E3 2001: Hands-onDynasty Warriors 3

Koei has unveiled the latest game in its Dynasty Warriors series, which originally appeared on the Sony PlayStation. Dynasty Warriors 3 shares its control scheme with the previous DW game for the PlayStation 2. The face buttons control the simple attacks, powered attacks, jump, and the ultrapowerful Musou attack. The L1 shoulder button is used to guard and sidestep, while the R2 analog button switches between the various maps. As with Dynasty Warriors 2, the combat system is based on a series of simple attacks and multilayer combos. Players can string together a combination of moves, including charge moves and aerial attacks, by tapping one of the attack buttons repeatedly.

The uniqueness of Dynasty Warriors 3 remains in its melee-based combat. The game's battlefields are generally teeming with enemies, as opposing generals, foot soldiers, and special skills units such as archers constantly barrage the player. The AI routines for the computer-controlled fighters seem to be improved in this latest version of the game. Your troops will make intelligent choices in engaging the enemy. For example, they will go after the leader of a specific squad in order to throw the rest of the squad into disarray. On the opposing side, the soldiers are equally as intelligent and display the same type of realistic military strategy.

Visually, Dynasty Warriors 3 hasn't changed much since the last game, primarily because it's based almost entirely on the same engine. The clothing and accessories on the character models are highly stylistic and detailed. However, the environments remain barren, and in certain locations the developer used fogging effects in order to hide environmental draw-in. Still, the large number of simultaneous combatants and the unique aesthetic style of the character designs give the game an appealing look.

Dynasty Warriors 3 will be released later this year.