It has become the butt of far too many jokes and is considered by many as one of the most annoying franchises in gaming, but Dynasty Warriors continues to be forge on and continues to sell well. As a series that lacks innovation to such a degree that each new release is all but identical to those released six years ago, it could really do with a major overhaul. Before that happens though - and indeed, if it ever does - Koei is releasing the latest game, Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires, the latest iteration of one of DW's spin-off series. Does it do enough to hold the attention of those who love all things Dynasty Warriors, and more importantly does it offer anything to those who found the games a bore sometime ago, or should it be left to rot in the bargain bins of your local games store?

It's a shame that Dynasty Warriors has to be described in this way, as there is no denying that I enjoyed some of my time with the game. It's obvious why the series hooks a large number of players in the way that you fight enemies while your teammates help you out. But sadly, the annoyances far outweigh the better aspects, making this once again more of a re-release with gameplay that isn't enough to distinguish it from every preceding release. The subtitle Empires also makes this less of a complete DW experience, having a stronger emphasis on working with a faction to invade your way across the world map. This twist adds some depth to the gameplay, such as choosing your allegiances and completing side missions for gold and experience, but regrettably this is all done through a series of interlinked menus that would be confusing enough without the puzzling subheadings and event descriptions, not to mention the fact that you can't roam around a main base camp removes you from the action. There are a lot of different ways to play however, with three main career paths to choose between at the very start. Although each sends you on similar missions, the variation in the Empires sections is one of the game's best qualities.

The three careers - Ruler, Officer and Vagrant - are available when starting a new Empire campaign, and although the differences between these are only seen before and after battles, choosing the right one for your playing style is essential. The Ruler is the most difficult class for beginners; knowledge of the way events are dealt with and the intricacies of the series are vital for success. This is, however, the only unit that has real power over other AI characters, meaning that while sometimes an officer can abandon your cause, mostly they'll listen to your advice and do exactly as you say on the battlefield - you actually control your officers in this instance. With that said, the classes that require a bit more brute force than intelligence are often much more enjoyable; the Vagrant differs by not being allied with any faction from the start, making mercenary work much easier to come by, while Warriors have much more potent resources and so can be more effective in battle. This subtle difference creates a whole new experience, adding to the longevity of the game considerably, and you can even use a custom character as any of the three classes, though the lacklustre character creation tools leave a lot to be desired.

No matter which class you choose however, one thing is for sure: the battles you fight are very repetitive. Seen as one of the major problems for the series, variety isn't the strongest point of combat. Attacks are mapped to the face buttons, with more powerful Musou attacks being selected by holding L2. As a commander of a set of AI soldiers, you lead your team to the enemies dotted across the map, who are also gathered in large groups. Your team take ages to walk anywhere, first having to work out where to go before approaching every situation with extreme caution. This can get frustrating, especially if you wade into a fight thinking that your men are close behind, when in fact they've wandered over to another set of enemies instead. Luckily though, the combat itself is fairly simple and relatively easy; only on the hardest difficulties do you require a bit of tactical thinking, as most scenarios are so easy that pressing Square continuously is sufficient. You might die due to the sheer overwhelming numbers of enemies on occasion, but with the right weapon - the larger ones being much more effective - enemies pose little challenge. Enemy commanders can take a beating though and each mission features a number of tough commanders that alter your position in the battle considerably when defeated. The missions in Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires are unsurprisingly similar to those in every other DW game, which makes them just as tiresome. Boredom sets in after about three or four fights, making this a game that should be enjoyed in small bursts to keep the momentum - and the heartbeat - going.

In terms of design, Dynasty Warriors has retained the classic Ancient China aesthetic, but little has changed on the technical side and the result is a game that looks little more than a higher resolution PS2 effort, rather than one running on the high end machines of 2009. Character animations repeat over and over again, hundreds of identical soldiers push and shove their way through each other's screen space to show off their blurry textures, and pieces of scenery pop up just as you bump into them. The draw distance looks great at first, but you soon begin to realise how little the game is actually showing of the distant areas and characters; in some missions whole battalions of enemies suddenly appear around you, with the game's memory stuck in the location you were at two minutes ago. These issues prevent Empires from entering the decent visuals territory, which thankfully isn't the case with the sound design. Both the music and sound heard in Empires is great, with a fitting musical score and some excellent voice work. The score sweeps in at key moments of the battle, building up otherwise absent tension and triumph when needed. The sound of the battle is surprisingly low key though, with only a few clinks of swords and shouts from a far away battle, but this doesn't detract from the rest of the sound design too much.

Unfortunately, for everything that Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires does right, it does several things to remind you that this is the exact same game as DW2, way back in 2000; from the combat to the graphical design and quality, the series has been treading water for years. Because of this, even the Empires additions - seen at least twice before - don't make this worthy of a purchase. Asking for Koei to change up the formula next time round seems to be a pointless endeavour by now - it's arguably the most long-running non-progressive series in the history of gaming - so fans of the series will probably continue to love it, despite its refusal to enter this generation (or, indeed, the previous one), while the rest will continue to be puzzled by its popularity and could turn to pretty much any other hack 'n' slash style action game for a better looking and more enjoyable experience.

Reviewed by Sam Atkins for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).