• Set 10 years after the first Onimusha

• Highly detailed environments

• Tons of characters to make allies of

Improvements were definately intended on character interaction. The games story line is greatly based on how you trade special items with the other four characters in the game. I've finished the game twice but I've yet to unlock all of the side stories with the other characters. Personally I think this detracts from the game but my wife, who loves the long Final Fantasy stories, loved trying to figure out how to open all the side stories. Some of the side stories do add a lot to the game, I just didn't like spending so much time trying to unlock them all.(I usually hand the controller to my wife whenever the game switches from action to game plot ;-)

If you don't mind talking to all the characters in the game two or three times, then you'll probably love this game. The action and graphics are much better than the first Onimusha. There's also a couple new weapons that add significantly. (The War Hammer kicks @$$) Although the game is still too short, if you liked Onimusha 1 like I did then you'll probably love this game.
Disclaimer: I bought and played the Japanese version of Onimusha2 which may be different than the American release.

9 of 10 found the following review helpful:


Worth the buy, but suffers from bad sequel syndrome  Sep 10, 2002
Onimusha 2 is without a doubt a thrilling game, which I greatly enjoyed.

But fans of the original game may suffer a little disappointment storywise, as this game suffers from "bad sequel syndrome", failing to match the original's epic feel, while providing a rather chaotic and foolish plot, and spoiling the game's environment with out of place futuristic anachronisms.

On the good side, graphics are improved substantially. They are one of the best that I've seen in a PS2 game. The FMV's are breathtaking and thrilling, although not numerous. The pre-rendered backgrounds are beautiful and captivating. Kudos for the sea, especially! Fighting is a blast, as in the first game or better. Unfortunately, the same Resident-Evil style control scheme remains, but it should not be a problem if you played the first Onimusha.

There are added gameplay elements, like interactivity with NPC's, and items that you can collect and trade. By doing this, you can befriend NPC's which can help you along the way, and change the events in the game a little bit. There are more side quests, and more goodies added after finishing the game, giving it a higher replay value than the original. While many people say this game is longer, I found it to be only marginally so; taking about 12 hours to beat the first time, with no cheating and plenty of wandering around.

I found this game to be moderately easier than the first one. Perhaps some of this is the added practice. Fortunately, this game lacks a frustratingly insane puzzle like the infamous water puzzle from the first game.

And most importantly, Jubei is just as cool as Samanosuke, which I thought it would be very hard to accomplish in the sequel. And if you are Onimusha I nostalgic, you will get a chance to re-visit some of the original game's locations.

Plotwise, there is little of a plot. You have a very simple objective, but what happens in between is a chaotic mess. It reminded me a lot of Devil May Cry; a thrill ride without much substance. The plot holes can make you wander aimlessly having no clue what to do next or what is going on. While the first game was no literary masterpiece either, at least it had more of a senseful and epic plot. And to make it worse, the game incorporates some futuristic elements that are out of place and ruin the Japanese medieval feel from the first game. At some point I felt that I was watching the movie "Flash Gordon".

But despite the shortcomings, this game is great and enjoyable. It is a sequel after all, and sequels are usually not as good as the original ones.

One last word of advice: remember to stay put through the credits after finishing the game!

6 of 6 found the following review helpful:


Nice  Apr 07, 2005 By Matthew Smith "oncedead"
Just two words that describe Onimusha 2, absolutely good. It's so much fun to play and I think this is easily one of my favorite new games to play. My favorite character in the whole game is of course Kotaro Fuma, that ninja boy that Jubei meets in Imasho. This is such a great video game, the scenery (in Imasho alone) is gorgeous!

The fighting is fun in this game. The backstories many characters have are great. I didn't really like the character interaction but I can see how some people might like it. Overall, this is a great game.

9 of 11 found the following review helpful:


Samurai Legendry  Nov 18, 2004 By Marc Ruby™ "The Noh Hare™"
If you follow my game reviews you know by know that I prefer the long drawn out, story oriented RPG's to those that take less than twenty hours and have a huge kill to puzzle ration. But when the price drops low enough I find it can be worthwhile to play through the more notable games in this genre. Onimusha 2 is certainly one of these.

Being a fan of all things Japanese I find the samurai based plot, which sends Jubei Yagyu, young chief of a clan destroyed by Oda Nobunaga, on a journey of revenge and redemption. Nobunaga is one of the largest figures in Japanese history - a warlord who wielded immense power in the 16th Century. The premise of Onimusha is that Nobunaga died in 1560 and was resurrected as a demon (the historical Nobunage lived until 1580). Jubei's quest exposes him to both human and demonic opponents, one after another, and each more colorful.

Besides the puzzle solving and, often, wholesale slaughter, Samurai's Destiny has you use the Japanese custom of gift giving to cement relationships with five possible companions. The most important of these is Oyu, a mysterious woman who appears dressed as a samurai and quickly wins Jubei's heart. How you trade gifts and fulfill you're your obligations to these characters determines what your experience of the game is, and can provide considerable interest.

The game is beautiful to look at, and generally well animated. My only real irritation it with its insistence on using the direction buttons for character movement. This reduces an otherwise gracefully game to one where poor Jubei often has to bounce of a wall to get to a treasure. Otherwise Samurai's Destiny is a very pleasant diversion.

4 of 4 found the following review helpful:


Not quite Samanosuke, but...  Sep 19, 2002
Onimusha 2 is not a bad game, actually, it's pretty damn good. The additional characters, variety of bonus mini-games, and special items obtained thereafter all make for great replay value, and the Earth Hammer is off the hook. Yagyu Jubei is a famous swordsman in Japan, so it's nice to see more historical references.
However, the game did not carry on the survival-horror feel quite as well as did the first game, and the trading system is a bit time-consuming (and sometimes, just plain frustrating, especially when trying to convince that dog at the gold mine to give you his buried items). Also, the controls get very frustrating when playing the mini-games, particularly when trying to uncover film strips and run up and down spiral staircases. Finally, what happened to the Japanese dialogue? Jubei does not gain that pimp recognition that Samanosuke carried when speaking in that goofy dubbed voice. I am looking forward to the third addition to the series; it would be nice to finally fight and kill Guildenstern (where was he this time around?) and that little punk Tokichiro, as opposed to the same bosses over and over again. Here's an idea: take Kibagami Jubei from "Ninja Scroll" to star in the game, as well as the Eight Devils of Kimon; they would make for excellent bosses and there wouldn't be a need to have repeat boss battles (I guess make Nobunaga the Shogun of the Dark?).

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