Dynasty Warriors storms on to the PSP, bringing with it some fantastic portable gameplay, but also some distinct flaws. Some of it can be attributed to early-launch anxiety and the still-foreign territory of PSP development, while other issues are simply inexcuseable. The game puts you in the shoes of a general who commands an army of generally useless soldiers. You follow a loosely described plot, tearing apart hordes of enemy soldiers. The horrid computer-controlled team-members are what first sticks out in the game. It’s not so much the AI, as the fact that any one of them would get laid out flat by a 5-year old girl. You’re often running through the battlefield, hacking enemies down like bushes to a machete, when you notice a supposedly powerful general pounding away at a lowly soldier. This is one of those unforgivable things, and it tends to interfere with the gameplay somewhat. The level mechanics are well-suited to the portable platform. A map that features many smaller battles has replaced the major battles of Dynasty Warriors yesteryear. You get to ride around through various spots on the map, chasing down enemy generals, and cutting them up in to tiny general-nuggets. It’s relatively simple to understand, and keeps the game-play moving at a quick pace. The map layout also gives a strong feeling of accomplishment. As you rove around the map, squashing the opposing army and taking supply depots, you are infused with a near-megalomaniac feeling of dominance. The whole idea of the game embodies the popular idea of the “One.” You know, like how Neo could take out the robot armies alone, how Bruce Willis could survive bullet wounds and glass shards, or how the Grimace can eat planets. Nothing can kill the Grimace. But seriously, this is a popular motif in film and literature manifested in game form. You take the role of the “One,” the undefeatable warrior who will lead his armies to victory. It’s inspiring, exhilarating, and almost makes up for many of the shortcomings. At first, I thought there was a “bullet-time” effect thrown in as a feature. I have exhausted my investigative wits, and found no such mention of this feature. Instead, it’s the hardware of the PSP screaming for a break. When you get about 30 enemies on the receiving end of your giant pole, the action slows down dramatically. This seems to be just launch-title jitters, but it brings down the quality of this game quite a bit. Horse control is another aspect of the game that suffers sorely. Having never ridden a horse in real life (I live in Canada, people), I am somewhat uneducated on equine physics. I do understand that horses cannot turn on a dime, however their turning radius must certainly be tighter. Did Cowboys really have to take a loop around the saloon just to get another pass at their enemies? I doubt it. This makes battling on a horse as useless as riding a giant snail into a group of waiting enemies. The story of the game is vague and uninteresting. Well, in all fairness, it’s not so much a story, as a series of words strung together that seem to make sense. It’s uninteresting, and faceless. The only purpose the story serves is to tell you the name of your enemy so that you can scream it as you decimate their armies. Beware though, the people on the bus will look at you funny. They just don’t understand the heat of the battle. The music was well-suited to the fast-paced atmosphere created by the skirmishes. It furthers the exciting tone created by the sheer power of your character, and has enough variety to resist becoming annoying. The control scheme is intuitive and easy to use, although the default setting utilizes the square button as your default attack. Many, many PSPs have issues with that particular button. While relatively few of them suffer to the same extent as the initial Japanese release did, it still feels different and odd to hammer on that button all the time. If you were a fan of the previous Dynasty Warriors, or are looking for a quick, exciting game that provides some mindless fun, definitely pick up this launch title. It is not for those looking for an intensely cerebral gaming experience, however does make a decent on-ramp to the series. While the game has it’s problems, I would recommend it for the sheer portability and excitement. Rating: 3.5 Fallen Enemy Soldiers Out of 5