Ranking Every Dynasty Warriors Game Worst To Best

There's a lot to like about Dynasty Warriors 5, especially when compared to some of the games that followed it. Unlike Dynasty Warriors 4, it had individual story modes for each character, like in Dynasty Warriors 3. This shortened the individual stories, making them more digestible, and helped cement the unique heroics and personalities of each and every member of Dynasty Warriors 5's large cast. Even characters whose stories would have been short, due to untimely deaths, receive "what-if" stories that present new and exciting alternative histories to the semi-historical tales presented by the games thus far. Though many fans prefer the kingdom-driven stories, this is how to do the individual stories right.

In terms of aesthetics, Dynasty Warriors 5 isn't flashy or particularly exciting. By 2005, the PlayStation 2 and Xbox were showing their age, leading to a somewhat muddy graphical experience. Despite this, the game still holds up, if one can look past the visuals. Bases were a welcome addition to the mainline series (adapted from the Empire spinoffs), in which players could capture bases en route to their final assaults on the enemy, allowing them to halt enemy reinforcements, receive items, and summon their own allies for one coordinated push. At its core, it's not a substantial deviation from the gameplay of Dynasty Warriors 3 or 4, but in its defense, it's hard to improve on perfection. Dynasty Warriors 5 may not quite hit the peaks of its predecessors, but for fans, it's still an incredibly rewarding entry.