After selling two million copies worldwide, Capcom's oriental action-survival horror game, Onimusha: Warlords, seemed due a sequel. Despite the original game being stuck in developmental limbo for years (switching from N64 to PSone, then finally to PS2 over that time), a sequel came out just a year after the first game's release in 2001. While the original game was among the first to really showcase the PS2's prowess in several areas, the gameplay was firmly stuck in the PSOne era so there was a lot to improve and refine for Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny.
<img_inline align=right height=350>http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/1/520511_front.jpg
One of the decidedly next-gen parts of the original game was the astounding graphics, and that's no different here. Characters are wonderfully animated and the 16th century Japan they inhabit is evoked brilliantly (apart from Oyu's armour which protects everything except her cleavage and thighs). The meticulously detailed, pre-rendered backgrounds are excellent apart from their inherent vices. Some areas from Warlords are re-used, but with no noticeable drop in quality. Various locations such as grotesquely macabre demonic realms, quiet rural villages and lush countrysides are all equally well portrayed. The occasional FMVs look even better, easily on par with the CGI feature films of the time, it's stunning stuff, especially in the opening FMV. Overall, everything looks extremely smooth and it helps pull players into the dark plot.
The game follows the swordsman Jubei Yagyu, as he goes on the same quest Samanosuke went on in the first game: to kill the ambitious demon king Nobunaga so he cannot realise his ambition of ruling Japan. Jubei is better developed than Samanosuke was, motivated by more than a sense of duty, but the rather tired background of a destroyed village is unoriginal, and he lacks the presence or conviction to be a compelling character. He's little more than a typical action hero, although the romance subplot has an interesting melancholy note that makes it stand out. The entire plot is quite poorly executed; although it's an intriguing tale, the usually bumbling villains, unconvincing emotions and atrocious voice acting makes it hard to take seriously. A lot of effort went into the abundant cut-scenes and spectacular FMVs, but these aspects are undermined. There are occasional stirring moments, but it doesn't gel together enough to be the tale of mythic proportions it strives to be.
The gameplay and general structure of the original Onimusha could be described as the old Resident Evil with more emphasis on action and less on obtuse puzzles. That description holds true with the sequel. However, mandatory puzzles are reduced to fetch-quests, apart from a couple of straightforward brain teasers. The action parts of the game are fairly regular, and unfortunately its most distinctive characteristics are also its worst. Capcom persisted in using the same control-scheme as RE: D-pad controls with movement determined by the direction the character (rather than the camera) is facing. This system, which intentionally restricted and muddled survival horror gamers, just isn't well suited for 3-D action games. It's been partially updated but it's still an archaic feature ill suited to the game. The pre-rendered backgrounds add to the problem, concealing enemies by chance rather than design and occasionally disorientating the player.
Combat works well, but by withholding some control from the player. It can be fairly challenging, especially where some bosses are concerned, so the extra help is welcome. Attacks are automatically guided towards enemies, making targeting a less cumbersome process than it could have been, although it can cause difficulties when attempting to target one of a group of demons. It lacks the fluidity of Devil May Cry or similar games, but it feels very gratifying due to the excellent animations. Every blow tells. Blood sprays from each wound, each kick forces the victim to stagger backwards. Enemies are knocked to the floor, tossed in the air, impaled and much else in a violent frenzy. It isn't over the top like God of War, but it is still very empowering. The animation and suitably grisly sound effects all contribute to the player's sense of involvement in combat. While the player engages more with the mesmerising carnage rather than the tactically shallow gameplay mechanics, the game doesn't suffer much from it and almost overcomes the game's fundamental anachronisms.
When enemies are dispatched, their rapidly festering corpses release "souls" which linger in the air for a while before fading. Jubei can absorb them and benefit from the demon's handily colour-coded essence: red souls are collected and can be used to power-up items at save-points; yellow souls restore health; blue souls refill the magic bar each individual magical weapon has; and when five purple souls are collected, Jubei briefly transforms into an Onimusha (an invincible, super-powered demon). The amount of souls released depends on the chosen difficulty level and the manner in which enemies are killed. I found the quantity of souls released to be quite scant on normal mode, and easy was far too generous. The system does work well, but I thought there were slightly irritating balance issues.
The music isn't distinctly Japanese in style, being composed more of general airy orchestrational tracks. It suits the game perfectly, while very much being a case of verisimilitude being overlooked in favour of overall effect. Nothing quite stands out, but everything is of high quality.
Sadly, the same cannot be said of the dubbing. Astonishingly, given the game's extremely high production values, the English dub is awful. In the original game, this could be ignored as the Japanese dub was available, but no such option is given here. Some of the main characters are merely below average, but it's unbelievable that some executive gave this the go-ahead. After the huge expense Capcom went to with the rest of the game, failing to cater adequately to such a huge demographic is big misstep. There is also the age old problem of translated dialogue to match in-game cutscenes which results in the occasional odd line, but the poor voice acting overshadows all these flaws. It prevented me from ever taking the storyline seriously, but never provided the unintentional hilarity Capcom have previously delivered in their past attempts at localisation. And you know you're grasping at straws when you begin to pine for lines like 'You were almost a Jill sandwich'. Mention of the game won't trigger fond memories of strange lines, the dialogue and delivery aren't so bad they're good, they're just plain bad.
The game is just too patchy and old fashioned . The graphics are impressive, but proved to be easily matched without the same constraints Onimusha 2 works within. The gameplay is only good enough. The music is solid, but isn't memorable. The plot, even if properly translated, is somewhat interesting but far from outstanding. Despite the amount of polish, the game's reliance on dated formulas and concepts hold it back. It's a short, fairly insubstantial game, despite its own efforts to prolong its longevity. It's a good game, but despite the extravagant budget, it never comes near being great.
<img_inline align=right height=350>http://image.com.com/gamespot/images/bigboxshots/1/520511_front.jpg
One of the decidedly next-gen parts of the original game was the astounding graphics, and that's no different here. Characters are wonderfully animated and the 16th century Japan they inhabit is evoked brilliantly (apart from Oyu's armour which protects everything except her cleavage and thighs). The meticulously detailed, pre-rendered backgrounds are excellent apart from their inherent vices. Some areas from Warlords are re-used, but with no noticeable drop in quality. Various locations such as grotesquely macabre demonic realms, quiet rural villages and lush countrysides are all equally well portrayed. The occasional FMVs look even better, easily on par with the CGI feature films of the time, it's stunning stuff, especially in the opening FMV. Overall, everything looks extremely smooth and it helps pull players into the dark plot.
The game follows the swordsman Jubei Yagyu, as he goes on the same quest Samanosuke went on in the first game: to kill the ambitious demon king Nobunaga so he cannot realise his ambition of ruling Japan. Jubei is better developed than Samanosuke was, motivated by more than a sense of duty, but the rather tired background of a destroyed village is unoriginal, and he lacks the presence or conviction to be a compelling character. He's little more than a typical action hero, although the romance subplot has an interesting melancholy note that makes it stand out. The entire plot is quite poorly executed; although it's an intriguing tale, the usually bumbling villains, unconvincing emotions and atrocious voice acting makes it hard to take seriously. A lot of effort went into the abundant cut-scenes and spectacular FMVs, but these aspects are undermined. There are occasional stirring moments, but it doesn't gel together enough to be the tale of mythic proportions it strives to be.
The gameplay and general structure of the original Onimusha could be described as the old Resident Evil with more emphasis on action and less on obtuse puzzles. That description holds true with the sequel. However, mandatory puzzles are reduced to fetch-quests, apart from a couple of straightforward brain teasers. The action parts of the game are fairly regular, and unfortunately its most distinctive characteristics are also its worst. Capcom persisted in using the same control-scheme as RE: D-pad controls with movement determined by the direction the character (rather than the camera) is facing. This system, which intentionally restricted and muddled survival horror gamers, just isn't well suited for 3-D action games. It's been partially updated but it's still an archaic feature ill suited to the game. The pre-rendered backgrounds add to the problem, concealing enemies by chance rather than design and occasionally disorientating the player.
Combat works well, but by withholding some control from the player. It can be fairly challenging, especially where some bosses are concerned, so the extra help is welcome. Attacks are automatically guided towards enemies, making targeting a less cumbersome process than it could have been, although it can cause difficulties when attempting to target one of a group of demons. It lacks the fluidity of Devil May Cry or similar games, but it feels very gratifying due to the excellent animations. Every blow tells. Blood sprays from each wound, each kick forces the victim to stagger backwards. Enemies are knocked to the floor, tossed in the air, impaled and much else in a violent frenzy. It isn't over the top like God of War, but it is still very empowering. The animation and suitably grisly sound effects all contribute to the player's sense of involvement in combat. While the player engages more with the mesmerising carnage rather than the tactically shallow gameplay mechanics, the game doesn't suffer much from it and almost overcomes the game's fundamental anachronisms.
When enemies are dispatched, their rapidly festering corpses release "souls" which linger in the air for a while before fading. Jubei can absorb them and benefit from the demon's handily colour-coded essence: red souls are collected and can be used to power-up items at save-points; yellow souls restore health; blue souls refill the magic bar each individual magical weapon has; and when five purple souls are collected, Jubei briefly transforms into an Onimusha (an invincible, super-powered demon). The amount of souls released depends on the chosen difficulty level and the manner in which enemies are killed. I found the quantity of souls released to be quite scant on normal mode, and easy was far too generous. The system does work well, but I thought there were slightly irritating balance issues.
http://ps2media.ign.com/ps2/image/oni2_0305_9.jpg
That's the core gameplay elements covered, but secondary elements need to be mentioned. Short sections of the game are played through as other characters that control exactly like Jubei, previous actions with the "gift" system determining which of the three available characters is controlled. The gift system is a simple trading sub-quest the player can engage in during the first half of the game in the village which serves as a kind of hub. Jubei can offer items to the three characters, at random or based on the hints they give, usually in return for something else. Their entire disposition towards Jubei is based on the gifts they receive (a relationship system sure to disappoint many RPG fans), and it affects ancillary plot points. It provides variety to the short main quest, and adds some incentive to replay the game to discover alternative areas and plot elements, but it's not that rewarding.The music isn't distinctly Japanese in style, being composed more of general airy orchestrational tracks. It suits the game perfectly, while very much being a case of verisimilitude being overlooked in favour of overall effect. Nothing quite stands out, but everything is of high quality.
Sadly, the same cannot be said of the dubbing. Astonishingly, given the game's extremely high production values, the English dub is awful. In the original game, this could be ignored as the Japanese dub was available, but no such option is given here. Some of the main characters are merely below average, but it's unbelievable that some executive gave this the go-ahead. After the huge expense Capcom went to with the rest of the game, failing to cater adequately to such a huge demographic is big misstep. There is also the age old problem of translated dialogue to match in-game cutscenes which results in the occasional odd line, but the poor voice acting overshadows all these flaws. It prevented me from ever taking the storyline seriously, but never provided the unintentional hilarity Capcom have previously delivered in their past attempts at localisation. And you know you're grasping at straws when you begin to pine for lines like 'You were almost a Jill sandwich'. Mention of the game won't trigger fond memories of strange lines, the dialogue and delivery aren't so bad they're good, they're just plain bad.
The game is just too patchy and old fashioned . The graphics are impressive, but proved to be easily matched without the same constraints Onimusha 2 works within. The gameplay is only good enough. The music is solid, but isn't memorable. The plot, even if properly translated, is somewhat interesting but far from outstanding. Despite the amount of polish, the game's reliance on dated formulas and concepts hold it back. It's a short, fairly insubstantial game, despite its own efforts to prolong its longevity. It's a good game, but despite the extravagant budget, it never comes near being great.
