In a day when publishers are shying away from numbered sequels, you have to respect a franchise like Dynasty Warriors. Many games stop counting after three, but Dynasty Warriors wears its increasing numbers like a badge of honor. For example, Tecmo Koei announced Dynasty Warriors 8 today, another large-scale action game following Chinese military history. It's due July 16 for PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.

Tecmo promises a few new elements to keep this installment fresh, including multiple endings and extra modes. The game will follow the traditional story mode, but also boasts "What if?" scenarios based on alternate histories. If a historical character hadn't died on the battlefield, for example, he may have influenced history very differently. This feeds into five separate endings, some of which will be based on that alternate history. For once, the "true ending" will be completely literal.

For long-time fans, DW8 will include 70 playable characters including many returning favorites, along with new additions like Yue Jin and Li Dian from the Wei Kingdom.