$20 GOTW: Dynasty Warriors 5 (PS2)

To those not in the know, the Dynasty Warriors series is little more than mindless button mashing. However, to longtime fans of the series, Dynasty Warriors is one of gaming’s best kept secrets. It’s fun to pick up and play, there are dozens of hidden features, and it’s educational! Learn all about the 3 kingdoms period by taking the warrior of your choice and hacking and slashing your way through hundreds of foot soldiers while helping conquer ancient China!

For those new to the series, Dynasty Warriors is a fictionalized account of what’s known as the “Romance of the Three Kingdoms” period of China. After an intense insurrection and the overthrow of a tyrant, the land of China is up for grabs in a 3-way power struggle between the kingdoms of Shu, Wu, and Wei. The latest entry in the series adds 6 new playable characters (Cao Pi, Pang De, Ling Tong, Zuo Ci, Guan Ping, and Xing Cai, who is the hot teenage chick seen on most of the promotional material), bringing the total number of characters up to 48, making this the largest game in the series so far. Many favorites are also here, such as Lu Bu, Zhao Yun, and Xhaou Dun. Each character now has thier own storyline which is narrated between each level. Thissions follow the original novel more closely, meaning characters don’t show up until they did so in the novel, and characters even die when they do in the novel. Play by yourself, or bring along a friend. Ignore the low ratings these games usually get. The people who claim that these games are all alike are the same ones who will gladly run out and get Madden year after year. It might be mindless, but damn if it ain’t fun.

BTW, also check out the 2 expansion packs, Xtreme Legends and Empires, as well as Samurai Warriors, which is basically Dynasty Warriros set in Japan, although it has several kay differences. For those of you intrested in the story, you can read the entire book online here.