Dynasty Warriors DS Screens (horrifying 3D ahead)

[wraggster]

via dsfanboy

Koei, ever the masters of careful, deliberate game design, have been judicious with their Shin Sangoku Musou (Dynasty Warriors) series, taking care not to saturate the market with incrementally-upgraded sequels and spinoffs, and sequels of spinoffs, that serve only to extract as much cash as possible from fans.

Oh, wait, we were thinking of someone else. That is exactly what Koei does. Their most egregious cash-in: this new Dynasty Warriors DS. Dynasty Warriors games aren't exactly renowned for their graphics, but this... is an insult to fans of the series. If we are being a little harsh on Koei, it's because every game they release that is not a Gitaroo-Man sequel (on the DS this time, please!) is like a jaggy little polearm poking us ceaselessly.

Note to developers: when you're thinking of making a DS game (and we've all been there, right?) please ask yourself if it really needs to be in 3D. If the answer is "yes," then ask yourself if it really needs to be on the DS. We love our little system (hence the title, focus and content of this site) but 3D can be a hit and miss affair.

Screens Via Comments

[Junixx]

That is......bad...

[radiator]

Christ! That looks awful.

And come on! Pre-rendered sprites?! I thought they disappeared in the 90's?

[Shrygue]

Those screenshots of Dynasty Warriors for DS aren't good.

[kcajblue]

That is......bad...

Christ! That looks awful.

And come on! Pre-rendered sprites?! I thought they disappeared in the 90's?

Those screenshots of Dynasty Warriors for DS aren't good.

you guys should have been ready for bad graphics.
it specifically said (horrifying 3D ahead).
and it really is horrifying.

[Shrygue]

I already was set to see bad 3D graphics.

[pibs]

texture looks awful

[Mikaa]

I seriously must ask, what is it with people and the notion that "graphics are everything?" Heck, Mario Kart 64 looks horrible today, yet it is still enjoyable. And would the Wii be what it is if graphics were everything?

Soap box aside, I will reserve my final judgement on whether or not DWDS looks bad until I see some actual gameplay footage (that is, in motion). Just because it looks bad still doesn't mean it looks bad in motion (ie - half of the PSOne library, any of the Madden DS games).

Mikaa

Edit - pibster, what show is your icon from? I cannot place it...

[Shadowblind]

o_0

And to think about 6 months ago I was looking forward to this...

[Mikaa]

Ironic that most posts on this thread reflect a negative outlook on the pre-release screen shots. Granted, they may look better in motion, yet they might not (a great example of things looking worse in motion would be virtually any game on Tiger's game.com portable back in the late 1990's).

Yet one irony that apparently has eluded most gamers, myself included:

Dynasty Warriors was originally supposed to see release back during the early days of the DS (as in, spring/summer of 2005 or so). The project, much like Boktai 3 (aka Lunar Knights), was constantly pushed back until it was barely mentioned. In DWDS's case, it probably had to do more with the then-assumed case that the DS would never match the PSP for sales (a point of history that is best left discussed at a later time).

But what is amusing about DWDS, and the ironic part about people bashing in these screens, were the screens from the promo shots from way back in 2005:

The game was viewed on an isometric field. As in, Scurge: Hive or Sonic 3D Blast.

Granted, some games can play rather well in isometric views (an underrated one being Equinox on SNES), while others cannot (Sonic Labyrinth on the Game Gear). If I could find the files on my PC of these early screens, I'd post them. If I do find them, I'll get back to you.

On a side note, going back to my comment in regards to how the frame rate is (ie - how smooth it runs, ugly or not), the real question is if the DS can handle a filled battlefield without issues. The PSP has since shown that it can come close to the PS2's crazy DW action-intense scenes, but can the DS? If this were a 2D game, I would not ask this, as the DS is easily one of the best 2D capable systems since the Sega Saturn and SNK Neo Geo.

Mikaa