Review: Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition

Dynasty Warriors is a long-running series that tends to evoke either utter contempt or complete infatuation from players around the world. Having played almost every Warriors game in existence, I'm definitely of the latter crowd. So when I say Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends (DW8XL) is one of the most fresh and innovative entries to the series, you may just say, "Well, crap, man. You already said you're basically a fanboy. No surprise you'd think it's great." Don't worry, my friend. I remain as impartial as possible and there are both strong pros and cons to this game, specifically if you plan on playing the Vita version.

Dynasty Warriors is a beat 'em up that focuses on the end of the Han Dynasty in China. Specifically, the rise and fall of the Three Kingdoms Wei, Wu and Shu. Here is where you take to the battlefield with one of dozens of notable warriors. You are required to fight your way through hundreds, sometimes thousands of enemies, to achieve your goals. There are different objectives on every level and there are plenty of levels to rage through. Simple enough.

There are five new characters added to the roster in this entry, clocking us in at over 70 playable warriors.

• Lu Bu's forces gain Lu Lingqi and Chen Gong
• Wei (finally) gains Yu Jin
• Shu gets help from Fa Zheng
• Wu (finally) has Zhu Ran

Each character is surprisingly fun to play. Lu Lingqi (Lu Bu's daughter) in particular is interesting because she makes use of Lu Bu's Dynasty Warriors 6 weapon, the Cross Halberd. We also gain a Leadership statistic, allowing us to make better use of personal bodyguards as well as the ability to take all playable warriors to level 150. You'll need those extra levels if you want to take on the game's new Ultimate difficulty setting.

Now, we've had Warriors games on handhelds before, but I believe this is the first to do almost everything right. The transition from playing this game on consoles for years to the Vita has been wonderful. In fact, I've been arguing with myself about whether or not I now prefer the series on the Vita. Between tight, simple controls and missions of varying length (some perfectly short for a bus trip, some perfectly lengthy for a train ride), Dynasty Warriors on a handheld has never felt quite so right. Even a minor tweak like allowing the player to manually activate Storm Rush adds a lot to what we can do on the battlefield.

Let me get it out of the way, though - there is one drawback to having this game on the Vita that could be a killer for many prospective fans. The framerate can (and will) drop maddeningly low at times. Fire anywhere one the screen? Get ready to play at a snail's pace for a bit. Too many enemies or musou effects? It's happening again. Long time fans can, unfortunately, say that they are almost used to this, but even I can't get away with declaring it's fine - it's far from it. I believe this is the one barrier that will keep new players away and is my one major gripe with this entry.

While many would criticize the visuals of almost any Dynasty Warriors game, I feel the need to praise the Complete Edition's graphics on the Vita. The ability to take this massive console game and shove it onto the tiny Vita cartridge without losing much (other than some frames here and there...) is, I think, a testament to how badly the developers wanted to make this game work.

It should be quickly noted that fans of vanilla Dynasty Warriors 8 on PS3 can import those saves to either the Vita or PS4 Complete Editions. This is a BIG bonus as it will save you a lot of time re-unlocking everything available.

DW8XL gives you several modes to choose from. Story Mode, now with the inclusion of a Lu Bu specific campaign, Free Mode, Ambition Mode and Challenge Mode. They each offer a different style of play for a different type of player, but there is so much wonderful content available, you'd be missing out if you didn't try them all.

Ambition Mode is where the real meat is. Once you complete Dynasty Warriors 8's regular Ambition Mode and complete your Tongquetai Palace, you'll unlock the option to go into an "Extended" Ambition Mode that XL offers. I'll tell you this first - Ambition Mode can be a boring slog through tedium. You need to slowly collect materials, allies and Fame through various, mostly empty stages. Completing your Tongquetai takes far too much time, far too many resources and far too much sanity. It's really unfortunate as many players won't get far enough to even unlock the Extended Ambition Mode, which offers interesting gameplay quirks and is, honestly, quite fun. Here is where you'll be set upon a path that is somewhat reminiscent of a Dynasty Warriors: Empires entry with less strategy involved. Extended Ambition mode has you re-uniting Han China by assaulting various regions absolutely filled to the brim with enemies. You need to make proper use of your three bodyguards, their abilities and your own abilities as you take bases and overall territory from pretty cunning adversaries.

Challenge Mode brings us:

• Rampage - Defeat as many enemies as possible before the timer runs out
• Bridge Melee - Knock as many enemies off the edge as possible
• Speed Run - Reach the goal as soon as possible
• Arena - Fight against every playable general until you run out of health
• Inferno - Defeat every enemy present before time runs out

Because of the large number of playable characters, there are literally dozens of ways to handle each individual challenge. Some work better than others (with a few being outright broken), but it's very enjoyable finding what the perfect fit for you is.

All in all, is Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends Complete Edition a worthwhile entry for Vita owners? I have to give a wholehearted yes. So long as you're willing to overcome some technical issues, you'll find a very pleasing experience that I never thought could work so well on a handheld.

Between the series' iconic soundtrack to pump up your adrenaline, the many options of play and outright mountain of content, there are many worse ways you could spend a bit of money. There is a lot to love here for fans new and old.