You stand tall on the battlefield, weapons firmly in hand. Behind you are the dutiful men who have sworn to fight for you to the death. In front of you is the enemy — thousands strong and just dying to see your blood on their swords. But, by the time the battle is over, there’s a pretty good possibility the only red stuff you’ll be seeing is from your own fingers, as they’re going to take quite a beating from repeatedly hitting the buttons needed to achieve a victory in Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends. Like most hack and slash action titles out there, this stand-alone expansion of the previously released Dynasty Warriors 7 is feverishly-taxing for one’s digits — but the one true question fans of the series will ask is “Is it worth it?”
If you’re a newbie to the series, you might find yourself unsure as to what the hell is going on at first. There isn’t much in the way of introduction for those unfamiliar with the franchise (read: none), so let me just state real quick like that the game incorporates caricatures of actual people from China’s warring history. Naturally, the individuals that develop this game (Japanese developer Koei) take the necessary liberties to ensure these versions of their famous factual forerunners spout ridiculous dialogue (in silly Anime-style voices, to boot) and perform all kinds of bizarre combo moves. One really has to wonder if the Japanese are paying respect to these historical champions or not. But that’s beside the point, really.
So, anyway, in Dynasty Warriors 7: Xtreme Legends, you can jump straight into the game by choosing two characters (from the good side and/or the bad side) for you campaign. Said campaign (Legend Mode, which allows you to switch officers whenever you see fit) lands the player in a near-deserted castle village, which eagerly awaits your ability to make it flourish once again. To do so, of course, you have to fight the ranks of the enemy — and there are thousands of rival soldiers out there just-a-waitin’ to slice you into a million tiny pieces. The village comes equipped with a blacksmith, war strategist, and other important folks to help out; more appear as your quest develops.
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