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Mandalore76 on 06 May 2015
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ReimTime said:
Zekkyou said:

Pretty much this. I do think a lot of the industry is over critical of games that aren't able to perfectly execute a new idea right from the get go (while at the same time criticizing other games that just refine pre-existing gameplay mechanics), but a game that tries something new isn't inherently good. A fresh turd isn't much more appealing that a stale one.

Thank you to both of you. Needed to be said.

Just curious, but have all the people that are saying that it's a "turd" actually played Bladestorm?  I loved The Hundred Year's War on XBox 360, and I was equally baffled by the amount of criticism leveled against it at the time.  I poured countless hours into that game and found it to be very good, as well as a much needed break from the repetitive Dynasty/Samurai Warriors releases.  It's a real shame that it didn't sell better, and Nightmare seems to be headed for a similar fate.  If successful, it could have possibly revived KOEI's Historical Simulation Series that I loved so much in the NES-SNES/Genesis days (Nobunaga's Ambition, Liberty or Death, Ghengis Khan II, etc.).  Judging by how much better Dynasty Warriors 6, 7, and 8 did in sales though, KOEI will clearly infer that Dynasty Warriors 9 is what they should be focusing on.

I haven't played Nightmare yet.  But since most of the harsh reviews I've seen regarding it are based on the premise "I thought Bladestorm sucked, so this sucks too by default", I will counter some points I remember people complaining about when The Hundred Year's War came out:

My character isn't strong enough - That's the whole point.  You are supposed to be leading a mercenary army where your troops are you main strength and asset.  You want to kill 900 guys in a single battle with just your player character?  That's what Dynasty/Samurai Warriors is for.

I had to fight for both England and France which didn't make me feel allegiance to either side - Again, that's the point.  This game is about being a mercenary.  Mercenaries don't feel allegiance to sides.  They go where the money is. 

Battles ended at night - It was not uncommon at all for a battle to be called off at nightfall back then.  Nightfighting was both rare and dangerous, because a soldier had a hard time distinguishing between ally and foe.

I thought KOEI was very successful with implenting changes to what had become a very stale hack and slash formula.  I agree with the OP that it's disheartening how much flak KOEI has gotten for trying to break out of the Dynasty Warrior only corner they have been painted into.