Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII

Strategy used to have a comfortable home on PlayStation: ports of Westwood's Command & Conquer series, Bullfrog's Theme games and the likes of Populous and The Bitmap Brothers' excellent Z, can often evoke fond memories in many a 'Station stalwart. But the genre fell by the wayside in later generations, with a slim selection on the PlayStation 2 and only the voice command-driven Tom Clancy's EndWa...

It’s not for everyone, and the action can be overtly simplified at times, but Koei Tecmo crafted an incredibly addictive experience.

Perhaps Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII‘s most lasting achievement will be once again proving that strategy games can work on consoles. And though it doesn’t quite make the case for console strategy ever really being as good as PC-based efforts, the game is worth trying for anyone who can let their historical curiosity overcome their need for visual and interface flair.

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII is not a very accessible game, but if you manage to get into it, you’ll enjoy it a great deal.

PC version reviewed. Copy provided by publisher.

Although this review possesses a rather negative tone, I did enjoy my time with Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII. It is a surprisingly easy game to pick up and play, and I rarely found myself bored during the 25 hours of game time. Saying that, XIII fails to be the best at anything it attempts to do.

I am a self-proclaimed filthy console peasant. I do prefer the console to PC for a variety of reasons, but it doesn’t mean that the console is the best for every gaming genre under the sun. For example, I personally think that point-and-click adventures are better with a mouse to, well, you know, point and click. Consoles have gotten better with this type of game, but the real-time strategy genre ...

In all the game works mechanically well but lacks innovation and plays it too safe. The oversimplified gameplay mixed with lacklustre combat make for a game that plays well but leaves you with the disappointing notion of what could have been.

Did you take an ancient history class in high school and think, “Man, I wish i could re-unify China during the Han Dynasty?” Well, Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII is the game for you, buddy.  Being the father to the highly addictive Dynasty Warriors series, Romance of the Three Kingdoms XIII takes place in 2nd century China and spans across many years and characters.