A Dynasty Warriors player's Dynasty Warriors, if that makes sense.
So, the basics. If you've never played one of these games before (get out from under your rock!), you play as a Chinese officer (you get a huge selection to choose from) around 200 a.d. during the feudal era. In its simplest form, you run around killing thousands of helpless soldiers of your opponents. A more detailed explanation would tell how you either play as the officer leading a conquest or for the officer leading a conquest to take over the provinces of China (using a serious war for peace rationality) to unite the land (Bush-esque, anyone?).
DW5 has added a lot more in depth playing than previous games. I didn't play the actual DW5, but I played this game, Empires, so I'll compare to games before DW5. In previous games, you basically just play the battles in a linear fashion. You got to choose your officer, and even your campaign, but you didn't get to set up a whole lot reguarding the battles. Now, you control everything. You control which province you start in, which order you take over the other areas. You also must manage your troop count, and defend incoming attacks from other officers seeking power.
As you invade other areas, you take their land over if you win, and get the option to hire the officers that you captured during play. Each battle lasts one season, so you get 4 battles for the whole year. And there are 25 different areas to conquer in all, before you unite the land. In between battles, you'll do things such as form temporary alliances, strengthen your defenses, recruit new officers and soldiers, and level up your weapons and officers' skills. So it has evolved a great deal since the arcade style playing of DW2.
Playing DW5: Empires on the 360 is certainly a treat, especially for us long time fans. The load times are great, very quick and seldom. And the slow framerate that plagued the ps2 versions is completely nonexistent here. Also, you can have many more soldiers on screen than in previous games. One of the few downsides would be that the graphics are the same as the ps2 and xbox versions, but frankly, that doesn't bother me in the least, since I get so immersed in the game.
The controls are solid, using practically the same scheme used since DW2 first came out for the PS2. It's nothing overcomplicated, but hey, if it's not broken, why fix it? This being another reason why this game is perfect for fans of the series. Also, you'll enjoy the new varieties in difficulty level. As previous games have has only 3 settings, DW5 adds 2 more on each end for the uber n00bers and the uber vets.
Thank God for custom soundtracks, though. Empires uses practically the same music as every one of these games has been using, that heavy metal style of classic Chinese music. The one that loops over and over again. It can get old, but thanks to the 360's custom soundtrack features, you won't have to worry about that too much. The dialog is pretty good though. No A-list voice actors, but a large selection of vocals, as well as everything said by an officer being spoken makes for a solid listen experience.
You'll could definitely get a good 50 hours out of this game, with all the gamer points to unlock, as well as the supply of different conquests you can go through the game with. DW fans definitely need to check this game out, you won't be disappointed.
The good: Powerful 360 makes for great load times and lots of soldiers on screen. New campaign mode is much more user controlled and in depth.
The bad: Graphics haven't been changed from ps2 and xbox versions.
The ugly: When you're trying to kill a lowly foot soldier and all he does is sit there and block.