Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny

"An awesome follow up to the original"

If you have never played Onimusha, you have truly missed out on one of the best games to come from Capcom in recent years.

Gameplay: 9/10
This game plays almost exactly as the original. You press the Square button to slash with Jyuubei's varying weapons. The only irritating thing about the enemy encounters, is that your character tends to lock onto an enemy that you're not interested in defeating yet. An example is that the character will knock something down onto the ground, and then advance towards another enemy instead of killing the previous one.

The game is not terribly difficult for the most part. There are a lot of things to discover in this version. You can also upgrade much of your weapons and armor types.

Plus the inclusion of Magoichi, Ekei, Ooyu, and Kotaro makes for a very pleasant experience.

In my opinion, Onimusha 2 is much more like an rpg than the original.

Story: 10/10
The story is more complicated and detailed than the original Onimusha. It is also filled with more lore and legend, which should appeal to anyone with an imagination.

Although this review is for the Japanese version, I should think that it will apply to all other versions as well. Provided that you may or not know any Japanese at all, that should not be a damper. The game is very well animated, so that you should get the basic jist of the story from its cut scenes.

Audio/Video: 10/10
The sound in the game is just like that of the original. The varying sound effects add a sense of realism to the experience.

The BGM is also a treat to listen to. My copy came with the music video of the game's main theme song. It was not something that I expected to see. Many of you will either like it or absolutely hate it. If anything, you can push the start button to skip it.

The CG movies are spectacular and breathtaking. Chances are that you will not be disappointed.

The graphics are top notch as far as I am concerned with this game. The backgrounds are pre-rendered but still look greatly impressive to the eye. The characters all have a unique quality to them. The costumes are gorgeous and well detailed. The enemies look far more realistic than they did before.

Replaybility: 10/10
There are four total modes of difficulty for the player to experience. Three of which must be unlocked during your playing of the game.

There are several extra treats to be found. There are special scenarios to be discovered by the player, which adds to the already impressive replay value. You can also take a gander at the artwork used to create the game.

There are several mini-games to be unlocked during the course of the game. I have unlocked all but one of them myself. These are truly fun and enjoyable.

To buy or rent?
This is a toss up. If you do not own a Japanese PS2, or if you do not have a modded one, you might be better off waiting until your region releases this game.

I'd definitely recommmend renting it if you live in Japan. Its worth at least ten dollars to use on the weekend.

If you do have a Japanese PS2 as I do, go get this game and stop reading my boring review already, lol! It's one of the few imports that I have that I have truly enjoyed finishing.

And for you diehard Onimusha fans, there's a short preview clip of Onimusha 3;)

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/18/02, Updated 03/18/02