It has been so much fun re-entering the world of classic Dynasty Warriors, and it re-stoked my love for this series.
Dynasty Warriors 5 was an entry that I never played back in the day. I played 2, 3, and 4. (4 was the first game of DW I ever picked up)
A lot of my love for the series stems back to that particular game, and sadly I haven't been able to get onto it, due to not knowing where the hell all my games are. I'm on the hunt for them, but most of these PS2 games were put away safe about 16, 17, I don't know, maybe 18 years ago, and haven't been looked at since then.
My First Playthrough
I chose Guan Yu to start with, in the musou game mode.
I didn't realise how tough the generic troops were. I have had a few deaths at the hands of the foot soldiers, who we can usually swat like flies in the later titles. In this though, they do pose a bit of a threat... not much, as we can still annihilate whole armies, but if we're not thinking, we can become overwhelmed.
Speaking of becoming overwhelmed. I noticed that in a few maps when I run ahead past my allied forces, into the enemy lines, I'm told to get back.
"Are you looking to get yourself killed!" Cao Cao shouted at me. As he did, the mighty Guan Yu slinked back to the allied forces.
I kind of like the idea of being told not to get too far ahead. It seems a bit more tactical, and also the battles themselves seem to feel a lot bigger than they did in Dynasty Warriors 6, which I was playing recently.
Story
We seem to have many more missions as each character, than we did in the later titles, and this is a breath of fresh air. I've always been a fan of the stories of these games, and learning about each individual character and their contributions/ backstory.
Guan Yu, for example, spends time with Cao Cao, which is cool, and I feel that seeing characters who join other factions for a stint, or who potentially betray their current faction, is a lot more prevalent in this - and earlier - games.
Also, the gate captains are a nice thing to see once more.
These points around the map are spawn points for enemy soldiers, and they're a big reason why the battles seem to feel bigger in this title.
Enemy soldiers and allied soldiers spawn at similar intervals, and they meet somewhere along their set path, to fight. Since they're similarly matched, these mini battles can go on forever, until the players or other generals get involved.
Killing gate captains, and taking over bases is the only way to cut their spawn points off, and allow your own to spawn there in their stead.
Cutscenes
The cut scenes seem a hell of a lot more thought out than they do in DW 6, and even elements like camera blocking play a good role.
I still remember certain cutscenes from Dynasty Warriors 4, and I can't wait to re-experience that game in particular. As the series continued, I felt that camera blocking, choreography, and cutscenes in general were the hardest elements hit.
Playing a demo of DW9 was shocking, and an utter disappointment.
I remember doing a mission for Shu, and as the three brothers finished the battle, they all stood in a circle talking about the battle, until Zhang Fei mentioned having a feast.
The screen cuts to black. Only for the three brothers to appear once more, in the exact same position, but now they have a table in between them. It was pure laziness and was the main reason I didn't end up purchasing the game.
Some people might not find cutscenes to be a big deal, but for me, they are. I love the 1 vs 1000 elements too, but the characters and story are the main draw for me.
As mentioned before, this has been a breath of fresh air for me, and I have really enjoyed revisiting it.