• ID = PS0650
• STYLE = Survival Horror
• DEV. = Quantum Factory
• PUB. = Capcom USA, Inc.
• R-DATE = Mar-16-2001
• ESRB = M / For Mature
• PLAYERS = 1 player
• LIST PRICE = $19.99
  

Set during the medieval period, Onimusha: Warlords is a survival horror game that puts you in the difficult position of having 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 puzzles that must be solved if you're to get to the princess. The game also boasts both real-time polygonal backgrounds and characters.

Description 2:
Set in a medieval world, this horror juggernaut casts you as a mighty warrior, Samanosuke, who’s been charged with the task of rescuing a kidnapped princess from General Nobunaga’s fortress-like castle. You’ll have some handy weapons to back you up (blades, knives, swords, and more), but don’t expect a walk in the park against the packs of demonic soldiers look to protect Nobunaga’s best interests. The epic game is written by the creators of the RESIDENT EVIL series, so you know the story is going to be deep and the action intense. The real-time environments and 3D animations are among the finest ever created, and the worlds provide seemingly endless exploration for the dedicated gamer. The controls are smooth, and the gameplay as vast as it is intuitive. With so much going for it, the game is an instant classic.

• Features real-time environments.
• 3D animations.
• An epic story.
• Amazing characters.
• One-player action.

Amazon.com Review
PlayStation2 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. Onimusha: Warlords probably won't win any awards for groundbreaking 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 story line, 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 much in 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, for instance, ripples the fabric in characters' clothes--furthers the game's realism. The game's 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 skeptics in your neighborhood, 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

Unlock Easy Mode: beat the game 4 times to make the easy mode available, and if Osric beats you times or more it will be unlocked