The worldwide success that the Dynasty Warriors series has seen simply could not be ignored, so Koei and Omega Force were "forced" to produce Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends for two purposes: to create an expansion pack for Dynasty Warriors 3 and to provide a cheaper alternative for those who have not yet sampled a taste of the DW3 experience.

And to those of you who have not yet played or even heard of any of the Dynasty Warriors games on the PS2 or X-Box: you're truly missing out. Think of it as a groundbreaking action/arcade series with just a little bit of strategy mixed in. Then, throw in the setting of the oft-referenced Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history, and you'll probably come up with the formula for Dynasty Warriors (that is, if you remember to carry the two). In the game, you must choose any one of the 41 available characters so that you or your lord may realize this game's ultimate goal: total conquest of China. To do this, you must choose from a vast array of weapons, power-up items, and riding beasts so that you can hack or slash your way through unlimited hordes of enemies for the priceless reward of victory.

But, those of you who already own a copy of DW3 must already be thinking, "Wow, that sounds real nifty, Eugene, but what's in it for me - the guy or girl who already owns a copy of DW3?" Well, combining Xtreme Legends and DW3 creates what the folks at Koei call "DW3 Remix," affectionately named with that oh-so-ubiquitous gaming hipster lingo. What this means is that all of your characters' stats and all of the items you have collected will carry over to the expansion pack, and you'll also be able to play the original DW3 stages with all of XL's extra features.

The major selling point of this game, however, are the new Musou modes (the single-player "story modes") that were written for the seven extra characters from the original game who had no affiliation with either of the Three Kingdoms. Unfortunately, even with these new story paths, there are no new maps to explore - only new battlefield configurations. That is to say, different armies may occupy different areas of the map, and certain units may have been shuffled around to inspire new strategies for each revised battle. Considering the absence of new stomping grounds, I was originally skeptical of the way that these story paths were going to be written, and as such, some of them (particularly Zhu Rong's) are just downright silly. However, others, particularly Zhang Jiao's and Diao Chan's, are rather interesting in the way that their stories are told strictly from their unique points of view. This is why prior knowledge of the novel can enhance your gaming experience, but it's by no means a requirement. For those of you who aren't particularly interested in learning more about the era, there is always the unique gameplay to maintain your attention.

Other than these extra Musou modes, Xtreme Legends boasts many other features, such as a ton of new items and weapons, a few new challenge modes, two new difficulty levels, a new combo grading system, and, probably most interesting of all, totally new bodyguard options. In Xtreme Legends, you are allowed to maintain 4 different bodyguard units, each with a maximum of eight different soldiers with different names of your choice. As you gain points after each battle, your bodyguards will level up accordingly, provided that at least one of them stays alive until the very end. This can be quite a chore for those of you who, like me, will tend to run unassisted into the thick of enemy occupation. The likelihood of them surviving the conflict is slim to none (especially on the Hard and Very Hard difficulty levels), so you'll have to lower the difficulty setting to level them up or grudgingly alter your approach to the game. But hey, where's the fun in that if you're of the type who likes mindless action?

The second interesting bodyguard feature has a few noticeable limitations, but it's still quite an interesting novelty. Instead of having a bodyguard unit protect you, you can enlist the aid of another playable character who will execute the "Double Musou" attack on command without the aid of a Player 2. Unfortunately, the drawbacks associated with this feature are as follows: this is available only in Free Mode, you are given a rather limited choice of warriors when playing the original stages, and lastly, this can't be done in 2-player co-op mode. Personally, I would have loved to see a "Quadruple Musou" attack, but I guess that's just me (and perhaps everyone else who also enjoys co-op mode).

As for the gameplay itself, Xtreme Legends doesn't stray too far from the original since it is, after all, an expansion pack. Each character now has one extra special weapon with new stat upgrades to obtain in the game, but it unfortunately doesn't add any more hits to the character's standard combo. There doesn't seem to be many changes in terms of cosmetic enhancements either - other than the 28 new FMV sequences that preclude each major battle, practically nothing seems to have changed in terms of the graphics engine. Unfortunately, fog still seems to be a major problem - especially during 2-player co-op mode as well as some of the higher difficulty levels. It can still be very frustrating to swing your weapon through what seems to be thin air while the computer-controlled enemies can still hack at you all day while still invisible. However, in a game of this scale, featuring simultaneous action between units numbering in the thousands, that sort of thing can be forgiven - just as long as it doesn't get any worse in the game's next incarnation.

As for sound, there's absolutely nothing like single-handedly causing immeasurable mayhem while your television speakers blare out cheesy guitar riffs performed by 80's hair band rejects. Nothing good, anyway. In the wide-ranging canon of Koei's numerous titles, the Dynasty Warriors series is probably the bearer of "worst music award," which is a downright shame, considering its massive popularity on the Asian continent (a continent which can excel at creating unsurpassed musical melodies). Thankfully, there's a secret music track in this game that is far more "traditional," but you'll have to work a little bit to unlock it. Honestly, if it weren't for that and the fact that the sound options still offer a choice between English and Japanese speech, this game would have been a downright failure in the sound department.

Despite my numerous gripes and seemingly oversensitive criticisms, one should always consider the fact that this game should be looked at as a standard expansion pack and nothing more. Those of you who are totally unfamiliar with this series should definitely give this game a once-over, but probably only after experimenting with the original. In regards to those of you who weren't particularly wowed with what DW3 originally had to offer, you might be advised to stay away if any of the above features didn't grab your attention by the lapels. To be perfectly honest, this game is mainly focused towards the type of gamer who loved DW3 and absolutely loves more of the same - especially if you were once heard saying, "Well, I already beat the game with every character and got everybody's fourth weapon. What now?" And, just for you, Mister (or Ms.) DW3 gamer, this game offers a ton of new features - some of which might take several months for you to access.

Unfortunately, DW4 is coming out this March, so your time is already running out.