Product Description

Set during the medieval period, Onimusha: Warlords is a survival horror game that puts you in the difficult position ofhaving to save a kidnapped princess from the evil General Nobanaga. Enter Nobanaga's castle and use a variety of blade weapons as well as the Demon's Head, which acts as both a shield and a weapon, against his foul minions. More than just fighting, Onimusha: Warlords presents a number of puzz es that must be solved if you're to get to the princess. The game also boasts both real-time polygonal backgrounds and characters.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #11853 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Capcom
• Released on: 2002-06-07
• Rating: Suitable for 15 years and over
• Platform: PlayStation2
• Number of items: 1

Amazon.co.uk Review
With Onimusha: Warlords, PlayStation 2 owners with a passion for Resident Evil's genre-launching gameplay are in luck: Capcom delivers the same world-famous gameplay style (sans zombies) in a beautiful action adventure set in a mystical medieval Japanese kingdom. It probably won't win any awards for ground-breaking gameplay, but the fast-paced action promises to overload the senses with more than enough stimuli to notice.

The experience is set in 16th-century Japan, a fantastical era in which warlords clash for control of the country. As the samurai Samanosuke, players volunteer to rescue the kidnapped princess Yuki. No surprise that the ultimate goal (and the entire storyline, for that matter) falls by the wayside as hordes of demons converge on the player hour after hour. The weapons system benefits from the flashy graphics--as players discover and add gems to a gauntlet, weapon upgrades increase firepower with increasingly dramatic effects.

Graphically, the game is stunning. Carving through the levels--forests, tunnels, and the requisite dark, dank castle environment--isn't anything less than a spectacular experience, thanks in much part to the game's unusually high production values. Character models are built from up to 10,000 polygons each--high detail, even for a PS2 game. Subtle environmental effects--the wind flowing through the trees ripples the fabric in characters' clothes, for instance--furthers the game's realism. The backgrounds are painstakingly detailed and nicely enhanced by dynamic lighting effects. The talent behind the aural effects is just as impressive; Japanese actor Takeshi Kaneshiro lent his voice to the main character, and a 200-piece orchestra delivers a dramatic score.

Call over any PS2 sceptics in your neighbourhood, then load up Onimusha: Warlords. A few minutes with this game may turn any zombie gamer into a next-generation gaming system fan. --Eric Twelker

Manufacturer's Description
In a world of darkness and magic, power hungry warlords battle one another for control of feudal Japan. At the height of the chaos, a young princess is kidnapped. Now, one lone swordsman, Samanosuke, boldly volunteers to rescue and avenge the noble princess. But in these dark and mysterious times, even Samanosuke does not realize the desperation of his mission. An entire legion of demon warriors stands between him, the princess and triumph!

Customer Reviews

pretty good
if you don't already know by now, Onimusha is basically a more action-ish hack n slash Resident Evil set in Feudal Japan. Overall its a pretty good game, not as great as God of War or ultimate action game Devl May Cry but definetly its head and shoulders above most of the generic action adventure games for the PS2

the Good:
although it looks a bit dated now, the characters and the pre-rendered backgrounds look fantastic. this gives the game a distinct 'feel' and creepy atmosphere thats hard to come by. the gameplay itself is also very satisfying one you get a hang of its awkward control system. Alot of the time is spent in combat which for the most part is much fun with some cool sword moves and crunchy sound effects. Capcom were merciful enough to give us a blocking ablitiy and u'll sure need to use it. The music deserves special mention too, which ranges from full blown orchestral peices to creppy ambience. There's some almost RPG style ugrading of items and weapons that go down pretty well . the best bit about the game really is that unlike Resident Evil your never scrambling around looking for ammo or running out and having to restart from way back. when you come upon the enemies you just draw your sword and let the blood fly

The bad:
the game is a tad short and the puzzels are gentle to say the least. one big issue is that the storyline is either badly translated or just badly written and not developed well at all. With that the voice acting and dubbing is like something out of a 60's kung fu movie. where Capcom having a laugh hear or were they just lazy? while it doesn't effect the gameplay this really lets the game down as a better script and character development could have driven you on to play alot more.
finally, the other big problem with the game is that most of the time you die in combat its not because you can;t take your opponent but simply the perspective doesn't let you see yourself or you enemies, or your at such an angle that you can't judge distance adaquetly. this can get quite frustrating

However i'm glad to say that the good to outway the bad and Onimusha is, while not without its faults, a wonderful game that has for the most part stood the test of time. if you can get your head around the control you'll definetly love this hack n slash jaunt. just be prepared

Not the best, but good
Main point - This is similar to Devil May Cry, but not quite as good. The control system is in the style of Resident Evil, not necessarily a bad thing. The game is evenly paced, with a few extras to discover. Finding the hidden big bad-ass sword really does help with the end boss.

The storyline, graphics, sound and speech are all pretty good.

The combat system is really satisfying. It's not particularly complex, but you need to learn when to block or attack. Health pick-ups are quite strictly limited, so being good at combat really does help. There are enough different moves, weapons and special moves to keep things interesting.

The puzzles are pretty original and it is satisfying when you work them out. Some of them aren't very varied however, they're just harder versions of previous puzzles. Still, they do break up the combat sections of the game well.

One gripe - you can't skip the cut scenes! This is particularly annoying when you're trying to do a section for the fifth time!

The game isn't quick to beat, it'll take at least 10 hours the first time around.

So if you like the sound of Devil May Cry set in Medieval Japan, I'd recommend this game.

Onimusha:Warlords
Resident Evil with swords. Basically, that is the game in a nutshell. Although this game is incredibly short, and is a bit on the easy side, i feel it is a game that you need in your collection. The visuals are stunning and the sounds are amazing. If you do not like the way Resident Evil plays, do not consider this. But if you like Resident Evil this is for you, and who wouldnt want to slash demons to pieces?!