E3 2005: Level Up
Koei's Historic Trip
Product: KOEI lineup
Company: Koei
Date: 05/25/2005
Avaliable On:

The masters of strategy at Koei have a lineup to make the more thoughtful gamer cheer. Romance of the Three Kingdoms X is an amazing 10th title in the classic Chinese warfare series. Taking place just after the fall of the Chinese empire, Romance of the Three Kingdoms X allows you an amazing reign of freedom to explore combat and takeover during the Chinese civil war. As usual, historical figures such as Zhao Yun and Liu Bei are present and playable. Some of the new features in this rendition include 650 playable officers, an enhanced social class system, expanded diplomacy, and detailed tutorials. You?ll be able to plunge headfirst into warfare shortly as the game is coming out in June for the PS2.

Colosseum: Road to Freedom is an action role-playing game that places players in the trenches of the colosseum pit. Playing as a slave you must earn your freedom through combat. The combat looks fun, if typical, but the real interest here is in some of the finer points of gladiator life that I?ve never seen in a game before. The true test of a gladiator was not his ability to simply kill his opponent, but to woo the crowd into loving him. You will have to learn to not just win, but do it in a manner pleasing to the crowd and Caesar. With the ability to buy your own outfit, fighting style, and multiple game modes, Colosseum: Road to Freedom will let you embrace battle this July on the PS2.

If you?re an Xbox owner that enjoys pitting armies against each other, but prefer it done in real time, Dynasty Warriors 5 will soon quench your thirst for battle. So what makes this one different from Dynasty Warriors 4? For starters, less load time, a larger cast, and tigers. Who doesn?t love tigers? Players will also be introduced to the new bodyguard officers, which replace the former bodyguard units. Bodyguard officers are unique soldiers in addition to the already 48 playable warriors in the game. Bases and strongholds will also play a larger role in battles, with four new types that include attack bases, defense bases, supply bases, and checkpoints. Dynasty Warriors 5 should be hitting store shelves this fall.

If you remember a game called Uncharted Waters for the SNES, this next title should get you pretty excited. Heck, even if you haven?t heard of it, you might get pretty pumped if the idea of a swashbuckling pirate MMORPG tickles your fancy. Uncharted Waters: Online for the PC will put you in the 16th century as you take to the seas to discover new lands, avoid pirates, or even do some plundering yourself. You can be an adventurer, merchant or soldier. With fully customizable ships and player characters, you?ll be able to make your presence known in short order. Unfortunately, the game has only been officially announced for Japanese release so far.

In addition, KOEI teased us with Ni-Oh, coming out for the PS3. Ni-Oh is based on a Kurosawa film and not much is known at this point. We'll keep you posted as news is released.

Alucard aka Stephen Triche

GameVortex PSIllustrated TeamPS2