Dynasty Warriors 2

Dynasty Warriors 2 (真・三國無双, Shin Sangoku Musou) is the reimagined sequel to Dynasty Warriors. It departed from the VS fighter style of the previous game and started the dynamic battlefield gameplay that is the series staple to this day. To represent this change in focus, the game was named differently in Japan adding the Shin, making the title 真・三國無双 (Shin Sangoku Musou), literally meaning "Real - Unparalleled in the Three Kingdoms". The Dynasty Warriors name was kept in the west, leading to the number discrepancies between the international releases and Asian titles.

Being one of the first games released for the PlayStation 2, it was named Gamepro's best game of the week.

Gameplay

 * Characters can perform four normal attacks, gaining more attack combinations with the Charge attack (undefined). Normal attacks can only damage when an enemy isn't blocking but charge attacks have different properties depending on the buttons input. Though each character's actions vary, the general property for the charge attacks are as follows.
 * undefined: A damaging broad range attack. Has guard-breaking properties.
 * , undefined: Knocks target into the air for juggling opportunities.
 * ,, undefined: Dizzies multiple opponents.
 * ,, , undefined: Sends the enemy flying away. Good for crowd control.


 * To have characters jump, press . This allows characters to hop onto small obstacles and drop into other areas of the map.
 * Pressing activates the Musou Attack, a damaging flurry of blows that gives the player invincibility against attacks. The length of the attack is determined by the Musou Charge bar and how long the player holds the button.
 * Hold L1 to guard. Moving the analog or direction pads allows the character to shift, setting the camera to follow directly behind the character. Pressing whilst perfectly guarding against an attack allows the character to counterattack and momentarily catch the assailant off guard. This move is later dubbed "Power Guard".
 * Bow attacks can be done by holding R1 and pressing an attack button. unleashes a normal arrow while undefined flings a paralyzing bolt.  unleashes a continuous string of arrows that continues until the player's supply runs out or until the Musou bar is empty. When the player also holds L1, they can shift whilst aiming.
 * Stat boosting can be done by picking up swords and shields dropped by defeated officers or gate captains. Commonly, they add +1 or +2 to the affected stat. However, if the officer is beaten with a combo ending with 8 hits, they'll drop an item double their normal worth. Officers who usually don't drop anything will also be forced to drop something with an 8-hit combo finish. An item can get as high as +10. Attributes are only kept once the player has successfully completed the stage and change after the battle.
 * Gate captains guard the exits to the field and also are responsible for the flow of troops. If allies struggle, it may be prudent to defeat the enemy gate captains near them.
 * Bodyguards also escort the player and increase in numbers and stats as the character levels up.
 * Horses can be ridden after the player knocks an enemy off one or when the players' characters gain higher ranks. Characters can mount a horse by standing next to it and pressing . Riding on a horse increases travel speed, usually lets players gain a higher priority moveset, and makes them invulnerable to most ground attacks. Characters can only bowl over foes when they're stronger than them. Additionally, any downed soldiers while on a horse will not add to the player's KO count.
 * Interim saving can only be done by finding the hidden save icon somewhere on the field.

Musou Mode
The story mode in which the player follows a determined string of battles. Background info for each stage is provided in the preparations menu before battle, which describes the chain of events leading to this point. Proceeding through this mode unlocks more characters for the player to use. The following characters can be unlocked in Musou Mode.
 * Huang Zhong, Ma Chao, and Jiang Wei
 * Finish one Shu scenario.


 * Zhuge Liang
 * Complete Shu's starting character scenarios.


 * Liu Bei
 * Clear Musou Mode with every Shu character.


 * Xiahou Yuan and Zhang Liao
 * Finish one Wei scenario.


 * Sima Yi
 * Complete Wei's starting character scenarios.


 * Cao Cao
 * Clear Musou Mode with every Wei character.


 * Taishi Ci, Lu Meng, and Gan Ning
 * Finish one Wu scenario.


 * Sun Jian and Sun Quan
 * Clear Musou Mode with every Wu character.


 * Diao Chan, Dong Zhuo, Yuan Shao, and Zhang Jiao
 * Have one character from each kingdom clear Musou Mode; also unlocks Free Mode and music test.


 * Lu Bu
 * Score at least 1,000 KOs at Hu Lao Gate; can also be done in free mode.

The Other characters can only participate in Free Mode. Another way to unlock all of the cast is to input the following buttons while on the menu screen:, R1, , R2, , R2, , R1.

Free Mode
Allows any character to participate in several stages in the game. Characters can even join the side they were opposing in their Musou Mode. Initially, only the Yellow Turban Rebellion and Hu Lao Gate stages are available. Playing through Musou Modes unlocks more stages.

Options
Sets difficulty, controller and sound settings (Stereo/Mono), and displays records set during stages. The screen can also be adjusted and the player can turn off certain objects in the gameplay interface.

Characters
Characters with bolded names are new in this title.

Stages

 * 1) Yellow Turban Rebellion 184 A.D - Imperial Forces vs Yellow Turbans
 * 2) Battle of Hu Lao Gate 191 A.D - Allied Forces vs Dong Zhuo’s Forces
 * 3) Battle of Guan Du 200 A.D - Cao Cao’s Forces vs Yuan Shao’s Forces
 * 4) Battle of Chang Ban 208 A.D - Liu Bei’s Forces vs Cao Cao’s Forces
 * 5) Battle of Chi Bi 208 A.D - Sun Quan’s Forces vs Cao Cao’s Forces
 * 6) Battle of He Fei 215 A.D - Sun Quan’s Forces vs Cao Cao’s Forces
 * 7) Battle of Yi Ling 222 A.D - Sun Quan’s Forces vs Liu Bei’s Forces
 * 8) Battle of Wu Zhang Plains 234 A.D - Liu Bei’s Forces vs Cao Cao’s Forces

Spin-Offs

 * Koei 2002 Spring Pack Shin Sangoku Musou 2/Shin Sangoku Musou - repackaged as a part of Koei's 2002 Spring Sale set. Received a 2002 clear file with purchase.

Image Song

 * Can't Quit This!!! ～KNOCK'EM OUT～
 * performed by m.o.v.e
 * * used for ending and commercials