Koei Warriors and You!
Dynasty Warriors 5, Samurai Warriors 2, Warriors Orochi/2... A LOT OF WARRIORS AMIRITE? (Also known Shin Sangoku Musou 4, Sengoku Musou 2 and Musou Orochi/ Maou Sairin, I tend to switch between the names.)
It can be confusing, but once you get used to the series it is really quite simple.
Orochi is the crossover series between the Dynasty and Samurai series. At the time of its creation, DW5 and SW2 were the most recent games, so only characters from those two games were taken, with the exception of Kunoichi, Ishikawa Goemon, and Yoshimoto Imagawa, who were only in the first SW game. And of course there is Orochi and Da Ji, who were original characters created just for the Orochi franchise.
Timelines are played with fast and loose here. You have warriors alongside people who died well before they were born (Nagamasa's daughter was no older than eight when he died, yet his grandson is a full grown adult alongside him, here) and while the opening, and Orochi's story in WO2 provides you with some insight of when characters were taken from their home, it's generally implied that everyone was taken at their prime.
Since the first Orochi series has come out, Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends came out and introduced 5 new characters (and an updated Imagawa). Therefore, in the sequel to the first Orochi game (Maou Sairin), those five characters are included as well as a few new ones- Fu Xi and Nu Wa (who had not been in Dynasty Warriors since DW3), Taigong Wang, Himiko, Sun Wukong (Son Goku), Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Taira no Kiyomori.
Koei recently released a third Musou Orochi game, called Musou Orochi Z. So far it's only out in Japanese, but it's a PS3 exclusive and introduces Benkei and Sanzang (Sanzo). Also it makes Dodomekki and Gyuki playable as well, who were officers in Orochi's force.
Dynasty Warriors is set in China around the year 200 AD. There are three kingdoms with which to choose characters, as well as an "others" category of people who are unifiliated with those kingdoms. The Kingdoms are Shu, Wei, and Wu. You have probably heard of them! Each character has their own unique story, though many people have stories that overlap. Because most people only have stories with five stages (or boards), their stories/life history tend to be condensed into something to fit that.
Thanks to that, this means that people like Guan Ping (who was featured in a story with Liu Chan as an infant) is 19 the entire time that Xing Cai (who eventually marries Liu Chan) is 19 as well. And they have the hots for each other. Historically? Xing Cai married at 17 and Guan Ping should have been at least 25 years older than her at the time of his death (which is in the game).
There's a list of ages and heights here, though again, it's kind of... weird. Sun Ce was the oldest son of Sun Jian, so his younger brother being older than him in the games is really off. Not to mention Sun Jian's age in relation to the rest of his childrens', too. While it may be meant to take characters at their prime, it's still a good example of "lol Koei".
Since then, DW6 has come out for the PS2 and the PS3, but they took out some of the characters and removed the story modes for over half of the remaining ones. IMO, DW5 is best for characterisation and actual gameplay-- not to mention the DW5 versions are the ones featured in Orochi.
Samurai Warriors is set in the Sengoku time period (imagine that). It covers a period roughly about 50 years. One of the latest battles in the games takes place in 1615 (Osaka Castle), the earliest around 1560 (Kawanakajima). Again, several people have stories that cover decades, even including battles that they didn't participate in. While there are ages for the characters that were in the first game (and I don't have a handy list, it's just in their databooks scans), there aren't any ages for the people in the second game. Some people are obviously one way or another (Gracia is definitely a young girl, Yoshihiro is obviously an old man) but it's harder to tell with others.
Like I stated before, Kunoichi, Imagawa and Goemon are not featured in Samurai Warriors 2, only the first game. The first game is harder to play, IMO, not just because of the horrible voice acting in parts, but also because of little differences in the leveling up system |<. But the 2nd game has a lot more characters, even with those three missing (and Ranmaru and Okuni not recieving their own story modes). Everyone else has their own story mode, though again, some of them overlap and a few are nearly identical.
Unique to SW2, until Orochi 2, is the gaiden or "dream" stages, which have a "what if" scenario to them. What if Oda Nobunaga survived his assasination, what if Masamune got to Sekigahara? They tend to be hilarious and not taken seriously at all-- Nene's dream stage is basically going around BEATING EVERYONE UP at Sekigahara and lecturing them for not playing nice.
Of all the games, I think that Samurai Warriors 2 and Warriors Orochi and its sequel are the easiest to play.
The battle system in Orochi isn't perfect, but it's a combination of the good from both DW5 and SW2. Characters are divided into three types, Speed, Technique, and Power. Each of them has a special ability related to that type. Not only that, but you are able to collect other abilities for use during battle, to increase speed, vitality, defense, etc. All characters are able to call for a horse, and best of all THERE IS CAMERA CONTROL.
There is also a way to customize weapons and getting the characters' ultimate weapon is as easy as playing a stage on a harder difficulty setting, rather than the unque situation that's required in the original games. IT CAN BE A LITTLE WEIRD TO ADJUST TO, but there are tons of FAQs online, as well as a number of people who enjoy playing the Musou games who can help you. :D Warriors Orochi 2 allows you to really, REALLY break the game with the Almighty weapon upgrade. It allows me to run through the hardest setting like it were made of EASY.
Unlocking characters for play is as easy as simply playing out each of the five stories - Shu, Wei, Wu, Samurai, and Orochi's story, at least in WO2. The first game doesn't have an Orochi story, and it's more difficult to fully unlock characters in the first Orochi game. To date, we've still not unlocked Tadakatsu or Lu Bu, or a bunch of other people. This is thanks to the "gaidens" which allow situations in which you have to help out another warrior.
The second Orochi game also includes dream stages. AGain, they tend to be hilarious and merely what if scenarios. THE JUSTICE TRIO one is amazing, as is the dancers one, the ninjas vs sorcerers, the ANGRY WIVES one and well... all of them. PLAY THEM FOR THE DREAM STAGES ALONE, seriously.
They're hack and slash games, and most everyone has their own unquie moveset, some being easier to get used to than others. Once you perfect it though, the game are REALLY A LOT OF FUN TO PLAY. YOU TOO CAN GET 1000 KOs or more!
So where can you find these games?
Samurai Warriors 2, Empires, and SW2: Xtreme Legends are both available on both PS2 and the XBox. I will tell you now that it's easier to get XL for the Xbox than the PS2, since it's downloadable content once you've purchased Samurai Warriors 2. As far as I remember, Samurai Warriors 1 and SW1: XTreme Legends is only for the PS2.
Dynasty Warriors 5 is only on the PS2, as well as its Empires and Xtreme Legends. DW6 is both PS2, PS3 and PC. The PS2 version features six more stories.
Warriors Orochi is for both the PS2 and Xbox as well, same with its sequel. And while we don't have information on WOZ (WHICH IS A COMPILATION OF BOTH WO1 AND 2) being released outside of Japan, so far it's just for the PS3.
Here's a quick summary of the stories in Warriors Orochi:
Shu: Zhao Yun is rescued by Xing Cai, Yoshihiro Shimazu, and Zuo Ci. He had given up hope of living on, because he believed that his Lord Liu Bei was dead. However, these three tell him differently-- just that Liu Bei is captured -- and this causes him to start a resistance movement to find his lord again, helping others along the way as they search for clues. After many false starts, Liu Bei is finally freed after Orochi is defeated.
Wei: Cao Pi is the emperor of Wei, after his father Cao Cao died. He works for Orochi, though he is not happy about this at all, and has been planning to rebel from the start. Da Ji sends Mitsunari Ishida to keep an eye on him... and the two men work together to defect from Orochi. After they defect, they quickly build up their army in order to attack Orochi and near the end, find out that rumours of Cao Cao's death, were in fact, greatly exaggerated.
Wu: Sun Ce is also made to work for Orochi, squashing small resistances that come up (including Xing Cai's, dating this a little before Shu's story). He does this only because Orochi has his father captive and threatens to kill him, should Sun Ce defect. However, Nobunaga sends him information concerning his father's whereabouts and Sun Ce decides to cut ties with Orochi in order to save him. It doesn't work at first, and nearly ends with both Sun Jian and Sun Quan getting killed, but in the end, the entire Sun family is reunited and kills Orochi.
SW: Nobunaga is actively fighting against Orochi. In order to make his army bigger, he both comes to the need of small resistance forces that are being attacked, and defeats others that are attacking him as well. He also allows people to join him if they assist in fights (like in Guan Du). His is the only story that actively focuses against Orochi's forces at all times, and isn't looking for someone along the way, he is only waiting until his army is powerful enough to defeat Orochi.
Warriors Orochi:
Shu: Liu Bei notices Da Ji and attacks her. They are nearly defeated by her and Dong Zhuo, but are assisted by the mystic Taigong Wang, who tells them that Da Ji is seeking to revive Orochi with the help of a young girl named Himiko.
Wei: Cao Cao has been approached by the mystic Nu Wa, and told that Orochi may be revived. The two of them begin to work together in order to stop this goal, asking the other two kingdoms to unite with them to form a vast army.
Wu: The forces of Wu encounter Yoshitsune fighting Lu Bu one day and help him escape Orochi's forces. From there, Yoshitsune tells them that Lu Bu has joined forces with Kiyomori, who may be seeking to revive Orochi. This story is largely against the combined forces of Lu Bu and Kiyomori.
Samurai: Sakon Shima saves the preacher Zhang Jiao from Dong Zhuo with the help of the mysterious Fu Xi. He finds the activity suspicious, and begins to work to make an alliance between some of the larger forces, including the Oda, Takeda, and Uesugi. While he isn't able to stop Orochi's ressurection, his new alliance ensures that they're able to fight him again.
Orochi: This story is a prequel, and covers how Orochi subjegated and separated the forces of the three kingdoms and samurai. It shows how he caused some of the leaders to flee, while he was shown capturing others-- and does show that everyone thought Cao Cao was dead as Dian Wei hauled him off the battlefield. :( The stories tend to alternate between SW to DW boards/enemies-- Hideyoshi, Shu, Shingen/Kenshin, Wu, Ieyasu, Wei, Nobunaga, and the mystics are fought, in that order. It's a bit confusing with the appearance of the mystics, but I believe they showed up to try and stop him, were beat down, and then fled until after they realised he was coming back after the humans beat him the first time. Fu Xi, Nu Wa, and Taigong Wang are mystics, Yoshitsune is apparently just along for the lulz.
... I was bored.
It can be confusing, but once you get used to the series it is really quite simple.
Orochi is the crossover series between the Dynasty and Samurai series. At the time of its creation, DW5 and SW2 were the most recent games, so only characters from those two games were taken, with the exception of Kunoichi, Ishikawa Goemon, and Yoshimoto Imagawa, who were only in the first SW game. And of course there is Orochi and Da Ji, who were original characters created just for the Orochi franchise.
Timelines are played with fast and loose here. You have warriors alongside people who died well before they were born (Nagamasa's daughter was no older than eight when he died, yet his grandson is a full grown adult alongside him, here) and while the opening, and Orochi's story in WO2 provides you with some insight of when characters were taken from their home, it's generally implied that everyone was taken at their prime.
Since the first Orochi series has come out, Samurai Warriors 2: Xtreme Legends came out and introduced 5 new characters (and an updated Imagawa). Therefore, in the sequel to the first Orochi game (Maou Sairin), those five characters are included as well as a few new ones- Fu Xi and Nu Wa (who had not been in Dynasty Warriors since DW3), Taigong Wang, Himiko, Sun Wukong (Son Goku), Minamoto no Yoshitsune, Taira no Kiyomori.
Koei recently released a third Musou Orochi game, called Musou Orochi Z. So far it's only out in Japanese, but it's a PS3 exclusive and introduces Benkei and Sanzang (Sanzo). Also it makes Dodomekki and Gyuki playable as well, who were officers in Orochi's force.
Dynasty Warriors is set in China around the year 200 AD. There are three kingdoms with which to choose characters, as well as an "others" category of people who are unifiliated with those kingdoms. The Kingdoms are Shu, Wei, and Wu. You have probably heard of them! Each character has their own unique story, though many people have stories that overlap. Because most people only have stories with five stages (or boards), their stories/life history tend to be condensed into something to fit that.
Thanks to that, this means that people like Guan Ping (who was featured in a story with Liu Chan as an infant) is 19 the entire time that Xing Cai (who eventually marries Liu Chan) is 19 as well. And they have the hots for each other. Historically? Xing Cai married at 17 and Guan Ping should have been at least 25 years older than her at the time of his death (which is in the game).
There's a list of ages and heights here, though again, it's kind of... weird. Sun Ce was the oldest son of Sun Jian, so his younger brother being older than him in the games is really off. Not to mention Sun Jian's age in relation to the rest of his childrens', too. While it may be meant to take characters at their prime, it's still a good example of "lol Koei".
Since then, DW6 has come out for the PS2 and the PS3, but they took out some of the characters and removed the story modes for over half of the remaining ones. IMO, DW5 is best for characterisation and actual gameplay-- not to mention the DW5 versions are the ones featured in Orochi.
Samurai Warriors is set in the Sengoku time period (imagine that). It covers a period roughly about 50 years. One of the latest battles in the games takes place in 1615 (Osaka Castle), the earliest around 1560 (Kawanakajima). Again, several people have stories that cover decades, even including battles that they didn't participate in. While there are ages for the characters that were in the first game (and I don't have a handy list, it's just in their databooks scans), there aren't any ages for the people in the second game. Some people are obviously one way or another (Gracia is definitely a young girl, Yoshihiro is obviously an old man) but it's harder to tell with others.
Like I stated before, Kunoichi, Imagawa and Goemon are not featured in Samurai Warriors 2, only the first game. The first game is harder to play, IMO, not just because of the horrible voice acting in parts, but also because of little differences in the leveling up system |<. But the 2nd game has a lot more characters, even with those three missing (and Ranmaru and Okuni not recieving their own story modes). Everyone else has their own story mode, though again, some of them overlap and a few are nearly identical.
Unique to SW2, until Orochi 2, is the gaiden or "dream" stages, which have a "what if" scenario to them. What if Oda Nobunaga survived his assasination, what if Masamune got to Sekigahara? They tend to be hilarious and not taken seriously at all-- Nene's dream stage is basically going around BEATING EVERYONE UP at Sekigahara and lecturing them for not playing nice.
Of all the games, I think that Samurai Warriors 2 and Warriors Orochi and its sequel are the easiest to play.
The battle system in Orochi isn't perfect, but it's a combination of the good from both DW5 and SW2. Characters are divided into three types, Speed, Technique, and Power. Each of them has a special ability related to that type. Not only that, but you are able to collect other abilities for use during battle, to increase speed, vitality, defense, etc. All characters are able to call for a horse, and best of all THERE IS CAMERA CONTROL.
There is also a way to customize weapons and getting the characters' ultimate weapon is as easy as playing a stage on a harder difficulty setting, rather than the unque situation that's required in the original games. IT CAN BE A LITTLE WEIRD TO ADJUST TO, but there are tons of FAQs online, as well as a number of people who enjoy playing the Musou games who can help you. :D Warriors Orochi 2 allows you to really, REALLY break the game with the Almighty weapon upgrade. It allows me to run through the hardest setting like it were made of EASY.
Unlocking characters for play is as easy as simply playing out each of the five stories - Shu, Wei, Wu, Samurai, and Orochi's story, at least in WO2. The first game doesn't have an Orochi story, and it's more difficult to fully unlock characters in the first Orochi game. To date, we've still not unlocked Tadakatsu or Lu Bu, or a bunch of other people. This is thanks to the "gaidens" which allow situations in which you have to help out another warrior.
The second Orochi game also includes dream stages. AGain, they tend to be hilarious and merely what if scenarios. THE JUSTICE TRIO one is amazing, as is the dancers one, the ninjas vs sorcerers, the ANGRY WIVES one and well... all of them. PLAY THEM FOR THE DREAM STAGES ALONE, seriously.
They're hack and slash games, and most everyone has their own unquie moveset, some being easier to get used to than others. Once you perfect it though, the game are REALLY A LOT OF FUN TO PLAY. YOU TOO CAN GET 1000 KOs or more!
So where can you find these games?
Samurai Warriors 2, Empires, and SW2: Xtreme Legends are both available on both PS2 and the XBox. I will tell you now that it's easier to get XL for the Xbox than the PS2, since it's downloadable content once you've purchased Samurai Warriors 2. As far as I remember, Samurai Warriors 1 and SW1: XTreme Legends is only for the PS2.
Dynasty Warriors 5 is only on the PS2, as well as its Empires and Xtreme Legends. DW6 is both PS2, PS3 and PC. The PS2 version features six more stories.
Warriors Orochi is for both the PS2 and Xbox as well, same with its sequel. And while we don't have information on WOZ (WHICH IS A COMPILATION OF BOTH WO1 AND 2) being released outside of Japan, so far it's just for the PS3.
Here's a quick summary of the stories in Warriors Orochi:
Shu: Zhao Yun is rescued by Xing Cai, Yoshihiro Shimazu, and Zuo Ci. He had given up hope of living on, because he believed that his Lord Liu Bei was dead. However, these three tell him differently-- just that Liu Bei is captured -- and this causes him to start a resistance movement to find his lord again, helping others along the way as they search for clues. After many false starts, Liu Bei is finally freed after Orochi is defeated.
Wei: Cao Pi is the emperor of Wei, after his father Cao Cao died. He works for Orochi, though he is not happy about this at all, and has been planning to rebel from the start. Da Ji sends Mitsunari Ishida to keep an eye on him... and the two men work together to defect from Orochi. After they defect, they quickly build up their army in order to attack Orochi and near the end, find out that rumours of Cao Cao's death, were in fact, greatly exaggerated.
Wu: Sun Ce is also made to work for Orochi, squashing small resistances that come up (including Xing Cai's, dating this a little before Shu's story). He does this only because Orochi has his father captive and threatens to kill him, should Sun Ce defect. However, Nobunaga sends him information concerning his father's whereabouts and Sun Ce decides to cut ties with Orochi in order to save him. It doesn't work at first, and nearly ends with both Sun Jian and Sun Quan getting killed, but in the end, the entire Sun family is reunited and kills Orochi.
SW: Nobunaga is actively fighting against Orochi. In order to make his army bigger, he both comes to the need of small resistance forces that are being attacked, and defeats others that are attacking him as well. He also allows people to join him if they assist in fights (like in Guan Du). His is the only story that actively focuses against Orochi's forces at all times, and isn't looking for someone along the way, he is only waiting until his army is powerful enough to defeat Orochi.
Warriors Orochi:
Shu: Liu Bei notices Da Ji and attacks her. They are nearly defeated by her and Dong Zhuo, but are assisted by the mystic Taigong Wang, who tells them that Da Ji is seeking to revive Orochi with the help of a young girl named Himiko.
Wei: Cao Cao has been approached by the mystic Nu Wa, and told that Orochi may be revived. The two of them begin to work together in order to stop this goal, asking the other two kingdoms to unite with them to form a vast army.
Wu: The forces of Wu encounter Yoshitsune fighting Lu Bu one day and help him escape Orochi's forces. From there, Yoshitsune tells them that Lu Bu has joined forces with Kiyomori, who may be seeking to revive Orochi. This story is largely against the combined forces of Lu Bu and Kiyomori.
Samurai: Sakon Shima saves the preacher Zhang Jiao from Dong Zhuo with the help of the mysterious Fu Xi. He finds the activity suspicious, and begins to work to make an alliance between some of the larger forces, including the Oda, Takeda, and Uesugi. While he isn't able to stop Orochi's ressurection, his new alliance ensures that they're able to fight him again.
Orochi: This story is a prequel, and covers how Orochi subjegated and separated the forces of the three kingdoms and samurai. It shows how he caused some of the leaders to flee, while he was shown capturing others-- and does show that everyone thought Cao Cao was dead as Dian Wei hauled him off the battlefield. :( The stories tend to alternate between SW to DW boards/enemies-- Hideyoshi, Shu, Shingen/Kenshin, Wu, Ieyasu, Wei, Nobunaga, and the mystics are fought, in that order. It's a bit confusing with the appearance of the mystics, but I believe they showed up to try and stop him, were beat down, and then fled until after they realised he was coming back after the humans beat him the first time. Fu Xi, Nu Wa, and Taigong Wang are mystics, Yoshitsune is apparently just along for the lulz.
... I was bored.