Omega Force

Omega Force
Native name
 オメガフォース
Division
Industry Video games
Founded 1996 (1996)
Headquarters Ashikaga, Tochigi, Japan
Key people
 Akihiro Suzuki
Hisashi Koinuma
Products Dynasty Warriors series
Samurai Warriors series
Attack on Titan series
Parent Koei (1996–2009)
Koei Tecmo (2009–present)

Omega Force (Japanese: オメガフォース) (stylised as ω-Force) is a Japanese video game developer and a division of Koei Tecmo, founded in 1996 by Akihiro Suzuki and Kenichi Ogasawara, and is best known for the Dynasty Warriors video games.

History

Omega Force was founded in 1996 as the fourth Business Division of Koei, with the intention of widening the appeal of Koei's portfolio outside of their strategy and simulation games, such as Romance of Three Kingdoms and Nobunaga's Ambition.

The studio was originally going to be named after the letter Z, however this idea never came to fruition, as the letter Z can have different meanings outside of Japanese culture. Wanting to keep the last letter of the alphabet, they settled for Omega from the Greek alphabet. However, because of copyright concerns with the clock manufacturing company Omega SA, Force was added – a Japanese homophone for "fourth" – representing that they are the fourth business division.

WinBack, released in 1999 for the Nintendo 64, pioneered the cover-based third-person shooter, inspiring titles such as Kill Switch and Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty. It also featured an early rendition of the laser sight mechanic, which would later be seen in titles such as Resident Evil 4. The cover system has since become a staple of the third-person shooter genre.[1][2]

In 2013, vocal complaints started to arise in Japan about Omega Force's depiction of historical figures within the release of Samurai Warriors 4.[3] The studio responded that they are aware of the complaints, but defended their use of historical figures as being just entertainment and having artistic freedom.[4]

Omega Force is currently developing the next entry in their key franchise Dynasty Warriors, dubbed Dynasty Warriors 9, moving the franchise from its arena-based combat to an open-world.[5] Producers Masaki Furusawa and Akihiro Suzuki also plan to overhaul the franchise's often criticized combat system.[5][6][7]

Games

Koei, the main developer and publisher of Warrior series.

Dynasty Warriors series

Dynasty Warriors, known as Sangokumusou (三國無双, Sangokumusō, lit. "Three Kingdoms Unrivalled"), is the first and the largest sub-series of Warriors series. While the second and follow titles are named as Shin · Sangokumusou (真・三國無双, Shin · Sangokumusō, lit. "True · Three Kingdom Unrivalled"), English localization remain naming Dynasty Warriors, made all English titles are a number ahead of their Japanese counterparts.

Numbered games

Title Original release date

Japan

North America

PAL region

Dynasty Warriors February 28, 1997[8] June 30, 1997 December, 1997
Notes:
Dynasty Warriors 2 August 3, 2000[9] October 26, 2000[9] November 24, 2000[9]
Notes:
Dynasty Warriors 3 September 20, 2001[11] November 26, 2001[12] March 22, 2002[12]
Notes:
  • Released on PlayStation 2.
  • Known as Shin · Sangokumusou 2 (真・三國無双2) in Japan.
  • Also available on Xbox (2003).
  • An expansion Dynasty Warriors 3: Xtreme Legends (known as Shin · Sangokumusou 2 Moushouden in Japan) was released in 2002.
Dynasty Warriors 4 February 27, 2003[11] March 25, 2003[13] June 27, 2003
Notes:
  • Released on PlayStation 2.
  • Known as Shin · Sangokumusou 3 (真・三國無双3) in Japan.
  • Also available on Xbox (2003) and Microsoft Windows (2005).
  • Several expansions and re-release versions were released:
    • The expansion Dynasty Warriors 4: Xtreme Legends (known as Shin Sangokumusou 3 Moushouden in Japan) was released in 2003 on PlayStation 2.
    • The expansion Dynasty Warriors 4: Empires (known as Shin Sangokumusou 3 Empires in Japan) was released in 2004 on PlayStation 2.
    • An PC re-release Dynasty Warriors 4: Hyper (known as Shin Sangokumusou 3 Hyper) was released in 2005.
Dynasty Warriors 5 February 24, 2005 March 29, 2005 June 24, 2005
Notes:
  • Released on PlayStation 2.
  • Known as Shin · Sangokumusou 4 (真・三國無双4) in Japan.
  • Also available on Xbox (2005) and Microsoft Windows (2006).
  • Several expansions were released:
    • The expansion Dynasty Warriors 5: Xtreme Legends (known as Shin Sangokumusou 4 Moushouden in Japan) was released in 2005 on PlayStation 2.
    • The expansion Dynasty Warriors 5 Special (known as Shin Sangokumusou 4 Special in Japan) was released in 2005 on PlayStation 2, and in 2006 on PC.
    • The expansion Dynasty Warriors 5: Empires (known as Shin Sangokumusou 4 Empires in Japan) was released in 2006 on PlayStation 2 and Xbox 360.
Dynasty Warriors 6 November 11, 2007[14] February 19, 2008[15] March 7, 2008[16]
Notes:
  • Known as Shin · Sangokumusou 5 (真・三國無双5) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
  • Also available on PlayStation 2 (2008), and PlayStation Portable (2009).[17]
  • Several expansions or re-release versions were released:
    • The expansion Dynasty Warriors 6 Special (known as Shin Sangokumusou 5 Special in Japan) was released in 2008 on PlayStation 2, and in 2009 on PlayStation Portable.
    • An PC re-release Dynasty Warriors 6: Empires (known as Shin Sangokumusou 5 Empires in Japan) was released in 2009 on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360, and in 2010 on PlayStation Portable.
Dynasty Warriors 7 March 10, 2011 March 29, 2011 March 31, 2011
Notes:
  • Known as Shin · Sangokumusou 6 (真・三國無双6) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
  • Also available on Microsoft Windows (2012).[18]
Dynasty Warriors 8 February 28, 2013[19] July 16, 2013[20] July 19, 2013[20]
Notes:
  • Known as Shin · Sangokumusou 7 (真・三國無双7) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
  • Also available on PlayStation 4 (2014), and Microsoft Windows (2014).
Dynasty Warriors 9 February 8, 2018[21] February 13, 2018[22] February 13, 2018[23]
Notes:
  • Known as Shin · Sangokumusou 8 (真・三國無双8) in Japan.
  • First free-roam game.

Non-numbered games

Title Original release date

Japan

North America

PAL region

Dynasty Warriors December 16, 2004 March 16, 2005 September 1, 2005
Notes:
Shin · Sangokumusō BB December 16, 2004 Not available Not available
Notes:
Dynasty Warriors Advance March 24, 2005 August 29, 2005 December 2, 2005
Notes:
  • Known as Shin · Sangokumusō Advance (真・三國無双Advance) in Japan.
  • Released on Game Boy Advance.
Dynasty Warriors Online Spring 2006 November 10, 2010 Not available
Notes:
  • Known as Shin · Sangokumusō Online (真・三國無双Online) in Japan.
  • Released on Microsoft Windows.
  • Also available on PlayStation 3 (2010) and PlayStation 4 (2014).
  • Successor of Shin · Sangokumusō BB, thus also a Massively multiplayer online role-playing game.
Dynasty Warriors Vol. 2 March 23, 2006 October 24, 2006 November 17, 2006
Notes:
  • Known as Shin · Sangokumusō 2nd Evolution (真・三國無双 2nd Evolution) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation Portable.
Jan · Sangokumusō March 23, 2006 Not available Not available
Notes:
  • Original Japanese is Jan · Sangoku Musō (雀・三國無双, lit. "Mahjong · Three Kingdom Unrivalled") in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 2.
  • Also available on PlayStation Portable (2006) and Nintendo DS (2006).
  • Mahjong game.
Dynasty Warriors DS: Fighter's Battle April 5, 2007 July 24, 2007 August 31, 2007
Notes:
  • Known as Shin · Sangokumusō DS Fighter's Battle (真・三國無双DS ファイターズバトル) in Japan.
  • Released on Nintendo DS.
Mobile Shin · Sangokumusō January 18, 2008 Not available Not available
Notes:
Dynasty Warriors: Strikeforce February 26, 2009 April 28, 2009 May 1, 2009
Notes:
  • Known as Shin · Sangokumusō Multi Raid (真・三國無双 MULTI RAID) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation Portable.
  • Also available on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 (2009).[24]
Shin · Sangokumusō Multi Raid 2 March 11, 2010
Notes:
  • Released on PlayStation Portable.
Dynasty Warriors Next December 17, 2011 February 22, 2012[25] February 22, 2012[26]
Notes:
  • Known as Shin · Sangokumusō Next (真・三國無双 NEXT) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation Vita.
Shin · Sangokumusō Vs April 26, 2012 Not available Not available
Notes:

Samurai Warriors series

Samurai Warriors, known as Sengokumusou (戦国無双, Sengoku Musō, lit. "Unrivaled Warring States") is the series based loosely around the Sengoku ("Warring States") period of Japanese history.

Title Original release date

Japan

North America

PAL region

Samurai Warriors February 11, 2004 May 6, 2004 June 25, 2004
Notes:
  • Known as Sengokumusou (戦國無双, Sengoku Musō, lit. "Warring States Unrivalled") in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 2.
  • Also available on Xbox 360 (2004).
  • An enhance version Samurai Warriors: Xtreme Legends, known as Sengoku Musō Mōsyōden (戦国無双 猛将伝) in Japan, was released in 2004. Then a PlayStation Portable version Samurai Warriors: State of War, known as Geki · Sengoku Musō (戦國無双) in Japan, was released in 2005 (Japan) and 2006 (Western).
Samurai Warriors 2 February 24, 2006 September 19, 2006 September 22, 2006
Notes:
Samurai Warriors: Katana September 20, 2007 January 15, 2008 February 22, 2008
Notes:
  • Known as Sengokumusou Katana (戦國無双KATANA) in Japan.
  • Released on Wii.
Samurai Warriors 3 December 3, 2009 September 28, 2010 May 28, 2010
Notes:
  • Known as Sengokumusou 3 (戦國無双3) in Japan.
  • Released on Wii.
  • Also available on PlayStation 3 (2011) and PlayStation Portable (2012).
Samurai Warriors: Chronicles February 26, 2011 March 27, 2011 March 25, 2011
Notes:
  • Known as Sengokumusou Chronicles (戦國無双 Chronicle) in Japan.
  • Released on Nintendo 3DS.
  • An upgrade version Sengokumusou Chronicles 2nd (戦国無双 Chronicle 2nd) was released in 2012 in Japan.
Samurai Warriors 4 March 20, 2014 October 21, 2014 October 24, 2014
Notes:
  • Known as Sengokumusou 4 (戦國無双4) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.
  • Also available on PlayStation 4 (2014) and PlayStation Portable (2012).
Samurai Warriors: Chronicles 3 December 4, 2014 June 30, 2015 June 24, 2015
Notes:
  • Released on PlayStation Vita and Nintendo 3DS.
Samurai Warriors 4-II February 11, 2015 September 29, 2015 October 2, 2015
Notes:
  • Known as Sengokumusou 4-II (戦國無双4-II) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.
  • Also available on Microsoft Windows (2015).
Samurai Warriors: Spirit of Sanada November 23, 2016 May 23, 2017 May 26, 2017
Notes:
  • Known as Sengoku Musou ~Sanada Maru~ (戦国無双 ～真田丸～) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 4, PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita.
  • Also available on Microsoft Windows (2017) and Nintendo Switch (2017).

Warriors Orochi series

Warriors Orochi, known as Musou Orochi (無双OROCHI, Musō Orochi) in Japan, is a series developed by Koei and Omega Force. It is a crossover of Dynasty Warriors and Samurai Warriors.

Title Original release date

Japan

North America

PAL region

Warriors Orochi March 21, 2007 September 18, 2007 September 21, 2007
Notes:
Warriors Orochi 2 April 3, 2008 September 23, 2008 September 19, 2008
Notes:
  • Known as Musou Orochi Maou Sairin (無双OROCHI 魔王再臨, Musō Orochi Maō Sairin, lit. "Unrivalled Orochi Demon Lord Rebrith") in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 2.
  • Also available on Xbox 360 (2008) and PlayStation Portable (2008).
Musou Orochi Z March 12, 2009 Not available Not available
Notes:
Warriors Orochi 3 December 22, 2011 March 20, 2012 April 6, 2012
Notes:
  • Original Japanese is Musou Orochi 2 (無双OROCHI 2, Musō Orochi Tsū).
  • Released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
  • Also available on PlayStation Portable (2012), Wii U (2012), PlayStation 4 (2014), Xbox One (2014), Nintendo Switch (2017).
Warriors Orochi 4 September 27, 2018 October 16, 2018 October 19, 2018
Notes:
  • Original Japanese is Musou Orochi 3 (無双OROCHI 3, Musō Orochi Surī).
  • Released on Nintendo Switch, Playstation 4, Xbox One (North America and Europe only) and PC.

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam series

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam, originally released in Japan as Gundammusou (ガンダム無双, Gandamu Musō), is a series which based on the Gundam anime series. Games were developed by Omega Force and published by Bandai Namco Games.

Title Original release date

Japan

North America

PAL region

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam March 1, 2007 August 28, 2007 November 9, 2007
Notes:
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 2 December 18, 2008 April 22, 2009 April 24, 2009
Notes:
  • Known as Gundammusou 2 (ガンダム無双2) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 2, PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam 3 December 16, 2010 June 28, 2011 July 1, 2011
Notes:
  • Known as Gundammusou 3 (ガンダム無双3) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Reborn December 19, 2013 July 1, 2014 June 27, 2014
Notes:
  • Known as Shin · Gundammusou (真・ガンダム無双) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita (Japan only).

Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage series

Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage, released in Japan as Hokutomusou (北斗無双, Hokuto Musō), is a series developed by Omega Force and published by Tecmo Koei. It is based on the manga franchise Fist of the North Star by Buronson and Tetsuo Hara.

Title Original release date

Japan

North America

PAL region

Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage March 25, 2010 November 2, 2010 November 5, 2010
Notes:
  • Known as Hokutomusou (北斗無双) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
  • An international version was released in 2010 in Japan.
Fist of the North Star: Ken's Rage 2 December 20, 2012 February 5, 2013 February 8, 2013
Notes:
  • Known as Shin · Hokutomusou 2 (真・北斗無双) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.
  • Also available on Wii U (2013).

One Piece: Pirate Warriors series

One Piece: Pirate Warriors, also known in Japan as One Piece: Kaizoku Musou (ワンピース 海賊無双, Wan Pīsu Kaizoku Musou), is a series developed by Omega Force and published by Bandai Namco Games. It is based on the One Piece manga and anime franchise by Eiichiro Oda.

Title Original release date

Japan

North America

PAL region

One Piece: Pirate Warriors March 1, 2012 September 21, 2012 September 25, 2012
Notes:
  • Known as One Piece: Kaizoku Musou (ワンピース 海賊無双) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 3.
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 2 March 20, 2013 August 30, 2013 September 3, 2013
Notes:
  • Known as One Piece: Kaizoku Musou 2 (ワンピース 海賊無双2) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita (Japan only).
One Piece: Pirate Warriors 3 March 26, 2015 August 25, 2015 August 28, 2015
Notes:
  • Known as One Piece: Kaizoku Musou 3 (ワンピース 海賊無双3) in Japan.
  • Released on PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Nintendo Switch, and Microsoft Windows.

Independent titles

Title Original release date

Japan

North America

PAL region

Warriors: Legends of Troy May 26, 2011 March 8, 2011 March 18, 2011
Notes:
Hyrule Warriors August 14, 2014 September 26, 2014 September 19, 2014
Notes:
  • Known as Zelda Musou (ゼルダ無双, Zeruda Musō) in Japan.
  • Based on the video game series The Legend of Zelda.
  • Released on Wii U.
  • An extended port Hyrule Warriors Legends was released for Nintendo 3DS in 2016.
  • All content from the 3DS port, including its post-release DLC, was released for Nintendo Switch in 2018 under the name of Hyrule Warriors: Definitive Edition.
Arslan: The Warriors of Legend October 1, 2015 February 9, 2016 February 9, 2016
Notes:
Berserk and the Band of the Hawk October 27, 2016 February 21, 2017 February 24, 2017
Notes:
Warriors All-Stars March 30, 2017 August 29, 2017 September 1, 2017
Notes:
Fire Emblem Warriors September 28, 2017 October 20, 2017 October 20, 2017
Notes:

Other

TitleRelease yearGenrePlatform(s)Notes
Enigma1998Adventure gamePlayStation
Destrega1998Fighting gamePlayStation
WinBack1999Third-Person ShooterNintendo 64, PlayStation 2
Jan Sangoku Musou2006Board gamePlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable, Nintendo DS
Bladestorm: The Hundred Years' War2007Real-time tacticsPlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows
Saihai no Yukue2008Strategy, adventureNintendo DS
Shin Sangoku Musou Multi Raid 22010Hack and slashPlayStation Portable
Trinity: Souls of Zill O'll2010Role-playingPlayStation 3
Sengoku Musou Chronicle 2nd2011Hack and slashNintendo 3DS
Toukiden: The Age of Demons2013Action role-playingPlayStation Portable, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows
Sengoku Musou Shoot2014ArcadeAndroid, iOS
Shin Sangoku Musou Blast2014Tactical role-playingAndroid, iOS
Quiz Battle Toukiden2014PartyAndroid, iOS
Dragon Quest Heroes: The World Tree's Woe and the Blight Below2015Action role-playing, hack and slashSwitch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Microsoft WindowsPublished by Square Enix
Attack on Titan2016Action, hack and slashPlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Microsoft WindowsBased on Hajime Isayama's Attack on Titan
Dragon Quest Heroes II2016Action role-playing, hack and slashSwitch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft WindowsPublished by Square Enix
Toukiden 22016Action role-playingPlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Microsoft Windows
Dynasty Warriors: Godseekers2016Tactical role-playingPlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita
Attack on Titan 22018Action, Hack and slashPlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Microsoft Windows, Nintendo Switch

References

  1. ↑ "Gaming's most important evolutions". GamesRadar. 2010-10-08. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  2. ↑ Gordon, Shawn (October 11, 2009). "Greatest "Retro" Console Games of All Time". Game Informer. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  3. ↑ "Twitter". 24 January 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  4. ↑ "Twitter". 24 January 2013. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  5. 1 2 Romano, Sal (17 December 2016). "Dynasty Warriors 9 announced". Gematsu. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  6. ↑ Higley, Christian (9 September 2011). "Five Problems With the Dynasty Warriors Formula and How to Fix Them". VentureBeat. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  7. ↑ Cooper, Ian (18 March 2015). "The Dynasty Warriors Empire is finally crumbling". Wow247.co.uk. Retrieved 15 February 2017.
  8. ↑ "『真・三國無双7』完成披露発表会が開催　布袋寅泰ほか豪華ゲストが登場、"HOTEI呂布"など衝撃コラボも発表 - ファミ通.com". ファミ通.com.
  9. 1 2 3 Perry, Doug (23 October 2000). "Dynasty Warriors 2".
  10. ↑ "The Game That Started The Dynasty Warriors Empire Is Now A PS2 Classic". 2012-11-28. Retrieved 2012-11-30.
  11. 1 2 "『真・三國無双シリーズコレクション上巻』の発売が決定！ - ファミ通.com". www.famitsu.com.
  12. 1 2 Perry, Doug (28 November 2001). "Dynasty Warriors 3".
  13. ↑ Dunham, Jeremy (21 March 2003). "Dynasty Warriors 4".
  14. ↑ "KOEI official site".
  15. ↑ Article Detail - PlayStation 3 News - QJ.NET Archived November 24, 2007, at the Wayback Machine.
  16. ↑ Parfitt, Ben (2007-11-20). "Dynasty Warriors 6 announced". www.mcvuk.com. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
  17. ↑ "Shin Sangokumusou 5 Special Release Information for PSP". GameFAQs. 2009-10-22. Retrieved 2012-03-05.
  18. ↑ "Dynasty Warriors 7 Hits PC on March 9". Andriasang.com. 2012-01-06. Retrieved 2012-08-10.
  19. ↑ PS3F (December 6, 2012). "Dynasty Warriors 8: New Faces Plus Japanese Release Date Announced". PlayStation News International. Retrieved December 6, 2012. Shin Sangokumusou 7 will storm PS3s in Japan on February 28th. A western release is likely but remains TBA.
  20. 1 2 "DYNASTY WARRIORS 8 RELEASE DATE CHANGE". Tecmo Koei Europe. June 21, 2013. Retrieved June 21, 2013.
  21. ↑ "真・三國無双８". 真・三國無双８.
  22. ↑ "Dynasty Warriors 9". Dynasty Warriors 9.
  23. ↑ "Dynasty Warriors 9". Dynasty Warriors 9.
  24. ↑ Tanaka, John (July 29, 2009). "Dynasty Warriors Strikeforce Set for Xbox 360". IGN. Retrieved July 31, 2014.
  25. ↑ "Dynasty Warriors Next International Releases". Giant Bomb. Retrieved August 1, 2014.
  26. ↑ "Dynasty Warriors Next for PlayStation Vita". Tecmo Koei Europe. Archived from the original on October 14, 2012. Retrieved December 16, 2012.
  27. ↑ "Koei Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden, Toukiden and Atelier cross over in Musou Stars".
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