Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce

At the end of the day, Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce is an entertaining title that lovers of the Dynasty Warriors genre will thoroughly enjoy.

This is for all of you gamers and journalists who have found the series “dull”, “repetitive” or even “boring” in the past.

If you already like Dynasty Warriors and have friends that do, or just a strong masochistic streak with regards to challenge, then it's a definite buy.

It's primarily a multiplayer experience, but what's here is also just different enough to really stand out -- and better still to give the Warriors franchise a breath of fresh air.

The multiplayer action does manage to offer a satisfying experience that easily overshadows the rather dull single-player experience.

Yes, it's a button-masher, but nobody does button-mashing quite as well as KOEI with Dynasty Warriors, and Strikeforce gets more important things right (great animation, fluid controls, good weapon variety, PSP-sized missions) than it gets wrong.

Built on a foundation of hack-n-slash action, Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce brings new depth to the series thanks in the main to its multiplayer modes.

Even though Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce isn't the complete franchise reboot I want to see, I'm very impressed with it -- at least in comparison to other Dynasty Warriors games.

It would be nice to describe the game as Dynasty Warriors meets Monster Hunter meets Dragon Ball Z, but because there's no online play the Monster Hunter bit is redundant.

Strikeforce is one of the better Dynasty Warriors games to date.

Single-player falls down only by virtue of the fact that repetition of missions is crucial to progress, although with such a clear multiplayer focus, it's no surprise that this is the highlight. [June 2009, p.120]

Successful rebirth of way-to-prolonged series comes to PSP. It’s still a dull hack ‘n’ slash - no change here - but somehow refreshing on small display.

Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce is a good attempt to innovate with the franchise, introducing some RPG elements and, with a more flexible action component, the experience offered is quite new. The good multiplayer mode helps in the longevity department. Unfortunately the badly calibrated difficulty level makes the game more oriented to be played in cooperative mode, leaving the singleplayer disadvantaged.

It's much better with friends. [July 2009, p.97]

Strikeforce serves as a refreshing direction for the series, one that will that will no doubt attract a few new fans. However, it can be unfairly punishing, so make sure you’ve got some mates to lend a hand.

Does little to entice newcomers to the franchise. Still, it's pleasing to report that the series has a pulse and is still capable of surprising us. [June 2009, p.77]

Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce definitely has the same appeal (or lack thereof depending on your point of view) of its predecessors, but its long list of characters, upgradable attacks, varied weapons and bonus missions gives the series the kick in the ass it has so desperately needed for the last few years.

It's a pretty solid portable title, but it's definitely lacking that extra factor that the console titles have, where I feel like a complete powerhouse in the game and can mash buttons and mow down enemies until I get to a boss encounter.

It is not a masterpiece, although decent in comparison with the games in the market. The story is powerful, although some flaws both in gameplay and camera control make it just a good try to enjoy.

This entertaining hack-and-slash game is best played with a few friends.

As stated before, portable Dynasty Warriors fans who have wanted to be able to play with their friends will be extremely satisfied with what Strikeforce offers and will be able to overlook the obvious deficiencies. While it might work for fans, new people looking and hoping that this would be the perfect title to jump into the series will be utterly disappointed.

Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce tries to refresh the saga but a new online mode is not enough to do that. Srikeforce is a hack 'n slash with only one purpose: slash furiously between ranks of defensless enemies pushing only the same two buttons. Playing with a friend may be funny, but the solo mode soon become boring.

Still, if you're a hardcore Dynasty Warriors fan or you're easily enthralled by the idea of mindless hack and slash gameplay, then Strikeforce is a decent enough game. But if you're looking for a more complex battle or can't stand Dynasty Warriors, this title won't change your mind.

The multiplayer options and new battle additions make Strikeforce better than other Dynasty Warriors games. Perhaps Strikeforce 2 (we're sure Koei's already working on it) will be the ultimate battle game.

Its basic form is a succession of things that you hit with little emotion or interest. Approaching such a task co-operatively can only distract you for so long. [June 2009, p.95]

For a Dynasty Warriors game this is fairly innovative, but only if you have three friends to play with.