What can I say? I am, and always have been a sucker for Koei’s mindless epics. They almost never break above 80% on Metacritic, but there’s something about the experience of the game that always seems unique to me, and attempts to duplicate it always fall short for me.

So I’ve been playing Dynasty Warriors 5 over the last week. What’s immediately impressive is how little the formula has changed. Critics are, in fact, quick to point out that if you’re new to the premise, you probably could pick up one of the previous ones and miss almost nothing. And that’s pretty accurate. And some things could use fixing – many maps have long runs across empty maps. The AI does some wonky things from time to time. And some maps require you to read the mind of the designer to solve the puzzle he had in mind.

But there’s something about being called a general, and wading into a group of a hundred troops, killing them a dozen at a time, that’s just pretty magical. The idea that the fate of an army can rest on the shoulders of one hero is also pretty awe-inspiring. DW isn’t smart entertainment, but it’s possibly the best mindless fun there is.