I was so pumped for Oni. I get this way, you see. I was like that when Independence Day came out in the theatres. Man... was I disappointed. While Oni is in no way as tragic a let-down as Independence Day, it still doesn't live up to the hype.
Pretty much, the premise all along was to put the gamer inside of an Anime cartoon. Since anime is really cool, and Bungie was behind this one, things couldn't have gone wrong, could they? Well...
The graphics, for one, are pretty decent. Although nothing is super-detailed, that's not the point. The game was supposed to model cartoons, remember... so it's not that big of a thing if the details aren't in every environment. The characters look really good, with plenty of frames of animation, and the special effects like some cool lighting really help make the game look polished. The sounds are nicely done, with some decent voice acting and effects. The music, when it's used, is pretty good too... but there are just too many moments of silence. This game was begging for some jamming tunes through most of the gameplay.
The gameplay is unique, and very cool. Not only can you do most of the Tomb Raider moves (move around, flip, roll, dive, etc), but you can stash away your weapon and take on opponents hand-to-hand. The combat system is easy enough to learn, with simple punches and kicks, with some jumping attacks thrown in. Combos are learned throughout the game, and are easy to pull off. The coolest thing about it is the ability to attack from different angles. You can punch left, then kick right, back flip away, and combo some bad guy's lights out. It's cool.
The problems come in, though, right after the "wow" factor goes away. Simply put, Oni isn't that great at handling multiple fighters. Although you can block from your front, anyone on your sides can punch you, and leave you open for more attacks. It can be done, but it's usually only by backing off, knocking someone down, and then taking on another guy.
Another problem is that the pacing of the game is way off. There are WAY too many areas that aren't inhabited by that many bad guys, and you'll end up running around trying to figure out where to go, without much action going on. It gets better the more you go, as you face new enemies, get new weapons, and learn new moves... but in an action game... I just wanted more action.
Finally, the save game options is screwed up. You can only save at certain points in the missions, and sometimes, they are WAY too spread apart. You'll have to retrace your steps over and over again at times, doing things really easy just to get the challenging part. It's repetitive, boring, and frustrating at times.
Oni is a good game. It really is... I just was hoping for more. The action is, at times, breathtaking, and I'll be really excited to see what other games expanding on Oni are going to do. Still, if you're looking for a top-notch, fast-paced, thumb blistering action game, Oni won't be for you. Rent it first.
-Jerred
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