Warlords is multiplayer at its classic roots.
There is so much to say about Warlords. It has been praised from many critic sources, but still somehow manages to go fairly unknown.
Warlords is very original, being the (correct me if I'm wrong) first 4 player game ever. The original cabinet was huge, with 4 different screens, but was scrapped for a much more compact model.
Anyway Warlords is always a 4 player game. Players can take any side, but they all must insert their quarter within 10 seconds of the first one being dropped, or a computer will take their place. I advise grabbing a friend who either loves retro games, or is willing to try something new. Most hardcore xbox360 fans aren't going to think this is very fun.
In Warlords, the humans are against the computer. There are four castles, each at a corner of the screen. They have bricks surrounding a large square with their side's banner on it. The computer's banner will have a helmet, and your team's has a crown. Each side has a small shield in front of its castle, which you control.
A dragon will fly out while putting your quarters in. When the countdown ends, all players are locked in, and the dragon launches a fireball at player one's castle. Each time the fireball hits, it destroys a few bricks. The objective is to either catch the fireball, or bounce it away, using your shield. If your banner is hit, you lose. The thing that keeps warlords from a 9.5-10 is its controls being inverted. If you press right, you go left. This is confusing at first, but once you get use to it, Warlords is what it is: Fun.
It is advised you at least have a friend with you, or you'll have 3 computers against you. If you have two friends playing with you, it will be all of you, against the lone computer.
The computers are smart, and tough. They react fast, and aim accurate. That's why you should probably have a friend or two. However, one sure tactic gets them every time: catch the fireball, run to the opposite corner of your castle, speed back, and release. They never get back to defend in time. Do this 3 times, and the computer will be down. This works on players or computers on either side of you, but not the one diagonal. That's why it's good to have a second player- so they can kill the diagonal.
When a player loses, a fireball comes from where their banner was. Periodically, the dragon will spit out another one, also. So by the end, you might be dealing with as many as 4 fireballs flying around.
As you hit the last banner, you might just jump up and cheer. Warlords is a very hard game to win, especially alone. But then, you'll look back, and realize there's a second level, where the computers are faster, and stronger. I am unsure how many levels there are, since I've only gotten to 3, but you get to do all of them with one quarter, assuming you don't die.
Overall, Warlords is an awesomely hard game, that's quite a bit of fun to play with retro loving friends. Thanks for reading my review.