The definition of déjà vu has been changed significantly thanks to The Matrix. "Déjà vu is usually a glitch in the Matrix. It happens when they change something," explains Trinity about halfway through the first movie. This is really ironic when you take that definition and apply it to Dynasty Warriors 5. It almost feels like déjà vu, because it's essentially the same as the other four Dynasty Warriors games - it feels like I've played this before, so it must be déjà vu, right? Well, not exactly. If you look at last part of Trinity's famous line, she says, "it happens when they change something" - but if I'm honest, I cannot pinpoint what they've changed in Dynasty Warriors 5. On first glance it might just be worth going for Dynasty Warriors 4 and saving yourself some cash.

Just like the last instalment and the ones before that, Dynasty Warriors is all about Chinese warriors and figureheads from the past coming together to fight - all playable, with their own set of moves and their own storyline. There are actually 48 playable characters in this game, a few to unlock and a few that are totally new to this instalment. But then, you'd want at least one thing that's new, wouldn't you!

48 characters to play as in Musou mode, which is the story mode, sounds like a lot and let me tell you, it is a lot! There's a lot of gameplay here and I cannot argue with that! All 48 characters have their own storyline and on average it takes a couple of hours just to finish one storyline. If you're an avid gamer and each character takes you two hours to finish, that's just shy of 100 hours of gameplay. However, there might be lots of gameplay here but when the gameplay isn't actually that good, why would you want to spend that many hours on it? The storylines aren't too clever either. The voice acting is simply laughable, with horrendous voiceovers - the only thing that's missing is some terrible lip-sync and then it would just be like a Chinese film! You can't blame the bad stories though, as with 48 characters to script and voiceover, it's quite a hefty task. So we know that it's quantity over quality and to be frank, I'd rather play a short but sweet title than have to wade through endless drabness.

Nothing's changed gameplay wise, except more enemies to stab on screen than ever before! You still get to go around hitting people with your character's weapons, be it a large stick, a deadly sword, or a flute - I'm not joking either, you can hit people with a flute. Unfortunately bagpipes weren't included in this one but there's always Dynasty Warriors 6, right? Obviously it feels somewhat satisfying mowing down hundreds and hundreds of foes, all falling at your feet, pressing that X button like there's no tomorrow, with the odd touch of the circle button here and there, but it's almost like they don't put up a fight. The AI in this game isn't spectacular. Sometimes they won't even attack - you can run through a crowd of enemies and they actually move out of your way without even touching you! If they aren't going to attack me, then what's the point in giving me a deadly flute - I'm sure a pair of nail clippers would do nicely if they're just going to stand there!

On the off chance that the above mentioned was just a glitch, I went in search of a challenge. What better way to seek a challenge than selecting Challenge mode from the main menu? While Challenge mode isn't the main part of the game, I actually found myself enjoying this more than the main game, because the heat is on, killing hundreds of enemies for some challenge is better than killing them just to advance and more importantly the thrill of racing against the clock, for example, is really exciting. Challenges on offer consist of Sudden Death, where you have to kill as many people as possible without getting hit, Bridge Melee, where you have to knock as many enemies off a bridge as possible in the time given, Time Attack, which sees you racing against the clock in order to defeat a nice mix of 100 foes and Rampage, which is time attack but you have to rack up more kills in the time given. There are records set that need beating and you can play as any character to complete these challenges. There's a good few hours of entertainment here but nothing too different from the previous instalments. Some of the other modes consist of a Free mode, which allows you to just aimlessly kill folk and an Encyclopaedia, where you can fill your head full of knowledge!

The game feels the same as the other Dynasty Warriors titles in more than the ways mentioned above. It graphically looks just the same as the other Dynastys in the series - the menus, the environments (dark and ancient) and the characters look pretty generic but then this is expected if there's hundreds on the same screen. Surprisingly there's no slowdown despite the masses of foes, but then again, I don't recall any slowdown in the other titles either. I'm not keen on the voice actors; I just don't think they fit with the game at all. As mentioned above, it feels like one of these Chinese films with E-Grade voiceovers instead of subtitles, which most of us would rather have I think! The music in this game is an acquired taste, just like the other Dynasty Warriors - heavy guitars, more guitars, demonic guitars, satanic guitars and I think I heard a drum or two as well. Fans should be used to this by now.

If you gave Dynasty Warriors 4 to the average gamer and told him that it was Dynasty Warriors 5, I'm sure they wouldn't notice. Then again, fans of the series, and I know there's a lot of you, will probably love this game. Just be warned - it's almost a carbon copy of the last instalment. No change in voice actors, no change in music, no noticeable graphical changes and more of the same hack and slash gameplay. Should a die-hard fan be treated like this? If you're looking to get into the series then Dynasty Warriors 5 is the best of the lot because of the slight changes and improvements made over the years, but consider number 4, which is essentially the same as number 5 but at a bargain price. So while this it quantity over quality, it should appeal to the hardcore crew, while the rest of us are left hoping that Koei is thinking of evolving the series with the inevitable Dynasty Warriors 6.

Reviewed by Dexter Pearson for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).