Dynasty Warriors 5 Empires on the rise

It's getting to the point where there are almost as many iterations of Koei's Dynasty Warriors series as there are onscreen characters in the games' epic battles. The list grew again today, as Koei announced a March 28 release in North America for Dynasty Warriors 5 Empires on the PlayStation 2. Meanwhile, a Koei representative confirmed for GameSpot that an Xbox 360 version of DW5 Empires will be released in North America later this year.

Much like Dynasty Warriors 4 Empires before it, DW5 Empires brings a more tactical bent to the franchise's battlefield-based action. Whether using the fine art of diplomacy to get one's way or giving specific orders to officers on the battlefield, players will take control of their kingdoms' political and military decisions on and off the battlefield.

By the numbers, the game features four unlockable scenarios to play through, two-player co-op modes, new items, more than 200 playable characters, and 75 different policies to dictate everything from how the government runs to how its battles are fought. The game also includes an encyclopedia full of information on ancient China for those fascinated by the Dynasty Warriors setting.

Koei has not yet announced a price for either edition of the game. For more on how the Empires subseries differs from the rest of the Dynasty Warriors line, check out GameSpot's full review of DW4 Empires.