This should have been Dynasty Warriors 7 XL...
I was real torn on what to give DW8 in the beginning, I kept waffing between 7 to 8 and I just had to call it exactly how I felt.
If you played DW7 this game will offer no secrets at all to you. They kept the game system the same, they kept weapon switching the same, the music from DW7 is also in the backbeat if you listen clearly. The music alone on DW7 was phenomenal, one of the best of the series. DW8 was shaping up to be extremely good!
However, there are a few blurbs that made me peg down DW8 from 8 to a 6:
1) Lighting: Is it just me or was Ancient China so damn DARK! I never messed with my TV settings until DW8. DW7 was fine, I turned a corner I can differentiate between a wall and a pot on that wall. In DW8 I have to actually inspect the wall. This isn't a deal breaker, but its TEDIOUS. The last thing I want to do is pot-hunting in the dark. At first I thought this only occurred in nighttime but its even more prevalent in the day with the bright lighting contrast the shadows.
2) Narration: Did Koei just run out of money to narrate what goes on in between stages. They did this for DW7, but not 8. I thought there was an option and I turned it "off", there wasn't. I thought maybe Omega Force didn't have one in the Japanese version... IT DID! Now mind you I DL'ed mine from PSN and I'm in the US. But this is one giant localization mistake. You never want to take a step back from a previous game. If one game had voices and the next installment DIDN'T, the game was either rushed or money was a factor. I wonder if the EU version also does not have a narrator...
3) Languages: Can we finally have Japanese as a PERMANENT option instead of a future DLC. I don't mind the American voices, but seriously... Koei knows by now the DW Fanbase. There are a lot of us who just simply prefer Japanese voices and we the majority would prefer it being a standard option.
4) 5th Weapons: For the time I spent acquiring these weapons, I would hope they are CRAZY, but they are not. In fact some of the effects on these 5th weapons are lame; GREED on Liu Bei's 5th Weapon is a joke. At that point of the game money is no longer a problem for us.
Also we can modify 4th weapons but we cannot modify 5th weapons. THAT IMO is a critical gaming mistake. You have the option of selecting ANY WEAPON for ANY CHARACTER. You also gave us the option of CUSTOMIZING said weapons, but when it comes to 5th Weapons we are stuck with "Greed".
Note to Koei, if you will not allow us to further modify 5th Weapons, make them CRAZY GOOD. As such, MOST 5th Weapons will be USELESS. You can make 4th Weapons that will FAR SURPASS 5th Weapons in terms of customizing. The time and difficulty spent unlocking 5th Weapons does not equal to strength of said weapons.
These alone made me dock DW8 from 8.5 to 6. The following convinced me to bump it to 7:
1) Ambition Stage: THIS side quest is perfect. This will be your staple place to go to earn Weapon Materials to upgrade your weapons and purchase them as well. You can even send out troops to gather extra supplies. Send Officers to the Academy to level them up. Or even send them in the Training Ground to slowly power them up. Fully upgrading your city will net you really cool rewards.
2) Hypothetical Stages: This actually makes a lot of sense. "What If" stages were prevalent in old DW games, but not so much on DW6 and 7. DW8 allows certain stages to branch out to other stages depending on what your Officer did or not do in previous stages. Accomplish all the "star" quests will give your side a turning point in history. For example, in Shu, completing all your "star" quests in previous chapters allow the events in Fan Castle to ... occur differently than what history wrote...
3) Horse Riding While Running: Whoever had the stones to actually incorporate this in the game deserves a raise! I can't tell you how many times I have to stop what I'm doing just to stop and get on my horse. Now by pressing and holding down the trigger, I can attack enemies, run, jump, etc and the moment my horse is near me I automatically (or magically...) get on.
This game could have been so much more, but it seems for every 3 steps Omega Force takes forward, they take 2 more backwards. Fans of this genre will always buy it (thats me) but I can't help but feel being lead around the nose in this one.