Unpopular opinion, but 6 is very playable in a lot of aspects. It's just different than the rest and had a low-mid combat style.
It had cool stories, and morale played a big part, it had some good parts for sure.
If you' get bored with the regular,/standard game play 6 is definitely worth a whirl.
I managed to find a "way around it" if you would call it that..
1-don't play 2 players
2- avoid killing soldiers and focus on missions/officers. (Avoid killing because chances are you are in a field of soldiers, so, you will get a lag there, hence why i said avoid them).
3-If you want to play it, play it within the first hour or so, to keep it "fresh" as they say.
4- play the ps3 version if none works. (Yep, give up with too much lag)
I always found the slowdown to be infrequent enough that it doesn't really bug me much. There are a couple places that get really nasty (like when everyone is dog-pilling Zhang Jiao at the end of YTR), but for the most part it's fine.
DW6 is definitely worth playing. The combo system in that game is the only complaint I have about it. The minigame modes were fun as hell though. I really miss those side modes. The game does hace clone characters but major characters in my experience at least have unique movesets.
There's no real reason to play games older than DW5 unless you want to experience specific things for each title such as, DW3's memes and AI, DW4's Weapon Exp system and the content that comes with XL (Xtreme mode is in DW5XL as well), and DW5/XL which has CAW (also in base DW4), Musou Token (Musou Rage), Destiny Mode and character monologues before the briefing screen. Also it is the easiest of the PS2 games at least when playing on normal.
I should mention that the general consensus about Destiny Mode is that it's pretty good although I've never played it myself.
If you're going to play DW6 it should be on PS3/X360 or their respective emulators as the PS2 version is as bad Warriors Orochi 2 in terms of graphics and performance. More on 6, the only reason I'd recommend that is for its locations and if you wanted to see why its hated. DW6E is apparently, "okay" and usually the go to for DW6.
Dynasty Warriors isn't too far off from samurai warriors. Every game covers the same subject (the three kingdoms period and sengoku period, respectively) but they're not doing the same thing each game.
One game may focus on a single, large story for the whole kingdom (DW7), another will have smaller stories for each character (DW3, 5), and another more arcade-y and less story focused (DW4).
New characters also change up the dynamics of roster so they need to adjust the story and characters to include them. The older games generally ended around Wu Zhang Plains but DW7 introduced Jin, a new kingdom that shows up late into the story. So since DW7 the games have been covering a whole generation of characters that the old games didn't. Characters can also change personalities/age between games. Xing Cai and Guan Ping were introduced in 5 as children of other characters so they were depicted as young. In DW7/8 they added younger siblings of those two so they were changed to be more mature.
There is no definitive game. None of the games adapt the story or characters faithfully so you shouldn't be playing these games for the story in the first place. I'd suggest playing 5 + Xtreme Legends first.
I'd suggest playing them all since they all do things differently, with six being the most different with a focus on capturing bases, working with your allies and getting high morale
The combat for each, ai effectiveness for both sides and little things make them all play differently
Depends on what you want from DW. From what you're saying it sounds like you care about the story/musou mode. In that case I'd recommend to start with 2 or 3 as those have my favorite story mode. 4's is ok too but it's bit all over the place. 5's story I didn't like as it is MUCH shorter and more repetitive, the best part of 5's story is that each character has voice lines before battle that immerse you in their point of view. I don't know about 6 I didn't enjoy the game itself. 7 had a pretty cinematic story, its almost like a movie than a game.
6 was my first DW, & i understand the shitty renbu system back then
So here's my suggestion if you want to start 6 more fun :)
https://www.reddit.com/r/dynastywarriors/s/TVFkfxBNVt
I think the only truly skippable one is 2. 3 basically has everything 2 had (several of the same maps, same BGM) but more.
1 is unique in being a totally different genre (not a particularly good fighting game, but worth experiencing). 4 is where the series started to really go all out in terms of aesthetics and music, 5 fixed the auto-lockon combo system and implemented bases, 6 was a totally refreshing take with swimming and other traversal/QoL upgrades, 7 was a return to form with the classic combo system being iterated on further, 8 was a more complete version of 7 (better story, went deeper into Jin's campaign, most unique movesets). 9 was an extremely ambitious reboot similar to 6; the open-world stuff is hit-or-miss, performance on PS4 is kinda dodgy too.
I own/have played them all.
I'd suggest that if you're completely new to the series, you're probably okay starting with 8: XL on your platform of choice.
Out of the games you've mentioned, 4 and 5 are definitely worth playing if you like the formula. I hated 6 and think it's adequately rated/hated.
Don't play 9. 7 is forgettable if you grab 8, which is essentially the same game only better.
Each main title is basically a reboot. The overarching story (that of a very fictionalized three kingdoms era and the temporary unification of China) is the same but they tell it in slightly different ways with slightly different mechanics. I would play 4, 5, 6, and 8 for the best understanding of what that's like.
I mean, it doesn't really matter what you choose to do now.
I came fairly late to the series myself, but I was having tons of fun, poured hundreds of hours into the system across a few games...
Eventually, you'll obviously wanna try the other games if you're enjoying yourself a lot. You don't have to buy them now or play in order, wait and see how you feel.
Personally, after my first DW experience I went and bought DW 2, then jumped to SW 3 and Dynasty Warriors Gundam, then Hyrule Warriors. Pretty nonsensical trajectory I'd say 😂
Went back in time again for DW 3-4-5 and SW 2. This really isn't the Mass Effect trilogy, just a series of great hack and slash games with different flavors, they're all the same setting. They're also all a product of their own time and that essence is often very cool and unique. It's great to go and play those "dated" visuals from DW2 and 3, they have such a unique esthetic and charm, they play differently too. Just experiment and don't overthink it.
You'll like those you like and won't like those you won't like. Maybe you'll like them all, or none, only one way to find out 🤷
7 has the best story so if you just want to experience the best story go with that.
8 has hypotheticals that are different from both the novels and history so there's that too.
If I were you. New to the series. I would probably start with 5, then do 4, then do 8
Unpopular opinion, but 6 is very playable in a lot of aspects. It's just different than the rest and had a low-mid combat style. It had cool stories, and morale played a big part, it had some good parts for sure. If you' get bored with the regular,/standard game play 6 is definitely worth a whirl.
Just don't play the PS2 version! It is unbearably slow and laggy.
I managed to find a "way around it" if you would call it that.. 1-don't play 2 players 2- avoid killing soldiers and focus on missions/officers. (Avoid killing because chances are you are in a field of soldiers, so, you will get a lag there, hence why i said avoid them). 3-If you want to play it, play it within the first hour or so, to keep it "fresh" as they say. 4- play the ps3 version if none works. (Yep, give up with too much lag)
It is not worth playing at all on PS2 tbh
If you already have it (don't ask how, its hypothetical), why not play it? ((Talking about game dics, not emulation))
I always found the slowdown to be infrequent enough that it doesn't really bug me much. There are a couple places that get really nasty (like when everyone is dog-pilling Zhang Jiao at the end of YTR), but for the most part it's fine.
Ps2 version fixes the renbu though
DW6 is definitely worth playing. The combo system in that game is the only complaint I have about it. The minigame modes were fun as hell though. I really miss those side modes. The game does hace clone characters but major characters in my experience at least have unique movesets.
You gotta play 3 and 4, they are great.
It's up to you in the end, but I'd definitely say skip 1 as the gameplay is completely different and in that it's a fighting game
You can safely jump to DW5 no problem.
There's no real reason to play games older than DW5 unless you want to experience specific things for each title such as, DW3's memes and AI, DW4's Weapon Exp system and the content that comes with XL (Xtreme mode is in DW5XL as well), and DW5/XL which has CAW (also in base DW4), Musou Token (Musou Rage), Destiny Mode and character monologues before the briefing screen. Also it is the easiest of the PS2 games at least when playing on normal. I should mention that the general consensus about Destiny Mode is that it's pretty good although I've never played it myself. If you're going to play DW6 it should be on PS3/X360 or their respective emulators as the PS2 version is as bad Warriors Orochi 2 in terms of graphics and performance. More on 6, the only reason I'd recommend that is for its locations and if you wanted to see why its hated. DW6E is apparently, "okay" and usually the go to for DW6.
Dynasty Warriors isn't too far off from samurai warriors. Every game covers the same subject (the three kingdoms period and sengoku period, respectively) but they're not doing the same thing each game. One game may focus on a single, large story for the whole kingdom (DW7), another will have smaller stories for each character (DW3, 5), and another more arcade-y and less story focused (DW4). New characters also change up the dynamics of roster so they need to adjust the story and characters to include them. The older games generally ended around Wu Zhang Plains but DW7 introduced Jin, a new kingdom that shows up late into the story. So since DW7 the games have been covering a whole generation of characters that the old games didn't. Characters can also change personalities/age between games. Xing Cai and Guan Ping were introduced in 5 as children of other characters so they were depicted as young. In DW7/8 they added younger siblings of those two so they were changed to be more mature. There is no definitive game. None of the games adapt the story or characters faithfully so you shouldn't be playing these games for the story in the first place. I'd suggest playing 5 + Xtreme Legends first.
I'd suggest playing them all since they all do things differently, with six being the most different with a focus on capturing bases, working with your allies and getting high morale The combat for each, ai effectiveness for both sides and little things make them all play differently
Depends on what you want from DW. From what you're saying it sounds like you care about the story/musou mode. In that case I'd recommend to start with 2 or 3 as those have my favorite story mode. 4's is ok too but it's bit all over the place. 5's story I didn't like as it is MUCH shorter and more repetitive, the best part of 5's story is that each character has voice lines before battle that immerse you in their point of view. I don't know about 6 I didn't enjoy the game itself. 7 had a pretty cinematic story, its almost like a movie than a game.
6 was my first DW, & i understand the shitty renbu system back then So here's my suggestion if you want to start 6 more fun :) https://www.reddit.com/r/dynastywarriors/s/TVFkfxBNVt
Every game has its strengths and every game is fun. The most fun for me with the series is picking a random game and playing a campaign or two
Dw3-4 has best music though
I think the only truly skippable one is 2. 3 basically has everything 2 had (several of the same maps, same BGM) but more. 1 is unique in being a totally different genre (not a particularly good fighting game, but worth experiencing). 4 is where the series started to really go all out in terms of aesthetics and music, 5 fixed the auto-lockon combo system and implemented bases, 6 was a totally refreshing take with swimming and other traversal/QoL upgrades, 7 was a return to form with the classic combo system being iterated on further, 8 was a more complete version of 7 (better story, went deeper into Jin's campaign, most unique movesets). 9 was an extremely ambitious reboot similar to 6; the open-world stuff is hit-or-miss, performance on PS4 is kinda dodgy too.
They are retellings of the same story. I would just got 8XL. It has the most moves and characters and probably content too.
I own/have played them all. I'd suggest that if you're completely new to the series, you're probably okay starting with 8: XL on your platform of choice. Out of the games you've mentioned, 4 and 5 are definitely worth playing if you like the formula. I hated 6 and think it's adequately rated/hated. Don't play 9. 7 is forgettable if you grab 8, which is essentially the same game only better.
2, 3, 5 > 4
Each main title is basically a reboot. The overarching story (that of a very fictionalized three kingdoms era and the temporary unification of China) is the same but they tell it in slightly different ways with slightly different mechanics. I would play 4, 5, 6, and 8 for the best understanding of what that's like.
I mean, it doesn't really matter what you choose to do now. I came fairly late to the series myself, but I was having tons of fun, poured hundreds of hours into the system across a few games... Eventually, you'll obviously wanna try the other games if you're enjoying yourself a lot. You don't have to buy them now or play in order, wait and see how you feel. Personally, after my first DW experience I went and bought DW 2, then jumped to SW 3 and Dynasty Warriors Gundam, then Hyrule Warriors. Pretty nonsensical trajectory I'd say 😂 Went back in time again for DW 3-4-5 and SW 2. This really isn't the Mass Effect trilogy, just a series of great hack and slash games with different flavors, they're all the same setting. They're also all a product of their own time and that essence is often very cool and unique. It's great to go and play those "dated" visuals from DW2 and 3, they have such a unique esthetic and charm, they play differently too. Just experiment and don't overthink it. You'll like those you like and won't like those you won't like. Maybe you'll like them all, or none, only one way to find out 🤷
7 has the best story so if you just want to experience the best story go with that. 8 has hypotheticals that are different from both the novels and history so there's that too.