There are some changes for the better here, but this series continues to go to the well way too often.
Furthermore, while the game does possess 70+ characters to choose from throughout the campaign, they hardly offer any distinction. Some of their battle techniques are fascinating, and the weapons certainly have different uses, but you never really feel growth. You just go, "Well, I'm fighting with this guy" and rip through a thousand guys without a lick of difference.
The gameplay is repetitive, very repetitive. That's not to say it isn't fun, as Dynasty Warriors is ideal if you feel like ripping through 800+ soldiers after a tough day at work. But the strategies are minimal, outside of utilizing the Musou attacks at the right time and figuring out the best elements and weapons for taking down a boss enemy. Being able to switch between two tools on the fly is nice, but hardly what I consider innovative. Still, it's something.
Where DW8 does make a change is the addition of a second player. Mowing through armies with two people in off-line and online co-op sounds like a dream for some, and, well, here you go. Technically, it holds up okay, though you will run into consistent slowdown – especially on the 360. Furthermore, there's no drop-in/drop-out option, so you're in it till you win or you're dead. Make sure you have a commitment in there.
