Onimusha: Warlords (PS2)

The edge is the story line and setting. Feudal Japan is the setting and instead of blasting the Undead to bits with pump-action shotguns the hero slashes them to bits with various edged weapons. Capcom have spent a lot of time developing the story in the form of FMV sequences that really add to the game however; the basic game play remains the same as the original and best "Survival Horror" game, Resident Evil: Horrid villain, in league with demonic forces, wants to be extremely naughty in a remote castle. Realistically one should say "Well, let 'im get on with it 'cos I'm going the pub..." However, having set the scene very well Capcom draw the gamer into the plot and support the experience with excellent graphics, a biting score and some tricky puzzles.

The game takes place in and around a castle now taken over by demonic forces that intend let loose even more tyranny by doing something utterly despicable to the beautiful princess. Enter Samunosuke (pronounced Samu-nos-kay) to put paid to these devilish plans with help from his female Ninja side-kick, Kaede. Samunosuke also has help from a sympathetic Clan of Ogres (don't we all?) and thus can perform some quite stunning feats with Swords, Bows and a particularly vicious looking staff with Machetes on each end. Not wanting to spoil the plot entirely I would just comment that it is quite easy to get some serious destructive ability quickly and whacking the baddies becomes a joy at a very early stage. Support characters pop in and out, usually in FMV, and add to a varied and interesting list of inhabitants. I must mention the "Upside-down-Yoda-on-a-string" at this point and would suggest Capcom fill a gap in the novelty toiletries market as soon as possible!

It would appear that Capcom have balanced the whole project together very well. Some puzzles, for instance, are amazingly simple (Trick Treasure Chests), whilst others are a little more challenging (Water Trap Puzzle against the clock) but this all adds to the theory of giving and then taking away to maintain a high interest level. The game is not easy but it is also not impossibly difficult. It will hold your attention and depending on how good you are in gaming terms may take between 1 and 4 weeks to complete, time permitting.

Some sequences are "jerky" as the scenes cut around to different view angles when rushing around the large milieu. The fight sequences are largely free of this so add a modicum of required skill when prevailing to move onto the next stage. There are neat touches like rustling breezes and annoying omissions like opening doors or running down stairs.

The music score is magnificent. The tension pulses out of the speakers as you edge through tricky areas of the game and always seems to finish at exactly the right moment. Clever coding and anticipation of gamers should be warmly applauded.

In summary Onimusha: Warlords is now hinting at the underlying power of the PS2 and we should all look forward to more of the same in the future.

But a large difference from Resi is that its heart is pure action. You don't just run around aiming monsters from a distance; how could I put it, "slow" exploring. You run around carrying large blades, getting close to somehting and beating the hell out of it. Sure,there are puzzles, AND cutscenes, actually quite a bit too many of these for someone who's impatient to carry on, especially at the start. the first ever qaurter of the game is passed in lengthy cutscenes and lots of chatter. in some parts of the game you egt to use the lead character's partner for some sections of the game, which offers a new array of moves. yet with both characters you just button-bash attack to do combos.

The graphics in Onimusha show very well what the PS2 is capable of. The backgrounds are as realistic as real life, yes REAL LIFE! the character models are nearly so, and blend in well. It's all superb. Why, the main character's face is that of a japanese actor! Few of the cutscenes are modified to the ultimate as FMV's, since it's close enough already. The weaponry is also realistic, and the magical attacks look great!

The sound effects are also astounding. Each area has its own unique soundtrack, and they're all cool. They'll make the game definitely more exciting. The sound effects are carried out nicely: you can expect such things as blades clashing with each other, weapon sounds, the wind howling in deep tunnels, monster's shrieks and howls, and growls and many more.

The game's controls are smooth and easy to master. No one should have that much trouble figuring it all out. The gameplay should be divided in two groups: action and puzzle-busting. Your character has the ability to seal demon souls in his gauntlet thung on his arm once he hacks them up. You can then cash these in at magic mirrors to upgrade swords, magics, medicinals and ammunition. You hack up foes, seal the souls, hack some more and so on. There's a whole array of different beasts all with strengths and weaknesses, which makes each baddie-bashing different in tactics. And the game's not all about blades. You'll find a bow and eventually a matchlock gun; the rifle / shotgun of the 16th century. The game's puzzles are varied well. Throughout the game you find tresure boxes with tile locks and other with song locks. the tile lock require you to use your barin to turn a group of tiles in the required order so as to open the box, and you have alimited number of turns. Song boxes require you tosearch in the books you find and collect to find the right words. There are more puzzles which can actually present danger; for example in one sequence the main charactr is trapped in a ,etal chamber which slowly fills up with water. You must then use his partner to solve a puzzle by moving tiles around strategically to form a picture before the trapped one dies drowned. It's all there to form the game.

Onimusha is quite short for a game. It doesn't take much long to complete it even in the first time. There are additions, though. if you collect 20 hidden items called flourites through the game, you get a mini-game to play. This is obviously much shorter than the main game, but can be actually more challenging! Once you complete it you bag yourself a cheat to have evertyhing from the beginning when you replay the game... if you ever would. Onimusha is not all a bad game, it's awesoem, but there isn't enough of it.

Finally a word on the sound. The makers of the game really got the atmosphere just right in my opinion, recreating that distinct 'feudal japan' sound.

This games a real treat to play and if you liked Devil May Cry or Soul Reaver, you're gonna love this! 5 *'s!!!!!