Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends Preview

In addition to large-scale battles with dozens of on-screen character, Dynasty Warriors fans can count always count on one thing: more challenges. First from the original sequels, and now from the sequel upgrades, Dynasty Warriors is becoming increasingly fearsome.

Next KOEI will release Dynasty Warriors 5 Xtreme Legends, the upgrade that's a standalone game. Play it with or without Dynasty Warriors 5 – this upgrade doesn't discriminate. It might cry on those long lonely nights, wishing it had a partner to swing swords with. But if you want it to stay single, don't sign your games up for any more dating services.

W5XL picks up where the last game left off, though I can't tell you much more than that. I see familiar faces, but the preview build is pretty early and doesn't have any English text or dialogue yet.

Games, thankfully, are the rarest of mediums in that they are not degraded by language boundaries. In most cases the Japanese voice-overs sound cooler than the English ones. DW5XL's music is an impressive, sorrowful score that fits the mood perfectly. The sound effects haven't evolved much – typical sword slashes and exaggerated effects. It sounds cool, it's just not something we've never heard before. Same with the Japanese voices, but they fit each character well.

Don't like real-time video? Then skip the sequences. DW5XL doesn't force you to watch them.

Say goodbye to the story, and say hello to the non-stop-attack-filled gameplay. Slash your way through hordes of enemies while you ponder this question: do they have an enemy warrior manufacturing plant somewhere? 'Cause if they do, I'd like to find it, locate the off switch, and put a stop to this once and for all.

Since we'll never find that plant, fast thinking, skilled attacks and quick button-tapping are your most important weapons against the forces of evil. Right now the gameplay seems to be identical to the Dynasty Warrior games we've spent the last half-decade playing. In a nutshell it's a single-player fighting game in 3D. They've added multiplayer elements over the years – this version includes a two-player cooperative mode. In general it's a single-player game and feels like one. It gives fighting fans a venue for skill- and sword-sharpening. A lot of deadly objects have come out of the series, you could say. Give me a shiny, enemy-piercing weapon and I am one dangerous warrior.

DW5XL comes equipped with a feature that allows you to become the commander of an entire army. Called Destiny mode, players will start out as a semi-weak warrior who must fight to prove superiority. As the player progresses and defeats more enemies, new skills and strategies will be rewarded. Player may choose which officer or kingdom they pledge their allegiance to. Perform well and you'll earn the respect of other powerful warriors. Once that happens there's no telling where the game will take you next. Someone might ask you to fight with them – accepting might be unethical, but could lead to additional support and battle techniques. Refuse their offer and you could end up with more enemies.

Do you love to customize your games? DW5XL's Edit mode has received an update. A total of 10 options are available for each part of your character – face, hair, clothing, headwear, etc. Player may now adjust their character's height and weight. Each of those has 30 levels, maximizing the amount of flexibility. Edited characters can use the weapons of the original Dynasty Warriors, and if you don't like their voice, change it! Six voice options will be available – three for male characters and three for female characters. Hopefully they'll differ greatly in tone, pitch, enunciation, etc.

DW5XL also comes with two additional Challenge courses, Camp mode enhancements, and did I mention the 18 new maps being designed for the Legend mode? They look similar to what we've experienced before, and primarily due to the graphics, which haven't evolved much in the past few years (the game looks good, but it has little room to grow on the current technology). But another level is another level, and if you enjoy the Dynasty Warriors series, you'll definitely enjoy what this upgrade has to offer.

KOEI's Omega Force team is at the helm of the project, so you can count on the same quality gameplay that's featured in the previous Dynasty Warrior games. The preview build confirmed that. I'm anxious to see what they're going to next with this game, and look forward to seeing how the English voice-overs turn out. As a backup, let's cross our fingers that they include the Japanese voice-overs, too. It can't hurt to have too many options. That's something this series has never shied away from.