Onimusha: Warlords - PlayStation 4 Standard Edition

For years I've waited for a remaster of an Onimusha game and it's finally happened. The game plays identically to the original PS2 port (unfortunately not the Genma version on the original Xbox) with a few new editions. For starters the soundtrack has been changed due to the controversy surrounding the composer for the original. I won't go into too much detail here but all I'll say is look up Mamoru Samuragochi and you'll see why. There's now analog movement support and a new addition to change weapons outside of the menu screen similar to Devil May Cry although you're forced to stand still in order to do that. All I can really ask for at this point in Onimusha 2 and 3 HD and I think I'd be satisfied fully.

On the PS4, this game is fantastic and deserves four stars. There's something going on with the PS5 implementation:The cleaned-up visuals are fantastic and true to the original, and for newcomers, this should have been the perfect way to experience a classic.Potential issue: On PS5, L3 is mapped to the map screen, and it triggers constantly in combat. Every time I tried to reposition or evade, I was yanked out of the action by an unwanted map pop-up. There’s no way to remap the controls, meaning frustration is baked into every fight. It’s such a small oversight, yet it completely cripples the experience.For those who have no other way to play Onimusha, this is still a great game—if you can tolerate the constant interruptions on your PS5. But for me? I’d rather play my PS2 copy, where I can enjoy Onimusha as it was meant to be played.

My criticism may be less with how this gameplay and approach holds up in 2019 rather than criticism of the remake, but I found this game a little joyless. The early Resident Evil clunkiness isn't here, but a tiny bit of awkwardness holds the combat back. The combat isn't *quite* hard enough or the items *so* hard to find that some of the tension of OMG will I make it from RE & co is missing, so this becomes a demon-themed action game far less than a horror title. It's not at all BAD, it's just not what I wanted, and given that the graphics aren't redone there are better, more current games that are better. With less than 6 hours of gameplay (not counting deaths, etc) and only one story run through unless you're obsessive, it's also not as much bang for the buck as I would like. This to me, at $20, is the biggest ding. I was not expecting to only get 48 hours worth of entertainment (and a lot of it was a grind) for my money.

Although this isn't a full remaster from the ground up as many other games have been, it still looks and plays great. The pre-rendered backgrounds do look hazy and out of place next to HD characters, but it doesn't take away from what made the game fun to begin with. My only complaint is the characters seem to have an unnatural shake in cutscenes and hopefully this is resolved with an update. I never beat this game as a kid, and I've had the game on PS2 for years. Finally I'm able to play this in HD on the big screen and grab trophies along the way, and I'm a little over half way through the game. Don't overlook this classic!

The price is quite high for a port with veryyyy few upgrades of a +20yo game. The game itself is very fun, RE like.

This game is fantastic, hands down. I played the original version of this for the PS2 when it was first released 18 years ago, and it's just as amazing as I remembered it being. The Onimusha series is one my all time favorites, and I was super excited to see them re-master and re-release this. If you've never played any of these games, I highly suggest starting here. While not super long, the game has a ton of value and will keep you entertained for a while. With challenges and extras that'll keep you engaged and coming back, this title for $20 is well worth it.Buy this, you won't be disappointed!

When I saw they had remastered this game, I had to get it. I know that you can beat the game in a few hours, but part of the fun is going back and trying to beat it completely (get all the fluorite pieces to unlock another secret mode!), so it really does have a lot of playability. I feel that a price point of $20 is GREAT for a game like this, but I guess some other people have differing opinions. As for the actual game play itself, it's awesome; it's just like the PS2 version.

I purchased this game, returned it, and received a second copy. Both times, I received the same Japanese version, as seen in the included photo. I don't know if I got unlucky twice in a row or what, but Amazon obviously has some mix up going on in their warehouse or something. Keep in mind that the Japanese version will play on international consoles and I believe there are options to change the settings to English, but if you want the NTSC version that's being advertised on the product page here, then keep in mind that you might not get what you want.