Dynasty Tactics 2 Impressions

While Koei's Dynasty Warriors series has largely been all about brutal, furious action, last year's Dynasty Tactics put an intriguing spin on the series. Relegating the action element of the game to rendered FMV sequences, it instead focused on a chesslike style of strategic and methodical gameplay. At this year's E3, Koei is showing off Dynasty Tactics 2, which includes all the same features as last year's game, as well as a few interesting upgrades that should make it a worthy sequel.

Battles in Dynasty Tactics 2 take place on a field that is broken up into grids. Combat is turn-based, allowing you to move your armies a specific number of spaces on the field. The number of available movements along the grid depends on the terrain you're traversing. Flat surfaces allow you to move several spaces in a single turn, whereas trying to climb over mountains or cross rivers limits your mobility. The game's playable armies are represented by generals from the Dynasty Warriors universe. Playable characters include last year's three main generals--Liu Bei, Cao Cao, and Sun Ce--as well as Lu Bu, a new character in the Tactics series.

The tactics system in Dynasty Tactics 2 is a complex one, but it's also a well-designed one. Combat is engaged when two opposing forces meet on the playing field. Each side will get an equal number of turns against one another, so the key will be to use cunning and powerful attacks to wear down your opponent. Multiple armies can link up with one another to perform team tactics, like fire attacks, raids, and rockslides. Combo tactics are also a key factor, allowing you to link together multiple tactics in a single turn. Learning the tactics system will be fairly easy, as the game starts you out with a basic tutorial.

During gameplay, Tactics 2 currently looks fairly straightforward, without a ton of flash or pizzazz. However, setting combos and special attacks into motion launches a specific cinematic sequence assigned to that move. These cutscenes are quite appealing to look at, with lots of excellently designed character models and loads of action going on onscreen. Likewise, the audio during gameplay is sparse, but the audio during the cinematic sequences is quite well done, with all the proper sound effects of battle and a rousing musical score. The game will support Dolby Digital Pro Logic II surround sound, if you're into that sort of thing.

Dynasty Tactics 2 is currently out in Japan, and it is set to be released stateside in September.