The Dynasty Warriors series just keep rolling and rolling. Despite some poor to average reviews across many formats, the titles continue to sell well, and it's almost obligatory to release new versions for new consoles. This time the Xbox 360 gets the Eastern Medieval Warfare treatment, complete with a budget price compared to other 360 titles. However, given the power of the 360, is this just a graphically boosted clone of the previous titles? Has anything been added or improved? Or does the budget price mean a budget production?

Well, the story is certainly the same as many, if not all, of its predecessors. Set in feudal 14th Century China, it tells the tale of the major factions going head to head in a bloody conflict after the fall of the short-lived Han Dynasty. Trying to be epic in scale, the action is set over the whole country and you can take control of one of a number of generals, all who wish to see the land reunited, but under their rule.

Where it really differs is in the modes. Instead of the Musou mode, there is now an Empire mode, so instead of following the story of each general on a fairly predictable path, you actually get to make the decisions on where the story goes. This is carried out over a huge map of China, upon which you select a region to start. At this point it's probably best to start with a pre-made general, until you know what you're doing. After that, you have the option of starting a game with a general you made up yourself with the new character creation mode.

Once placed on the map, the game becomes a mixture of the button mashing that fans of the series will recognise instantly, and some rather neat usage of tactics. Outside of battle, you can set policy for the territories you have captured, or if this is not your cup of tea, you can ignore it and delegate the task to one of your officers. However, I had the most fun with this title of listening to the officers' suggestions and then choosing which option to go for. These included fortifying particular territories, increasing the number of troops in certain areas, developing weapon-crafting skills, increasing trade with other regions or even just listening to your people to maintain their support for you. They cost gold, earned by taxing people in the territories you control, but it's worth it, as all of these have a significant effect upon your battles, and indeed upon the rise or fall of your Empire. I felt like bashing my head against a wall on more than one occasion however, when I realised I'd neglected to fortify a region in favour of increasing trade or training an officer, only to find an opposing army sweeping in and helping themselves.

Unfortunately, the battle gameplay isn't quite as satisfying, although it is still a good laugh. For those not familiar with the Dynasty Warriors series, you and whichever generals and their armies you bring in with you start in one corner of the map and usually have to either kill the leader of the opposition or control his base camp to win. Played in a third person perspective, you then tour the battlefield with your armies, looking to take control of various key points on the map, whilst despatching large numbers of the opposition with the chosen weapon of the general you're playing.

I was hoping for some continued tactics, whereby you could fight but also toggle between the armies and tell them where to go and what to do next, not unlike the oft-overlooked Xbox classic Kingdom Under Fire. However, it isn't possible to take direct control of the armies, and I often found I had to change my plans to help out other officers who'd dug themselves in a bit too deep. Other than that though, it is quite satisfying wading through a huge stack of enemies, plus their guard captains and officers, mashing three buttons in a variety of combinations. Hitting a certain number of kills, or KO's, gives your army a morale boost, while taking down loads of enemy soldiers in quick succession fills up a bar that you can use for your devastating special move. This is particularly effective against officers and the 'boss' of each battleground. Unfortunately though, it's not long before a certain level of tedium sets in, as you realise that each battle is going to require a fair bit of hacking away just to claim a territory.

The feeling sets in partly also as a result of the visuals, which get repetitive fast and certainly don't have that next-gen feel. You'd be forgiven for thinking you were playing the normal Xbox, if it wasn't for a bit of spit and polish and the sometimes extreme numbers on screen without the slowdown. The textures of the landscapes aren't that detailed at all and in some places bland enough to be poor even by current-gen standards. Although the settings vary - forests, tundra and suchlike -the fortifications are remarkably similar and so only exacerbate the feeling of playing the same battle over and over again. Even the enemy strongholds seldom vary, despite a few more watchtowers and changes between wooden and stone constructions.

The same applies to the people you encounter, be it your armies or the opposition. They are identical except for colour and even that isn't always different. The generals you employ each have different coloured outfits and occasionally are strikingly similar to those worn by opposing armies. It's at this stage that the gameplay becomes confusing, and you can only tell the opposition apart by the red health bars above their heads. The only variation within these themes are the officers, who can be quite finely detailed in suits of armour very similar to that of a samurai or a warrior noble.

This mediocrity extends to the music as well. I have always found it a wonder that games depicting war in ancient China are almost always accompanied by wholly inappropriate music, in this case heavy metal. Don't get me wrong, I love my thrash, blast beats and even a bit of the older stuff, but this kind of tune is getting a bit old when it comes to computer games. I find myself slipping back to Rez on the PS2 and wondering why other games can't be as original in their musical outlook. Unfortunately, the same can be said for the sound effects too; if I had a peanut for each time I've heard the generic clash of steel on steel, or the groans passing from dying men's lips, I'd be sporting a belly-wheel by now.

When all these factors are combined, you do have a reasonable game in Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires, especially given that it's come out at a budget price compare to most of the other 360 titles. However, it really does lack that next generation touch, besides some spit and polish on the visuals and the cracking frame rate. Also, even though there has been an attempt to introduce more strategy via the Empire mode, the gameplay is as repetitive stale as the music, unless you're a fan of button mashing. Fans of the previous games will enjoy this, but I suggest a play before you pay to everyone else, especially with the superb looking DW style game, Ninety Nine Nights, amassing its graphically splendorous armies on the horizon.

Reviewed by Dave Wynn for AceGamez (All Rights Reserved).