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The Onimusha series finally blooms...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 25 / 28
Date: March 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I've played through Onimusha 1&2. I watched a friend beat the Onimusha 3. They weren't bad games, but they weren't great either. They seemed to lack some advances in the genre that had already been implemented by many other series. Onimusha is the answer to all of these issues. Dawn of Dreams is such a big improvement that I've been calling it "Onimusha: Fixed" among friends.

The biggest aspect that has made the past Onimusha games seem archaic is the fixed camera. It's the rare action game that can pull off a fixed camera these days. Devil May Cry 3 and God of War manage to do so only because the depth of their combat systems means the player has little time to focus on a camera. The onimushas have always been slower paced than these other 2 titles, so the fixed camera always felt claustrophobic- especially since backgrounds had a painted look rather than being rendered in 3d. But that's in the past now; Dawn of Dreams features a fully controllable camera. There are some places where the camera can't be manipulated, but these places are the exception rather than the rule, and they occur at places where camera use would be of little benefit.

The first 3 Onimushas also played like a an action-rpg-lite. Neither the action nor the rpg elements were terribly deep. Beyond the challenge of pulling off countermoves, there wasn't much to do beyond mashing the square button constantly. Sure, there were some minigames involving giving allies gifts, puzzle boxes, etc., but the meat of the gameplay could get stale after a while. Here, too, Dawn of Dreams provides a solution. On the action side, characters have a sizeable number of moves and special attacks...probably in the neighborhood of 15-20 different moves. Oh, and did I say characterS? Yeah, there are 5 playable characters. In some games, that might mean 5 scoops of the same vanilla- not here. The characters use roughly the same controls, but they play VERY differently. I could try to describe this difference, but it's something that pretty much has to be experienced. In addition, you typically use one character while another is fighting alongside you. You can switch between these characters on the fly and issues commands to the character the computer is controlling. This spices up the action a good bit. So the action definitely works quite well.

Then there's the improved rpg aspect. In the other Onimushas, characters had 2-3 weapons that could be upgraded from time to time. Dawn of Dreams allots 20-30 weapons to EACH character. These weapons are all upgradeable and grant a variety of bonuses. Also, the characters themselves level up. Through leveling, the player can choose what skills to upgrade, which can unlock new moves. Meanwhile, items can be combined to form accesories and weapons. Taken together, the rpg aspects here are surprisingly satisfying.

Dawn of Dreams is a LONG game for an actioner. The main quest takes about 20 hours, and there's a lot of side stuff to do. You can take characters to old levels to reach areas you couldn't get to with that character. Most importantly, the Dark realm returns- and it's 100 levels long. Plus, each character can find unique items in the realm. To beat it all, you'd have to fight through 500 levels! While this might have been tedious in past Onimusha games, the combat system is robust enough here that the dark realm is a blast. I've already spent a good 6 hours (and quickly counting) on the dark realm alone.

The other aspects of the game are well above par. The soundtrack is enjoyable and the story is better than I would have expected. Puzzle boxes return in slightly different form, but this is one part of the series I've always enjoyed, and this one continues that. My only complaint is that the story could have felt truly EPIC had there been more cutscenes. There ARE a lot of cutscenes, but much of the supporting story and character background is found only by reading unspoken dialog. Furthermore, the large majority of the cutscenes are in-game engine. I know pre-rendered stuff is expensive, but a game like this begs for beautiful cg treatment- the more, the better. This should be taken as a very minor complaint, though- the story comes off quite well as is.

Overall, Onimusha Dawn of Dreams is a gameplay tour de force that should please any action game fan. Highly recommended

Great gameplay, falls down in the story department

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 7 / 11
Date: March 22, 2006
Author: Amazon User

After playing the amazing movie-like experience that is Onimusha III, I must say THIS game is definitely not stunning enough to be a game that goes down in history. But, this new addition to the demon-slashing series is definitely good enough to maximize game-play experience for every player.

This title depicts an ancient Japan heavily infested with demonic energy, and it is up to a young man, Soki, to save the people. The story is not exceptionally unique, but it can engage the player enough to make him/her sit in front of the PS2 for several hours.

While playing the game, you'd realize that you are keeping your fingers really busy. As the player advances in the story, the character acquire new skills with a "point-adding" system, in which the player acquire points by fighting the Genma soldiers, which are found almost everywhere, and other different monsters in specific encounters. Making use of almost every single button on the controller to make different combinations will allow the character in the game to perform various attack styles and skills. It is all up to the player's preference on what skill to upgrade, what skill to use and when to use it. Also, with the ability to use two players at a time, one being controlled by the player and the accompanying one follows the orders of the controlled character, and to change the accompanying fighter at save points, the player finds himself making use of each character's unique abilities to solve various puzzles and gain access to areas certain characters are unable to reach. Strategy plays an important part in the whole game. It is all up to the player to utilize the various ways to get around each scenario.

The game allows the player to re-access the areas they've been to, to obtain any items they had missed out during the actual mission and to use a different character to gain access to a secret area to obtain item(s). As certain characters are only available after the player goes way into the story, this feature of allowing the player to revisit the places, makes sure nothing is missed. Most maps are explorable and the player should make it a point to revisit the places more than once in order to gain all available items. During a "revisit", the player can challenge a mini-game known as the Test of Valor again, regardless of whether they passed or failed in the initial mission, in which the character must defeat the stated number of enemies within a certain time limit. Each Test is graded with a Gold, Silver or Bronze medal, in which each grade signifies the quality of the item the player will receive after each attempt. A Fail does not award the character with anything.

The animation and graphics in the game can be considered brilliant, marked improvement can be seen from the previous titles in the series. All character and camera movement is smooth and synchronizes perfectly with the player's intention. Cut-scenes are beautifully rendered and as usual, the superb Voice Acting just goes on to prove that all the cut-scenes are wonderfully crafted. However, during normal dialogue where there is no voice-over, the movements of the speaking character are actually programmed in a loop. For example, if the dialogue's mood is angry, the character will perform actions in the "angry loop", if the dialogue's mood is normal, the character will perform actions in the "normal loop". The character's actions will repeat after one round, and it doesn't fit with the words in the dialogue box. Sometimes, the character movements are too exaggerated and seems a bit unnatural and unreal. For example, when Soki's dialogue shows that he's angry, Soki seems to be shivering too much with rage.

The music does not really fit with the time-line of the game's story, but it fits the game ambience totally. Traditional music instruments are used sometimes to combine with the pop/rock music in the arrangement. With this kind of arrangement, the music cannot fit with the story's time-line, and only serves as a simply "fit-with-the-player'' music. The music will be good enough to the target market, which are the teenage gamers, as the rock/pop music is what these people of this age group are fairly interested in. However, as perfect as milk goes well with cereal, the rock/pop -style music fits with the game ambience perfectly.

Although there may be some weak points in certain areas, this game is still worth-playing, and with an open-mind, a player can be totally immersed with the game. It is undoubtedly another great addition to the series. The future still looks bright for upcoming Onimusha titles. I hope they hire some Hollywood talent on the next project, to set it at the calibur it deserves to be.

Capcom fan

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 5 / 7
Date: March 20, 2006
Author: Amazon User

Ive played all the onimusha games, I was hooked. What I love about the game is that if the bosses are too hard, you can always go to previous levels, fight and earn more power so you can whip the new bosses *****. Save at different levels so you dont have too far to go back. I did do the cheat that unlocks the 2 player mode right away (press r1 & r2, as well as L1 & L2 at the same time, when your partner does the same on another remote, but have the partner then at the same time press "start"
at the "load" part of the game. It is the funnest game in the world on 2 player mode. The interchangeable characters is a blast and you can play single mode at any point of the game if you want to. I play with my 10 year old daughter and 6 year old son, alternatively and we cant stop playing. But if by chance they dont play with me, I continue on with the game in single mode, and they can join me later!

Worst game in the onimusha series

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 9 / 18
Date: April 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I had been an onimusha fan for some time now and this game was a BIG disappointment the cinematics were impressive as always but it goes down hill from there the game is way to easy you can walk around your enemies over and over and they will not atack. theres Noticeably recycles content from previous Onimusha games; some bad dialogue and implausible plot points mar the story. Having an ally fight by your side might sound fun but its no fun when he gets stuck behind a wall or fence and keeps swinging at nothing, It takes about 14 hours to finish the game if not more this game is all about quantity over quality save your money and buy something else.

Best Onimusha SInce Onimusha 1, 2, and 3

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: July 16, 2006
Author: Amazon User

As in the previous games, you see an incredible intoduction, a great main character, and a great story. However, I beleive Onimusha: Dawn of Dreams does just that, and even more.
I bought this game withought hesitation w/ the strategy guide since I own, and beat every previous Onimusha game, an completed 100% of each one. I popped the disk immidiatly into my PS2, and began playing. And just as expected, I was quicky BLOWN AWAY by it. At first, it took me a little while to get used to, but once I did, I knew this was a true Onimusha game. (Fans of the game should know what I mean) All I must say is it is a SUPERB game with some great features in it. If you haven't bought it yet, buy it NOW, the game is just plain legendary.

Only Onimusha to last

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: June 08, 2006
Author: Amazon User

I just finished this game. It was a blast from start to end. Only got better and better. This is by FAR the best Onimusha game, period. I don't know how anyone could like the prvious ones better. The Onimusha games were never bad. They were fun while they lasted. Which was NEVER long. This game is pretty long. The occasional {no life} gamer could fly through it in a few days. But you definately don't have to worry bout beatin it overnight. I loved the story , graphics, gameplay and all. Note, when they say multiple characters they really mean it. Unlike Oni 2 where there were multiple people who you rarely got a chance to play with, you can switch between your friends at anytime. They all get pretty much just as tough as the lead character, with the same amount of moves. But they all play completly different from eachother. Add that to a TON of weapons{with different uses} items and supplies and you got yourself one SWEET game. Its also cheaper than your average.

So much effort for such a big dissappointment

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: April 08, 2007
Author: Amazon User

If you liked this review, feel free to click my name and check out my others.

I have played the first Onimusha game from start to finish. You can check my other reviews to see what I thought of that one. I was hoping that 3 sequels later they would have fixed the glaring flaws in what would otherwise be some of the prettiest graphics for the PS2 console. They fixed only one of the problems from the first game.

First of all, my biggest complaint has got to be the play control, or the lack of it. Sure they fixed the "Tank Controls" so at least you don't have to rotate your character before making them walk forward. But it's still just a boring button masher. What fun is a game when you can practically close your eyes and just tap the X button repeatedly and win a great deal of the battles?

During the battles where a little more finesse and variation is required, I found the controls to be sticky and delayed to an annoying degree. Also considering this is a game where the hero has a few different swords he can play with, I was really annoyed that there was not quick way to switch back and forth. You have to press start and go through a menu system to select a different sword. What a stupid way to interface weapon selection in a combat game. If it were an RPG menus wouldn't matter, but in a hack n' slash? Come on guys try a little! I also have a personal beef that they choose not to add platforming. Ok seriously now, this is a game where we see the hero or other ancillary characters display superhuman feets of speed, strength and agility, and you mean to tell me they can't hop a 3 foot break between two rooftops or hop up just 1 friggin foot to reach a stepladder that had the bottom blown off? It's just lazy game design!

So let's get to the story. It's based loosely on Japanese lore and myth about dealing with warring factions in fuedal Japan, augmented by mysticism and zombies. It's a highly convoluted story. It's also full of cheesy dialogue and campy voice overs that you'd expect from most average anime features. I suppose that for many that might be reason enough to get the game but it's not a preference for me. Take that for what you will, you very well might like it. There's the token Onimusha trend of having people's diaries and random books of myth scattered about in the game to add detail to the world's mood and setting. To me this is a cop out way of avoiding cinematics, but then again, some of the journals really add nothing and only serve to further water down the game. I felt like I'd wasted time just picking them up and reading them.

I'll be 100% honest with you and openly state I did not play this game from start to finish. I probably played it for about 2 hours and then took the disc out to return to my brother whom I borrowed it from. Other than pretty graphics, this game offers me nothing worth investing hours of my time into. I rarely get flat out bored playing a game and this game managed to do it.

Considering my brother loves this game and he's over 30, I suppose there are people out there that this game was made for. People who are probably not die-hard gamers and who like really simple gameplay, impressive graphics, and cheesy anime storylines. Well here's your game, I'm honestly glad to know somebody enjoys the effort they put forth.

absolutely terrible.

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 3 / 8
Date: May 19, 2007
Author: Amazon User

wow.. i don't know what kind of crack reviewers are smoking, but this game sucks BIG TIME. the graphics are fine - what sucks is the gameplay. imagine playing devil may cry or ninja gaiden or god of war... WITH ALL OF THE FUN TAKEN OUT, and you've got a perfect idea of what onimusha: dawn of dreams is. no fast furious action. no rolling around the ground or jumping high. none of that. just standing still, swinging a sword as if these are still the days of NES. geez. this game is so boring i don't see how anyone can play over 15 minutes.

If you liked the first three Onimusha...avoid this one

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 1 / 2
Date: March 11, 2008
Author: Amazon User

Picked this game up the day it came out. Graphics are amazing. Gameplay is horrible. The characters and story is just too bizarre and I lost interest fast. If the first three held your interest you might enjoy this game, but its vastly different from its predecessors.

onimusha has betrayed it's fans

1 Rating: 1, Useful: 2 / 9
Date: January 27, 2007
Author: Amazon User

This is a big let down by the guys making the onimusha series first off why is the black oni blond? he should be japanese not blond or half japanese, making the hero blond was probably just a gimick to attract american customers, and i also hate how they took the cheap way out and didn't base the image of the hero on a real person like the 3 earlier onimusha games.

(SPOILER)
there are also rumors that tenki is samanosuke but tenki in the game cut scense and intro doesn't move or sound like samanosuke used to do in the earlier games, the reason for this is that the actor that did the japanese voice for samanosuke in the earlier games doesn't work with capcom anymore because they are getting cheaper voice actors.

i am a hardcore fan of the three first onimusha games but i will definately stay away from this sorry excuse of a game.

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