Romance of The Three Kingdoms XI (PlayStation 2, 2007)

If you're interested in purchasing Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI then I'm guessing you're familiar with the franchise. If not, I would not recommend starting with this title, but rather with number VII or VII.

As with previous versions of this title, Koei takes the basic format it has been using and tweaks it just enough to make for a new game playing experience. There are some nice improvements to the soundtrack and the graphics (both land graphics, and the graphics for duels and debates). This series has been in need of new artwork, and someone at Koei finally decided to do it. While not on par with what you will see from most PS2 games, the graphics are much better than they have been.
They also changed the way you build up supplies, soldiers, and weapons. The population of the town is no longer effected by raising troops, but you do need to keep a closer eye on money and food as you develop. Time is somewhat more realistic in that it takes much longer to send troops on an attack or to transport supplies from city to city. Some may view this as a positive since it now involves more planning, while others may long for Romance X where supplies were transported instantly. All in all, I think most Romance fans will enjoy the changes to the strategic gameplay and the improved graphics.

Now the down side. There is almost zero character development in this game. One of the things that people have liked about this series is the ability to build up your characters stats and relationships. In Romance XI you can't do any of that. Wether you create a character or choose to control one of the historic officers, you control him the way you control everyone else in the game. You give your character orders just the same as every other officer. Before, the games took on a first perspective point of view from your controlled character. Now, it uses a third person perspective where you control all the characters at your city in the same way. There is no interacting between characters to build up relationships. No markets, taverns, or barracks to visit, and no quests to go on to gain experience or skills (you pick one skill in the beginning and that's all you get). Character development is completely eliminated from Romance XI.

All in all, this is a solid strategy game. The improved grahics are a big plus for followers of this title. However, if you enjoyed building up your character in the previous titles, you will be disappointed in the complete lack of character development in this game.