Romance of the Three Kingdoms gold for the eleventh time

by James Ransom-Wiley { Jan 17th 2007 at 7:25PM }

what would the three kingdoms be without a lil' romance?

When Luó Guànzh?ng wrote his classic Romance of the Three Kingdoms back in the 14th century he wasn't thinking franchise. But, almost 700 years later, Koei has turned Luó's story into one of the most prolific video game series to date (including the Dynasty Warriors spin-off franchise and its spin-off Dynasty Tactics).

Today, Koei announced that Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI has gone gold, ensuring that this franchise will continue to permeate the console industry, despite slipping into mediocrity. It may be dull, and turn-based, but what would the world be like without Romance?

Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI, for PlayStation 2, will ship February 6.

[Via press release]

Tags: Koei, PS2, Romance of the Three Kingdoms, Romance of the Three Kingdoms XI, RomanceOfTheThreeKingdoms, RomanceOfTheThreeKingdomsXi

Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Killer Instinct @ Jan 17th 2007 7:34PM

I wish they would make a port for PC, i remember the SNES versions

Bizarro @ Jan 17th 2007 8:12PM

Am I the only one who's never heard of this series?

blacka @ Jan 17th 2007 8:36PM

yes

solomonrex @ Jan 18th 2007 1:22PM

I used to like this series, but there are too many options today for an extremely long menu-based turn-based strategy game that just isn't as fun as Civ.

ConstyXIV @ Jan 17th 2007 8:56PM

@Killer Instinct:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Romance_of_the_Three_Kingdoms_(computer_game)
It's been around for a looooooong time. And how come I've never heard of the DS version? Importage shall ensue!

Ibrahim @ Jan 17th 2007 9:17PM

If this series is almost as long-lived as Final Fantasy, how come I've never heard of it?

thebiggameover @ Jan 17th 2007 9:31PM

@5 because its just not as popluar in the USA. has a lot to do with the sim-goverment side of the game. i love rot3k, but i wish it was coming out for the 360...

Goldrush @ Jan 17th 2007 9:39PM

Mediocrity? Not at all. It's still one of the most engaging strategy series. Every other entry completely revamp the gameplay to keep things fresh. This one is the one that finally bring the series to full 3d.

X2DaZ @ Feb 13th 2007 7:22PM

I've loved this series since the very first installment and have beat everyone of them except for the one that hit PS2. The only problem is that unlike the FF series, this one doesnt really change up anything at all. Graphics for the most part get upgraded but otherwise more of the same old gameplay.....

Ma Teng stays in the top left corner of the map and never really moves

Sun Chan (not sure of the last name) dies and Sun Quan (unless you can recruit him before hand) takes over

Liv Zhang starts of in the lower left part of the map and spreads himself to thin for an easy take over

Cao Cao is the dominant force in the game.

The rest of the generals are worthless

The tactics used in the first game can be used in the latest. Sorry to go on a tangent but for some reason I love this series. I wish that they would port this to the 360.

john S. @ Jan 17th 2007 9:46PM

Romance of the 3 kingdom is the story of Dynasty Warrior, I hope that rings a bell.

ChrisL @ Jan 19th 2007 8:36AM

These games are more addictive than any MMORPG could ever hope to be.

jayntampa @ Jan 17th 2007 11:18PM

Just because it uses brains as opposed to reflexes doesn't make it dull. I assume you believe those things with paper pages and words are dull, too.

coffee @ Jan 17th 2007 11:44PM

To #1. They used to have PC versions for America. They still have PC versions for Asian markets (Japan, Taiwan, Hong Kong).

puddlejumper @ Jan 18th 2007 12:43AM

are you on crack joystiq writer? mediocrity? this is still gonna be one of the best games of recent on the ps2. this sure as hell is better than that crap electronic are nots churn out.

NoHitHair @ Jan 18th 2007 1:00AM

"It may be dull, and turn-based..."

I can understand your dislike of the RTK series and thus your statement that it's "dull." But including ALL turn-based gaming as a negative connotation?

Unless we're forced to live by the last clip of our submachine gun peering into a hostile encampment via a first-person perspective, it just isn't fun. Thank god people like Mr. Ransom-Wiley can remind us that all board games such as chess, Othello, Stratego and Risk are mind-numbingly horrible because they don't include actively moving pieces. It's just so damn hard to wait for your turn. And games such as the Civilization series or Heroes of Might & Magic are bargain bin garbage designed to pass our time while we wait for the next AAA EA title.

Thanks for letting us know how flawed turn-based games are.

ojori0 @ Apr 20th 2007 11:41PM

the series spawned powerpack last year (Koei does this a lot adding powerpacks) and it is one of the best series in the genre. There won't be a port for pc because there anouncemet states that they will porting pc version to ps2 too bad the Americans are not too familiar with the romance of three kingdom stories cuz it's filled with great characters and dramas.

socrates @ Jan 18th 2007 9:39AM

I have fond, fond memories of running into RotTK completely randomly by renting it for the NES long ago...I didn't fully understand everything, but my love of strategy, armies, and maps with a historical flair made me really appreciate it. I haven't kept up with the series in recent years, but I think i'll have to try out this new PS2 version if it gets even decent reviews.