Dynasty Warriors 2 was one of the first titles to appear on the PlayStation 2, and it capably showed off the main draws of the series--a compelling storyline, engaging melee-based combat on an epic scale, and the elimination of the good guy vs. bad guy archetypes, turning each side of the conflict into a compelling experience. Dynasty Warriors 3 brings the characters of Luo Guanzhong's epic tale Romance of the Three Kingdoms to life. The rich storyline takes place in ancient China, at a time of great conflict, and much of it is based on actual history--though it's embellished quite a bit when it comes to the physical prowess of certain generals and their reported exploits. The three kingdoms--Wu, Wei, and Shu--and their respective generals all have unique roles in the conflicts, and above all else, Dynasty Warriors 3 offers lengthy replay value by allowing players to take up a number of roles on all three sides in the otherwise fixed campaign.

Each general in Dynasty Warriors 3 is capable of a basic attack, a charged attack, and a musou, or special attack. These different attacks can be used in devastating combos, and each character has a sizable number of combos. In addition, each character can perform a leap, fire arrows from a first-person perspective, and block incoming attacks. In some instances, you will be able to ride a horse or war elephant and engage in mounted combat, which is effective for clearing out large groups of enemies and reaching points of engagement swiftly. For the most part, Dynasty Warriors 3 plays out very much like a classic beat-'em-up, except instead of fighting a handful of thugs on a cramped street, you must kill hundreds of enemies on immense battlefields.

The most significant gameplay mode available is the musou mode. Successfully playing through this story mode and accomplishing the most desired goals is as heavily reliant on strategy as it is on manual dexterity. Many times will you be forced to choose which battles need to be fought to raise your kill score, and which battles have to be avoided in order to quickly reach another conflict, provide reinforcements, or engage a notable enemy. Defeating particular enemy generals will allow you to unlock sequences where you can find rare items, which will aid you greatly in future conflicts and are fun to collect and rewarding to find. The alternate weapons are perhaps the most exciting to search for, and each character has four in total. These additional armaments are paired with attack variations, which allow players to explore new combos and breathe new life into old favorites. Upon completing each engagement in the storyline, your character's performance is evaluated, and you gain experience that in turn can improve your hit points, attack strength, musou gauge, and luck attributes. To further reward players, your regiment of faithful bodyguards will also gain experience after combat, which not only makes them more formidable in combat, but also swells their ranks. Those who played Dynasty Warriors 2 should be prepared to play through many of the same battles, as the story has remained largely unchanged, as have the objectives for the conflicts. Completing the musou mode several times will unlock characters, weapons, and movies, and with so much to unlock, Dynasty Warriors 3 will quite possibly keep players engaged for many months.

If the musou mode alone isn't quite enough, players can also take on the challenge and free modes. The challenge mode pits your chosen warrior against insurmountable odds or against a swarm of foes that must be defeated within a time limit. Two players and their retinues can face off against each other on a confined battlefield locale, such as a bridge or courtyard. These alternate play modes aren't quite as fulfilling as the challenging musou mode, but their inclusion definitely gives players something to do when they don't have enough time to progress through the lengthy story sequences.