TGS 2011: Dynasty Warriors Xtreme Legends/Dynasty Warriors Next Trailers/Gameplay Videos

Koei Tecmo is set to hit the PS3 and Vita with a VERY cool 1-2 punch with these two entries in the long-running franchise. Critics may hate these games, but the core fan base (and folks like me who just like the non-stop chaos and combat the series provides) just eats up each new installment. The PS3 exclusive Xtreme Legends will feature new characters, secret weapons, a new Legend Mode, a Challenge Mode and Japanese voice-overs (nice). No news on a NA release date, but that's what updates are for, right?

Review: Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll

Platform: PlayStation 3

Developer: Omega Force

Publisher: Tecmo Koei

# of Players: 1

ESRB Rating: T (Teen)

Official Site

Score: B+

If you're a big fan of hack & slash action RPGs and happen to own a PlayStation 3, Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll is going to be right up your alley. Omega Force's latest is a solid dungeon hack with a few splashes of familiar genre influences (both Eastern and Western) from Diablo to Demon's Souls. If that puts a grin on your face, you're all set for many hours of quality monster slaying, loot grabbing and quests galore. The game's non-linear structure allows for enough freedom that the main plot of a half-elf's revenge against the evil overlord that killed his family almost takes second place to the sheer amount of rescue/escort missions, fetch quests, arena challenges and other RPG staples. I say almost because while the story does pick up as the game goes on, the simple, yet challenging gameplay is the star when it needs to be. While it isn't perfect, Omega Force deserves a ton of credit for making such a fun to play experience that's guaranteed to steal many hours from those players that fall under its spell.

Dynasty Warriors 7 English Trailer

Here you go - complete with an all-new graphics engine, stereoscopic 3D support and that always controversial English dub. Not to mention the dozens of hours of hack & slash gameplay, too many playable characters to keep track of and plenty of real estate to romp around in. An acquired taste for sure - but hell, sometimes that sort of consistency can be a good thing.

Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll Epic Trailer

Here's a peek at the final English-language trailer for Koei Tecmo's single player fantasy Action/RPG, set to hit US stores on February 8, 2011 (and UK outlets on February 11) exclusively for the PS3. Omega Force's super-stylized visuals are pretty neat overall. If the story is decent, this might be a bit of a sleeper in a VERY busy month full of games (in an even crazier year stuffed with more!). 2011 is turning into the turduckhen of game years, it seems...

Gallery Update: Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll

New screens (as well as a few I missed from last month) from Koei Tecmo's upcoming Action/RPG. Ever-busy developer Omega Force is going for an "artistic" look to the game with a filter that gives the visuals a rather interesting painterly quality. Personally, I like this stylistic touch a lot - we'll see how it all plays next month when the game hits retail on February 8, 2011

Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll Cover Art

Well alright - here's the cover art for Koei Tecmo and Omega Force's upcoming action/RPG set for a February 8, 2011 launch as a PS3 exclusive. I'm pretty excited about this one based on the screenshots that show off some quirky fantasy art and unique color palette the developer has used throughout. While I'm hoping the gameplay leans more toward the Crimson Sea sort of action, as a longtime fan of hack & slash games, I won't be disappointed at all if it doesn't. I have the feeling that this might be one of those games where you'll get more than you'd expect, but if you go in with no expectations, you'll be even more pleasantly surprised.

Gallery Update: Dynasty Warriors 7

As the lovely Sun Shang Xiang's come-hither (so she can kick your ass) stare shows, in terms of graphics, Omega Force is clearly doing its best work to date on this latest game in the long-running Warriors franchise. As you'll soon see in the gallery below the jump, the rest of the in game characters share that same level of polish. Fans of the series can expect a few tweaks to the familiar formula to go along with the upgraded visuals when the game hits retail on March 22, 2011 for the PS3 and Xbox 360.

Memo to Omega Force - nice new engine you've got there. Three words: Crimson. Sea. Sequel. Two more words: Destrega 2. Make it happen, people!

Tecmo Koei's Q1 2011 Lineup: A Cast of Thousands In Three Games (Plus Two 3DS Titles)

Tecmo Koei is getting an early start on 2011 by announcing three upcoming console games for the first quarter of next year as well as two 3DS exclusives with release dates and more info on the portable games to be announced shortly - (at or around CES, I'm guessing). Here's what's on the way:

Trinity: Souls of Zill ‘Oll (PS3 Exclusive) – February 8, 2011
Warriors: Legends of Troy (PS3/Xbox 360) – March 8, 2011
Dynasty Warriors 7 (PS3 and Xbox 360) – March 22, 2011
Dead or Alive Dimensions (3DS)
Samurai Warriors Chronicles (3DS)

I'll run updated galleries for each game as new media comes in.

New Dynasty Warriors 7 Screens (You KNOW You Want To Look...)

It's OK... admit it, you're a secret (or not so secret) Dynasty Warriors fan who's learned to ignore the harshly jaded critics out there and keeps buying and playing every game in the franchise (and its spin-offs) from start to finish because it's become the digital equivalent of mom's mac & cheese for you. Those long 60-plus hour campaigns with all those unlockable characters plowing through packs of enemies as kill counts are racked up in the thousands? Yeah, that's you, all bleary-eyed and smiling into your coffee on a Monday morning not bragging about hunkering down indoors for three days straight while your work buddies are babbling all about that Friday night hottie that gave them a kick to the groin after yet another bad pickup line. They fail and revel in it like the foolish lemmings they are, while you continue to win, win and win (and how!).

Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll Gameplay Footage x6

Here's what to expect from Koei Temco's upcoming PS3 exclusive Action/RPG. Each of these six videos shows off developer Omega Force's skills quite well, I'd say. Love the color palette, dynamic spells and what's looking like an easy to pick up and play combat system against the swarms of enemies on screen. Of course, the KT haters will be out in full force against this game's strengths, but we'll wait and see what the actual product plays like sometime next year. Will familiarity breed contempt... or just more sore thumbs and a blissed-out grin after too many hours of whittling down goblins and big-ass wolves? Again, We. Shall. See.

More footage below the jump, as usual.

Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll Screenshot Gallery

As promised, here's a look at some screens from Koei Tecmo's upcoming fantasy Action/RPG, set to hit the PS3 on February 8, 2011. There's a decidedly rustic look to these images that I like - not over-polished at all, but still intriguing enough to get me interested in playing the final product. Check them out for yourself below the jump.

Koei Tecmo Announces Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll Coming to PS3 in 2011

Koei Tecmo has announced that its PS3 exclusive fantasy Action/RPG Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll will be hitting retail on February 8, 2011. Teaser trailer above, a second trailer below and screens to come shortly (as soon as I have time to sit down and grab 'em all). So far, I'm liking the nice Crimson Sea meets Dynasty Warriors vibe in the trailers and screens and it looks as if developer Omega Force is going all out in terms of the presentation and decent amount of enemies onscreen. We'll be keeping an eye peeled for updates as they wing this way, that's for sure...

Review: Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage

Platform: PS3 (also on Xbox 360)

Developer: Omega Force

Publisher: Koei Tecmo

# of Players: 1 - 2

ESRB Rating: M (Mature)

Official Site

Score: B

If there's ever been a game franchise more targeted to a very specific fan base, I'd say Koei Tecmo's long-running Sengoku Mousou (Dynasty Warriors) series is somewhere at the top of that list. The Dynasty Warriors... well, dynasty has spawned a legion of sequels and spin-offs across multiple platforms as well as a few very cool Gundam games fans of that anime snap up like hotcakes. In addition, the series has given many other developers and publishers inspiration for their own takes on the Mousou mold. KT's latest manga/anime/game mash-up, Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage is a deliberately paced, brutally beefy beat 'em up that packs in an incredible amount of content, solid 3D visuals and a great recreation of the series based around that familiar Mousou gameplay.