It feels like a while since I've done a GameOn segment. Just as a reminder, GameOn is when a week's worth of posts follows a common theme that touches upon the interests, controversy and/or culture of videogames. This week I'll be talking about Videogame's Common Complaints (which I shortened to VGCC for convenience) in certain genres. Some of these explanations can turn out to be long discussions, so I'll do my best to shorten them and keep them open ended for the reader to poke at their own opinions on things. Today, I'll be talking about Hack 'n Slash & Beat 'em Up games. I've wanted to do this one ever since I started this blog, and the main target of interest for gamers to bag on is the "Warriors" series by KOEI (now known as TecmoKoei due to their merger).
Source: Youtube Channel MyKOEITV
Repetitive Gameplay
This is probably the most common complaint people use whenever a new Dynasty Warriors or recently "Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage" game comes out. True, the goal is usually the same with killing hordes of men and then either beat the last guy or escort an ally to safety; however, it's not the goal that's important (or fun) but the journey there. The truth is, Dynasty Warriors and other Warriors games have much more depth to them than most gamers think. Some of these Warriors games contain 40-60 characters, each with their own attributes, weapons, style of play, and skill sets. All characters have the capability to grow like in RPGs where the player can earn experience points by fulfilling goals and killing enemies to receive more power, items, weapons, and abilities. The game gets more interesting when the player has a stronger character and plays on a harder difficulty level, because playing on the easiest mode really can feel repetitive since you only have to whack away without blocking, dodging, or parrying. Others will complain that the "Repetitive Gameplay" they refer to is the same game that KOEI releases with different maps, graphics, and modes and that the core gameplay is the same. Well...games like Super Mario Bros., Call of Duty, and Final Fantasy have gone through lots of graphic changes and some new design concepts, but the game is essentially the same which still makes them great (for the most part). I personally like the additions of custom characters, destiny and xtreme mode, and the 7th Dynasty Warriors that's coming out will have an extension of the timeline into the Jin Dynasty with new characters and a conquer mode. My guess is that some people don't actually think that the Warriors series is repetitive, but that Hack 'n Slash and Beat 'em Ups just don't interest them.
Button Masher Game
A follow up to repetitive gameplay and the "main reason" for being monotonous for most players is that the game seems to be based solely on mashing on the same two attack buttons throughout the entire game. If you're playing on the easiest level, it will definitely feel that way since there's no immediate threat. For the Dynasty Warriors series, you can't win simply by using any sort of combo throughout the game when playing on normal and above (especially Chaos mode). Dynasty Warriors prides itself on being a strategy hack 'n slash rather than be an all out action game. Being in the right place in the right time is pivotal to winning because even if you're an incredible player, your main general may not be and get overwhelmed by 100 men trying to maim him (or more closer to what the game is like, juggled to death). When fighting certain generals, you have to execute more singular, vertical attacks to deal the most amount of damage while keeping them off the ground in order to prevent them from retaliating when recovering from an attack when compared to using horizontal attacks against dozens of lackeys. It certainly doesn't feel like a simple button mashing game once you get past hard mode and into the really difficult missions. The player has to fight through enemies, strategies, and time. Fist of the Northstar: Ken's Rage is a bit on the button mashing side with a linear path rather than an open world and with every attack doing devastating damage. But this is how I look at it: each type of enemy will still have a certain way of defeating them and the game is more of an arcade beat 'em up in 3D rather than 2D like in the old days with Final Fight or Double Dragon. These games are much more than what critics and certain gamers are claiming, it really depends on the preference of the one playing the game.
Dumb Artificial Intelligence (A.I.)
If the computers were really as dumb as some critics say they are, why is it that they still lose from them? The problem here is not that the AI is entirely "dumb," but rather "unrealistic". Dynasty Warriors has always been about "over-the-top" martial arts fighting with one warrior fighting against ridiculous odds like Keanu Reeves fighting all those Smiths in The Matrix Reloaded. It was the developer's choice to design the AI to be competent enough to give a challenge, but not so much as to have every little soldier fight like a real player. Could you even imagine that? You would be infinitely juggled by smart enemies the second you let one of them touch you. What's funny is that the main generals in Warriors Orochi are capable of doing so and thus the player has to formulate strategies against that. I do have to admit that the allies are pretty dimwitted when it comes to survival or aiding in battle. Characters you're supposed to protect run in on their own, bodyguards that are supposed to heal you fail when you need them the most, and tons of your own men stand in the middle of nowhere when they're needed elsewhere for battle. Koei has continued to improve the quality in the computer AI and sometimes it works and other times it doesn't.
I'm not saying that some of these complaints are entirely wrong since some critics do bring up good points on the way Koei develops their games. Such as all those expansions that came along with Dynasty Warriors. Xtreme Legends and Empires were great additions to the game; however, why weren't those contents in the game to begin with? If the original game with the 2 expansions all combined together, it feels more of a complete game. For me, I have followed the Dynasty Warriors series since the 3rd release (in the West, the 2nd in the East) and have gotten every Xtreme Legends expansion for each release (didn't bother with Empires).
Source: Youtube Channel GamersDigestNet
Since then, I have become a fan of the Warriors and support the designs and concepts of the special attacks within Samurai Warriors, the 3 character system within Warriors Orochi (such a fun game), the even crazier version of Dynasty Warriors in Strikeforce, capturing the immense power of each character within Fist of the Northstar: Ken's Rage, and the awesome space battles in Dynasty Warriors Gundam. I'm not really digging the changes within Dynasty Warriors 6 which killed off the combo system, unique character animation/weapons, and taking out things like custom character and special modes. I'm having high hopes for Dynasty Warriors 7 and will continue to hope for a release of Warriors Orochi Z. (I have no idea of what Troy Warriors of Legends though; I kind of don't care about that one).
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