By now, whether they like it or not, most gamers have become aware of the Dynasty warriors series. The hack and slash historical action franchise has been around for more than seven years now, featuring the turbulent period of the Three Kingdoms from Ancient China. While some critics have derided the series for a lack on serious innovation game after game (after all, how many times can you put down the Yellow Turban revolt?), Koei’s focused on evolving the franchise this year. Their latest title, Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires, merges fast paced action with strategy elements to create a new tactical spin on an older concept. The main thrust of Empires is, aptly named, Empire Mode, where you attempt to unite China under your banner. Much like Koei’s other venerated series, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the countryside has become splintered into a number of regional sections. Players can choose to play in a Historical context, which assigns specific generals to specific areas, or a Fictional context, which lets you choose whoever you want and any region you want. Once you’ve made your choice, the game alternates between the methodic, tactical planning portion of play and the faster hands-on battle sequences. At the start of every turn, gamers get to decide specific actions they want their field generals to take within their domain, many of which feel influenced by the governing tasks from Three Kingdoms. Some of these are purely economic in nature: for instance, you can choose to focus on fostering foreign trade with your region or begin manufacturing items for your stockpiles. Some of these objects can be further used to recruit military leaders to your side as a lieutenant or as bribes to pacify aggressive neighbors. You’ll also be able to restore armies to full strength, recruit special units like sorceresses and forge alliances with nearby warlords. Establishing friendships with fellow rulers becomes particularly important as you transition over to the battle phase. For fans of the Dynasty Warriors series, this will definitely look familiar, although Empires features a number of changes to the usual battlefield play. First of all, most maps are thirty minutes or less, allowing for faster battle sequences per stage. Secondly, you won’t be breaking objects apart and discovering hidden items or weapons because these are reserved for your “City-building” phase (Bet you wished you focused on manufacturing, huh?) Your general, along with any potential allies on the field, will be up against opposing footsoldiers, archers and heroes. New to Empires is the concept of strongholds, strategic chokepoints scattered throughout a level that are guarded by lieutenant commanders. Securing these en route to a battle’s objective can strengthen the moral of your side and make it easier for supporting units to fortify positions. What’s more, alliances with other warlords can provide reinforcements during crucial battles. Aside from dealing with the spoils of battle once a conflict ends, players can choose to hire or dismiss captured leaders for their armies, potentially strengthening their hold on a region. Along with the usual create-an-officer mode, Empires includes 4 separate versus modes for players who want to take their friends on in hand-to-hand combat. The graphics retain the familiar Dynasty Warriors look and feel, and fans of the game will be reassured (or horrified) to know that the hard rock soundtrack has returned as well. Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires charges into stores later this month, so check back soon for a full review! Questions or comments about the upcoming release of Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires for the PlayStation 2? Talk to us! [ E-Mail Jeff 'Linkphreak' Haynes ] [ Comment in our Forums ]

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