Game: Dynasty Warriors V: Empires (PS2)

Okay, so I'm a Koei freak. I'll admit it. I'm not ashamed.

I love slashing and hacking through ancient chinese, enemy combatants as I run around with oversized clubs, swords, spears, fans, funny-looking yoyos, and even nunchaku. There's just something poetically cathartic about running around a battle field looking for enemy officers to face off against. And indeed, while the voice acting has gotten a little annoying at times (If I have to hear "Why isn't anybody protecting that base?!?" again, I will pluck out each of my eyebrows with an Epilady), and even though the AI is completely unchallenging, there's an element of fun to the strategy, especially when you play the games on higher difficulty settings.

Dynasty Warriors V: Empires is not a great game, by any means. What it is, is very addictive. You do the typical Dynasty Warriors thang, by hacking your way across the countryside, but there is the new goal of unifying China--easier said than done. Yes, it's difficult, and at times you swear the computer is cheating to defeat you. The Strategy element is perhaps more meaningful than the hack and slash in this game, for once.

In fact, the hack and slash has taken a step back here. Samurai Warriors, another Koei game (and a superior one, when it comes to the hack and slash), has advanced the controls further along than the Dynasty Warriors series can. Picking up this game, I felt like I had taken a step back in Koei's evolution. But Empires is still fun and worth owning, if you can get your hands on a used copy. I wouldn't buy it new. In fact, I wouldn't buy most Koei titles new, considering they're all pretty much the same. And to think, I'm actually a fan.

Sifted: 7/10