Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny

The game picks up some 10 years after the original - and what's this? The evil feudal warlord Nobunaga is back from the dead (again), and up to his old tricks in a big way! The opening movie sets the scene and handily (and obviously) introduces Jubei into the mix. The CGI is nothing short of superb; excellent motion capture, and it has to be said pretty violent. If you've played Onimusha Warlords then you'll know the sort of treat you can expect.

The graphical trend continues in the game proper. Backrounds are pre-rendered, and look amazing, with an incredible amount of detail; waves ripple on lakes, leaves blow in the wind etc etc. There are some fabulous lighting and particle effects too!

Gameplay wise it would be fair to say that Onimusha 2 isn't too far removed from the original. The controls are the same as before, as is the hack-through-hordes-of-demons gameplay - but hey! It's a winning formula, so why not stick with it?!

There are however a number of new aspects to the game, including new weaponry, new enemies, a couple of new moves, the ability to attain temporary invincibility and more importantly four other characters which aid you at different points through the mission, and are also at some points playable.

The new characters all have different fighting styles; spearfighter, fencer, ninja and riflesman. You can influence who turns up to help you out thanks to the all-new bartering system. By giving your new chums presents (which you can either find or buy) you can alter their affection levels - so give them a prezzy they like and they'll have no hesitation in getting in on the action. Conversly, offer them a present they don't like and they'll start getting all sullen and pouty. Oh, and when you give a present you get one in return - some are of course more useful than others. This is quite a nice little system, and I dare say it may well add to the replay value.

What else - oh yeah, the sound. No problems here either - music is atmospheric, monster sounds are suitably monstrous and that satisfying slashing-through-demon-flesh sound makes a welcome return.

As with all games there are of course a couple of downers. The first of these is one that is common amongst these survival horror games - camera angles. I've lost count of the number of times I've been slapping around some demon scum and they've just vanished off the screen, or behind some scenery. It's more annoying than anything else - just keep hitting the attack button and you won't go far wrong. Still, after all the survival horror games that Capcom have knocked out you would have thought that they might have been able to remedy this situation. My other (minor) niggle is with the pre-rendered backgrounds, while they are of course beautiful to look at they do take something away from the 3-Dimensionality (I think I may have just made up that word) of the scene.

Still, as I say they are minor niggles, and if that is all there is to complain about....

Anyway, to sum up - an excellent, and entertaining game with plenty to keep you going, for a short time at least. I've only given it 4 stars as I feel that it is pretty much more of the same as Onimusha Warlords, and perhaps could have done with just a little bit "more" to earn it that coveted 5 star award. But whatever way you look at it this is a quality game - it may not change your life but it'll certainly stave off the bordeom for a weekend or two.

PS - One thing I forgot to mention - there's a 60hz option as well. Bless you Capcom for taking into account the needs of the European gamer!

However, this game is not without its flaws: Firstly, I still don't understand why, as with the first game, borders are present at the top and bottom of the screen, reducing the overall size: surely this isn't necessary in a game that clearly doesn't push the processing power of the PS2? Secondly, the infuriating sliding block-type puzzles from the original make a return, altough at least you don't die this time if you mess them up. Thirdly, the gameplay still gets repetitive after about and hour or so, with the same old enemies reappearing over and over again. And finally, the poor design of the gift system: I still found myself finding gifts towards the end of the game for certain characters that I would never see again, so what was the point of placing them there? Also, some characters have gifts more readily available for them, meaning that they will favour you in the fights.

Anyway, overall, this is an improvement on the original and is highly enjoyable for short bursts of time. If you liked the original, then buy it.