Dynasty Warriors 3 Screenshots The Final Say! Gameplay 7.5 Graphics 7.0 Sound 7.5 Value 7.0 Dynasty Warriors 3 - reviewed by Andrew B Review Date: 1 April 2002 Review Score: 7.0/10  Distributor: THQ

"Luo Guanzhong's Romance of Three Kingdoms meets a toned down version of Tekken" Dynasty Warriors 3 brings forth the characters of Luo Guanzhong's Roman of the Three Kingdoms and takes place in ancient China with the additional of magic. Much of the storylines in this game are based on actually events in China's history. You have the choice to play one of three powerful generals from the clans of Shu, Wei and Wu. Cao Cao, Liu Bei and Lu Bu are all back in this game to battle the forces of evil or good, depending on which perspective you look at it. These characters have a combination of various attacks from a basic attack, charged attack and the special attack (which is called musou in the game). As with many fighting games on the market, these attacks can be used in combination with each other to perform some very unique and powerful attacks. Other moves your generals can perform are jumps, ability to use different types of weapons (e.g. War Scythes, Arrows, Battle Hammers) and a block command.  The basic premise of Dynasty Warriors 3 is a fighting game but instead of fighting one on one, you are thrown into the middle of a battlefield and you must defeat hundreds of enemies. This can make for some very interesting battles, until the enemy swoops down on you. Another key feature of the game is that you can ride horses and elephants which is great for attacking large groups of enemies. There are a few different game modes but the most significant game-play style is the musou mode (story mode) which lets you play this game as almost a role-playing game. In this mode, you are required to use certain key features such as strategy instead of brute force. By defeating key generals in the game, you are able to retrieve certain rare magical items that will benefit you in greatly future battles. These items are like rewards in the game and definitely helps in keeping the player interested. Even your bodyguards (your followers) will gain experience after each battle which lets them improve their fighting skills and basic battle expertise.

For a quick game of Dynasty Warriors 3, there is also a free-mode option that lets you play certain scenario's such as key battles. There are a variety of scenarios you can choose from which is very good for replay value.

The music in Dynasty Warriors 3 has a very heavy-metal type feel to it and some may find this unacceptable in this genre. However, if you remember certain movies such as Kull or Lady Hawke, the heavy guitar really suited those movies and I feel that this gives the game a harder edge to it. When the music starts pumping, you know something is about to happen which helps get your adrenalin moving. I would recommend this game to anyone who enjoys Koei's line of games or for those seeking a fighting game with strategy and an intense storyline. Certainly not the best game on the market but it will keep you entertained.  

- Andrew B