So yes, the game definitely has the same feel as DW Gundam, and it looks FUCKING BEAUTIFUL. I thought the cut scenes were CG movies, seriously. I was playing split screen 2P with my friend, and the game was not only running at 60fps most of the time (slow down occurs in certain areas when a LOT of enemies are on screen), but the amount of detail was greater than previous games, and pop-up was a bit minimal as well. Enemy pop-in is still present and no better than before.
But I'm not sure about this one. They basically went and changed up all the characters, which is good and bad. It looks like everyone got new animations, too, and the game plays smoother than before because of it. The new additions like ladder climbing and busting down doors are welcome additions; I also like how archers now reign down arrows on you from above, and enemies will stop you from climbing ladders with stones, or even follow you up them. Swimming seems mostly useless, although it makes traversing the maps that much easier. Your horse can swim too!
I like that you now level up from battling and the new skill tree, plus no more item hunting. You do still get weapons from fallen officers, but that seems to be it. And like in Samurai Warriors 2, you can now start off with and level up a horse. Every character can call their horse by pressing down on the d-pad, and no matter where you are on the stage, the horse will come.
So, about the changes. Many of the characters now play completely different than before, which you may or may not like. I hate what they did to Sun Shang Xiang. She's now an archer, and gone are the cool bladed rings that she used to fight with. But Zhou Yu (at least, I think he's Zhou Yu...he's been completely revamped and looks a tad too feminine) is a complete badass, with far better sword attacks than before.
Omega Force also made a major blunder by NOT including many of the characters in the Musou mode. Many of the characters are only playable in the free modes. But beyond this, I think enjoyment of the game really boils down to how much you like change. If you don't want this kind of change to Musou, stick with the older titles, Orochi, and Samurai Warriors 2 XL (if that ever comes out in English). This game is clearly a bit of a new direction for the Musou games, and rightly so...there's been too many with the older formula done already.
BTW, I think all you guys that like Gundam Musou will probably love this one.
