koei posts

The Dynasty Warriors games from publisher Koei have been a console staple in both the US and Japan for a number of years but the hack-and-slash historical game series hasn't had much of a PC history. Now the franchise is about to make a bigger impact on the PC in the US and Europe as Aeria Games has announced plans to launch Dynasty Warriors Online.

Aeria Games is already taking sign ups to beta test the free-to-play online game. If you are familiar with the Dynasty Warriors formula you might guess that the online version has lots of sword play, lots of characters on screen, lots of massive combos and generally lots of "stuff". The MMO part of the game includes character customization, solo and party quests and Player Vs. Player modes with support for up to two teams of 12 players. There's no word yet on when the game will officially launch.

The Entertainment Software Association continues to add to its list of smaller game publishers with three more announced additions today. One of the three is a former ESA member, Crave Entertainment, who left last year alongside several other publishers. Crave was in the midst of being sold off at the time of its departure but according to the press release today the new owners of the company, Fillpoint, have decided to renew their membership.

Two more publishers, Playlogic and Koei, have also decided to join the US video/PC trade organization (and the owners of the E3 trade show coming in early June). So far the ESA has not yet managed to snag back the four large game developer/publishers that left in 2008 (Activision Blizzard, LucasArts, NCSoft and id Software). However the Activision half of Activision Blizzard along and LucasArts will be exhibiting at E3 this year

"Based on the epic novel, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, the genre-defining Dynasty Warriors 6 depicts the massive battles ignited by the fall of the Han Dynasty when three rebellious states moved to overthrow the Emperor of China.

Dynasty Warriors 6 delivers the unparalleled exhilaration of single-handedly destroying thousands of soldiers on massive fields of combat. Utilizing spectacular fighting techniques motion-captured from some of today's leading stuntmen and stuntwomen in Asia, Dynasty Warriors 6 immerses gamers in a truly cinematic kung-fu action adventure. The game's lightning-fast fighting, intuitive combat system and breathtaking environments create an unparalleled gaming experience that pushes the limits of Tactical Action."

Download Dynasty Warriors 6 Demo (320 MB)

As previously announced Koei has released a PC version of their historical strategy game Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI. You can download a demo of the game here at Big Download and that link also leads to a way to purchase the full $19.99 digital download version of the title.

Set during the end of China's Han Dynasty and the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D. Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI presents the most visually captivating evolution in the history of the series. Blurring the line between video games and art, RTKXI features visuals evocative of classical Chinese ink-paintings along with debates and duels rendered in real-time 3D animation.

KOEI has announced that the sixth entry in their button-mashing Dynasty Warriors series will be available on November 18 for PC and PS2, according to GamesPress. The PS2 edition of Dynasty Warriors 6 will comprise two discs containing the full cast of characters, lots of scenarios, new weapons and a mode dubbed "Mosou."

Though no specific carrier for the PC version was announced, Dynasty Warriors 6 will be available through digital distribution, while the PS2 version will be released via traditional retail routes.

Set during the end of China's Han Dynasty and the 2nd and 3rd centuries A.D., Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI presents the most visually captivating evolution in the history of the series. Blurring the line between video games and art, RTKXI features visuals evocative of classical Chinese ink-paintings along with debates and duels rendered in real-time 3D animation.

Download the Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI Demo (280 MB)

Koei is mostly known for the console titles, particularly the seemingly endless amounts of Dynasty Warriors hack-and-slash action titles. However, the publisher has also released games for the PC, including most recently the action game Warriors Orochi. Apparently Koei was pleased enough with the sales and reaction of that PC port to commission yet another game head to the PC platform

That game happens to be Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI (yes there are eleven games in the series) that was previously released for the PS2 in February 2007. The title is a turn based historical strategy game set in ancient China and is very heavy on using menus. According to the press release, Koei stated the game was at the top of the list of fans who wanted more PC games from the publisher so this is clearly for those die hard fantasy of import strategy titles. Look for the PC port to be released in late July for the bargain price of $19.99.