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PS2 | Action | Onimusha 3: Demon Siege

Boxart for Onimusha 3: Demon Siege
Onimusha 3: Demon Siege 93 screen shots
  • GRAPHICS: 4.5
  • SOUND: 4.0
  • CONTROL: 4.5
  • FUN FACTOR 4.5
  • AVG USER SCORE 4.7
  • AVG CRITIC SCORE 4.2
Winner of the GamePro Editor's Choice Award

Review: Onimusha 3: Demon Siege

Review by STARDINGO | 06/01/2004 | 07:51:24 AM PST

The continuing adventures of a time-traveling samurai and his French movie-star friend

Onimusha is extremely comfortable in its demonic little groove -- an action/samurai sort of Resident Evil with half the scares but twice the playability. This third installment is a great extension with basically the same mechanics as the other games in the series (i.e., elegant, fun, and engrossing). Hallowed ground is held, but none is broken.

Le Professionnel
The big new thing in Onimusha 3 is the addition of Jean Reno (sort of) as a playable character, a whip-slinging Frenchman named Jacques who gets his own soul-sucking Ogre Gauntlet grafted onto his arm. The game divides its time squarely between Samonosuke and Jacques, each of whom have swapped places in time (Jacques is in feudal Japan; Samanosuke is in modern-day France). The gimmick makes for some interesting, clever time-related puzzles (a small, annoying Navi-like fairy can carry key items back and forth through the time stream), but other than that, the settings don?t feel all that different -- be it the 16th Century or the 21st, both characters are basically fighting the same demons in the same gothic-looking cathedrals and bone-lined caverns.

Since these are post?Ninja Gaiden times we live in, the game is bound to feel a bit slow for the first level (get used to not being able to jump or run on walls), but once you adjust, the controls for both characters feel organic and right. Despite the amount of crazy combos and flashy moves on the screen, it always feels like you?re in complete control. Simple nudges on the left thumbstick link Samonosuke?s sword attacks from enemy to enemy with grace; counterattacks (tap block just as you?re hit, then hit [SQUARE]) are a blast to nail; and Jacques? Ogre Lasso with its nifty (but underexploited) ability to bind enemies feels more elegant than Mr. Belmont?s whip did in the latest Castlevania game. A couple nit-picks: Holding down R1 to charge your weapon can be a little annoying (you have to hold it down hard), and hitting smaller ground creatures (like slugs) is nearly impossible without arrows.

Leurre Publicitaire
The game is big on presentation with a glorious opening cinema sequence, good character modeling (damn, that does look like Jean Reno!), excellent weapon animation, and some pretty nifty demons. Unfortunately, the game screws up the voices something fierce: There?s no Japanese-language option, and about 20 minutes into the game, Jean Reno?s cool French is replaced by some gruff nobody?s cloying English -- that?s right, Reno only voices the character that looks like him for about 5 percent of the game. The least they could have done is gotten a replacement who fits the otherwise very cool character.

Comme Un Vieux Gant
Aside from the Leon bait-and-switch, there are few surprises in Onimusha 3 -- it?s a great game that fits like an old glove, so the old saying goes. A soul-sucking, flesh-leeching glove with one creepy, blinking, hollow eye.


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