What do samurai, ghoulish monsters, and French actor Jean Reno have in common? Aside from each having shared screen time with Tom Cruise (The Last Samurai, Legend, Mission: Impossible), they're all part of the final chapter of the Onimusha trilogy.
Though never offering any groundbreaking game-play elements, the Onimusha series has been a solid franchise, blending hack 'n' slash samurai action with survival-horror Genma ghouls. Demon Siege actually takes production values up a notch. The opening movie alone has probably got George Lucas begging Capcom's designers to come work on Star Wars III. And the bizarre time-travel story features good performances from both Reno and Takeshi Kaneshiro as Onimusha returnee Samanosuke.
There are a few irritations, the worst of which is that for much of the game, Reno's character is not only voiced by a different actor, but by the least Reno-sounding actor out there. But such crimes are forgivable and the Onimusha series ends on a high note.
Siren (M)
Sony Computer Entertainment
PlayStation 2
Bet you didn't know zombies are remarkable sharpshooters. Only 20 frustrating minutes into Siren, I guarantee you'll be thankful that no Resident Evil monster ever picked up a rifle. Nevertheless, Siren's foggy atmosphere and creepy, nonlinear story make it worth its challenges. The innovative concept of "sightjacking"—seeing through the eyes of other characters and creatures—is super cool, even if your most frequently sight-jacked vision is your own untimely demise.
Strike Force Bowling (E)
Crave
PlayStation 2, XBox
What would bowling be like on the moon? Exactly the same as in the desert, on Mars, or in any other level in Strike Force Bowling: boring. There is no variation in game play from one environment to the next. For that matter, there's no variation from one roll to the next. This game's a gutter ball.
Future Tactics: The Uprising (T)
Crave
PlayStation 2, XBox, GameCube
This should have been called Future Dumb Luck: The Annoying since players are forced to rely on chance far more than strategy. If I stand there, can I shoot the alien? If I wait there, can the alien reach me? You'll have to waste your turn to find out. But don't die, or you'll have to restart the level and watch the mediocre graphics all over again.
Matthew Scott Hunter has been known to mumble, "Up, up, down, down, left, right, left, right, B, A, start" in his sleep. E-mail him at
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