Dynasty Tactics

The Good
Without wanting to overstate or damn to perfection, Dynasty Tactics can be compared to Chess with combo abilities and voice-acting. The thrill of planning and executing a successful battlefield combo is visceral in a way rarely seen in strategy gaming.
All this might very well count for little if the game wasn't presented with such an obvious passion and reverence for the source material. Characters are presented in vivid color, the relationships and passions of these heroes of Chinese legend playing themselves out as the game goes on. Ludological strategic concern finds itself mixing with diegetic character interplay in ways that, at times, is near-seamless. In a strategy game, cosmetic elements can often be overlooked, but graphical and sonic polish are apparent in an admirably restrained manner, giving the game a presentational style that is enjoyable and engaging without being flashy or ostentatious.
Bravely, Koei complete this most cerebral of their Three Kingdoms triumvirate (along with the Dynasty Warriors series and Kessen II) with a database of figures from the original text, which is added to as the player encounters new allies and foes.
The dynamic conflict of the source material, in which no one faction was a clear moral or ideological exemplar, makes for a refreshing change from the good-versus-evil narrative that videogames find themselves locked into. As strategic gaming; as interactive storytelling; as quasi-historical document in video game form, Dynasty Tactics is a landmark.

The Bad
In a game as regionally defined as this, it is even more lamentable than usual that a foreign-language option is not available. Voice-acting is well above-par, but the translation feels a little rushed at times; which is why this, even more so than most games, would benefit from subtitled presentation in its original language. Industry figures on every level make the statement on a near-daily basis that video games are becoming more like films, but the fact that dubbed, Americanized voice-acting is still standard in videogames is a telling mark of how culturally stunted that growth really is. And I say this as a fellow who only speaks English.
The difficulty curve in Dynasty Tactics is not flawless. Battlefield action is fluid and always fair, but the overarching, multiple-path story can commit the frustrating sin of allowing players to become trapped in a situation from which there is no possible escape. While perhaps unavoidable, this renders backup-saving essential.

The Bottom Line
The game provides battlefield strategy play in the vein of Intelligent Systems' Advance Wars or Camelot's Shining Force 2. Massive battles are made easily comprehensive yet deep and intricate. Attacks unique to individual battalions and combination abilities add a further degree of planning and strategy.