ONIMUSHA 3 REVIEW

The series welcomes back the hero from the first game: Samanosuke Akechi, who you see single handedly wiping out an entire Genma army in the impressive opening sequence. A new character, played by and perfectly modelled on the famous French actor Jean Reno is also introduced - Jacques Blanc. The game begins on another peceful in Paris, 2004 (Not as the manual states in 2001). The tranquility is shattered however as hoards of Genma demons descend from the skies and start slaughtering indiscrimently the innocent townspeople, in rather gory detail. Jaques - An soldier in the 29th SA is called upon to help the overwhelmed and underquipped army that is trying to fight off the Genma hoardes. In a parallel time, you control Samonosuke as he helps lay siege to Honnoji Temple where Nobunaga - all-powerful Lord of the Genma - is encamped. Samanosuke fights his way through to Nobunaga, yet he is sucked inside of a time fold and transported to modern day Paris where the demon siege is taking place. Jaques and Samanosuke only catch a glimpse of eachother before another time fold appears, transporting Jaques to feudal Japan. Samanosuke then takes on the task to eliminate the Genma from Paris, whilst Jaques finds himself unceremoniously thrust into the storm, as his task is to help the past Samanosuke eliminate Nobunaga before any of the other events take place. In order to assist the two warrios, a small fairy named Ako is assigned to guide them. Whoever Ako is with is the character that you control, making for interesting puzzles involving both characters. It's best not to think too much about the concept of time travel, and how one event in one world is affecting another event in the next world and so on, or you'll just find youself getting a headache.

The graphics have been improved, although the difference is not overly-significant. Character models and the foreground have received a few tweaks, but the main difference is in the background, which are now fully rendered in 3D. Blood effects remain as solid as ever, although I did wonder why some of the French soldiers bled green blood when cut down. Water effects have always been one of the PS2's main hindrances, but Capcom have done a tremendous job making them as realistic as currently possible. The attention to detail on the various weapons you receive is also commendable.

The control system on Onimsha 3 remains pretty much the same from its predecessors, although the most noteable difference is that you can now use the analogue stick instead of the directional button control system adopted from Resident Evil. To the Onimusha veteran it may be difficult to break this habit, but once you've used the analogue stick for a while you realise that it is much more suitable. Another slight modification is made to the 'Charge Attack', as Jean's weapons are all variations of the whip, he can bind enemies with it and throw them across the battlefield. The size of the enemy that you can throw depends upon the level of your Oni Gauntlet. Also, players can control when they go into Onimusha mode by pressing R3, instead of automatically once you receive six purple souls, allowing greater control over when you use it.

With two main characters, the number of weapons are doubled allowing much more varied gameplay. Samanosuke looses all of his weapons apart from his regular sword during his transportation through time, so in the traditional Onimusha way he has to progress through the game visiting weapon shrines and collecting red souls to upgrade his new found weapons (it is however possible to unlock his lost weapons at the end of the game by obtaining items in the Dark Realm. I'll say no more). Jaques begins the game with a rather pathetic Oni Whip, but soon aquires a much more effective chain-like sword. Not all of his weapons are strict variations on the whip as I initially worried about, yet I won't reveal what they are so as not to spoil it. Armour can also be upgraded as a whole, rather than in individual components in Onimusha 2. Upgrading your Oni Ganuntlet allows an increased rate at which you absorb souls and a more potent charge attack.

Sensibly, Capcom have made no major modification to the actual combat - the meat of game. Combat however does feel much more nicely balanced, allowing the player to take up a number of different strategies during a battle, be it charging in head first or waiting out your opponents and defeating them with a single critical strike. Training modes are introduced so that newbies can get to grips with some of the basics, whilst more experinced players can attempt to master some of the more finer aspects of the game. Onimusha veterans will notice that most of the enemies, although new, are mere replacements for the demons that you encounter during the other two games. For example, the huge mace-wielding ogres replace the battle-axe wielding minotaurs from previous versions. Enemy AI has been slightly upgraded, although not enough to significantly trouble even the absoloute novice. The learning curve is steady, and the boss fights take place against a suprisingly varied amount of characters, and there is not always a clear strategy on how to defeat them - the well-used and traditional: 'pour all your magic attacks into it and hope for the best' technique is not always the best.

A series of new characters make their debut, both in past Japan and in modern France. Nobunage is back, resurrected after being defeated by Jubei Yagyu in Onumusha 2, and so is the Genma scientist Guildenstern, now more evil than ever and just begging for someone to end his miserable life that has stretched across the series. New characters include Ranmaru Mori - The replacement for Gogandantes from Onimusha 2, and Heihachi, a spear-wielding warrior who is in the employment of the Genma, but is difficult to work out. In France, you are introduced to Michelle - The gun-toting fiancée of Jaques - and his 10-year old son Henri, who is more trouble than he's worth. The Dark Realm is back, now with a more diverse system of navigation and an improved soundtrack. The Dark Realm exists in the same place in both times, but the structure, monsters encountered and the rewards are different for both characters.

Overall, Onimusha 3 is a title that offers faitful fans much more of the same, whilst adding plenty of new aspects and originality to prevent people from becoming bored. An epic storyline, a solid combat-system and plenty of extras to unlock make this a must buy for all those who enjoyed the previous games. If you have not played any of the others than it is still immensely enjoyable, but I recommend at least playing Onimusha 2 beforehand in order to understand the plot much more, as the game largely assumes that you know the story up to this point.

N.B Onimusha veterans will probably get the feeling that the game is the final installment as they play through it, but the ending has a sequel written all over it. For the impatient people among us, I advise you to watch the credits through to the end to see the final plot twist of the game.