Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires release date announced

Tecmo Koei has helpfully assigned a calendar co-ordinate for the latest entry in its hack, slash and faff about on maps series, Dynasty Warriors 7: Empires.

The PlayStation 3 exclusive hits the US on February 19; Australia on February 21; and Europe on February 22.

Empires is a spin-off to the core Dynasty Warriors series which serves as both a stand-alone title and an expansion of sorts; players can import their save data. Instead of battling through a narrative-driven sequence, players take control of a force and attempt to conquer the whole of China, in specific historic scenarios or random maps, choosing when and where to attack and managing resources in between mashing the controller and squealing in delight.

This edition boasts an overhauled Edit Mode so players can make even more unique custom characters, which can then be shared online, where they will exhibit behaviours based on your skill and style. It also adds one more playable character - Xu Shu.