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Best Musou games?

Z..

Member
Okay, so I want to give Hyrule Warriors a try, but first I'd like to experience this genre at it's absolute best so I won't let the Zelda bias get to me. I want to have a comparison point before going in, and as such here I am.

Which are the absolute best available, GAF? I want to experience the pinnacle of Musou.

As far as platforms go, pretty much anything except PS4 or X1 is fine, but if the best one happens to be on one of those, do mention it and I'll keep it in mind for when I eventually join current gen.

Edit: Also, if it's multiplat, please let me know which is the best version.
 

You chose the wrong vid :P

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i havent played them all but from those that i played i really enjoyed the original Samurai Warriors on the PS2 as well as the Dynasty Warriors on the PSP

currently playing Dynasty Warriors 8 Xtreme Legends Complete Edition on the PS4 and i need to say the Empire Building System is quite a nice addition tbh
 
Hmm... Warriors Orochi seems tempting, since it's a crossover of DW and SW.

However, I can't play the Ultimate version, how much better than the regular version is it?
 
Starts and stops at Sengoku Basara 3/ Samurai Heroes(Wii/PS3) if you ask me

If you're willing to import, Basara 4 is even better. Much more flexible weapon upgrade system, the return of fan favourites from earlier games (Hideyoshi!) and more moves for existing characters. Crazy Storm in the air with Date Masamune? Why not.
 
I heard the Basara games are the best

you heard right

Sengoku Basara 4 is pretty much the pinnacle in my opinion (could use an expansion tune up, because Utage is nipping at its heels)

Hopefully we'll hear about Basara's future this weekend
 
The best out of each?

Samurai Warriors 4
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn
Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes (yes, beats 3 & 4)
Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends (Complete Edition would be even better)
 
Sengoku Basara blows away Koei's offerings.

The best out of each?

Samurai Warriors 4
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn
Sengoku Basara 2: Heroes (yes, beats 3 & 4)
Dynasty Warriors 8: Xtreme Legends (Complete Edition would be even better)

Heroes has some fun content, but the combat is completely out of date.
 
I haven't played a ton since Sengoku Musou 2, but I recently picked up Sengoku Musou 4 on the PS4 and am having a blast. It was probably the right amount of time away from the series as I can enjoy all of the improvements that have likely been very incremental.
 
Warriors orochi 3 Ultimate has all the characters in DW and Samurai Warriors,plus a lot more. In terms of content it's the best, but Dynasty Warriors 7 is also coo. The Basara games play differently but are fun as well.
 
My favorite musou game of all time was my first experience with the series which was Dynasty Warriors 3 to me it had the best level design and combos and of course I love Lu Buu's fourth weapon my god fun times he was such a beast in that game
 
you heard right

Sengoku Basara 4 is pretty much the pinnacle in my opinion (could use an expansion tune up, because Utage is nipping at its heels)

Hopefully we'll hear about Basara's future this weekend

Utage is much better than SB4. The enemy count in SB4 is abysmal in comparison to Utage's, the leveling system leaves lot to be desired compared to Utage's weapon training system, Unification mode and all of the extra modes like Boss Rush are much more fun than 4's campaign. Finally, no personal items?.Get out of here. The only thing 4 has over Utage is switchable R2 supers which is pretty nice, but the game is still far from being as polished as Utage was.

And no playable Kenshin, Bear Combo Queen Matsu, and drunken master beyblade Toshie so why even play.
 
Utage is much better than SB4. The enemy count in SB4 is abysmal in comparison to Utage's, the leveling system leaves lot to be desired compared to Utage's weapon training system, Unification mode and all of the extra modes like Boss Rush are much more fun than 4's campaign. Finally, no personal items?.Get out of here. The only thing 4 has over Utage is switchable R2 supers which is pretty nice, but the game is still far from being as polished as Utage was.

And no playable Kenshin so why even play.

SB4 has a better combat system and more characters, but I agree that Utage is a better game. I also prefer the more structured tagging system in Utage, being able to tag whenever you want makes it less interesting to me.
 
Hopefully we'll hear about Basara's future this weekend

We already know there's a stage event, and the series' 10th anniversary is next year. BASARA being one of the few brands Capcom hasn't screwed yet, that at the very least, spells a SB4 expansion,
though one rumor called for SB5
.
 
The Dynasty Warriors Gundam games are fucking fantastic, but can get kinda nasty with the goals unless you cheese it up with a 2P running around in Psycho Gundam or something just wrecking shit for you.

They also assume the player knows the lore pretty well and don't explain a lot of the character relationships.
 
I too have been wondering this. Personally been trying to decide between DW8 Xtreme Complete and Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate (both for PS4 obviously).
 
Is Sengoku Basara 3 Utage available in english?

If not, is it significantly better than regular SB3 to justify importing it and being slightly disoriented (since I've never played any SB games) or should I just go with regular SB3?

Edit:

So far I think I'll go with WO3:U and SB3, both for PS3. Both seem like a good starting point.

Which should I play first? (if I go with jp SB3U, I'll obviously play WO first).
 
Is Sengoku Basara 3 Utage available in english?

If not, is it significantly better than regular SB3 to justify importing it and being slightly disoriented (since I've never played any SB games) or should I just go with regular SB3?

Edit:

So far I think I'll go with WO3:U and SB3, both for PS3. Both seem like a good starting point.

Which should I play first? (if I go with jp SB3U, I'll obviously play WO first).

Play WO3U first. Then by the time you jump in with SB3Utage (Double pack should be dirt cheap by now, if you're interested), you'll get a good glimpse of the best of Koei and Capcom's styles.
 
Play WO3U first. Then by the time you jump in with SB3Utage (Double pack should be dirt cheap by now, if you're interested), you'll get a good glimpse of the best of Koei and Capcom's styles.

What is double pack?

Also, is Utage that much better than regular SB3? I have nothing against importing and have done so many times in the past but it's always better to actually understand the menus and all that. If the difference isn't game changing I think I'd rather go with regular SB3.
 
I too have been wondering this. Personally been trying to decide between DW8 Xtreme Complete and Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate (both for PS4 obviously).

DW8 is technically more advanced based on a new release last year. Better engine, visuals, some nice adjustments to the gameplay. Massive amount of content, but a lot of it can be very droll. The story mode felt like a step-back and the new Ambition mode is a novel idea, but runs dry way too fast, more grindy than engaging. The actual battle missions and maps are pretty fun and well designed however, plus there are 80+ characters to mess around with all with unique weapons to mix and match.

WO3U has even more content(probably the largest story mode ever in a musou game). Though its not as polished in the mechanics and visuals as DW8, being based on a much older game. Far more enjoyable despite I have found. Just a ridiculous character count, and very simple methods for keeping parity in levels and effective power without much grinding. It also has a quirky sense of humor given the premise so it comes across WAY less dry than DW8(where every word spoken is honor, power, or fucking benevolence). Plus you get cameo characters from Soul calibur, Ninja Gaiden, and even Joan of Arc is playable.

Really just buy WO3U between the two. Or wait a month for Sam Warriors 4 to hit. I have heard nothing but praise for that game, should perform and look the best too.
 
WO3U is way too expensive, as expected from digital only stuff... I'll wait for a price drop on that one.

So I guess Sengoku Basara 3 is the one I'll start with.

The only question left is... Utage or not?
 
DW8 is technically more advanced based on a new release last year. Better engine, visuals, some nice adjustments to the gameplay. Massive amount of content, but a lot of it can be very droll. The story mode felt like a step-back and the new Ambition mode is a novel idea, but runs dry way too fast, more grindy than engaging. The actual battle missions and maps are pretty fun and well designed however, plus there are 80+ characters to mess around with all with unique weapons to mix and match.

WO3U has even more content(probably the largest story mode ever in a musou game). Though its not as polished in the mechanics and visuals as DW8, being based on a much older game. Far more enjoyable despite I have found. Just a ridiculous character count, and very simple methods for keeping parity in levels and effective power without much grinding. It also has a quirky sense of humor given the premise so it comes across WAY less dry than DW8(where every word spoken is honor, power, or fucking benevolence). Plus you get cameo characters from Soul calibur, Ninja Gaiden, and even Joan of Arc is playable.

Really just buy WO3U between the two. Or wait a month for Sam Warriors 4 to hit. I have heard nothing but praise for that game, should perform and look the best too.

Thanks for the info. I was definitely leaning a bit towards WO3U but was sort of hoping to see a resolution to the trophy syncing issue (since I do like them trophies) before committing. I'll probably pick it up regardless though, the crossover and zanier story have me intrigued.

The only other thing I had been wondering was how Gauntlet mode from WO3U and Ambition mode from DW8 stacked up against each other in terms of fun and replayability.
 
WO3U is way too expensive, as expected from digital only stuff... I'll wait for a price drop on that one.

So I guess Sengoku Basara 3 is the one I'll start with.

The only question left is... Utage or not?

Utage has almost everything in vanilla 3 except for storylines for ~18 of the main characters featured in SB3. Instead, you'll be getting ~8 storylines for the new characters in Utage (some of the new characters do not have a story).

However, all of the stages in SB3 are playable, just not in a storyline format. Think free mode, or in Unification.

SB3 is significantly better than vanilla 3. Higher level cap, character switching, almost double the roster, more attacks for everyone, MUCH more gameplay content outside of just standard story mode. Honestly you can just skip vanilla 3 if you don't care for the storylines of the ~18 mains and just watch the english dubbed versions of the cutscenes online.
 
WO3U is way too expensive, as expected from digital only stuff... I'll wait for a price drop on that one.

So I guess Sengoku Basara 3 is the one I'll start with.

The only question left is... Utage or not?

Utage has more characters and tagging (a fantastic addition to the series), but 3 is in English. It isn't hard to get used to the game without knowing any Japanese, but if you choose Utage I suggest going to the koeiwarriors forums for some guides.
 
Thanks for the info. I was definitely leaning a bit towards WO3U but was sort of hoping to see a resolution to the trophy syncing issue (since I do like them trophies) before committing. I'll probably pick it up regardless though, the crossover and zanier story have me intrigued.

The only other thing I had been wondering was how Gauntlet mode from WO3U and Ambition mode from DW8 stacked up against each other in terms of fun and replayability.

Yea the trophy syncing issue is pretty irritating and I am hoping for a fix too. I haven't played Gauntlet mode yet in WO3U since I am still pushing through story, but Ambition mode kind of bummed me out in DW8.

It's a novel idea, building up a fort by pushing through a constant stream of random battlefields to earn materials and whatnot to spend on buildings and such(more basic than it sounds). It becomes way too grindy real fast and ultimately you reach a point where you just start gaming the system relentlessly to make significant progress in a very unengaging manner. I disliked it long before maxing everything out, and it is a necessary evil to gain access to beneficial features like weapon fusion, another annoyance.

Also trophies in DW8 on PS4 are irritating since they are focused solely on the new XL content which means you have to push through an enormous amount of content(story and ambition) to earn a bulk of them(since it kind of expects you to transfer a save from the vanilla game which has trophies befitting a fresh play. Not that the Orochi trophies are very different being they mostly are based around the new Ultimate content, but its less uneven.
 
Doesn't every musou game get better with every release... so the latest ones?

That being said, I played and enjoyed 5 in high school on boring weekends. I played the Vita one, but hated the forced touch crap and sold it.
Looking forward to trying out Hyrule Warriors and perhaps one day getting into the One Piece one. Heard its one of the better ones.
 
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