0 A.D. vs Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires
0 A.D.
0 A.D. is a really unique game not because it is possibly one of the most well-made, open-source, historical real-time strategy games we've ever seen; the game started off as a mod for Age of Empires 2: The Age of Kings but ended up being a standalone game with its own game engine and everything. This is a pretty huge feat and puts 0 A.D. on the same level as other successful mod-turned games like Garry's Mod. However, the game may lose out a bit when it comes to popularity mainly because it's not available on Steam, which happens to be the current largest PC gaming platform, and partly because there isn't a lot of promoting from established gaming media, or marketing, even.That said, the game is incredibly impressive for an under-development and completely free game. You can play as a number of civilizations that has their own graphics and models to set them apart. There are also citizen-soldiers who like in real-life, can switch between gatheirng resources like a civilian and fighting as a soldier depending on need. Unlike certain RTS games that allow you to unlock every branch of the tech tree, this game offers technological tradeoffs between two equally important tech, forcing you to really consider your choices and pick one that fits your play style.
0 A.D. also tries to be as historically accurate as possible, conforming its 3D models and maps to actual historical depictions of the people and land back in the day. The effort into making game realistic is astounding, but of course, the devs have mentioned that if they had to choose between having a feature that's historically accurate or playable, they will definitely choose playable every time... naturally, since this is still mainly a game and all.
So, if you're interested, know that you can get the game for free on their site.
Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires
Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires is another Empires spin-off from the main Dynasty Warriors franchise. It combines the repetitive hack and slash that the series is so famous for with a more strategic, Risk-like gameplay where you'll not only need to get your hands dirty in actual combat, but also make important military decisions based on your role as a leader of an army.However, many players have said that this game is definitely a step down from the 7th installment. Not to mention, like Dynasty Warriors 8, this PC port is plagued with the same control issues if you use the mouse and keyboard combo, but the problems go away once you switched over to using a controller. So, if you plan on buying this game, make sure you have a controller ready.
That being said, Dynasty Warriors 8: Empires is definitely the sort of game that caters to fans of the game series and may also appeal to some fans of strategy games, but as mentioned, despite being the newest, it's certainly not the best game in the spin-off series - it is merely a somewhat decent one.