The sheer absolute existential terror you feel when you first encounter Lu Bu at Hu Lao Gate in this game is one of the best moments in the entire series.
I remember seeing that you had to beat him on hard to unlock the lvl 10 pike weapon for edit characters. I also remember being like "Really? I'm screwed!", and then not having a hard time at all beating him. But I had apparently died enough times against Lu Bu in 4 for the terror to be in my head :P
@@jayplayspoorly8293 Yeah man, I've got some serious PTSD of Lu Bu in DW4. Every time I encounter him in any other game I'm like "Oh god RUNNN!" lmao. There was another thing I wanted to mention about DW4 though. Specifically how awesome the Wind Scroll is. It like tripled the range of your weapons, so much more than any other range upgrade in the other games I feel like. It was so much fun lol.
I was surprised at how quickly I defeated him at the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the Yellow Turban Musou, but I admit I was so terrified I took my best bodyguards to the battle
Ok I just want to say that my absolute favorite thing about DW4 was the customizable intro cutscene. Being able to plug your favorite characters in created hours of fun for me and my bestie. Watching the beginning of this video made me so nostalgic.
Dynasty warriors 4 was the one game I played none stop as a kid. The encyclopedia was one of my favorite parts of the game. I'm replaying it now on my phone using aethersx2. Please do a dw5 review!
4:23 Funnily enough there isn't always Dim Sum and Musou Wine in each level. However in the Eliminate Zhang Jiao mission you can find 2 Dim Sum, one at the bottom left of the map next to a wood watchtower (where the enemy force comes from) and theres one in the same area as those magic cauldrons where Zhang Jiao is (just to the left of the first Cauldron you see on the raised centre platform).
I never really thought about the major differences and upgrades from 2 to 3 to 4. This video put it in great perspective. Koei was really in their bag during this time
@@jayplayspoorly8293 I don't remember DW5, but I've sold it so it can't be that good. If memory serves correct, game difficulty drops off at either 5 or 6. Pretty sure DW5 is when the series began becoming mindless cheap thrills of beating up drones.
I just recently played DW4 again on my ps2 hooked up to a 4:4 sdtv. I still think DW4 is not only the best game over all in the series, but still the most fun to play today.
Yeah, it's super fun still. The graphics are simple by today's standards of course, but I think the graphics are still fine as well and the character designs still haven't been beat in many cases
I'm sure alot of people know this but if you're losing one of the harder battles like the Nanman Campaign, and it's just you alive, and your commander. A special powerful officer will join your side to help you in the fight, I've seen it happen only twice, I believe it happens if you get your commanding officer to 8 star morale, and keep him alive if everyone else on your side is dead, troops included.
There are a few interesting things that can happen in very rare cases in this and DW5 from what I can remember. I also think I remember seeing some dialogue that definitely seemed like an Easter egg/something you weren't supposed to see in DW5 He Fei way back when, and found a few glitched walls as well.
@@jayplayspoorly8293 Agreed, in DW5 on the Yellow Turban with the alliance side, and if your losing badly and are in a pinch, Dong Zhuo will arrive onto the left side where the volunteers are located.
I've had it happen and in recent years and I've played the game consistently over the yesrs. I've tried looking up information on it because I was so confused so I'm glad someone else had it happen. For me it was Yue Ying and Zhao Yun
I have had this happen to me without all my officers being dead. Ma Chao joined the Naman stage with me, i was like how??? He was all glowing and really strong, so I didn't mind his help as i was getting Yue Ying's lvl10 weapon.
It saved Liu Bei's life in the novel... Twice, in fact. Once in Xiangyang when he escapes from Liu Biao's jealous family-in-law after surrendering to Cao Cao and again in Lo Fang Po, by having the archer fired at Pang Tong mistake him for Liu Bei because of Hex Mark being ridden by Pang Tong. Pretty lucky if you ask me.
Wall of Fate, Avenging Battle and Eve are some of my all-time favorite ost's of the series and that's not counting on the epicness that is Lu Bu's theme.
@@jayplayspoorly8293 I miss the customizable menu movie you could make where if you left it on the title screen long ago it would play a movie with in game graphics instead of the pre-rendered opening. Honestly, I love the CGI opening to this game as well because it was the last one ont focused on Zhao Yun. DW9 has the worst opening of a main line game because its literally just Zhao Yun getting dressed. This game was Chi Bi and the Sun family being bad ass.
One thing I think is understated bc it's an obvious decision in hindsight, is how characters move set and stats actually help build a characters personality. Range, strength, speed, aggression etc are told through combos as well as cutscenes. It's easy to point out when it's obvious but this isnt a game where your limit breaks have your name in it.
Not sure if I missed him talking about bodyguards. You can customize your bodyguards, their names, and give them orders in battle real time to defend, attack, or hold ground.
I remember as a kid always doing the mission in order from top to bottom and then somewhere on my 20+ playthrough I started with the third mission and it opened up new levels and harder fights. If I recall correctly in the available missions on your mission select, the bottom options is always suppose to be done "Last". Not doing it results in some missions where you have significantly less troops/generals, more generals on the enemy side, and traps the would've been neutralized had you taken things slow. I remember when you play one of the three kingdoms, there was a straight up new level to face the Yellow Turbans on as their leader doesn't actually die on the third mission if you don't complete the first two.
Great retrospective. DW4 remains for me a glorious sepia-toned nostalgia trip of my youth, and firmly established in my easily impressionable child mind the crack cocaine-like quality of Tecmo Koei Musou games. I remember playing it a lot on an emulator during first year of university as well later in life and it still holding up very well. Some of my fav features and moments: the sheer size of the maps, which in my mind only DW8 returned with aplomb to. The rendition of Hu Lao Gate in DW4 is to me the definitive one throughout DW; the draw distance fog made the opening snowy valleys claustrophobic, followed by Lu Bu wrecking the place at the gate itself (I remember luring him up the battlements before jumping off the wall). And that was before you got to a sizeable Luo Yang to chase off Dong Zhuo whilst it was all on fire! As a pre-pubescent simpleton, this stuff was fine-dining gaming. The small army of bodyguards that you had in tow was great - always missed this as it departed from the series thereafter I believe. I enjoyed leaving them at bottle necks when they were at max level, where they often held their own, meaning you could manage more than one set of objectives during stages. Duels were truly sweaty moments, and had a nice spike in difficulty on occasion, as were certain stages that were particularly hard (Nanman Campaign, I'm looking at you). The condition triggers for the Chapters in Musou mode were great as well for this: Lu Bu showing up at the Battle of Wan Castle asking why I was ghosting him at Xia Pi for instance. Xu Huang made an appearance as the relationship officer for my Cao Cao, which saved the day. I for one liked the fact that a lot of the maps were recut versions, often smaller or larger, of a lot of existing stages - it made the regional context for the period feel a bit more 'lived in' - I loved how Xu Chang at the end of a Musou playthrough where you finished by fighting Wei had Si Shui gate on the west part of the map, and only clocking this later on. Just the sheer collect-a-thon of items was great as well; trying to find all those secret requirements and attempting to fulfil them provided a level of replayability that brought me back a lot and added an air of slight mystery to the game (on top of the multiple hypothetical stages). Basically, a lot of stuff that was cut or just didn't land as well in DW5, which I personally found to be somewhat of a disappointment when I played it after DW4 (I've come to enjoy both for different reasons these days, particularly after being burned with DW6). Only DW8 was successful (by basically throwing so much content at you) in recapturing that magic for me.
Thanks! Yeah, I played a ton of DW4/5. Actually I decided to make these because it seemed not many people had talked about them online. DW4 Hu Lao is definitely one of the most iconic stages in the entire series for me. Yeah, off the top of my head the series went to individual bodyguards after 4. I understand why, but it'd be nice to have a platoon again, especially in the Empires titles or a Destiny mode, it'd work really well. DW8 was a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed it, but nothing has really captured that magic since :(
Thank you for this very detailed review! DW4:XL is my very favorite of the series, followed by 3:XL, both are some of the very hardest overall games in the series, without question. I remember the absurd difficulty spike-hell that was, trying gain Lu Bu's Level11th weapon, the Maelstrom, its one of the hardest ultimate weapons to obtain in all of DW, imo. 4, is an absolute masterpiece, I totally agree. The fun factor is high, with this one, I'll have to replay it after 5; which Ive taken up again, recently
Played alot of all Dynasty Warriors as a kid, and I always remembered 4 being the hardest (though I had many a slap boxing session with the damn archers on 3). Part of that probably was the ability to switch warriors on the go. Should go back and play it without being under level half the time, lol. Loving the videos and look forward to the next! Do you plan to do other Warriors series after your Dynasty videos?
Thanks! Yeah, I've recorded all the footage for 4XL and 4 Empires, but haven't been able to sit down and edit the videos because of work obligations. After those two and the GBA/PSP renditions of DW4, I'm planning to shift over to SW and then alternate the SW/DW series from then on
I prefer DW3 over DW4. About 60/40 because some of the DW4 levels end too abruptly when a Leader is attacked. Like 30 seconds after engagement by a SGT led 5 Soldier unit. Not having Def Stat drops by gate CPT is a mistake. More vertical terrain in DW3 options. The stage varieties and goals are pretty cool. Duels are a nice touch too.
Good video. I love dw4 it's my favorite in the DW and Warriors series overall I just like what this version with everything the best especially the grey serious tone it went for almost could pass as a m rated game
@@jayplayspoorly8293 glad you agree lol. I just love that it has every playable character from Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors along with a hilarious amount of content.
Get DW4 Hyper if you have a PC. It is the best version of the game and quite frankly a massive upgrade in terms of performance and gameplay over the console version.
Dynasty Warriors 4 Hyper on PC was easily the best version visually, although I remember trying to run it circa 2007/2008 and still running into odd performance issues. I may have to "find" Hyper again someday and see how it stacks up now on modern hardware, although I dread to think what kind of controller support it offers on PC.
Yeah, I remember "finding" a copy in 2011 or so and having my jaw drop at the graphical boost. IIRC there are some really cool mods for it too, specifically an AI aggression mod that completely changes how you have to play the game
Hyper runs well for me on Windows 10 with a Ryzen 3600 and GTX 1070. You'll need a DirectInput controller connection, sadly, but otherwise it runs surprisingly nicely.
@@DragoonEnRegalia I played it on Windows 7 I think. Unfortunately I have two Windows 10 machines currently (one with 1050, one with a 3060ti) and neither have any luck running it no matter what I try :(
@@ihavetubes Provided you can deal with field-rendered visuals (and therefore some form of deinterlacing to deal with that). I personally would prefer to avoid PCSX2, if possible.
Been waiting for this one, I started DW4 earlier this year and am still trying to level all characters up, get all the tales stages, and get all the endings Looking forward to your thoughts on the XL and empires for 4
I’ve only ever played 2 (rent from Blockbuster), 3, and Orochi 3. But just bought 7 on the pc recently. One thing I still liked about 2 and 3, over 7 and Orochi, is that you can pick any character and play all 7 levels (some levels being unique to the character) and not in a linear story per faction. That changes characters each level.
Easily the best dynasty warriors for me,I played the hell out of 4 so much I had to get a new disc then I got all level 10 weapons then got dw4 xl finished getting all level 11 weapons last week it's such a classic game but it's brutally challenging at times
Thanks for the video. It's always great to see someone talk about a game they know a lot about. Unfortunately for me, I haven't been able to give Dynasty Warriors 4 a chance yet, as I have been busy with different Musou-titles. Perhaps I will put some of those aside since I absolutely loved what I saw and heard about this game from you. The extra modes seem like a lot of fun, too. Especially the bridge battle and the versus one where you try to destroy the enemy's carrier while you protect your own sound like a lot of fun and I would definitely like to try them if I can find a second player. Combat, graphics and music seem solid too. As well as the encyclopedia, which I always enjoy to spend time with. Lastly, I believe the HUD issues you ran into are caused by backwards compatibility since you are playing on the PlayStation 3. Once more, thanks for this solid retrospective and review on Dynasty Warriors 4. And please... keep 'em coming! 🙏
Thanks! I've already recorded the footage for 5, 5XL, and 5E, so those shouldn't be too long away if I can just find the time to sit down and stitch the reviews together. And yeah, I haven't played the game on the PS2 really any since 2007 or so, so it very well could be a PS3 bc issue. Especially since this is on an 80gb PS3 with software emulation, not the original 60/20gb PS3.
@@jayplayspoorly8293 Also, once you get around to Dynasty Warriors 6, I recommend also taking a look at the PlayStation 2 version of it (only released in US/JP) since it has more content than its big PS3/360 brother.
@@dynastymusou8906 Actually from 5E on, I'm planning to compare multiple versions. 5E will have 360/PS2 gameplay, Orochi/Gundam will have PS3/PS2/360 gameplay, and PSP where applicable!
@@jayplayspoorly8293 Exactly what I like too. Thanks in advance! Even though I don't speak, read or write Japanese, I had hours of fun with the PSP version of Warriors Orochi 3. 😁
@@dynastymusou8906 PSP versions were pretty cool for the time, they really improved them the more they made them. Also, leaving out Orochi Z would be an absolute shame, even if it's an import.
I like how when you begin talking about sound track and how good it was with changes, that during it you played eve which is my favorite and in my opinion the best sound track in dw4/e
I honestly wish I could say I disagree with you, but you’re not wrong 😔. They’ve been incredibly sloppy with the series. I enjoyed 5 as well but you could see the mediocrity starting to creep into it as well in retrospect
@@jayplayspoorly8293 I strongly remember actually hating the changes from 4 to 5. In retrospect the lack of auto lockin is nice but to me not enough to cover its flaws.
I remember NOT enjoying the weapon leveling system introduced in this game. I remember spending hours in DW3 collecting 3rd weapons on low lvl characters by running Guan Yu's escape stage repeatedly. Then I would run their musou modes with their iconic weapons. Later I worked on unlocking the 4th and maybe 5th weapons. In DW4 you had to slowly grind xp to get the iconic weapons. It wasn't a fun process for me in DW4. I was so happy when the weapon XP system was ditched in DW5.
The best part about this game i like is the “balanced system”. Every character can reach the top level and at that level all of them capable to fight each other with their best items. For example Da Qiao can resist Lu Bu easily if she equip top notch items and her lv11 weapon. However in other game series she cannot.
Playing this one right now and having a BLAST. Been a fan of this era since playing NES game Destiny of an Emperor. I don’t know if this is the one I played 20 years ago, I think it was 3, but really enjoying the hours of fun
The changes to the weapons system were an absolute downgrade. Removing stat boosts/effects from weapons greatly diminished the variety of play styles. As a result, most characters feel about as equally underpowered as each other even when maxed out with powerful items.
Ah yes, my first dw game I played on good old ps2, and when I encountered lu bu, I wouldn't even play I would just start a new game like hell nah I was traumatized XD
4 and 5 will alway be the pinnacle of the series. Such a dam shame Koei is trash company and hasn't made a good warriors game in a long time and care more about greed than fun game. I want pc ports of 4,5 and empires so dam much
7 is the most complete of the serie. It,s interesting see the end of the history of the three kingdoms, but you are right, 4 and 5 are the best and most funny to play
@@dimlord_urza7311 dw 4 and everything that came before aged badly because of the lock system... you can't freely move on any direction while attacking... leaving you open to opponents hitting you many times missing your attacks, coming from dw5 to dw4 you can tell dw4 feels horrible to play...,you can't say it aged better than dw5 because is a lie... also dw5 has more stages..the best character designs ,, feel smoother and better gameplay overall...DW5 combat system is just a better version of dw4 .. can't think of a single thing 4 did better other than Duals
@@EtherealSoul861 Honestly I think the lock system for those games made sense because the movesets were designed for that mechanic (like their charge attack that knocks an individual character up into the air and follows up with a jump and slam) DW3 had great AI difficulty I feel that the later games lack. DW3 XL offers a lot of great content like additional unique weapons and items. Hitting enemies just feels more satisfying to me than a lot of the newer games. DW5 and more specifically DW5 XL lacks AI peon difficulty, endgame content (only 4 weapons? Downgrade from 3 and 4) and heavy/light weapons was not implemented well.
@@jayplayspoorly8293 literally my favorite is dw4 cause I felt it to be a little more realistic to our reality a bit. The flashy stuff is fun I guess… but being more anime-esq kinda takes away from what it was I think. Just my opinion. DW9E(empire is my favorite, 5 both are my favorite just info) literally depresses me because of feels so bland.
Quick question: do Character Stats being improved make a difference in duels? I ask because I almost constantly find myself ending up with low health and ending duels in draws. I also want to know if Items also affect your Character in Duels.
What i hate about this series is that the duel system is kind of BS (enemy can regenerate to full health) and most importantly it uses auto lock system whenever you attack the enemy. You can freely adjust your attacking movement while mounted and during musou attack thats it.
I remember being in love with the female characters. I’d stare at them for hours. I hated how you couldn’t control the camera enough to look up their pants.
I play DW5 first, DW6 second, and DW4 third And it's damn hard man like once you do some combo you are like locked in 1 enemy, like you are targeting the officer but locked on some soldiers and that is annoying. In this one the soldiers are the nightmare rather than the officer, i can't get into my fuckin' horse because they always air attack me god damn it *well i haven't yet unlock the shadow harness I do like the duel system because i can finally focus on beating the officer
i hated the "kingdom play" aspect of this game... if the characters all have their own set of levels, i enjoy maxing out each one. with kingdom play it was like "whats the point"?
coming from DW5 to DW4 ,.... 4 feels horrible to play.. it hasn't age well at all.. you can't move while attacking,, it locks you down and leaves you open for attacks,, not fun in my opinion.
How can you call the gameplay a masterpiece when that god-awful auto lock on exists? I find it baffling that the game shipped with that unnecessary and broken feature. That being said, i am enjoying the game for what it is and looking forward to moving to the sequels where the auto lock on is gone.
The sheer absolute existential terror you feel when you first encounter Lu Bu at Hu Lao Gate in this game is one of the best moments in the entire series.
I remember seeing that you had to beat him on hard to unlock the lvl 10 pike weapon for edit characters. I also remember being like "Really? I'm screwed!", and then not having a hard time at all beating him. But I had apparently died enough times against Lu Bu in 4 for the terror to be in my head :P
@@jayplayspoorly8293 Yeah man, I've got some serious PTSD of Lu Bu in DW4. Every time I encounter him in any other game I'm like "Oh god RUNNN!" lmao.
There was another thing I wanted to mention about DW4 though. Specifically how awesome the Wind Scroll is. It like tripled the range of your weapons, so much more than any other range upgrade in the other games I feel like. It was so much fun lol.
It’s more terrifying when you run into him at more unexpected stages like Wan Castle or Guan Du.
DW4 Lu Bu is by far the strongest version of Lu Bu to this very day. He's a joke in the later games but in this hes a monster
I was surprised at how quickly I defeated him at the Yellow Turban Rebellion in the Yellow Turban Musou, but I admit I was so terrified I took my best bodyguards to the battle
Ok I just want to say that my absolute favorite thing about DW4 was the customizable intro cutscene. Being able to plug your favorite characters in created hours of fun for me and my bestie. Watching the beginning of this video made me so nostalgic.
Yeah, it was tons of fun to tweak and mess around with!
I totally forgot about that! this was probably the best dynasty warriors
Dynasty warriors 4 was the one game I played none stop as a kid. The encyclopedia was one of my favorite parts of the game. I'm replaying it now on my phone using aethersx2.
Please do a dw5 review!
Dynasty Warriors 5 is one of my favorites, with XL it might be my favorite. I definitely have plans for it!
@@jayplayspoorly8293 mine childhood was Dw6 and i play it on PsP Japan version
Is that safe and can I use iPhone?
4:23 Funnily enough there isn't always Dim Sum and Musou Wine in each level. However in the Eliminate Zhang Jiao mission you can find 2 Dim Sum, one at the bottom left of the map next to a wood watchtower (where the enemy force comes from) and theres one in the same area as those magic cauldrons where Zhang Jiao is (just to the left of the first Cauldron you see on the raised centre platform).
I never really thought about the major differences and upgrades from 2 to 3 to 4. This video put it in great perspective. Koei was really in their bag during this time
Thanks! Glad you enjoyed. Although I had an issue with my recording hardware, DW5 review is in the pipeline!
@@jayplayspoorly8293 I don't remember DW5, but I've sold it so it can't be that good. If memory serves correct, game difficulty drops off at either 5 or 6. Pretty sure DW5 is when the series began becoming mindless cheap thrills of beating up drones.
@@Sacrilege83 Yeah, DW5 is where the difficulty crashes down
I just recently played DW4 again on my ps2 hooked up to a 4:4 sdtv. I still think DW4 is not only the best game over all in the series, but still the most fun to play today.
Yeah, it's super fun still. The graphics are simple by today's standards of course, but I think the graphics are still fine as well and the character designs still haven't been beat in many cases
Same
I'm sure alot of people know this but if you're losing one of the harder battles like the Nanman Campaign, and it's just you alive, and your commander. A special powerful officer will join your side to help you in the fight, I've seen it happen only twice, I believe it happens if you get your commanding officer to 8 star morale, and keep him alive if everyone else on your side is dead, troops included.
There are a few interesting things that can happen in very rare cases in this and DW5 from what I can remember. I also think I remember seeing some dialogue that definitely seemed like an Easter egg/something you weren't supposed to see in DW5 He Fei way back when, and found a few glitched walls as well.
@@jayplayspoorly8293 Agreed, in DW5 on the Yellow Turban with the alliance side, and if your losing badly and are in a pinch, Dong Zhuo will arrive onto the left side where the volunteers are located.
I've had it happen and in recent years and I've played the game consistently over the yesrs. I've tried looking up information on it because I was so confused so I'm glad someone else had it happen. For me it was Yue Ying and Zhao Yun
I have had this happen to me without all my officers being dead. Ma Chao joined the Naman stage with me, i was like how??? He was all glowing and really strong, so I didn't mind his help as i was getting Yue Ying's lvl10 weapon.
I like how hex mark adds luck when that is the exact opposite of what it dose in the novel
I guess a horse that messed you up nonstop wouldn't make the best mount haha
@@jayplayspoorly8293 true dat, even if it was ironically.
It saved Liu Bei's life in the novel... Twice, in fact. Once in Xiangyang when he escapes from Liu Biao's jealous family-in-law after surrendering to Cao Cao and again in Lo Fang Po, by having the archer fired at Pang Tong mistake him for Liu Bei because of Hex Mark being ridden by Pang Tong. Pretty lucky if you ask me.
Wall of Fate, Avenging Battle and Eve are some of my all-time favorite ost's of the series and that's not counting on the epicness that is Lu Bu's theme.
God, I forgot how epic the menu movie for DW4 was.
KOEI makes some of the best openings in the industry, I feel they're a bit underrated in that regard.
@@jayplayspoorly8293 I miss the customizable menu movie you could make where if you left it on the title screen long ago it would play a movie with in game graphics instead of the pre-rendered opening. Honestly, I love the CGI opening to this game as well because it was the last one ont focused on Zhao Yun. DW9 has the worst opening of a main line game because its literally just Zhao Yun getting dressed. This game was Chi Bi and the Sun family being bad ass.
I remember I use to put Dong Zhou as the dancer in that opening and have Cao Cao lust all over him looooooooooooool
I used to do the same thing lol
My proudest achievement is winning a button smashing in a clashing of steel against Lu Bu.
I remember getting my cheeks clapped by Lu Bu in the 1v1.
That’s what you get for pursuing Lu Bu 🤷♂️
Had to have the rights stats, but also the right character. He was such a beast
Eve is the best song in the series love that you led with it
One thing I think is understated bc it's an obvious decision in hindsight, is how characters move set and stats actually help build a characters personality. Range, strength, speed, aggression etc are told through combos as well as cutscenes. It's easy to point out when it's obvious but this isnt a game where your limit breaks have your name in it.
Not sure if I missed him talking about bodyguards. You can customize your bodyguards, their names, and give them orders in battle real time to defend, attack, or hold ground.
I don’t think I expounded too much on bodyguards. being able to influence their leveling up was also really cool (dragon buids ftw)
I remember as a kid always doing the mission in order from top to bottom and then somewhere on my 20+ playthrough I started with the third mission and it opened up new levels and harder fights. If I recall correctly in the available missions on your mission select, the bottom options is always suppose to be done "Last". Not doing it results in some missions where you have significantly less troops/generals, more generals on the enemy side, and traps the would've been neutralized had you taken things slow. I remember when you play one of the three kingdoms, there was a straight up new level to face the Yellow Turbans on as their leader doesn't actually die on the third mission if you don't complete the first two.
DW4 and DW5 are by far my favourite DW games of the Franchise, no debate whatsoever. ☯️✌
Great retrospective. DW4 remains for me a glorious sepia-toned nostalgia trip of my youth, and firmly established in my easily impressionable child mind the crack cocaine-like quality of Tecmo Koei Musou games. I remember playing it a lot on an emulator during first year of university as well later in life and it still holding up very well.
Some of my fav features and moments: the sheer size of the maps, which in my mind only DW8 returned with aplomb to. The rendition of Hu Lao Gate in DW4 is to me the definitive one throughout DW; the draw distance fog made the opening snowy valleys claustrophobic, followed by Lu Bu wrecking the place at the gate itself (I remember luring him up the battlements before jumping off the wall). And that was before you got to a sizeable Luo Yang to chase off Dong Zhuo whilst it was all on fire! As a pre-pubescent simpleton, this stuff was fine-dining gaming.
The small army of bodyguards that you had in tow was great - always missed this as it departed from the series thereafter I believe. I enjoyed leaving them at bottle necks when they were at max level, where they often held their own, meaning you could manage more than one set of objectives during stages.
Duels were truly sweaty moments, and had a nice spike in difficulty on occasion, as were certain stages that were particularly hard (Nanman Campaign, I'm looking at you). The condition triggers for the Chapters in Musou mode were great as well for this: Lu Bu showing up at the Battle of Wan Castle asking why I was ghosting him at Xia Pi for instance. Xu Huang made an appearance as the relationship officer for my Cao Cao, which saved the day.
I for one liked the fact that a lot of the maps were recut versions, often smaller or larger, of a lot of existing stages - it made the regional context for the period feel a bit more 'lived in' - I loved how Xu Chang at the end of a Musou playthrough where you finished by fighting Wei had Si Shui gate on the west part of the map, and only clocking this later on.
Just the sheer collect-a-thon of items was great as well; trying to find all those secret requirements and attempting to fulfil them provided a level of replayability that brought me back a lot and added an air of slight mystery to the game (on top of the multiple hypothetical stages).
Basically, a lot of stuff that was cut or just didn't land as well in DW5, which I personally found to be somewhat of a disappointment when I played it after DW4 (I've come to enjoy both for different reasons these days, particularly after being burned with DW6). Only DW8 was successful (by basically throwing so much content at you) in recapturing that magic for me.
Thanks! Yeah, I played a ton of DW4/5. Actually I decided to make these because it seemed not many people had talked about them online. DW4 Hu Lao is definitely one of the most iconic stages in the entire series for me.
Yeah, off the top of my head the series went to individual bodyguards after 4. I understand why, but it'd be nice to have a platoon again, especially in the Empires titles or a Destiny mode, it'd work really well.
DW8 was a breath of fresh air. I really enjoyed it, but nothing has really captured that magic since :(
My favourite moments in any musou game is when Zhang He says something.
A true thing of beauty
Lmfao zhang he's zesty ass
Thank you for this very detailed review! DW4:XL is my very favorite of the series, followed by 3:XL, both are some of the very hardest overall games in the series, without question.
I remember the absurd difficulty spike-hell that was, trying gain Lu Bu's Level11th weapon, the Maelstrom, its one of the hardest ultimate weapons to obtain in all of DW, imo.
4, is an absolute masterpiece, I totally agree. The fun factor is high, with this one, I'll have to replay it after 5; which Ive taken up again, recently
9:40 Zhou Yu: When will you learn?
Sun Ce: SAAaaaaree :3
Played alot of all Dynasty Warriors as a kid, and I always remembered 4 being the hardest (though I had many a slap boxing session with the damn archers on 3). Part of that probably was the ability to switch warriors on the go. Should go back and play it without being under level half the time, lol.
Loving the videos and look forward to the next! Do you plan to do other Warriors series after your Dynasty videos?
Thanks! Yeah, I've recorded all the footage for 4XL and 4 Empires, but haven't been able to sit down and edit the videos because of work obligations. After those two and the GBA/PSP renditions of DW4, I'm planning to shift over to SW and then alternate the SW/DW series from then on
Imo it's the best in the series. I love 3 and 5 as well but 4 overall is the best in the series. XL and Empires was great as well.
I prefer DW3 over DW4. About 60/40 because some of the DW4 levels end too abruptly when a Leader is attacked. Like 30 seconds after engagement by a SGT led 5 Soldier unit.
Not having Def Stat drops by gate CPT is a mistake.
More vertical terrain in DW3 options.
The stage varieties and goals are pretty cool.
Duels are a nice touch too.
Good video. I love dw4 it's my favorite in the DW and Warriors series overall I just like what this version with everything the best especially the grey serious tone it went for almost could pass as a m rated game
Glad you enjoy it!
DW 4 AGGRESIVE BATTLE,AND DUEL + DW 5 GRAPHICS , AND MUSOU RAGE : PERFECT😊😊😊
I remember lu bu from the second act . And I remember nanman in the end .
Still my favorite in the series. Well, specifically Dynasty Warriors. Warriors Orochi 2 is my all time favorite if that counts.
WO2 is a blast
@@jayplayspoorly8293 glad you agree lol. I just love that it has every playable character from Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors along with a hilarious amount of content.
@@jayplayspoorly8293 I'm looking forward to the DW5 Empires video. I've actually been playing it recently.
@@eggoslayer1001 TOO much content. Unlocking Orochi X took forever haha
@@eggoslayer1001 It's a great game!
Get DW4 Hyper if you have a PC. It is the best version of the game and quite frankly a massive upgrade in terms of performance and gameplay over the console version.
Dynasty Warriors 4 Hyper on PC was easily the best version visually, although I remember trying to run it circa 2007/2008 and still running into odd performance issues. I may have to "find" Hyper again someday and see how it stacks up now on modern hardware, although I dread to think what kind of controller support it offers on PC.
Yeah, I remember "finding" a copy in 2011 or so and having my jaw drop at the graphical boost. IIRC there are some really cool mods for it too, specifically an AI aggression mod that completely changes how you have to play the game
Hyper runs well for me on Windows 10 with a Ryzen 3600 and GTX 1070. You'll need a DirectInput controller connection, sadly, but otherwise it runs surprisingly nicely.
@@DragoonEnRegalia I played it on Windows 7 I think. Unfortunately I have two Windows 10 machines currently (one with 1050, one with a 3060ti) and neither have any luck running it no matter what I try :(
But can it beat the PCSX2 version? which has access to the DLC and shaders and 1080p.
@@ihavetubes Provided you can deal with field-rendered visuals (and therefore some form of deinterlacing to deal with that). I personally would prefer to avoid PCSX2, if possible.
I love ZhouTai with Katana 😁😁😁
Top tier with katana
"Wish they would have kept the duel in future games! If you lose the duel you lose all progress on the stage!" Gee what a feature.
Been waiting for this one, I started DW4 earlier this year and am still trying to level all characters up, get all the tales stages, and get all the endings
Looking forward to your thoughts on the XL and empires for 4
Thanks! Hope you’re enjoying the endgame. I’ve finished recording the gameplay for both XL and Empires, so hopefully I”ll have those vids out soon!
Hands down greatest DW game ever made and I will fight everyone who disagrees.
I hella miss those modes, the battle where you duel your friends with us having these noodles help me.
Vs. mode really needs to come back
The only DW game I wish I could go back and play, but I don't own a console that can play it. I wish this would get a remaster but highly doubt it.
I’ve only ever played 2 (rent from Blockbuster), 3, and Orochi 3. But just bought 7 on the pc recently.
One thing I still liked about 2 and 3, over 7 and Orochi, is that you can pick any character and play all 7 levels (some levels being unique to the character) and not in a linear story per faction. That changes characters each level.
Dynasty Warriors 3 Xtreme Legends has a Remix Feature in that if you have dw3 you can get the original Stages of Dw3 on it
Great content. You deserve more subs. Here’s one
I appreciate the complement and the sub!!
I would love for DW4 Remake. Any fans out there who can make id happen?
Take my koku!
Easily the best dynasty warriors for me,I played the hell out of 4 so much I had to get a new disc then I got all level 10 weapons then got dw4 xl finished getting all level 11 weapons last week it's such a classic game but it's brutally challenging at times
Excellent video, keep doing what you love
Thanks!
3 is my favorite but 4 is the best!
Thanks for the video. It's always great to see someone talk about a game they know a lot about. Unfortunately for me, I haven't been able to give Dynasty Warriors 4 a chance yet, as I have been busy with different Musou-titles.
Perhaps I will put some of those aside since I absolutely loved what I saw and heard about this game from you. The extra modes seem like a lot of fun, too. Especially the bridge battle and the versus one where you try to destroy the enemy's carrier while you protect your own sound like a lot of fun and I would definitely like to try them if I can find a second player.
Combat, graphics and music seem solid too. As well as the encyclopedia, which I always enjoy to spend time with. Lastly, I believe the HUD issues you ran into are caused by backwards compatibility since you are playing on the PlayStation 3.
Once more, thanks for this solid retrospective and review on Dynasty Warriors 4. And please... keep 'em coming! 🙏
Thanks! I've already recorded the footage for 5, 5XL, and 5E, so those shouldn't be too long away if I can just find the time to sit down and stitch the reviews together.
And yeah, I haven't played the game on the PS2 really any since 2007 or so, so it very well could be a PS3 bc issue. Especially since this is on an 80gb PS3 with software emulation, not the original 60/20gb PS3.
@@jayplayspoorly8293 Also, once you get around to Dynasty Warriors 6, I recommend also taking a look at the PlayStation 2 version of it (only released in US/JP) since it has more content than its big PS3/360 brother.
@@dynastymusou8906 Actually from 5E on, I'm planning to compare multiple versions. 5E will have 360/PS2 gameplay, Orochi/Gundam will have PS3/PS2/360 gameplay, and PSP where applicable!
@@jayplayspoorly8293 Exactly what I like too. Thanks in advance! Even though I don't speak, read or write Japanese, I had hours of fun with the PSP version of Warriors Orochi 3. 😁
@@dynastymusou8906 PSP versions were pretty cool for the time, they really improved them the more they made them. Also, leaving out Orochi Z would be an absolute shame, even if it's an import.
I like how when you begin talking about sound track and how good it was with changes, that during it you played eve which is my favorite and in my opinion the best sound track in dw4/e
I honestly think DW4 is STILL the best DW game, with the only real competition being DW8XLCE.
I honestly wish I could say I disagree with you, but you’re not wrong 😔. They’ve been incredibly sloppy with the series. I enjoyed 5 as well but you could see the mediocrity starting to creep into it as well in retrospect
@@jayplayspoorly8293 I strongly remember actually hating the changes from 4 to 5. In retrospect the lack of auto lockin is nice but to me not enough to cover its flaws.
I remember NOT enjoying the weapon leveling system introduced in this game. I remember spending hours in DW3 collecting 3rd weapons on low lvl characters by running Guan Yu's escape stage repeatedly. Then I would run their musou modes with their iconic weapons. Later I worked on unlocking the 4th and maybe 5th weapons. In DW4 you had to slowly grind xp to get the iconic weapons. It wasn't a fun process for me in DW4. I was so happy when the weapon XP system was ditched in DW5.
The best part about this game i like is the “balanced system”. Every character can reach the top level and at that level all of them capable to fight each other with their best items. For example Da Qiao can resist Lu Bu easily if she equip top notch items and her lv11 weapon. However in other game series she cannot.
Playing this one right now and having a BLAST. Been a fan of this era since playing NES game Destiny of an Emperor. I don’t know if this is the one I played 20 years ago, I think it was 3, but really enjoying the hours of fun
The changes to the weapons system were an absolute downgrade. Removing stat boosts/effects from weapons greatly diminished the variety of play styles. As a result, most characters feel about as equally underpowered as each other even when maxed out with powerful items.
Ah yes, my first dw game I played on good old ps2, and when I encountered lu bu, I wouldn't even play I would just start a new game like hell nah I was traumatized XD
The music was amazing also!!!
This is personally my favorite game ever made
Its the only old school dw game i like!
You forgot to add that Blast Orb can damage enemies through their block/guard
i need u to review DW7
The best dynasty warriors imo
no its not
@@EtherealSoul861 your opinion
4 and 5 will alway be the pinnacle of the series. Such a dam shame Koei is trash company and hasn't made a good warriors game in a long time and care more about greed than fun game. I want pc ports of 4,5 and empires so dam much
Yep, that'd be really nice :(. The series definitely isn't what it used to be
7 is the most complete of the serie. It,s interesting see the end of the history of the three kingdoms, but you are right, 4 and 5 are the best and most funny to play
@@lordguapendo8171 i like 7 a lot just for the storytelling 4 and 5 have the gameplay and replay value for me
@@Mattznick exactly
To me this and DW3 have aged the best. Still love these games more than almost any other Warriors game
they aged the worst
@@EtherealSoul861 I think 5 and 2 aged badly, and I think 3 aged better than 4. Imo the best and most timeless game they made though is WO3U
@@dimlord_urza7311 dw 4 and everything that came before aged badly because of the lock system... you can't freely move on any direction while attacking... leaving you open to opponents hitting you many times missing your attacks, coming from dw5 to dw4 you can tell dw4 feels horrible to play...,you can't say it aged better than dw5 because is a lie... also dw5 has more stages..the best character designs ,, feel smoother and better gameplay overall...DW5 combat system is just a better version of dw4 .. can't think of a single thing 4 did better other than Duals
@@dimlord_urza7311 i agree that WO3U is one of the best warriors games of all time
@@EtherealSoul861 Honestly I think the lock system for those games made sense because the movesets were designed for that mechanic (like their charge attack that knocks an individual character up into the air and follows up with a jump and slam)
DW3 had great AI difficulty I feel that the later games lack. DW3 XL offers a lot of great content like additional unique weapons and items. Hitting enemies just feels more satisfying to me than a lot of the newer games.
DW5 and more specifically DW5 XL lacks AI peon difficulty, endgame content (only 4 weapons? Downgrade from 3 and 4) and heavy/light weapons was not implemented well.
my dad was the replacement for the guy who got fired at 24:08
I still play DW4 to this day on my PS2
even not as good as DW5, I still spend more time on DW4
I like its encyclopedia BGM
Confirmed Zhu Rong wears the pants in the relationship
Best dynasty warriors game
I bought this game for 1 buck on a flea market today! 😊
Great reviews Keep it up
Thanks! DW4XL coming soon
Dynasty warriors peaked at DW4. After that, it quickly started winding down.
Better than 9
Most definitely lol
@@jayplayspoorly8293 literally my favorite is dw4 cause I felt it to be a little more realistic to our reality a bit. The flashy stuff is fun I guess… but being more anime-esq kinda takes away from what it was I think. Just my opinion. DW9E(empire is my favorite, 5 both are my favorite just info) literally depresses me because of feels so bland.
@@AntiCommunistMarine this is definitely the best one in the series
Best mosou Game and best DW
Quick question: do Character Stats being improved make a difference in duels? I ask because I almost constantly find myself ending up with low health and ending duels in draws.
I also want to know if Items also affect your Character in Duels.
What i hate about this series is that the duel system is kind of BS (enemy can regenerate to full health) and most importantly it uses auto lock system whenever you attack the enemy. You can freely adjust your attacking movement while mounted and during musou attack thats it.
4 & 5 are the only dynasty warriors I think are playable.
I remember being in love with the female characters. I’d stare at them for hours. I hated how you couldn’t control the camera enough to look up their pants.
Got a download link for Hyper plz?
I play DW5 first, DW6 second, and DW4 third
And it's damn hard man like once you do some combo you are like locked in 1 enemy, like you are targeting the officer but locked on some soldiers and that is annoying.
In this one the soldiers are the nightmare rather than the officer, i can't get into my fuckin' horse because they always air attack me god damn it *well i haven't yet unlock the shadow harness
I do like the duel system because i can finally focus on beating the officer
i hated the "kingdom play" aspect of this game... if the characters all have their own set of levels, i enjoy maxing out each one. with kingdom play it was like "whats the point"?
coming from DW5 to DW4 ,.... 4 feels horrible to play.. it hasn't age well at all.. you can't move while attacking,, it locks you down and leaves you open for attacks,, not fun in my opinion.
Like this message if you are still playing DW4
they have to bring back versus mode and duels in dw10
That'd be pretty great if they did
8. DW9
7. DW2
6. DW4
5. DW7
4. DW6
3. DW8
2. DW5
1. DW3
Игра детства.
How can you call the gameplay a masterpiece when that god-awful auto lock on exists? I find it baffling that the game shipped with that unnecessary and broken feature.
That being said, i am enjoying the game for what it is and looking forward to moving to the sequels where the auto lock on is gone.
That god awful auto lock allows you to land long combos on enemies. In stupid DW5 they always slip away.
fck nostalgia can i play this on pc
Yes. Look into a PS2 emulator or the PC version (Dynasty Warriors 4 Hyper)
Clicked this so fucking fast without thinking