Anything Three Kingdoms related is so boring at this point. The characters are indistinguishable and incredibly lame. Lu Bu is cool. But anyone who has cut their teeth on Dynasty Warriors knows that already.

The game wants to tell a story. But for how bad the cutscenes are, there are far too many of them. The game is only worth paying attention to during its hectic combat scenarios. But even when you dig into those, you find too many flaws.

The game is heavily balanced around parrying and fatal strikes. Ultimately, you're rewarded for patiently holding your sword, and baiting an enemy into fatal strike opportunities. It's effective, yet boring. Because you can't cancel out of regular attacks, you're often punished for going on the offensive. You are given other tools to unleash damage in the form of Wizardry and Martial Arts, but neither feel satisfying. Character builds are tedious and ultimately disappointing. The loot system is a huge waste of time. Prepare to send mountains of equipment to the salvage yard.