Onimusha Blade Warriors – PS2 – Review

A 3D
fighting game that isn’t like other 3D fighting games, Onimusha Blade Warriors (OBW)
is another entry in the Onimusha series, only this time, the heroes of both
games Samunsake and Jubei finally come together in order to answer some
unresolved questions like: Who’s sword is sharper?  Who’s female sidekick kicks
harder in your side and if a tree falls in a forest and no one is there to hear
it, does anyone care? 

With a
host of combatants both good and evil, players are thrust into the space in time
where Onimusha met Onimusha 2 and another small storyline is revealed.  As a
rabid fan of the Onimusha games I am waiting with baited breath for the third
installment in the series, so when I saw that my wait would be temporarily
abated I contacted my editor and practically begged to get this title.  Well I
forgot to thank her, because this game, while not on par with the others, is
quite a nifty title.  Players familiar with the series will have no trouble
picking up the controls.  Sadly the game doesn’t make use of the analog stick,
rather you control your direction with the D-pad.  The biggest addition to the
controls is the introduction of a jump button.  The jump button is used both in
aiding during combat and to jump to the different depths the game takes place
in, let me explain.  You see, instead of a traditional 3D fighting game, players
fight against others on different planes within the level.  For example, one
level might have you fighting several bad guys in front of a building with said
bad guys being on the ground in front of the building, the platform on the
building and the building’s roof.  Since
the game is always seen from the side view, you jump up to the
platform and roof in order to combat those enemies.  Of course, during the
course of a battle, those same bad guys respawn and jump from level to level to
come after you.  Did I mention that there are enemies with bows and rifles
shooting at you from the highest spots on each level?  No?  Well there are and
they don’t make things very easy for you.

The
game does use the same soul collecting ability in order to upgrade your
character’s statistics, very important as the game starts to get pretty tough
towards the end.  Remember to upgrade your weapons and save between rounds when
you get the chance otherwise you could find things going south in a hurry.

Graphically, there is something to be desired at some points during the game.
Graphics look a little too faded and grainy at some points while the awesome CGI
intro’s are no where to be found.  Don’t get me wrong, the graphics aren’t
horrible by any stretch, it’s just compared to other Onimusha titles, OBW is the
weakest looking of the three.  Something of note, the awesome element attacks
that are prevalent in the first two titles are here, but they can be found in
the form of icons that are to be picked up and used in order to see those
awesome attacks.  Well since the game’s view sometimes pulls back in order to
see everything those visuals are diminished quite a bit.  But hey, what can I
say, Capcom should be commended for trying something new with a tried and true
franchise.

The
game offers the usual bevy of choices to play, story mode, versus mode, you know
the regular stuff, but the meat and potatoes is the story mode.  Each level
involves hacking and slashing undead samurai, demons, boss characters, it’s fun
for the whole family, provided your family finds disembowelment fun.  But it’s
more then that, because sometimes the level requires you to kill "X" amount of
bad guys in three minutes, or collect 10 souls in two or any other number of
challenges that make for fun to be had by all.  Also, special "mini" events may
pop up at times during the game.  And of course you can play and unlock all
sorts of other characters in order to see all the game has to offer.

Gameplay: 8.1

A
familiar control scheme that anyone who has played the previous entries, and
anyone new to the game will be able to do things up right.  The only hitch is
the level jumping that I discussed earlier, it’s a bit tricky at first but after
a while becomes second nature.

Graphics: 7.2

A
little too muddy and murky at times, and the once impressive elemental attacks
seem to have lost a bit of luster.  Still, the bad guys look bad and the mini
cut scenes are done modestly.

Sound: 7.4

While
Capcom will never win an award for voice acting, it is done with a straight
forwardness that means business.  The clang of weapons clashing and the boom of
lightning striking down is all swell but nothing we haven’t all head before.

Difficulty: Medium

Half
asleep, I managed to get through the first 10 levels before dying.  I could not
however answer the underworld challenge as it was a bit too difficult for my
character at that time.  The game starts getting real tough as it gets along,
bring a fresh memory card, you’ll need it.

Concept: 8.0

They
re-imagined a unique series, and then re-imagined how a 3D fighting game can be
done, not bad people, not bad.

Multiplayer: 8.3

Yeah,
kicking your buddy’s butt across feudal Japan on a Saturday night is a pretty
decent way to spend an evening.  I would have loved to have seen this one go
online, but maybe we’re just not ready for an online fighting game.

Overall: 8.0

It’s
different in a good way.  The controls are decent, the game poses it’s own
unique challenges and the multiplayer is straight up fun.  The blood has been
toned down so that a younger audience can enjoy the action.  I suspected that
this would be a good game, and I love it when my hunches are correct, but even I
was surprised at some of the cool stuff this game threw at me.