Would I Likely Enjoy DW3?

[Jackson]

Hey friends,

In my youth, I played and enjoyed an awful lot of Dynasty Warriors 4. My tastes were considerably different then, but it's no doubt a game that left a strong impression on me. I would go on to play and enjoy Samurai Warriors, Warriors Orochi 1 and 2 and Dynasty Warriors Gundam later down the line as well. From a flawed childhood memory, I recall liking that defeating 1000 peons felt like a big accomplishment, as you'd have to be pretty good at the game not to get overwhelmed, and the enemy captains were aggressive with their combos. It's entirely possible that I wasn't very good at games and it's always been easy, but that's why I'm asking.

My gaming tastes have shifted considerably over the last 5 or so years, and despite trying Dynasty Warriors 8, a game that seems to be well favored by a vocal internet crowd, I found it didn't click for me, as the peons were too passive and the gameplay didn't feel particularly balanced, as you either destroy things on an intended difficulty or get hit very hard as the difficulty exceeds your equipment/abilities, but neither felt particularly gratifying to play. I also tried the Dynasty Warriors Origins demo, and found the cutscenes to be really intrusive and I lost interest.

So that leaves me to Dynasty Warriors 3, I've never played the original, so I wouldn't have nostalgia for it, but I am curious if I'd still like it given how my tastes have changed. I recognize the game isn't out yet, but speaking from the original, do you feel like it would be fun for me? Ideally, I'd like for it to feel like an accomplishment to fight groups of peons and slowly go up difficulties as I find more gear/weapons whatever the progression system is for 3. I like the fact that (almost) every character has their own dedicated story mode instead of a big faction campaign like 4. Any insight you can share is appreciated.

[trickysaw25]

I started with 3, then XL, then 2, then 4. I prefer 4 out of that bunch. IMO, 3 would be a downgrade in some ways from 4, but this remastered version will include XL.

From what I can remember, 3 didn't really have characters with their own stories-there was a lot of repeats, and for some that didn't, their story wouldn't make sense in the overall storyline of the events (ex-Dian Wei completing "story mode," even though he died relatively early in the overarching story).

On the other hand, if this remaster does not sell well, there won't be a remaster of 4 or other titles, so it makes it hard to recommend depending what you liked about the series overall.

[Jackson]

Originally posted by trickysaw25:

I started with 3, then XL, then 2, then 4. I prefer 4 out of that bunch. IMO, 3 would be a downgrade in some ways from 4, but this remastered version will include XL.

From what I can remember, 3 didn't really have characters with their own stories-there was a lot of repeats, and for some that didn't, their story wouldn't make sense in the overall storyline of the events (ex-Dian Wei completing "story mode," even though he died relatively early in the overarching story).

On the other hand, if this remaster does not sell well, there won't be a remaster of 4 or other titles, so it makes it hard to recommend depending what you liked about the series overall.

Thanks for the reply. I actually entirely forgot I also owned and played 2, as it was the first Playstation 2 game I owned. I remember not getting into it, but I think I got fixated on trying to kill Lu Bu to no avail. It's cool to read you preferred 4 out of the bunch, as I certainly got a lot of value out of it, though I never played 4 XL, which may have been a missed opportunity.

I'm not a story purist by any stretch, so I can understand that even if there are multiple campaigns, I'm sure they're all pretty similar and not particularly accurate, particularly as 3 (I think anyway) was the first to give everyone their own campaign. If Dian Wei's campaign was 1 level, it'd be pretty lame for those who enjoy that character, so I recognize the creative liberty needed haha.

I also do recognize the value in purchasing the game just to indicate "Hey I want more," so I think that serves as a potential incentive for me to purchase. I'm genuinely just uncertain if the gameplay loop will pull me in, as I'm basing this all off memory and don't own my old PlayStation and games.

[Meepy]

I'd recommend giving the original DW3 a go. It is different from the other games in the franchise, but it is the game that set the foundation for a lot of the games that came after it. Play through a Musou mode for each faction, and see if you like it enough to continue playing.

Each character does have a "Musou mode", but none of them are particularly unique apart from a character or two having a stage only they go to. The Other characters in XL all have their own unique Musou modes.

The enemies are tough and even peons have full move sets rather than being pushovers, making each encounter feel more impactful than the later entries where enemies are fodder more than anything.

The music is spectacular, and a lot of the songs from DW3 are the same tracks that are constantly remixed in later entries, due to being fan favourites.

No one can say for sure if you'll like the remaster by comparing it to the original DW3, and if it'll feel more like the original game or a mix between the modern games.

[Jackson]

Originally posted by Meepy:

I'd recommend giving the original DW3 a go. It is different from the other games in the franchise, but it is the game that set the foundation for a lot of the games that came after it. Play through a Musou mode for each faction, and see if you like it enough to continue playing.

Each character does have a "Musou mode", but none of them are particularly unique apart from a character or two having a stage only they go to. The Other characters in XL all have their own unique Musou modes.

The enemies are tough and even peons have full move sets rather than being pushovers, making each encounter feel more impactful than the later entries where enemies are fodder more than anything.

The music is spectacular, and a lot of the songs from DW3 are the same tracks that are constantly remixed in later entries, due to being fan favourites.

No one can say for sure if you'll like the remaster by comparing it to the original DW3, and if it'll feel more like the original game or a mix between the modern games.

I don't have a good way to play the original game, though it is a good suggestion as they should be directly comparable.

Good to know on Musou Mode, and particularly good to know about the peons having full move sets. It's assuring to know my memory of peons actually being aggressive when I played these games two decades ago is at least somewhat accurate as I found it disappointing that they mostly stand around in 8 when I tried that.

I also remember there being awesome tracks in Dynasty Warriors 4, so if the good music began in 3, that is a big perk. At any rate, thank you for your message!

[vukotlak]

Originally posted by trickysaw25:

From what I can remember, 3 didn't really have characters with their own stories-there was a lot of repeats, and for some that didn't, their story wouldn't make sense in the overall storyline of the events (ex-Dian Wei completing "story mode," even though he died relatively early in the overarching story).

You play mosou games for the stories?

[Jackson]

Originally posted by vukotlak:

Originally posted by trickysaw25:

From what I can remember, 3 didn't really have characters with their own stories-there was a lot of repeats, and for some that didn't, their story wouldn't make sense in the overall storyline of the events (ex-Dian Wei completing "story mode," even though he died relatively early in the overarching story).

You play mosou games for the stories?

They're referring to each character having a campaign rather than the story.