In a bit of news that may interest only me, Tecmo Koei will be releasing a Wii U version of Warriors Orochi 3 in North America this holiday season entitled Warriors Orochi 3 Hyper. Not having played the PS3/360 version, I don't know what makes this version Hyper compared to the original release, but it does take advantage of the Wii U's Gamepad by allowing one player to play on the Gamepad screen while a partner plays on the TV.

So this forum post is essentially a note to self

I'm happy for the fans of games like these, but I honestly have no idea what the business decision behind releasing these games outside of Japan is. Looking at VGchartz (which yes, isn't the most reliable source there is, but usually doesn't stray too far off), when looking at the sales numbers on Warriors Orochi and the similar franchise Dynasty Warriors, we see numbers sold around 40k - 90k in regions outside of Japan. @Hailinel even state that this is news that probably only will be of interest to him. :P

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you and the other fans out there, I honestly just don't see why these titles that are aimed at a very niche audience gets localized. It's not exactly cheap to translate, market, and release games outside of their native regions.

@Hailinel: I'm still trying to figure out if this should have its own page like Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor's Edge.

I hope we find out more about the differentiators in the Hyper version. But basically it probably should since stuff like the Sigma versions of Ninja Gaiden games also get separate pages every time. What do you think?

@Cincaid said:

I'm happy for the fans of games like these, but I honestly have no idea what the business decision behind releasing these games outside of Japan is. Looking at VGchartz (which yes, isn't the most reliable source there is, but usually doesn't stray too far off), when looking at the sales numbers on Warriors Orochi and the similar franchise Dynasty Warriors, we see numbers sold around 40k - 90k in regions outside of Japan. @Hailinel even state that this is news that probably only will be of interest to him. :P

Don't get me wrong, I'm happy for you and the other fans out there, I honestly just don't see why these titles that are aimed at a very niche audience gets localized. It's not exactly cheap to translate, market, and release games outside of their native regions.

I never believe anything VGChartz says. I don't understand how anyone takes it seriously, aside from the fact that it has numbers (which are pretty much just pulled out of the air, anyway).

Anyway, the game's aren't necessarily that much trouble to localize. And in the case of Warriors Orochi 3 and Samurai Warriors: Chronicles, they didn't even bother with an English voice track. As long as it makes financial sense for Koei to localize these games, they'll keep doing it.

@Hailinel: Fair enough (regarding VGC), although I never understood why so many quote them as sources, including journalists, if they're just pulling their numbers from thin air. Nevertheless, I think we can at least agree that it's a very specific genre not exactly appealing to the masses, like you said yourself in your original post.

And the lack of an English voice track is a way to keep costs down, but they still need to localize it, unless every menu and dialogue text is in Japanese as well. I'm not trying to argue here, I'm just trying to understand how Koei feels it's financially viable to release these games to such a huge market with seemingly little interest from the consumers. Ah well, I suppose it's a clear case that it's worth it for them, since they keep doing it, I'm just trying to understand how. :)

@DeF said:

@Hailinel: I'm still trying to figure out if this should have its own page like Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor's Edge.

I hope we find out more about the differentiators in the Hyper version. But basically it probably should since stuff like the Sigma versions of Ninja Gaiden games also get separate pages every time. What do you think?

I think the Ninja Gaiden page is separate because it is supposed to be drammatically different from the other versions not only from the WiiU controller but also due to difficulty level. I think it gets its own page because it is closer to a remake/rerelease than port (at least that is how they are describing it - it remains to be seen if it will be). This would deserve its own page if the changes are drastic enough so that if someone were to look the game up, they would be annoyed to find all of the versions together on one page. Like how people would be annoyed to find Ocarina of Time 3D mixed with the normal Ocarina of Time page; they are essentially the same game, but enough has changed in them that some answers to FAQs would be different.

@Dixavd: Hm yea that makes sense. So far, only that two-screen co-op mode is new along with few characters. Nothing too major it seems.

@DeF said:

@Dixavd: Hm yea that makes sense. So far, only that two-screen co-op mode is new along with few characters. Nothing too major it seems.

There's also a Wii U-exclusive dueling mode.

@Cincaid said:

@Hailinel: Fair enough (regarding VGC), although I never understood why so many quote them as sources, including journalists, if they're just pulling their numbers from thin air. Nevertheless, I think we can at least agree that it's a very specific genre not exactly appealing to the masses, like you said yourself in your original post.

And the lack of an English voice track is a way to keep costs down, but they still need to localize it, unless every menu and dialogue text is in Japanese as well. I'm not trying to argue here, I'm just trying to understand how Koei feels it's financially viable to release these games to such a huge market with seemingly little interest from the consumers. Ah well, I suppose it's a clear case that it's worth it for them, since they keep doing it, I'm just trying to understand how. :)

Companies like Atlus and Aksys localize niche games all the time that appeal to smaller western audiences. Just because these games don't sell like blockbusters doesn't mean it's not worth it.

Also, Koei themselves have always been a niche company. I'd argue that their Warriors games are among their most popular in the west. The strategy games that the company originally created and still make like Nobunaga's Ambition and Romance of the Three Kingdoms are truly niche; so much so that the majority of the Nobunaga's Ambition series hasn't even seen a western release.

@Hailinel: Alright, thanks for filling me in! I'll leave you alone now. ^^

I have never played a Dynasty Warriors/Orichi game. I like to keep an open mind though. Hallinel, if I see a really cheap game for the PS2, perhaps PS3 (less likely), suggest some titles I should consider dipping into. Also, give me a rundown on exactly what they are and why they are worth playing, from your perspective. Thanks if you care to do that.

I really like this concept of local non-splitscreen multiplayer that the WiiU seems to introduce. I suppose it remains to be seen if it works properly for the person holding the smaller screen, but it could be cool if that was the case.

Your incessant..uh, incessantness about these series has convinced me to try them out sometime, maybe I'll do it with this game.

I have a question about the trailer though, is the music that starts around 0:45 often used in that series? I definetly recognize it despite never having played any of these games, I'm thinking I must have heard it in some OC remix but I'm not sure, maybe it's also from something else.

Edit: Nevermind, I remember, it's Ninja Gaiden music.

@AsperGamer said:

I have never played a Dynasty Warriors/Orichi game. I like to keep an open mind though. Hallinel, if I see a really cheap game for the PS2, perhaps PS3 (less likely), suggest some titles I should consider dipping into. Also, give me a rundown on exactly what they are and why they are worth playing, from your perspective. Thanks if you care to do that.

If you're looking at the PS2, I'd suggest either Samurai Warriors 2 or Dynasty Warriors 4/5. DW5 is among my least favorite entries just because it's evident that they were running into the limitations of the PS2 hardware. I also started playing Dynasty Warriors 3 again recently (the game that got me hooked on the series) and I've found that it still holds up.

If you're looking for PS3 games, I'd say go for Dynasty Warriors 7. it's the most recent entry and features a tone of presentation and gameplay upgrades over its predecessors. (And skip DW6. Even die-hard DW fans aren't fond of DW6.) I'd also suggest taking a look at Dynasty Warriors: Gundam or Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage. DWG has experienced diminishing returns for me with its sequels (I prefer the first game more than the others), and Fist of the North Star is easily the most violent, as it's the only game in the entire franchise that's gotten an M rating.

What the Dynasty Warriors games are are hack-and-slash action titles that are essentially beat'em ups. The DW games in particular are loosely based on the novel Romance of the Three Kingdoms, taking characters and events depicted in the text and turning it into an over-the-top brawler. The gameplay is pretty simple; mow down dudes, complete objectives, and mow down more dudes. However, I really like the games for that. They're something I can just unwind with when I come home from work, or when I just feel like taking it easy. Also, despite their arcade-ish insanity, I credit the Dynasty Warriors games for introducing me to the text. They typically contain detailed encyclopedias of characters and events found in ROT3K. The novel itself is also loosely based on historical events (and I do mean loosely, as it involves magic, spiritual hauntings, and similar supernatural elements), so I was also prompted to look up more information on the figures that interested me and learned a lot of interesting history.

The same goes for Samurai Warriors. These games don't typically contain the same sort of database, but there's a very strong historical influence behind the characters and events found in the game. Even characters that didn't actually participate in battle typically have some sort of trait that was defined by some historical context, though they're often exaggerated for the purposes of the gameplay or presentation. For example, Ginchiyo Tachibana's attacks incorporate electricity, which is a reference to the fact that her father was struck by lightning and survived.

Sorry for the late response, but I hope this helps you out!

@RockmanBionics said:

Your incessant..uh, incessantness about these series has convinced me to try them out sometime, maybe I'll do it with this game.

Heh. That's one way to put it. ;) They're not for everyone, but it would be great if more people could try the games before dismissing them.

@Hailinel said:

@AsperGamer said:

I have never played a Dynasty Warriors/Orichi game. I like to keep an open mind though. Hallinel, if I see a really cheap game for the PS2, perhaps PS3 (less likely), suggest some titles I should consider dipping into. Also, give me a rundown on exactly what they are and why they are worth playing, from your perspective. Thanks if you care to do that.

Sorry for the late response, but I hope this helps you out!

Thanks for the info. I have made a note of the titles and will have a look at the 2nd hand stores this week and see what I can find. At worst I will pay $10 for a PS2 game or $15 for a PS3, so it isn't like I have a lot to lose. My promise is that when I get one, I will give it a few hours and report back to you. The description of the games doesn't really sound like what I enjoy, but it is good to sample everything - so many games I wouldn't have gone on to love if I kept a closed mind.

Kinda wished I had seen this news before I bought it on PSN a couple of days ago. It doesn't seem like I'll be missing that much though. I'm really enjoying it so far but I'm disappointed that Nemea is the character they chose from Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll.

@AsperGamer: So how did the search go? If you want more options, Samurai Warriors 3 on the Wii is great. I'm pretty surprised by @Hailinel's thoughts on DW5, it's probably my favorite in the series so far.

@TopSteer said:

Kinda wished I had seen this news before I bought it on PSN a couple of days ago. It doesn't seem like I'll be missing that much though. I'm really enjoying it so far but I'm disappointed that Nemea is the character they chose from Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll.

@AsperGamer: So how did the search go? If you want more options, Samurai Warriors 3 on the Wii is great. I'm pretty surprised by @Hailinel's thoughts on DW5, it's probably my favorite in the series so far.

Don't get me wrong. I enjoyed DW5 well enough. It's just that the realities of the PS2 and the size of the roster were starting to clash with each other.

On the note of old franchises getting new versions on the WiiU, the Monster Hunter 3 remake / new version for WiiU is the most exciting thing on that platform so far. This might be the first good online monster hunter experience on a proper console. Still not enough to make the Wiiu price make sense though.

@TopSteer said:

@AsperGamer: So how did the search go? If you want more options, Samurai Warriors 3 on the Wii is great. I'm pretty surprised by @Hailinel's thoughts on DW5, it's probably my favorite in the series so far.

I looked, I really did. They hold their price really well if you can find one. They are damn hard to find. I won't give up the search though. I am more inclined to try a PS3 than go back to the PS2, so just remind which ones are worth trying and which ones I should avoid on the current systems.

@AsperGamer: If you want a similar game with a bit more... personality, you could try Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes (on PS3 and Wii). More focus on the individual characters than Dynasty Warriors, and much more over the top.

@BlackLagoon said:

@AsperGamer: If you want a similar game with a bit more... personality, you could try Sengoku Basara: Samurai Heroes (on PS3 and Wii). More focus on the individual characters than Dynasty Warriors, and much more over the top.

I have certainly seen both of those pretty cheap. Thanks, I will take a risk and see for myself.

@AsperGamer: Dynasty Warriors 7 is definitely your best bet on PS3. I personally liked the renbu combat system in DW6 but I know most didn't so it's probably best to avoid that one. I haven't played any of Sengoku Basara beyond the demo but I think the gameplay is similar enough that if you like it then you'll probably like the Warriors series.

@AsperGamer: Samurai Warriors and the Xtreme Legends expansion on PS2 are the best of the whole series; voice acting is superb throughout. While I personally love the Three Kingdoms storyline it hasn't ever been told well by a DW game, but the SW storyline (at least for the first game, second is greatly weakened by atrocious voice acting, graphics look less sharp etc) is reasonably engaging. "May the gods show you mercy"