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[massoluk]

I got bored of musou at the ps2 era, but Zelda musou got me back with style. Really likeable game.

I think i will get hokuto musou 2, since its also on the wiiu, but i don't know if its good or not. I remember that there was a huge backlash and awful word of mouth. I played the first ate the ps3, but never went too far and people said its almost the same game, so i dont know if i will like it or not.

No, stop. Don't. That is one of the worst game last few years, period, not just the worst musou game

 

[chadboban]

All this Hyrule Warriors love Neiteio! Are you trying to kill my wallet bro?

 

[Lgndryhr]

Check out Gundam Dynasty Warriors

 

[Starwolf_UK]

I've certainly enjoyed the game. Not really the kind of experience I need to relive indefinitely so I'll probably be happy to close the Musou can of worms on this for a few years at least.

It certainly touches my loot game itch but treating it as just that gets grindy (so many characters missing key badges due to giant bosses being terrible things I avoid as they are such trolls by hardly ever doing the attacks to reveal their gauge).

This is largely a huge reason why I dropped Hyrule long before I COULD have grown tired of it(eventually returning to Orochi 3 Ult.) Adventure mode 'A' ranks really could have been a fascinating and exhilarating 'challenge' mode(ala weapon challenges in other Musou games) but instead those arbitrary thresholds end up feeling irritating more than anything. Shame really, but the sort of thing a sequel would be given a proper pass at.

Like was mentioned the 1.5 patch added the ability to restart stages and see damage taken. It is fairly easy to memorise <15:00 (15:00 is a B rank ), >1200 KOs & <4000 damage and that applies to 90% of the stages (the terrible x00 KOs within 10 minute stages use a different rerquirement and the trials are always 3KOs for A rank). I don't know if that helps address your flaws with adventure mode.

 

[Neiteio]

All this Hyrule Warriors love Neiteio! Are you trying to kill my wallet bro?

Ha! I'm just amazed to discover I love this genre. I feel the need to spread the word: "This is good stuff!" I know there are many people out there who have the wrong impression of musou, like I did before I tried it, so I'm trying to correct those wrong perceptions with what I've learned. Musou can be very engaging!

 

[Zing]

I'm very close to giving this game a try. I still can't believe the enemies literally just stand there motionless. I watched that Pirate version video and he is running into a room and a horde of enemies were just standing there like statues. Even the mini boss or whatever was standing completely idle when he ran in, and I think it didn't even try to attack the entire time the player was attacking.

Too bad there isn't a demo.

 

[crinale]

Musou in general has fun game mechanics. Basically the whole thing is glorified beat'em up. I think if you are to criticize Dynasty Warriors in recent days it is the content rather than mechanics. People don't want to fight against Yellow Turban Rebellion for several games in a row.

In other words, if your favorite franchise gets Musou iteration you should give it a shot. If you don't hate the mindless beat'em ups of course.
It started from Gundam, then Fist of the North Star, Zelda, and One Piece got the same treatment.

Spoiler

Dragon Quest is the next

 

[Blackstarhat]

one piece pirate warriors 2 is just as addictive.

 

[ChrisDM]

I apologize if this question has been asked in the topic, I probably missed it, but has anyone bought Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate for PS4 or Xbox One? I had Warriors Orochi 3 for Xbox 360 and it was great, but I don't have my copy anymore and was wondering if it's worth picking up either of the current gen ones? I would assume the PS4 one runs better, but who knows? Hoping someone in this topic knows.

 

[Deleted member 47027]

I apologize if this question has been asked in the topic, I probably missed it, but has anyone bought Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate for PS4 or Xbox One? I had Warriors Orochi 3 for Xbox 360 and it was great, but I don't have my copy anymore and was wondering if it's worth picking up either of the current gen ones? I would assume the PS4 one runs better, but who knows? Hoping someone in this topic knows.

I had WO3 for my 360, and went for WO3 Ultimate on the Bone. It's fine. Not as big an upgrade as you'd want, but at least the framerate is stable.

 

[TunaLover]

Having played Sengoku Basara, and Samurai Warriors I can say that HW is a better musou game, I don't remember having played a Sengoku game in which your choices affect the flow of the game at the level of HW.

How HW makes a more deep combat-strategy experience:

Z-targeting open the game to new strategies, not only to 'lock' an enemy, for example, you can use the power-up potion to get a powerfull bow version, being a projectile weapon it's usefull for avoid damage in A ranks, the problem is you can't use it effectively because enemies can attack you from behind, thus increasing the chances of taking damage, and loosing the whole point of the bow; enter Z-targeting, when you lock an enemy you have control of your surrounding, you can effectively corner yourself and avoid damage while keeping distance from you enemy with the bow, Z-targeting when used with powered bow allows clear crowd safety, by matching your arrow trajectory with a crowded area.

Weak point not sure if it has been implemented before in a Sengoku game, but it is a great addition, it requires familiarization with the enemy character, since not every weak point works the same, some characters can recover quickly from being weakened, other have weak points that last more time but are harder to deplete, Zant is a special case, he only will expose his weak point when you block most of his attacks, characters as Cia expose weakpoint more often but it's risky attack at close range, Ruto and Fi force you to chase them after their attacks, so probably it's better use specials to deplete their gauge.

Many specialized enemies so we have: Outpost leaders, keep leader, barrier keep leader (creates magic barrier), rally leader (increase enemy moral), items thief, cuccos, neutral warriors, item transport, keep fortifier, diversion enemy units, healers, raid captains, saboteur units, and many new added in the last DLC, having so many variables really takes strategy about what target prioritize.

Big bosses again, not sure if it has been implemented in other Sengoku game before but it totally change the way you plan the battle, you need specific material? go for the big boss first, need ko's, ignore them, search for crowded spots while having an eye on the monster.

Tight timing! you got to block alot in order to reach A-rank, but your blocking timing matters, it matter alot, if you block to close to an enemy it can brake your defense, leaving you vulnerable for about 1.5 seconds enough time to other enemy hit you, good bye A-rank.

I pointed some elements what makes HW a deep Sengoku game, there are many other like item use, but I'm a little tired and short of time.

Like I said, I've only played Sengoku Basara and Samurai Warriors, and I don't remind having to put to much estrategy beforehand, more like they created the illusion of having options, but extremely linear games.

 

[AdawgDaFAB]

There's my long winded nonsense, have fun!

robotzombie knows what's up! I enjoy almost all the musou games for different reasons (even similar, non-Koei, games like the Senran Kagura Versus series), however BASARA is pure love. It is, by far, my favorite series in the whole genre. Capcom seriously knows how to make amazing characters and stylish action combat. Heck, some characters, Ii Naotora in particular, have so many nuances to their movesets that they wouldn't feel too out of place in a character action game like DMC. SB4 improved the combat to fantastic levels and is such a blast to play. SB4 Sumeragi looks to be fixing some of the nagging issues I had with SB4 (mostly in regards to it's weapon/powerup system) and expanding the roster and stage count. As such, it is probably my most anticipated title of the year.

Sadly, it is very unlikely that we will get more SB titles in the west due to SB: Samurai Heroes's (localization of SB3) lack of success. For anyone that's willing to import and is interested in musou games or character action titles, BASARA is always my first, and strongest, recommendation.

As for stuff available in English, there's a lot of good games in the genre. I'd say the best, currently, are the most recent versions of each subseries (for the most part). Here's my thoughts on all the recent ones I've played:

- Hyrule Warriors
OP, you've played this so you know it's a great game. All of the movesets have fun and unique animations plus various gameplay tweeks that make them all feel original. The Z-targeting is also a welcome feature. The game's Zelda series fanservice shines brightly and makes the whole thing all the more enjoyable. There is also an impressive amount of content for a Musou subseries's first entry and the DLC added a whole lot more to the game for a surprisingly bargain price. The biggest issues I personally had were the over reliance on the game's weakpoint system and the limitation of it's weapon system. Fights with non-trash enemies were all about needing to fill up the weakpoint bar for those big attacks. While it's really cool to pull those off, normal attacks seemed mostly useless against them. Weapon abilities can be moved between weapons, but only into blank slots and there is no way to add slots to weapons you get (I think I read that this was fixed in a recent patch, if so I'll have to go back to the game and check it out).

- Warriors Orochi 3 Ultimate
This is the perfect jumping on point for DW/SW due to the ridiculous amount of content and characters it has. As such, it is likely to give players the most bang for their buck. It is also not tied heavily into Chinese or Japanese lore, instead having a wacky time-travel based story and a plethora of crossover characters from non-musou series (DoA, Ninja Gaiden, Soul Calibur 4, Atelier Meruru). The game is based on the DW7 and SW3 era, so characters and movesets are outdated in comparison to the more recent DW/SW games. This doesn't mean they are bad at all, but it can be difficult to go back to after getting used to the current games.

- DW8:XL CE / Empires
The DW8 line of games introduced a lot of combat improvements over WO3U (although Ambition mode can get super grindy for sure). Every character has their own unique weapons now, and they've done more to make various weapons feel different. Empires' western release is coming in a few weeks and looks to take the 8 combat and merge it with improved modes and features from 7E. I can see myself sinking an unhealthy amount of hours into 8E, as Empires has my favorite style of battle in Koei's games. I just love the the back and forth flow of defending and capturing bases that the Empires games focus on. There's also strategic elements that players can micromanage during and in-between battles. The goal of the main Empires mode are to take over all the areas on a map from rival warlords through a mixture of sheer force (beat them in battle for pieces of land until you've conquered them all) and political maneuvering (alliances, coups, officer defections, etc).

- SW4 / 4-II
I have yet to play SW4, but it looks like the new Triangle attack strings and jumping between two playable characters on different parts of the battle field gave the main series a big shake up. Weapon and power up systems can make or break these kinds of games for me and friends have told me that the weapon / power-up system of 4 is pretty bad. This is why I haven't jumped in on 4 yet. It seems that 4-II may have fixed those problems. 4-II comes out in a few days in Japan, so I'm curious to see how it turned out before deciding if I want to get 4 or wait for 4-II's localization.

- One Piece 2
I absolutely love all of the things they did with combat 2 and it is one of my favorite of Koei's subseries. They have way more variety in moveset options than any other Koei musou game, yet still has a large group of characters. WARNING: Avoid the first game like the plague! It was heavily flawed and overloaded with bad gameplay designs. 2 improved every single aspect of gameplay and 3 (March in Japan, Summer in English) appears to be building on those improvements.

- Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage
This is the opposite of the One Piece games. 1 is fantastic, while 2 blows. It is slower paced than every other Musou game, but there is a lot of depth to movesets and combat mechanics that were completely lost in the sequel.

 

[Danthrax]

Two super newb questions (well, three):

•In the few vids I've watched the enemies don't seem to mind you, particularly care what you do or even fuckin' move at all.. is it really like that or I've watched early missions? Does the game provide a good action challenge outside of bosses?

You can kinda think of Hyrule Warriors (and probably the other musous? haven't played them) as a MOBA but from an over-the-shoulder view instead of a God's eye view:

• You're basically playing a real-time strategy game in which you only control one hero character.
• You use that character to take over key points on the map.
• The minions pose very little risk, are easy to kill and mostly exist to be farmed.
• The main threats are enemy heroes, who have more complicated attack patterns than minions, are able to capture key points on the map and pose a very real danger to you.
• You level up your hero and upgrade him with better weapons and equipment (although it's persistent in HW rather than resetting for each game like in a MOBA).

 

[BooJoh]

I'm sort of in the same boat as the OP. I bought HW on release, played and enjoyed it a bit, but recently got heavily into playing it, and I just love everything about it. First of all it took Impa, a character who I've never cared about in the Zelda universe (full disclosure: I've barely played the 3D Zeldas,) and made her my favorite character to play as and a total beast of a fighter and awesome character.

It makes me wonder if I'd enjoy the other Warriors games but I feel like I couldn't be pulled in without characters and lore (as light as it may be) that appeal to me.

That said, I would happily buy Dragon Quest Heroes if I get the chance, and I would - in a heartbeat - buy Warriors collab games in any of the following universes:

Pokémon
Mario
Kid Icarus
Final Fantasy
Castlevania
Blizzard/WoW
Nintendo All-Stars/Smash Bros
Naruto

...and pretty much any other series I'm a fan of.

 

[sörine]

Koei really needs to drop the price on WO3 Hyper now that there are a million+ HW buyers who might be interested in more Musou. It's still $60 on the eShop, and the game was already a year old at launch.

 

[Neiteio]

I'm very close to giving this game a try. I still can't believe the enemies literally just stand there motionless. I watched that Pirate version video and he is running into a room and a horde of enemies were just standing there like statues. Even the mini boss or whatever was standing completely idle when he ran in, and I think it didn't even try to attack the entire time the player was attacking.

Too bad there isn't a demo.

The trash mobs (which include what you called a "mini-boss" -- that's really just the keep leader) aren't meant to pose a threat. They're what you have to quickly and efficiently eliminate at each keep in order to capture the keep. Defeat enough enemies in a keep, with well-timed and well-aimed attacks, and the keep leader appears; defeat him in a few hits, and the keep is yours... until the enemies recapture it.

In the meantime, capturing a keep will stop the flow of enemies from it. It will shift the balance of the war in your favor. The trash mobs also serve to fuel your special meter, and can be used to farm EXP, rupees, materials, etc. If too many of them surge into one of your bases (including the all-important Allied Base), you risk losing that base to the enemy (which is instant defeat in the case of the Allied Base). So if you see tons of enemies swarming toward an important base, you might want to reduce their ranks before heading to your next target.

This game gets VERY challenging. I guarantee you it will kick your ass repeatedly. I say this as a guy who beat the Souls games, The Evil Within, Alien Isolation on Hard, etc. I've beat every game by Platinum. I know action, I know tension. This game gets TOUGH.

The challenge comes from the super-durable captains, of which there are many kinds, and which are only truly vulnerable when their weak-point gauge appears, briefly. And the way you make that gauge appears will vary from captain to captain. They can quickly wreck your shit.

The challenge also comes from the changing situation: A roaming boss appears, jeopardizing your base; a bombchu is deployed, and needs to be escorted (when it's on your side) or intercepted and destroyed (when it's on the enemy's side); an ally needs rescuing or they'll flee and your army will weaken; fortifiers appear and start strengthening keeps, or summoners appear and start calling in reinforcements, so you're advised to defeat them... and so on.

But anything you go after, means you're neglecting something else. You can't be in 10 places at once. You have to pick and choose what targets to capture, defend, rescue, escort and intercept. You have to figure out the optimal order, I.E. if you circle the map counter-clockwise maybe you can stop a few captains and lower enemy morale while on your way to the keep with the fairy you need to rescue in order to access the other keep that has the boss key but OH SNAP King Dodongo is now heading toward the Allied Base and OH SNAP the princess Zelda needs to be rescued on the -other- side of the map. What do you do?

Also, to A-rank a mission for its unlockable character or costume or weapon, you often need to handle scenarios like the one described above, while still getting 1,200+ KOs, -and- taking less than 4,000 damage, -and- finishing the mission in under 15 minutes. Trust me, this can be quite challenging.

You think this game is a mindless button-masher. You wonder why the enemies "aren't moving." Try playing the game. You'll find more than enough challenge once it gets going. >

 

[Dice]

Yeah, it does get very challenging, but it's usually not from dying. All the harder levels are puzzles you have to solve under huge pressure, with changing circumstances, and it requires flawless execution. The plebs do just sit there mostly, but even with those you have to think about the ways you are most efficiently herding and eliminating them while doing everything else or else you won't get the kill count you need in the time limit.

Killing captains isn't the challenge so much as killing them fast enough and killing the right ones to keep morale up and prevent tragedies, as it's not always just keeps you need to keep up, but your own captains. Do things wrong so morale is low and you WILL have an important keep falling as you have something else terribly important to do. I definitely have had my main base fall literally 5 seconds before I defeated the enemy commander because I miscalculated my route and morale effects. Even having good morale can be bad if you did it in the wrong order, because depending on how you structured the war front with your captures, your captains may charge right into a death trap (because they won't just sit home and be happy) while you're on the other side of the map.

But although it can be tricky, morale really is legitimate. Sometimes your own captains will capture keeps themselves, especially if you left the easier ones for them with good supports on the sides, and the healthier things are the better your armies do to oil the machine and the easier it is for you to do your many tasks. The game rewards intelligence and skill by allowing more of it to flourish when things ramp up with summoners or a big boss or something. If you don't play well enough, you'll end up fighting uphill, and that is the kind of thing that can have you catching surprise attacks in the back and taking too much damage for A-Rank, even besides the timing of all the things you champion.

Despite the rules for A-Rank actually being kind of annoying sometimes, I am ultimately okay with the rule sets now that they have implemented menu restart. You need something that quick to keep momentum to solve it and drive at a challenge until you get it, like Super Meat Boy or something. Going back to the menu and level, character, weapon select and all the associated load times was too frustrating when you knew you just wanted to try again. This way it can be fully addictive, as you chase the payoff of complete domination of the level.

They also really keep it fresh with the standings of everything when you enter a level. Ruto's level 3 weapon stage for instance is COMPLETELY BONKERS right at the start with a massive death train of poes and fiery aeralfos rolling directly into your camp. Getting it stopped while also getting the necessary keeps for things to hold up and gain access to the enemy commander, not getting trapped in a room with fighting cuccos, wiping another death train before it enters the realm and then finishing off the enemy commander before a big boss wipes your captains in the required time without taking too much damage is very, very hard.

Thinking like traditional games where it's "kill the enemy before they kill you" it will look quite silly, but when you know the game, you know it requires godlike play from you.

 

[Astarte]

Sengoku Basara is the hypest shit.

 

[Neiteio]

Yeah, it does get very challenging, but it's usually not from dying. All the harder levels are puzzles you have to solve under huge pressure, with changing circumstances, and it requires flawless execution. The plebs do just sit there mostly, but even with those you have to think about the ways you are most efficiently herding and eliminating them while doing everything else or else you won't get the kill count you need in the time limit.

Killing captains isn't the challenge so much as killing them fast enough and killing the right ones to keep morale up and prevent tragedies, as it's not always just keeps you need to keep up, but your own captains. Do things wrong so morale is low and you WILL have an important keep falling as you have something else terribly important to do. I definitely have had my main base fall literally 5 seconds before I defeated the enemy commander because I miscalculated my route and morale effects. Even having good morale can be bad if you did it in the wrong order, because depending on how you structured the war front with your captures, your captains may charge right into a death trap (because they won't just sit home and be happy) while you're on the other side of the map.

But although it can be tricky, morale really is legitimate. Sometimes your own captains will capture keeps themselves, especially if you left the easier ones for them with good supports on the sides, and the healthier things are the better your armies do to oil the machine and the easier it is for you to do your many tasks. The game rewards intelligence and skill by allowing more of it to flourish when things ramp up with summoners or a big boss or something. If you don't play well enough, you'll end up fighting uphill, and that is the kind of thing that can have you catching surprise attacks in the back and taking too much damage for A-Rank, even besides the timing of all the things you champion.

Despite the rules for A-Rank actually being kind of annoying sometimes, I am ultimately okay with the rule sets now that they have implemented menu restart. You need something that quick to keep momentum to solve it and drive at a challenge until you get it, like Super Meat Boy or something. Going back to the menu and level, character, weapon select and all the associated load times was too frustrating when you knew you just wanted to try again. This way it can be fully addictive, as you chase the payoff of complete domination of the level.

They also really keep it fresh with the standings of everything when you enter a level. Ruto's level 3 weapon stage for instance is COMPLETELY BONKERS right at the start with a massive death train of poes and fiery aeralfos rolling directly into your camp. Getting it stopped while also getting the necessary keeps for things to hold up and gain access to the enemy commander, not getting trapped in a room with fighting cuccos, wiping another death train before it enters the realm and then finishing off the enemy commander before a big boss wipes your captains in the required time without taking too much damage is very, very hard.

Thinking like traditional games where it's "kill the enemy before they kill you" it will look quite silly, but when you know the game, you know it requires godlike play from you.

Beautifully put. And funny you mention Ruto's lv. 3 weapon mission, it's where I'm currently stuck. :-\

 

[akidnamededdy]

All I can say is that very little in recent gaming has been quite as satisfying for me as Link's B B B B Y with the Master Sword equipped. Just mow right through everybody.

 

[demolitio]

This is a game I've been wanting to get and hope to find it cheap here soon, but I've struck out so far. Seems like a lot of actual fun replayability and a setting that lends itself well to the gameplay.

 

[texhnolyze]

I got bored of Musou games at the mid PS2 era. While they are kinda different from each other, I can't swallow the same story over and over again. Moreover, I'm also a huge fan of Romance of Three Kingdom & Nobunaga games.
Musou with different theme and IP would always interest me though, such as Gundam musou, One Piece musou, etc. I don't really pay much attention to the combat mechanics, they're all kinda the same.

 

[Balb]

I got pretty bored of it though I only put an hour or so into the game. I might try it again soon.

 

[Mik317]

IMO It helps to give a fuck about the _ before the Musou. I personally don't care about Chinese History and such, so the repetitive nature of the combat becomes a reality sooner. However, with One Piece (a series I love) and Sengoku Basara (PUT YO GUNZ ON), suddenly I am engaged.

So ask yourself how much of the Zelda part was the reason you kept playing? If you truly was into the gameplay (I'm not dissing the gameplay at all btw Warriors Orochi 3 is gdlk), then you got a lot of play.

 

[mocolostrocolos]

Before this one, I only liked Gundam.

I'm not a fan of the musou formula, but I really love how they merged the world of Zelda into this.

The game is amazing and one of the sleepers of 2014.

 

[Baloonatic]

The combat mechanics actually make other musou games less fun to me now. I love the targetting and timing dodges against attacks to make the most out of the invincibility frames.

I would really be over the moon if they added those things to DW or SW but I guess they will keep them as their own thing. I just really hope we get a HW sequel with similar combat.

 

[Htown]

All of them are essentially the same so...yes?

I've only played two of them, and even I know that's bullshit.

 

[Forkball]

I dunno, I can't get into this genre. I've played some of the Dynasty Warriors game and Sengoku Basara, and grew bored of them. It seems like everything's pointless and dull outside of the boss fights. Maps take forever and there's no check or save points. Fighting the bosses can be fun, but you have to go through so much before you can do even that. I'm not sure if Hyrule Warriors is different. How is Sengoku Musou Chronicle 3 for 3DS? The one that came out a few months ago in Japan. Maybe musou is better on the go.

 

[JumpJeff84]

I got so bored of early Dynasty Warriors games on the PS2, but occasionally I get curious to try one again.

If I did, it'd probably be HW

 

[mrklaw]

Ha! I'm just amazed to discover I love this genre. I feel the need to spread the word: "This is good stuff!" I know there are many people out there who have the wrong impression of musou, like I did before I tried it, so I'm trying to correct those wrong perceptions with what I've learned. Musou can be very engaging!

I already bought it but haven't played it yet - your posts make me want to. Your explanations were very clear and concise, thanks for those.

 

[Dice]

Beautifully put. And funny you mention Ruto's lv. 3 weapon mission, it's where I'm currently stuck. :-\

What level are you? After having a bitch hard time getting Lana's lvl3 deku staff until I leveled and got badges, I didn't fuck around with Ruto and got her up to level 50, which is the reasonable level for any lvl3 weapon challenge, really. I also got her level 3 stamina fruit and digging mitts, level 2 din's fire and farore's wind, and a second special attack gauge and naturally the best lvl2 scales I could manage. You CANNOT fuck around when you have to kill so many captains (who are all morale boosted to the point of having shiny shielding) so quickly.

Even then, it's a real bitch and you have to play super smart. Use small blast combo to stun them to give you an opening to do the tidal wave combo which bunches them together to use musou, and keep watch for any close weak point gauges so you can set off vortexes for splash damage

Spoiler

okay, pun intended

, and grab musou restores as you kill captains to chain them. Leveling is not like beefing up to cheese it or anything, it gives you a chance. I also make sure to wipe the closest corner keep real fast before taking on the death train and off the outpost captain on the way back to the main battle area. Do it fast enough and it shouldn't be a problem, and the morale shift is helpful for after your fight.

And about that tidal wave combo, it takes practice. You hold way early in the animation for her to start the wave after her twirl. You need the space for the time taken or they'll hit you, but need to be close enough for it to count. It's especially easy for poes to charge you or shoot something, which is why you need good positioning and to stun them first usually, or you'll take too many hits. The vortex and blasts of weak point finishers and musou have you invulnerable, but also scatter enemies, so bunching them back together with the wave is essential for speed. A lot of running and herding is involved, but not too much or you won't be killing enough. Oh, and her water meter blasts are VERY strong and good to off close-to-death captains from a distance, but you need to be in the clear and dodge out of it.

For sake of remembering correctly I actually went in to clear the keep and then stopped the death train in 5 minutes just now, so practice does make perfect. The wave on the grass before the enemy commander isn't as hard since you have more of your own captains up there and more coming from the keeps you take before heading out, but you do have to fight the commander and ignore the boss, so you'll want them to be strong for when you head in, and have full stock to just RAIL on that motherfucker when you get there.

 

[Hyperfludd]

Is there a handy english guide for adventure mode? I keep finding japanese ones.

 

[Dice]

Is there a handy english guide for adventure mode? I keep finding japanese ones.

Best thing ever, especially if farming mats.

 

[Moff]

I couldnt get into any other musou game than HW.
in fact, even HW took a while until I really got into it, but somehow this game is really much more fun than it's supposed to be. I admit that the huge zelda fan Service makes a big difference for me, so unless other musou games offer much better content I don't see why I should play them.

 

[Neiteio]

Thanks for the advice on Ruto's lv. 3 weapon mission, Dice. I'm done playing for the night, but at the end there I came close to A-ranking it by cheesing it in two-player -- I hid Ruto behind the Allied Base and went to town with lv. 50 Link and a 400+ lv. 3 Magical Sword. I was also using a Guard Break potion. The cuccos got caught in the crossfire, though, and wound up getting between me and the 1,200 KOs necessary.

On another note, here are some cool pics from Miiverse:

 

[Easy_D]

Musou games are defined by their content. There are tons and tons of characters and missions in each. Try Dynasty Warriors 7 or 8, the Xtreme Legends versions if possible.

So you're saying:

If I think Hyrule Warriors looks dope but don't have a Wii U, I should totally pick up DW8 Xtreme Legends on Steam during a sale?

 

[Dice]

So you're saying:

If I think Hyrule Warriors looks dope but don't have a Wii U, I should totally pick up DW8 Xtreme Legends on Steam during a sale?

If you like Chinese themed stuff and can handle bizarre/awkward control setup and learning processes, then yes. You eventually manage into comfort with it and then it becomes super addictive.

 

[hurricanes]

Not a popular opinion but I think Musou games are mostly repetitive and sort of brain dead nowadays. The original Musou series used to be good when it has layer of strategy element. But ever since 5 and its "enchanted edition" and up, the series has gradually became all fan service (Otaku bait and etc.) and selling DLCs packs.(Yes I know I don't have to buy them) Many important elements present in the prior games are either completely gone or minimized.

Oh the character design is abysmal if you expected anything "authentic" from the Chinese Three Kingdoms era. It used to be OK, but again, worse and worse every new installment.

If you like Chinese themed stuff and can handle bizarre/awkward control setup and learning processes, then yes. You eventually manage into comfort with it and then it becomes super addictive.

Again from my limited knowledge there is nothing Chinese in this game except maybe character names and basic setting, not anymore.

 

[Reknoc]

Again from my limited knowledge there is nothing Chinese in this game except maybe character names and basic setting, not anymore.

Even if it's over the top with it's crazy anime designs (which is better than being "authentic") it's still recognizably Chinese themed.

 

[Domstercool]

Samurai Warriors 4 became my fave of the Warriors series (http://darkzero.co.uk/game-reviews/samurai-warriors-4-ps4/)

It manages to be addictive and improve on the combat with the new hyper attack and AI team mate that you can switch to control or order around the stage.

 

[Prototype]

Op, you should pay the first Fist of the North Star musou game. So good. It was the first game I ever got some platinum on, just by playing it so much.

 

[ktynn]

God i also love Hyrule Warriors. I hope Nintendo sees the potential of future collaborations with Koei.
Imagine a Musou game with the cast / franchises of Smash Bros. Wii U!!!!! POKEBALLS INCLUDED!!!!!

 

[Dice]

Again from my limited knowledge there is nothing Chinese in this game except maybe character names and basic setting, not anymore.

Anyone who lives in the US can tell you that theme/inspiration and accuracy/authenticity are two different things, but that lesson well extends into the rest of the world. As someone who has socialized with hundreds of internationals from dozens of countries over the last 10 years, I can tell you it's best to take all our crazy ideas of each other with a grain of salt and sense of humor, appreciate the sentiment that one would even think of another country, and humbly receive the real deal as one interacts with it without being ashamed of whatever notions one passively received from what entertainment culture drummed up. Choosing grace and being amicable over the need to correct first or being offended is the key to doing well in the future days of our previously separated yet now globalized and ever-more-integrating world.

 

[Beren the Empty-Handed]

The source of greatest tension for me in Hyrule Warriors is when I have to let something go badly in order to more effectively win the map. Or "lose the battle to win the war" scenarios.

Like letting a stampede of Captains/enemies parade right towards my Allied Base/Commander while I take care of something on the other side of the map. Since it will take some time for them to accomplish their goal, I'll let them pound on my Commander or party in my Allied Base for a while. It puts the pressure on me to take care of whatever I'm doing (rescuing a key captain or something, or taking a keep to get a fairy so I don't need to come back later and waste time) in the most economical way possible, so that I can get back in time and not lose the whole map.

Or, as another example, having to ignore Giant Bosses if my goal is to defeat X enemies, or a specific captain. Spending my time on a Giant Boss might not end up serving me, so I have to keep my eye on the map and make sure that they aren't about to come up from behind and murder me. Being enclosed in a small space with 4-5 Imprisoned and having to ignore/avoid them all was a very tense experience.

 

[hurricanes]

Even if it's over the top with it's crazy anime designs (which is better than being "authentic") it's still recognizably Chinese themed.

By "authentic" I don't mean really authentic or I will not use a quote. Romance of the Three Kingdoms (the game not the book) is what I considered "authentic" and way better designed than the Musou games. As for themed, I think it is more Asian fusion rather than Chinese, but different people have different views so I stand corrected.

Anyone who lives in the US can tell you that theme/inspiration and accuracy/authenticity are two different things, but that lesson well extends into the rest of the world. As someone who has socialized with hundreds of internationals from dozens of countries over the last 10 years, I can tell you it's best to take all our crazy ideas of each other with a grain of salt and sense of humor, appreciate the sentiment that one would even think of another country, and humbly receive the real deal as one interacts with it without being ashamed of whatever notions one passively received from what entertainment culture drummed up. Choosing grace and being amicable over the need to correct first or being offended is the key to doing well in the future days of our previously separated yet now globalized and ever-more-integrating world.

See above. I apologize if my words come off as offensive.

 

[eXistor]

I don't know about other Musou games, but I will agree that HW is super-addictive. I've been playing the game since launch and still playing it today. That's something very, very few games manage.

The main downside to the game (and with games like Borderlands) for me is also probably the reason I'm still playing it today; grinding. You have to use certain characters on the adventure map sometimes and usually they're woefully underlevelled and don't even have L3 oreven L2 weapons. My main issue with this is that you're forced to use characters that really aren't any fun to use like Agatha or Ruto. But I can see why they did this, and it is good to use characters outside of your comfort zone. And hell, maybe there are even freaks out there that like to use those characters .

 

[Jackano]

Awesome screens Neiteio!

Random personnal progression in the game, as I replay it a lot those days after two months FM15 break, almost finished the firts adventure map, but hell, the Zelda mission is hard even with her at lv 60!

 

[Converse]

Koei really needs to drop the price on WO3 Hyper now that there are a million+ HW buyers who might be interested in more Musou. It's still $60 on the eShop, and the game was already a year old at launch.

Man, you think that's bad, at least you can snag a physical copy of Orochi 3 Hyper on the cheap. If you want another disgusting rip-off, check out Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2. I was really interested in it until I found out that it still costs $50 (having launched in February of 2013), has a file size of 15GB and is only available digitally on the Wii U in Europe and America, and the DLC is fucking outrageously priced and ridiculously abundant. Doing a little quick math, getting all of the DLC will run you another $56, and that's if you get the reduced-price package deals. I found this so ridiculous, I even emailed Tecmo-Koei, but got no response.

Anyway, glad Hyrule Warriors scratched the itch instead. That game is the wizard's tits.

 

[Luigiv]

From my limited experience;

DW8XL is fun and all but I don't find it has the same addictive quality. I dunno, there's just something off about it and it's not really any of the obvious faults either. As Bosman would say, it's just the vibe. The lack of any real unlockables don't help for addictions either. Honestly I could skip it.

WO3U*, on the other hand, I can't stop playing. Must unlock all the characters and get the true ending, even though I'll never bother play half of them.

*As an appendix, I'm playing the Vita version of WO3U but I should warn you not to make the same mistake I did. It's not a good port at all. Pick up a console version if you do.

 

[Aostia]

I've vastly preferred HW to other Mosou games not only because (but also because) of the Zelda fanservice, but also because of the lock-on and bosses. I also loved the DLC pricing and plan.
I'm looking forward for Dragon quest heroes too.