Warriors Orochi 2 PSP released on PSN and at retail

KOEI has released the PSP version of its Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors game mash-up, Warriors Orochi 2. The game combines both game universes together in one game in a fantasy world where a snake king manipulates historical heroes from Imperial China and Feudal Japan to do his bidding.

This tactical action game features 96 playable characters from both games along with a few new ones along with brand new scenarios, and a Japanese voice option. New features exclusive to the PSP system also include 2-Player VS mode plus Co-op play in Story, Free and Dream modes, 12 new scenarios in Dream mode, and a Japanese and English voice option.

Warriors Orochi 2 for the PSP was developed by KOEI Canada andis based on the game of the same name created by KOEI’s Omega Force.

PSP Warriors Orochi 2 gold, in stores next month

KOEI’s Warriors Orochi 2 for PSP has reached gold status and is scheduled to ship on August 25th. The PSP version of the game comes with exclusive content including new playable characters, new scenarios, and a Japanese voice option. Pre-order for the game are still available now from Amazon, Best Buy, Game Crazy, GameFly, and GameStop.

KOEI has also launched two sites for the game - there’s the official product site, and a new minisite designed to please the company’s legions of hardcore fans. You can visit by visiting koei.com/wo2dedicated or koei.com/wo2psp.

Warriors Orochi 2 for PSP offers a new series of battles against the Serpent King Orochi, who has kidnapped history’s greatest warriors in a scheme to test his might. The heroes eventually defeated Orochi and his menacing army. Now the slain Orochi lies in the netherworld, and a mysterious alliance is hatching a plan to resurrect him.

The game also offers 96 characters, four different storylines, Dream, VS and Survival, as well as “Tag Team”-style matches that pit fighters in head-to-head arena combat.

Look for the game in stores in the latter half of August.

Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires DLC released

KOEI has delivered, as promised, some new free content for its tactical strategy action game, Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires. Available via Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network, this week’s free content pack for the game is completely free and contains new sets of armor that can be used to create characters within the game’s Edit Mode. the armor sets include the Desert armor set (for men), Paladin armor set (for women), Lion armor set (for men), and Shaman armor set (for women).

The next set of add-on music content arrives on Xbox LIVE Marketplace and PlayStation Network on July 23, followed by four additional armor sets on July 30.

Warriors Orochi 2 for PSP in August

KOEI announced Warriors Orochi 2, a fantasy themed tactical strategy action game the combines the greatest fighters from Japan and China from the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series, is coming to PSP on August 25, 2009. Warriors Orochi 2 features four different storylines starring characters KOEI’s popular game series, along with includes three new game modes Dream, VS and Survival, as well as Tag Team-style matches that pit fighters in head-to-head arena combat.

The game boasts a total of 96 playable characters from the Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors including the massive boar-like Gyuki and the faceless Dodomeki. New playable characters not found in the original console release include the graceful San Zang and the warrior-monk Benkei. New features exclusive to the PSP system also include: 2-Player VS mode plus Co-op play in Story, Free and Dream modes, 12 new scenarios in Dream mode, and a Japanese and English voice option.

Consumers can pre-order the game now from Amazon.com, GameFly, and GameStop.

Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires coming to America

Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires is coming to North America June 23 for the Xbox 360 and PS3. Developed by KOEI’s Omega Force, Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires once again lets players take on the role of a Lord as he or she attempts to reunite Ancient China one province at a time. As a lord, players decide when to attack, when to resist invasion, or when to initiate policies and make alliances.

The game also uses a “card collecting” system lets players enact policies that will increase their empire’s strength, improve the abilities of their forces, and more. The cards that a player receives will depend on the attributes of the officers and their army. Players can also pledge their allegiance to a kingdom to become an officer. As an officer, players can suggest policies in the kingdom’s war council, complete missions for rewards, or even turn against their ruler should relations sour.

But one of the most asked for features is a more robust character creation system. Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires promises to deliver just that, with options to customize a warrior’s gender, build, skin tone, facial features, voice, clothing, weapon and more.

More info as it is made available. For more info on KOEI, visit www.koei.com.

Musou Orochi Z Tops Japanese Charts

The last three weeks have proven that Japanese consumers are hungry for familiar PS3 franchises. Games like Resident Evil 5 and Yakuza 3 helped Sony’s system to the top and this week the trend continues with the help of Musou Orochi Z (known better here as Warriors Orochi). KOEI’s Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors series of tactical action games are incredibly popular in Japan, so it is no great shock that a game that combines those two universes would be selling like barrels outside a Depression-era New York Stock Exchange.

Top ten list, as tabulated by Gpara, can be found after the break:

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Tecmo and Koei Agree to Merger Deal

Could Dynasty Warriors: Dead or Alive be looming around the corner? Probably not, but the remote possibility did actually get bumped up a little bit today, as shareholders in both Koei and Tecmo agreed to move forward with a proposed merger deal. It wasn’t a unanimous decision though, as Tecmo’s second largest shareholder, Effissimo Capital Management, opposed to the merger and stated that it may sell off its 18 percent stake in Tecmo as a result.

Barring any unusual surprises, the deal will have Tecmo investors getting 9/10ths of a share in the merged entity for every stock they currently hold, while stockholders on the Koei end will exchange their shares in a straight up one for one trade.

Oddly enough, the marriage between Tecmo and Koei could actually do a lot for both companies. Koei has had a lot of success with its Dynasty Warriors franchise, while Tecmo’s Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive series have always been fan favorites. With the potential for crossover alone, adding Ryu, Kasumi, and Ayane to a new Dynasty Warriors game for example, the combined strength could make a hefty impact on the Japanese game market. Plus, thanks to Tecmo’s success in the Western market, it’s possible that the merger could give Koei a bit of wider appeal to the audience outside of Japan.