For PS4 players, there’s Circus Electrique, Dynasty Warriors 9, Melty Blood: Type Lumina, Monster Jam Steel Titans, Samurai Warriors 5, SpongeBob SquarePants: Battle for Bikini Bottom – Rehydrated and Undertale. PS Plus Premium players gain access to three new Classics, starting with Twisted Metal and Twisted Metal 2 on the PlayStation One.

Gravity Crash Portable on the PlayStation Portable is also playable. All three titles are available for PS4 and PS5. PS Plus Extra and Premium subscribers can also download titles from the Essential tier, like Call of Duty: Black Ops Cold War, Alan Wake Remastered and Endling – Extinction is Forever. These are available till July 31st, so claim them now.

However, there are some whose open worlds either don’t live up to the potential of their gameplay and setting, or crash and burn by doing everything that we’ve already seen a million times before but worse. Some are still good games and even classics, while others…not so much. Let’s look at 15 open-world games that wasted their potential.

Forspoken

As dire as the final product ended up being, Luminous Productions’ Forspoken had an interesting premise when first revealed. The idea of exploring a vast fantasy world with magical parkour, sailing over objects and unleashing powerful magic was enticing. It felt like the team, full of Final Fantasy 15 veterans, was using that knowledge and focusing on what players enjoyed the most about that RPG – its open world.

Unfortunately, not only was the story bogged down by awful dialogue and characterization, but Athia felt artificial. The vast empty fields full of endlessly respawning monsters, the fetch quests, and typical towers which unlock new icons on the map, adding to the “to-do” list, didn’t come together well. There are some interesting optional dungeons and bosses, for whatever that’s worth.

POKEMON SWORD AND SHIELD

Most Pokemon fans will tell you that the series has been on a downward spiral ever since Black and White, and Sword and Shield are probably its lowest point to date. Even if you ignore the controversies surrounding the whole National Dex fiasco, Pokemon Sword and Shield are still disappointing games. The shocking lack of ambition, the almost complete lack of challenge, the excessive linearity- for all of these reasons and more, Pokemon’s mainline console debut fell severely short of expectations.

METAL GEAR SOLID 5: THE PHANTOM PAIN

Metal Gear Solid 5 is and always will be a stealth masterpiece, and while nothing will even diminish the game’s mechanical strengths, its open world doesn’t quite stand as tall. The open world maps are full of vast stretches of nothing populated only by the occasional enemy patrol, and getting from point A to point B ends up feeling like a chore. The emergent sandbox of the game’s web of mechanics does alleviate some of those issues, but by and large, it’s hard to shake the feeling that The Phantom Pain’s open world wasn’t executed nearly as well as it could and should have been.

DYNASTY WARRIORS 9

Dynasty Warriors as a series lives and dies by its large scale high-octane 1v1000 battles, and so, in Dynasty Warriors 9, Koei Tecmo and Omega Force, in their infinite wisdom, decided to… dilute that with an open world setting? This is a prime example of a series chasing a popular trend without any regard for whether or not that trend will be suited to its strengths. Worse still, not only did Dynasty Warriors 9’s open world detract from the game’s other strengths, it just wasn’t a very good open world to begin with itself.

Dynasty Warriors 9 will be getting co-op play in an update on October 23, publisher Koei Tecmo has confirmed (via Famitsu). Co-op play has often been a staple of the franchise, so its omission from the newest game was another reason some long time fans of the series railed against it at launch.

Now, that omission is being rectified. Dynasty Warriors 9’s co-op play will be available both online and locally. You will be able to play with friends, as well as matchmake with random players. Up to two players will be able to play at a time, and they will be able to go anywhere in the open world without restrictions. That said, cross-platform co-op play will not be supported in the game.

Tecmo also confirmed that more downloadable content for the game will be made available within the six months starting with November, so you should see some good post launch support for the game going forward. Dynasty Warriors 9 is available now on PS4, Xbox One, and PC. If you’re curious about whether or not to make the jump into the game, make sure to check out our review for it.

Monster Hunter: World – Tempered Deviljho

While the Deviljho seen much earlier in the game can be prepared for and taken down with relative ease, the Tempered version added to the late game as an event is a different story all together. The huge beasty is incredibly well armoured and aggressive, meaning players are going to constantly want to be on the move, only moving in to punish when completely safe to do so. A mobile weapon that allows such quick strikes is advised, bonus points for dragon element.

Koei Tecmo has now announced their financial results for the fiscal year that ended on March 31, 2018. Overall, the company has enjoyed positive results and report growth in all the relevant areas. The company expects further growth in the coming year, as the Japanese home console market continues to achieve significant growth. We also get to learn the sales figures of the company’s recent titles such as Dynasty Warriors 9 and Attack On Titan 2. 

Koei Tecmo has been enjoying success with its long-running series Nobunaga’s Ambition as the series has shipped over 10 million units. When it comes to recent games, Fire Emblem Warriors sold over 1 million units, Dynasty Warriors 9 sold 730,000 units worldwide and Attack on Titan 2 sold 520,000 units. The company also expects further growth with both consoles games as well as with smartphone games. The company will also continue releasing titles from their recognized series while also working on new IPs, according to the financial report.

Overall, it has been a great year for Koei Tecmo and it looks like the coming year will also be a good one for the company.

Dynasty Warriors is a series that is known for its bombastic battles and larger-than-life officers who can take on hordes of enemies at once. Dynasty Warriors 9 continues the tradition of the series in many ways while also changing up the formula a bit. The game’s missions require you to consider various strategies before going up against enemies. For example, you may find it easier to go up against enemies under the cover of night.

The boss fights in the game can be quite challenging and given the open world setting, they may catch you off- guard. There are many weapons to craft, enemies to defeat, and combos to master in this game. Whether you’re a veteran of the series or a newcomer, this walkthrough will be of use to you if you’re ever feeling stuck in the game.

All endings:

TIPS AND TRICKS

Use special attacks wisely

Every officer in the game has their own unique special attacks which deals a lot of damage and also makes the officer invincible for a short period of time. However, these attacks have cool downs so make sure you use these attacks wisely as it could be the difference between life and death in some situations.

Try out different languages

The English voice-overs may seem very cartoonish to some. Given the historical setting of the game, the Chinese language immediately seems more authentic and fits perfectly with the atmosphere. Before you settle on any one language, make sure you try out the different options. It could significantly alter your experience of the game.

Unlocking officers

In the game, you start off with only three officers available to play. Now, it might be a little daunting to consider that there are a total of 90 officers to unlock. Don’t worry, because all you have to do to unlock  all the officers is to fully play through all 13 chapters in the game’s story mode.

Notice where crafting materials spawn

The open world in the game is filled with crafting materials to collect which can help you craft better items. Make sure you collect a lot of these crafting materials as you are wandering across the map. However, also make sure you note where some rare crafting materials can be found so that you can come back to this location in case you’re in sudden need of these materials.

Experiment with different gems and weapons

Gems can be used in the game to customize a weapon in certain ways. These gems can be crafted if you have the required crafting scroll. Make sure you experiement with different weapon and gem combinations on officers to find out what works best for you.

Learn how to use Trigger attacks

Trigger attacks allow you to send enemies flying in the air while stunning them or changing their status in some other way. These attacks also increase the damage you deal so it’s a great attack to use when you want to unleash a deadly combo against enemies. To use this attack, just hold the R1 button and then when you’re prompted, press the button shown on the screen.

HOW TO FARM GOLD AND XP

Killing Bandits

One of the easiest ways to farm both money and XP in this game is by hunting down packs of Bandit Chiefs and Bandit Leaders. these particular kind of Bandit enemies offer much greater rewards than random unnamed bandits whom you see around in the game. Bandits usually travel in groups so if you spot a few of them, it’s likely that you’ll soon see  more of them coming your way. Just attack them with your normal attacks, get all the goods you can find to sell them at vendors, and then wait for more bandits to come  your way. One very efficient way to take down bandits is to use explosive arrows, but these are quite expensive. However, the expenses will be more than covered from the large profits you’ll make by killing the bandits.

Fishing

You can make quite a bit of gold in this just by fishing some rare fishes and items and then selling them. Just go over to ports such as Guangling and you will be able to catch quite a few of the Gold Yibigian. Additionally, you can catch the Gold Bubi along with circlets at the water way near the Guangling Northern Camp. Some items can only be fished out with the Ultimate Bait, so make sure to use it in Luoyang moat to get some really expensive items which you can sell.

Hunting

You can hunt animals easily from afar using bow and arrows. Since the wildlife AI isn’t very good in the game right now, you  can easily kill high level animals such  as the Tiger simply from shooting arrows from a decent range. This will net you a significant amount of XP, so it’s a great way to level up your officers.

CHEATS AND CHEAT CODES (UNLIMITED HEALTH, MUSOU, STAMINA)

Please use the following cheats at your own discretion. Using cheats online will lead to an immediate ban. You can get cheats by referring here. The following are the list of cheats you can enable.

• Infinite Health
• Unlimited Stamina
• No Crafting Requirement
• Unlimited Gold
• Infinite Musou
• One Hit Kill
• Upgrade Points
• Special Skills

…and many more.

FORMING REINFORCEMENTS

One of the side quests in the game is titled ‘Forming Reinforcements’ and requires you to select the appropriate officer for a given position. You can try out different officers on your own by just keeping this in mind. For the Captain, go with someone with a high leadership skill, for the Adjutant, go with someone with the highest political influence, for the Surveyor you need an officer with high intelligence, and for the lookout, go with an officer with a high leadership and a strong military.

With this in mind, the following officers would be best suited for the given positions:

• Adjutant: Yuan Han, due to his high political influence.
• Surveyor: Wang Can, due to high intelligence.
• Captain: Cai Mao, due to high leadership and good political influence.
• Lookout: Wen Pin, due to high leadership and strong military.

TENDING THE WOUNDED  SOLDIERS

In this mission known as “Tending the wounded soldiers”, Cai Wenji from Jianling asks you to collect 10 cattails for her. This may be puzzling for you but what you actually need to get are 10 Reedtails.  Once you’re ready, just head east out of the gate and go to the woods towards the south. You’ll eventually find all the reedtails you need, and once you do, just head back and hand them over to Cai Wenji.

CLONE WEAPON TYPES LIST

Dynasty Warriors 9 features 36 different weapon types and each one handles quite different from the others. This means that a number of officers from the total of 90 share the same weapons. Make sure you try out some of the different weapons before you settle on the ones you enjoy the most.

Listed below are the 36 weapon types and which officers use them.

• Weapon name: Double Voulge: Cheng Pu, Wei Yan, Jiang Wei
• Weapon name: Chain and Sickle: Jia Xu, Chen Gong, Gan Ning
• Weapon name: Sword: Xu Shu, Sun Quan, Cao Cao
• Weapon name: Chain Whip: Cai Wenji, Zhenji, Diaochan
• Weapon name: Club: Huang Gai, Xu Zhu
• Weapon name: Meteor Hammer: Zhang Bao, Xu Sheng
• Weapon name: Guan Dao: Guan Yu, Li Dian, Yu Jin
• Weapon name: Twin Axes: Ma Dai, Zhang Liao
• Weapon name: Shaman Rod: Zuo Ci, Zhang Jiao, Pang Tong
• Weapon name: Fan: Zhuge Dan, Sima Yi, Zhuge Liang
• Weapon name: Halberd: Lu Bu
• Weapon name: Great Sword: Guan Ping, Xiahou Ba
• Weapon name: Shooting Spears: Jia Chong, Man Chong, Guo Huai
• Weapon name: Sword/Shield: Li Lingqu, Xingcai
• Weapon name: Nunchaku: Guan Suo, Ling Tong
• Weapon name: Twin Fans: Daqiao, Xiaoqiao
• Weapon name: Mandarin Duck Hooks: Bao Sanniang, Lianshi
• Weapon name: Gauntlets: Ding Feng, Meng Huo
• Weapon name: Urumi: Zhang Chunhua, Xun You, Fa Zheng
• Weapon name: Dao: Sima Zhao, Zhou Tai
• Weapon name: Mace: Guan Yinping, Pang De
• Weapon name: Pike: Yueying, Lu Meng
• Weapon name: Greataxe: Xu Huang, Deng Ai
• Weapon name: Axe: Han Dang, Dian Wei, Zhurong
• Weapon name: Flail: Cao Ren, Dong Zhuo
• Weapon name: Fan Sword: Cao Xiu, Zhong Hui, Guan Xing
• Weapon name: Guillotine Sword: Wen Yang, Zhou Cang, Sun Ce
• Weapon name: Bo Staff: Zhu Ran, Guo Jia, Zhou Yu
• Weapon name: Twin Swords: Lu Xun, Cao Pi, Liu Gei
• Weapon name: Throwing Knives: Xun Yu, Wang Yuanji, Zhang He
• Weapon name: Podao: Huang Zhong, Xiahou Dun, Sun Jian
• Weapon name: Twin Rods: Xiahou Yuan, Yue Jin, Taichi Ci

CRAFTING

A new feature in this game is the ability to craft various items and weapons. You can even craft gems to customize weapons. All you need to do to craft these things is get the recipe scrolls, the required items and then go to the relevant location. To craft weapons and gems, go to the blacksmith, and to craft consumables and other items, go to the shopkeeper. Additionally, you can just buy a pot at your hideaway which enables you to craft items from the comfort of your own home.

HOW TO GET LEGENDARY AND EPIC WEAPONS

Some of the best weapons in the game are the Legendary and Epic weapons and you’re going to want to find them whenever possible. You’ll first need to get the recipes for these weapons and this can be done in a number of ways. Sometimes, these recipe scrolls will be dropped by enemy officers and sometimes, they will be handed out as reward for completing some quest. Make sure you get a number of copies of the same recipe scroll as it will be required to successfully craft a legendary or epic weapon. Additionally, you can also buy these scrolls from a Coin Collector in any major city in the game.

HOW TO UNLOCK ALL OFFICERS

As mentioned earlier, officers  in the game are unlocked just by progressing through the game’s story mode. There are different kinds of officers in the game such as Shu officers and Wei officers and you can find below lists which detail in which chapter each officer in the game can be unlocked.

Wei Officers

• Xiahou Dun – Chapter 1
• Cao Xiu – Chapter 2
• Dian Wei – Chapter 2
• Zhang Liao – Chapter 4
• Xu Huang – Already available
• Xun You – Chapter 3
• Zhang He – Chapter 5
• Man Chong – Chapter 3
• Cao Ren – Chapter 2
• Xun Yu – Chapter 3
• Xiahou Yuan – Chapter 1
• Cao Pi – Chapter 4
• Yu Jin – Chapter 3
• Zhenji – Chapter 5
• Cai Wenji – Chapter 6
• Xu Zhu – Chapter 3
• Cao Cao – Unlocked from start
• Pang De – Chapter 8
• Jia Xu – Chapter 4
• Guo Jia – Chapter 3
• Yue Jin – Chapter 2
• Li Dian – Chapter 2
• Wang Yi – Chapter 7

Jin Officers

• Guo Huai – Chapter 8
• Wen Yang- play as Zhong Hui or Deng Ai to unlock this officer.
• Jia Chong – Chapter 12
• Sima Yi – Chapter 8
• Xin Xianying  – Chapter 6
• Zhang Chunhuan – Chapter 10
• Zhuge Dan – Chapter 11
• Sima Shi – Chapter 11
• Sima Zhao – Chapter 11
• Zhong Hui – Chapter 12
• Wang Juanji – Chapter 12
• Xiahou Ba – Chapter 8
• Deng Ai – Chapter 12

Wu Officers

• Lu Xun – Chapter 6
• Ding Feng – Chapter 6
• Sun Ce – Chapter 2
• Sun Jian – Unlocked from start
• Sun Quan – Chapter 2
• Zhou Tai – Chapter 3
• Huang Gai – Chapter 1
• Zhu Ran – Chapter 7
• Han Dang – Chapter 1
• Xu Sheng – Chapter 5
• Cheng Pu – Chapter 1
• Gan Ning – Chapter 5
• Taishi Ci – Chapter 4
• Daqiao – Chapter 3
• Zhou Yu – Chapter 3
• Sun Shangxiang – Chapter 2
• Lu Meng – Chapter 5
• Lianshi – Chapter 5
• Ling Tong – Chapter 6
• Xiaoqiao – Chapter 3
• Lu Su – Chapter 5

Shu Officers

• Guan Xing – Chapter 9
• Zhuge Liang – Chapter 5
• Ma Dai – Chapter 7
• Guan Suo – Chapter 9
• Zhang Fei – Chapter 1
• Liu Bei – Unlocked from start
• Zhou Cang – Chapter 5
• Ma Chao – Chapter 7
• Huang Zhong – Chapter 7
• Wei Yan – Chapter 7
• Guan Ping – Chapter 5
• Pang Tong – Chapter 6
• Guan Yinping – Chapter 9
• Fa Zheng – Chapter 7
• Guan Yu – Chapter 1
• Zhang Bao – Chapter 8
• Yueying – Chapter 5
• Liu Shan – Chapter 10
• Xingcai – Chapter 8
• Bao Sanniang – Chapter 10
• Zhao Yun – Chapter 4
• Xu Shu – Chapter 5
• Jiang Wei – Chapter 12

Remaining Officers

• Meng Huo – Chapter 10
• Lu Bu – Chapter 2
• Chen Gong – Chapter 3
• Lu Lingqi – Chapter 3
• Yuan Shao – Chapter 2
• Zhang Jiao – Chapter 1
• Dong Zhuo – Chapter 1
• Zuo Ci – Chapter 8
• Zhurong – Chapter 10
• Diaochan – Chapter 2

ACHIEVEMENTS/TROPHIES GUIDE

There are a total of 44 achievements to earn in the game and you can check them all out below.

True Warrior of the 3 Kingdoms: Obtain all of the achievements in the game.

Flowers amidst the chaos: Unlock all of the officers.

The Pinnacle of Might: Earn a total of 100,000 K.O.s.

Veteran Master: Raise an officer to the highest level.

Winged  Equine: Raise a horse to the highest level.

Golden Palace: Earn a total of 90,000 gold.

Legend of Wei: Complete the story of Wei.

Legend of Wu: Complete the story of Wu.

Legend of Shu: Complete the story of Shu.

Legend of Jin: Complete the story of Jin.

Storyteller: Complete the stories of the kingdoms other than Wei, Wu, Shu, and Jin.

Master of the Hunt: Earn a total of 5,000 Hunting Points.

A Gathering of Heroes: Unlock 45 officers.

Extensive Knowledge: Unlock all battle entries in the Encyclopedia.

Wanderlust: Discover 75% of the locations in the game.

One Warrior vs. a thousand: Defeat 1,000 enemies in a single battle.

Equestrian: Defeat 1,000 enemies while mounted on a horse.

Sun Piercer: Defeat 1,000 enemies with bow attacks.

Sure Shot: Defeat 100 enemies with bow attacks.

Sword Brandisher: Defeat 100 enemies with assault attacks.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fDqrN6TN_rY

Storm and Stress: Achieve a 1,000 hit combo.

Smasher: Defeat a powerful enemy.

Traveler: Discover 35% of the locations in the game.

Interior Decorator: Obtain 10 pieces of furniture

Collector: Obtain 20 gems.

A brush with expertise: Obtain a High-class weapon.

Master of the Martial Arts: Obtain 30 weapons.

Nimble Fingers: Perform synthesis 100 times.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uIjmO3aXkyI

Sworn Friends: Form a bond at the maximum level with another officer.

Hideaway: Obtain a hideaway.

Epicure: Eat 100 meals.

Fisher: Catch 30 items while fishing.

Steady Worker: Obtain 30 items by using box traps.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2ztgxZ7Jh7M

Sightseer: Discover a scenic area.

Traces of a Hero: Complete a story.

End of an Era: Complete a key mission.

New Allies: Unlock an officer.

Graduation Day: Complete the tutorial for one of the kingdoms.

The following are the secret achievements.

Unrivaled Warrior: Raise an officer’s Attack to 900.

The Ties that Bind Us: Form a bond at the maximum level with 20 officers.

Thronged  with Visitors: Obtain 10 hideaways.

Helter-Skelter: Complete a mission within 1 minute.

Vandal: Destroy 100 structures.

Like a Bird: Juggle an enemy in the air for 5 seconds.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h7ZiShXfnl8