DYNASTY WARRIORS 3 (PLAYSTATION 2 PS2)

Dynasty Warriors 3 is set over the 50 years of warfare chronicled in Romance of the Three Kingdoms, from the first flames of the battle of the Yellow Turban Rebellion to the final battle between Wei and Shu on the plains of Wu Zhong. Over 40 characters are playable, both from the three main sides as well as leaders of lesser armies along the way. Each character belonging to Wu, Wei, or Shu has their own series of levels where they will turn the tide of battle for their strength to win. Each character has their own weapon type and magic ability, although they may share weaker weapon variants with other characters who use the same weapon style. Weapons and items are randomly dropped into boxes from tiers as well as defeated enemy generals, and each has a range of stats depending on the general's difficulty level and strength. However, the most powerful weapons and items can only be collected by completing hidden objectives with each character. Characters become more powerful by collecting stat items from defeated generals and doing well in levels, they reward points that upgrade bodyguards that follow the player character.