Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny

"Sword slashing, soul sucking action, a must have game"

Onimusha 2 is set more or less 10 years after the events of the successful, Onimusha Warlords.The game opens with the game's protoganist Jubei Yagyu who's hometown has been destroyed by the war mongering Nobunaga Oda.

STORY
Basically the story is about Jubei's struggle to avenge his friends and family.Meeting new friends who all have their own unique personality's and backstories to discover to help him destroy Nobunaga. A simple concept though if truth be told the point can be driven home too much at some points.

GRAPHICS
Easily some of the best graphics for it's time even the subtle often unappreciated details such as the waves on the beach or the rain smashing on Jubei's shoulders can help to create all the more realism in the game. Though kept to a minimum the CG sequences in the game will definitely not leave you disappointed.

GAMEPLAY
Really what you're doing is progressing through areas killing demons.When you say it like that you might think that it sounds bland and unexciting but this isn't true at all, as opposed to mashing the square button the whole way through the areas you can actually utilise a number of techniques and weapons. You have special elemental techniques(Thunder, ice etc.) available to you through your swords,spear and warhammer.

Much like the original once you kill an enemy it will release souls which Jubei can absorb and use to enhance his weapons and armour and the best thing about this is it is completely optional, so players looking for more of a challenge can go through the game without touching the enhancement screen.

I hear many people bad mouthing the controls, I honestly don't see the problem with them, yes there's no analog compatibility but it isn't really a big thing the controls are pretty simple and you should adjust to them quickly.

You can interact with the 4 sub characters in the game by giving gifts to them and building friendships. Which character you're friendliest with decides who comes to your aid in boss battles and everything, but it also means that the character who you interact with most has their own backstory to discover.

REPLAY VALUE
No question about this, the replay value in Onimusha 2 is huge, as said above each character has a backstory to discover and each can only be fully explored by replaying the game at least 4 times. And if that isn't enough there is new difficulty modes, mini games and (sadly) only one costume.

RENT OR BUY?
I would definitely recommend this a welcome addition to any gamer's collection.
If you're still in doubt after reading this then by all means rent it first.

OVERALL
I tried hard to find a flaw in this game that I think would deserve a point deduction, needless to say I couldn't find one.
10/10

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/27/08

Game Release: Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny (EU, 10/04/02)