Dynasty Warriors 8

Yes, this is a very good sequel –- though it’s not without a couple of issues. First the good news: Fans of the franchise will immediately find themselves in familiar territory here, as you run around huge battlefields and take down many hundreds of enemy soldiers using swords, spears, mallets, and other weapons. But you’ll need to apply some brains to your brawn, too, with many tactics to employ for maximum impact. But there is enough new content here to justify the purchase -- especially for long-time fans. Dynasty Warriors 8 offers new modes -- including the "What If?" challenges and the role-playing, game-like Ambition mode -- dozens of unique male and female fighters, fast horse mounting, more than 40 new stages (castles, forests, plains), and online and offline co-op player. A few issues exist, though, such as bland level design, no drop-in-and-out support for co-op play, and a patch coming to Xbox 360 owners to address online slowdown issues. Overall, though, while this game isn’t for everyone, fans of massive battles, strategy, and Chinese history should enjoy hacking and slashing through this sequel.