Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII is the latest and most highly anticipated installment of the historical simulation series set amidst the civil wars of second century China.
"The release of RTKVIII marks the evolution of the longest running historical simulation game for consoles," said Amos Ip, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at KOEI Corporation. "In direct response to player requests, we are introducing the series’ first multi-character option that uses all of the game’s officers. Each of the game’s more than 700 characters is brought to life as players have complete control of their interpersonal affairs. There are also new levels of Status, new tactical skills, and a new battle process all intertwined into 54 dramatic scenarios. This is certainly the most refined game in the series."
IGN.com agrees, and has honored the game with its Editor’s Choice Award, calling it "the system’s best strategy game to date," and "one of the deepest games yet available for the PlayStation 2. (9 out of 10)" AsianWeek proclaims, "Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII offers enormous satisfaction to the videogamer... If you've never tried the franchise before, this is the one to start with...(4 out of 5)"
In the game, players can choose to bring an end to the chaos or fuel their personal ambitions. Choosing from over 600 historical figures and an additional 100 player created characters, gamers can play up to eight characters in a single game- from a loyal officer who helps his lord, to a rogue general forging his own path to fortune and glory.
While depicting historically significant relationships, such as the brotherhood between Liu Bei, Guan Yu and Zhang Fei, the game allows players to create new bonds between characters, with new commands such as "Marriage" and "Sworn Brother."
The game now includes eight Status types. In addition to "Ruler," "Warlord," "Prefect," "General," and "Free Officer," there are three new types. "Governor" is a position of authority between Liege and Prefect. "Chief" is the leader of a wandering army with no city under its control, and "Comrade" is one of the Chief’s subordinates. Gamers can decide whether to seek promotion or plot a rebellion to overthrow the status quo.
Previously in the series, it was only possible for a maximum of four forces to participate in a single battle. Now, nearly all forces can take part in a battle, and the most famous officers from each force can meet each other on the same battlefield.
Players can also now begin the game at any year- from the start of The Yellow Turban Rebellion in 184 A.D. to the death of Zhuge Liang in 234 A.D. Additionally, there are four more scenarios set after 234 A.D., including one entirely fictional story featuring every officer in the game.
Developed by KOEI, Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII hits retail shelves on August 13, 2003. Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII is a 1-8 Player game. Available exclusively for the PlayStation®2 computer entertainment system, Romance of the Three Kingdoms VIII is rated "E" (Everyone- Alcohol Reference, Mild Language, Violence) by the ESRB.