Dynasty Warriors 5 for Xbox goes gold

Koei today announced that the Xbox version of Dynasty Warriors 5 has gone gold and should ship to retailers September 13, which is "in time for the back-to-school season."

While the educational merits of carving one's way through thousands of enemies at the edge of a sword are debatable, Dynasty Warriors 5 does feature a backstory steeped in history. The game features 48 playable historical characters that helped shape ancient China, each with a storyline "inspired by actual events."

Already released on the PlayStation 2 earlier this year, Dynasty Warriors 5 is arriving on the Xbox with a few extras in tow. There's support for Dolby Digital 5.1 surround sound, reduced load times, and, for the connoisseur of cultural inaccuracy, the option to hear the game's Chinese legends speaking Japanese (with subtitles) instead of English.

Take a look at GameSpot's latest hands-on impressions of the game to see how these changes impact the playing experience.

Dynasty Warriors 5 for the Xbox is rated T for Teen and will retail for $49.99 when it ships to North American retailers September 13.