Koei ships Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires

Koei's latest entry in the popular Dynasty Warriors series, which blends melee action with military simulation, has shipped to retail at the budget price of $29.99. Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires is a semi-sequel, using the same 40 characters as last year's Dynasty Warriors 4 but implementing several new features, including a new stage and a new strategy system.

Empires also features an enhanced versus mode for two players. The game opens with a map of ancient China that has been divided into 24 different regions. Players start in control of one region, and then select another one to invade or defend. Victory comes when the player has control of all the regions, uniting them under a single kingdom.

Other new features include an advanced character-editing tool with triple the selection of character models and voices, a warrior advancement system, new terrain, new battle techniques, and political influence, which allows you to turn enemy warriors into traitors.