Onimusha: Warlords

"Think of Chris Redfield in some funky Japanese outfit and with a love for raw fish"

Capcoms first survival horror for the PS2 Onimusha has finally arrived after a lengthy wait and let me tell you it was well worth it. Although originally scheduled to be a N64 game, that idea was put to waste and then moved to the Playstation but then once again they changed the system over to the PS2. You can really see why they wanted Onimusha to make its debut on the PS2 when you look at the games graphics. Its just stunning what these guys have done whether it’s our lead hero Samanosuke to the perfect surrounding backdrops you will drool just at the sight of this game.

Samanosuke is made up of over 10, 000 polygons. He is clearly one of the most advanced characters in a video game ever. Some people have complained that they choose to make the backgrounds in old school 2D rather then have them 3D more suitable for the system. But when you look at the extra time they put in on the characters instead of the backgrounds you cant help but be amazed. And hell, the backgrounds look just freaking gorgeous. The opening movie of the game is very awesome although Capcom have always been master of the ancient art of CG movies the amount of effort they must have put into it really shines through and by far it is one of my favorite CG movies in a game ever. In the game you take control of Samanosuke Akechi a master swordsman and all around good guy, who is on a mission to save the Princess Yuki, who has been kidnapped after the keep is taken over by hordes of evil zombie samurai.

Now I know what your thinking ''Zombies Samurai??'' but these aren't like the zombies we grew up with playing the RE Series, these bad dudes can block attacks, retreat and just plainly kick your ass. Speaking of the RE series one of the most disappointing things with Onimusha is the amount of differences between the game and Resident Evil or the lack there of. The controls, the game menu, the save screen and even the puzzles are the same. Why must capcom put a hidden clog in every game the make? There are really only 3 main puzzles in the game and trust me you wont need to look at any walkthrough or cheat in order to solve them. Any experienced gamer can get through this game in under 6 hours.

While Resident Evil 1 & 2 were pretty long (more then 1 disc). Onimusha more takes after Resident Evil 3, simple and to the point. And like the RE Series you will be forced to take control over another character in the story, Kaede, Samanosukes good friend. Although she doesn’t really have a big role in the game and you don’t really learn about her past and you don’t get the feeling you know her, she is really fun to play with. She can flip behind a guy and then slit his throat, now how cool is that? Along with her throat cutting ways she can throw small knives and slice throw zombies with her kick ass dagger. But its sad to see that capcom didn’t put much into her character they kind of just put her into the story.

One thing that got boring after awhile in the RE Series was the killing of baddies, and even Capcom must have realized that, so in Onimusha you get a sort of bonus of killing zombie. Every time you destroy a bad dude you can get souls and energy for your gauntlet (a weapon you get in the game) and if you collect enough souls you will be able to upgrade your swords and other items such as medicine and even arrows. With this new twist to the game it will keep the zombie killing fun for days. I know it’s a lot like Soul Reaver but hey who cares its one kick ass idea that should be in even more games.

A big problem with the game I thought was the fact that it had no analog control. You have to use the stupid D-Pad now most of us are use to it and have no problem with it, but when you play games like the RE series where you can use the Analog you just want to say to yourself ''What was Capcom thinking??'' You use the right analog to go to your map... um why? Why did they need to make it so you have to press R3 in order to see your map? And why oh why did they just leave L3 doing nothing? I cant stand games where you cant change the controls or where you can change the controls but its like Control Set A, B, C, D. But the controls are still very easy to use even my nephew could slice away some zombies (not as good as his master swordsman uncle but hey he's only 5).

And some how even with all the new and kick ass improvements with Onimusha they still managed to mess up the English voice acting. Where do they hire these people? It is just so bad, but one cool thing they did add is that now you can listen to the Japanese voice acting but have English subtitles, and the Japanese voice work is soo much better. The voices actually fit the characters and you really get a feel for them. So like I said just put on the Japanese voice work put on the English subtitles and enjoys the game.

The Pleasant & The Unpleasant:
The Pleasant
+Best Graphics in a console game to date
+Learning Curve is extremely easy
+Old School Japanese Music
+Demon Soul Stealing adds a kick ass twist to the game
+Good (not perfect) voice acting
+Monster fighting doesn't get repetitive
+Story is rich and new not the same old video game drama
+Cool preview CG movie of Onimusha 2 :)

The Unpleasant
-Where's the Analog?
-Short.... Very Short...
-Easy Puzzles
-Not enough puzzles
-Resident Evil with a sword
-End Boss is extremely hard
-Ending is brief and disappointing
Graphics: 10/10
Sound: 8/10
Control: 9/10
Game play: 8.7/10
Replay Value: 9/10

In closing Onimusha is a great game for the PS2; in fact I say it’s the best one out for the system today. Even with the fact that while playing you cant some how think your just controlling Chris Redfield in some funky Japanese outfit and with a love for raw fish, Onimusha just owns. And since its the only survivor horror out there for the PS2 it will clearly dominate the system for months to come, until Devil May Cry and Metal Gear Solid 2 comes out. I urge anyone that even if you don't like these types of games to go out and buy a copy or at least rent it, you will have a blast.

Overall Score: 9.5/10

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 10/09/01, Updated 10/09/01