Dynasty Warriors, the long-running series from Koei and Omega Force, has grown into a niche of its own. Not exactly the most favorable niche out there, but it is a niche. The game basically puts you in the shoes of a number of legendary warriors in old-school battles, carving up soldiers left and right and getting kill counts into the hundreds as they stalk gate captains, higher-ups, and other enemies, all while gathering "musou" to power up devastating attacks. The games are fun, but they've gotten repetitive as of late, with very little change to the formula.

To its credit, Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires tries to change that up a little bit. This chapter marks the arrival of the series on the Xbox 360, and while it isn't the most significant of brand jumps, some fans will be pleased. The main addition to this particular chapter is Empire Mode, a mode in which you not only use your battle skills to try and conquer bases, but also tactics that involve the alliances of other key soldiers, as well as setting up a good flow of cash reserves for strengthening your army. You then proceed into real-time battles to make sure your bases are defended, and your invasions of other bases go off well.

Players may also notice that the graphics have been cleaned up considerably for the 360. While the general visual appearance is about the same, there is a high gloss over the proceedings, and the slowdown that has bothered previous chapters has been successfully wiped away. There's also a better draw distance so you can get a better look at the terrain, although the game still has hiccups now and then, like soldiers that completely vanish in the heat of battle and occasional glitches. Still, this is the best looking game yet in the series, even if it follows a familiar pattern.

There's also something to be said about being able to tag-team with a friend in co-op split-screen multiplayer. You choose a soldier, and then they choose one, and you both tear ass across the landscape, beating up hundreds of unprepared souls trying to get the better kill count and complete your tasks. The split-screen mode holds up remarkably well, and allows a great deal of interaction between you and a buddy...and may even settle some arguments as to who's the better warlord.

But that's it. The game has far too many shortcomings that are hard to overlook. First off, while multiplayer is considered for two people, the Xbox Live service isn't even scratched here. No opportunities to team up with others or take part in colossal battles, just offline stuff. I think this is a heavily missed opportunity that could've easily bumped the series up a few notches, but I guess Koei just hasn't gotten used to the service yet.

The audio is also downright ugly. It has these moments that'll make you reach for the volume control and frivolously tap away at the mute button. The dialogue is something of a joke, read off unconvincingly, just like in previous chapters. Here, though, I noticed it got more repetitive than usual, like some character's insistence that he'll simply hack away at a few soldiers. Over and over again. The music is your typical rock style, and hasn't really changed for the better. Sound effects are alright, but you'll hardly notice them.

The game could've also used some bumps to take better advantage of the Xbox 360's graphical processing power. Would it have been too bad to see some more map details or areas that were capable of showing more realism? Here we basically have the general Dynasty Warriors engine at work with bits of detail here and there. It's like taking the Mona Lisa, painting a new outfit over here, and considering it a new work of art. Just doesn't fit.

Finally, the gameplay options are too limited. The two main modes that the game offers are Empire Mode and Free Mode, where you can simply enter a battle and fight away at dozens of soldiers. That's it. Musou Mode, I dunno where it went. But this limitation doesn't exactly bode well for long-term players. The fact the gameplay hasn't really seen any kind of ramping up in real-time battles hurts a bit, too. You fight, power up your Musou, and then let loose with a devasting attack, and then repeat until conclusion of the mission. If you got tired of this before, you'll get tired of it now, even with the Empire elements.

Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires serves best for its fans, especially with its budget price ($40) and its little touches to keep them happy with hours of dynasty-making. But Koei really needs to reconfigure this series on some kind of level where it reaches out to other audiences, something that could've been done with Xbox Live or some bold new strokes in design. When battling dozens of enemies becomes mundane, it's time for change.