Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII (PlayStation 2)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.3 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Brad Shoemaker
• Reviewed on: 07/23/2002
• Updated on: 05/17/2006
• Released on: 06/25/2002
• Originally published on GameSpot: Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII (PlayStation 2) Review

In this age of flashy 3D graphics, superficial whiz-bang features, and a generally overwhelming amount of fluff in video games, it's good to know that some companies aren't afraid of sticking to their roots. That's exactly what Koei has done with Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII, its newest entry in the venerable strategy series. The game harkens to a faraway time when graphics were secondary to complex and involving gameplay, but its adherence to those old ways will ultimately limit its appeal to a selective audience.

Longtime console strategy gamers are without a doubt the group Romance of the Three Kingdoms VII is squarely targeted at, and for them, the series needs no introduction. Newcomers may not be familiar with the basis of the series, however, which is deeply embedded in actual Chinese historical events. Like its predecessors, Romance VII takes place directly after the final collapse of the Han Dynasty in the second century AD. A great number of warring states and ambitious rulers vied for land and dominance during this period, and the conflict provides the impetus behind the gameplay in the video game version. In short, your ultimate goal is to bring all the factions together under your banner.

How you go about uniting China, and even what role you play in this unification, is up to you. There are five basic character classes available in Romance VII: ronin, common officer, warlord, prefect, and liege. All five are based on the same gameplay interface, which is strictly a textual menu-driven affair that gives you access to various character commands that let you control everything from your monetary income to your character's area of study and his correspondence with other officers. Though the interface remains identical, each class has access to its own unique commands and abilities. For instance, the ronin--a warrior without a master--is free to move back and forth between cities, meeting new people and observing the state of the country at large. A prefect, on the other hand, is a city overseer and is therefore more or less bound to the city he's been assigned to, governing its affairs. You can choose to start out in any of the five positions, and you can actually ascend through the ranks. Do enough good deeds as a ronin in a particular city, for example, and you may be asked to join the city as a common officer. Through hard work and diligence, you may eventually become a liege yourself and go on to bring the people of China together.

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