel was a total fail was DW6E. The Renbu fighting system, the change in weapons and the way the game plays out strategical wise was terrible. DW7E was much better, and they chose a similar path to DW8E, hopefully in DW9E they make the gameplay a bit more realistic, because I do agree that it is retarded how you go around killing 20+ enemy soldiers with one or two slices. I do miss that about DW5E, where the killing was at a slowed pace and you dont seem like a god cutting through a feild of grass that barely hits back. It doesnt help when you change the difficulty, it just makes it so that the soldiers can kill you faster when they do attack...

But overall DW8E is a good game, the politicies are good, the battle system is nice, could be better with how you go god mode and one button kills thousands, other than that its beast.

[iamdaman13]

Originally posted by Generic Shooter Person:

Currently downloading, I will reply when I've put a couple of hours in as I played 5 empires to death so should be able to give you a decent comparison :)

Have you put a couple hours in yet? I've been wanting a decent comparison between DW5E and DW8E since I first saw this post in 2015.

[Kenshiro]

DW5E is more fun for me and always be (same for DW4E). DW8E has much more bigger aspect outside of battle in almost everything, to a point where You can win without single battle in unifying the land if You know how.

As for battles, all dynasty warriors after DW6 doesn't come close to DW4 and DW5 for me but, this game is not bad. It's still very fun, it's still dynasty warriors and Lu Bu is still Lu Bu.

DW5 is harder unless You play on chaos only, that's very subjective opinion of mine.

But honestly, You need to try both to have your own opinion.

[iamdaman13]

Originally posted by Kenshiro:

DW5E is more fun for me and always be (same for DW4E). DW8E has much more bigger aspect outside of battle in almost everything, to a point where You can win without single battle in unifying the land if You know how.

As for battles, all dynasty warriors after DW6 doesn't come close to DW4 and DW5 for me but, this game is not bad. It's still very fun, it's still dynasty warriors and Lu Bu is still Lu Bu.

DW5 is harder unless You play on chaos only, that's very subjective opinion of mine.

But honestly, You need to try both to have your own opinion.

Thanks for the response. The problem is, there's not a demo for this game. The only way I could try both would be to purchase them, but I'm looking for a means to help decide on which of the two to purchase. A used copy of DW5E for PS2 isn't very cheap, and I'm not able to find a PC version in English.