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Published on April 11th, 2012 | by Davis Fan

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[Game Review] Warriors Orochi 3 (PS3)

Though always the source of strong criticism that it lacks innovation and has become stagnant, the Warriors series has marched on and managed to keep a loyal legion of fans. Tecmo Koei is already on the series’ third crossover, combining Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors for Warriors Orochi 3. Rather than just throw all the characters into one game with no gameplay changes, Omega Force has created a fun series in its own right that is sure to already have courted fans’ purchases on day one.

Once again, the worlds of post-Han China and Sengoku Japan collide, this time due to the interference of the Hydra. Initially, only Sima Zhao and Ma Chao of the Three Kingdoms survive the Hydra attack along with Samurai Warriors’s Hanbei Takenaka; desperate to seek more allies in their fight, they go through some time traveling adventures to save fellow officers with the help of Kaguya. As expected of any time traveling based gameplay, players will be able to replay certain scenarios to save and recruit otherwise slain officers.

As always, players will have access to a campaign, where they will be unlocking additional characters throughout. Though the usual conflicts and rivalries we’re used to are thrown out the window in favor of a story that allows all of post-Han’s three kingdoms and Sengoku Japan’s various sides to team up. Thankfully, players can either jump online to play or have couch-cooperative multiplayer as well, which has been a key aspect to the Warriors series since its PS2 days. Orochi 3 also includes an edit mode where players can change the type of troops and officers on a map. However, its limitations to editing existing levels rather than creating full levels from scratch ultimately disappoint.

Graphically, the Warriors series has never been the most outstanding outside of its cinematics. With a focus on eliminating as many troops as possible, it only seems natural that the game’s graphical focus isn’t on beautifying specific characters, but on providing as many enemies on screen as possible. In a vast improvement that has been on display in recent titles like Dynasty Warriors 7, the game runs smoothly and has minimal pop-ups despite constantly displaying large amounts of characters at the same time. In addition to including characters from both Samurai Warriors 3 and Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends, the game features various cameo appearances from Tecmo Koei’s other franchises will surely please players, bringing in more than just characters and including stages from Warriors of Troy and Ninja Gaiden as well as fantasy stages that are quite influenced by the design of the Hydra.

The bulk of the gameplay is not unlike what Warriors fans are accustomed to; players are placed onto a battlefield filled with enemy officers and troops, where they will have to plow through thousands of troops facing off against notable officers along the way until they finally complete the level’s objective, which usually consists of either overtaking an area or defeating a boss. As with previous Warriors Orochi titles, players have access to three characters whom they are free to switch between at any time. Rather than simply allow players to use three different characters, the game includes several ways to make use of partners throughout, whether it be switching in the middle of an attack string to lengthen a combo or calling upon them for a quick assist to break up an enemy’s own combo.

For Warriors­ series enthusiasts, this game is a must buy, throwing together multiple Tecmo Koei franchises together in a game that is able to blend the gameplay from both the Samurai Warriors and Dynasty Warriors series together. As with any Warriors title though, most gamers will be split on whether it’s worth their time. With Samurai Warriors 3Z cancelled on American shores, hopefully this surprise title hitting the downloadable format and its relative success will mean less cancelled titles in the future for the hack and slash enthusiasts out there.

Available on: PS3, Xbox 360; Publisher: Tecmo Koei; Developer: Omega Force; Players: 1 – 2; Released: March 20, 2012; ESRB: Teen; MSRP: $49.99; Official Site

Note: A promotional code was provided to Denkiphile for review purposes by the publisher.