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January 13, MMI : v1
I had seen a number of ads for this game, but somehow totally missed out on what it was about. I got the demo from one of my final PCGamer (2) demo discs, although it is also available from here (1). You can also check out the stylish homepage (3), but the full game won't be on story shelves until the Jan. 29th.
The easiest way to describe this game would be Tomb Raider meets Tekken, with a good dose of Shogo in the art direction. The game takes the anime style and runs with it. The game ran wonderfully on my Cel500-128-TNT2. For a game that tries to mix small weapons action with full-on ninja fighting, smooth gameplay is a must. I was pleasantly surprised with its performance, and even at a lower detail setting, the game looked great.
If I had to give one word to this demo, it would be "tight". The control is very precise (defaulting to w,a,s,d, mouse style) and only after a few minutes in the training program you get a decent feel for how your avatar will function. And function she does. They fighting moves are simple to execute and I don't even think my frantic button pushing uncovered them all. In addition to the kicks and punch combos, you get a wide variety of throws. One of the more impressive looking moves happens as you chase down a tech in the first level of the demo. At full sprint you dive forward, grabbing the legs of you adversary and watch his face smash on this floor inches from sounding the alarm.
The demo also integrates (as has become the standard) in game cut-scenes with handrawn details shots. The voice acting is competent, and I even think they threw in a couple good jokes. The weapons are fairly uninspired, but you only use about 4 of them in the demo. Personally I preferred holstering my weapon and physically beating the crap out of the enemies. The story has only a short time to evolve within the demo, but the theme of "discovering yourself" is readily apparent and should make for part of an interesting storyline.
This is BY FAR the best presentation of this type of game that I have yet encountered on the PC. I was very impressed. The action is smooth, the animation very fluid, and very varied. If you hadn't guessed by now, I'd have to recommend this one over a sunset, with an admonition to go get the demo, now.
January 13, MMI: 2:30 p.m.
Additional Links/Info
(1) Oni Demo
(http://www.demonews.com/games/oni.asp)
(2) PCGamer's lame ass site (http://www.pcgamer.com/)
(3) Cool official homepage (http://oni.godgames.com)