Onimusha 3 takes a pachislot gamble

TOKYO--Onimusha has already slashed its way onto the PlayStation 2 and the Xbox, and now it's ripping its way into Japan's favorite gambling pastime: pachislot. Capcom said yesterday that Onimusha 3, the latest installment in the series for the PlayStation 2, will be available on pachislot machines in Japanese parlors around mid March. A press conference was held for the unveiling in Tokyo, where representatives from Capcom and the pachislot manufacturer Rodeo showed off the machine.

Onimusha 3's pachislot machine will feature a state-of-the-art front panel crafted from a huge 20-inch monitor. The machine's middle section will display the three slot-machine reels. While playing the pachislot version, you'll get to see the characters from the original Onimusha 3 game, such as Samanosuke and Michelle, moving around in real time with PS2-quality graphics. The pachislot has a level of interactivity similar to that of a video game--your earnings will affect events on the screen, and you'll also get bonus scores at certain points in the game.

Also present at the press conference was major pachislot maker Sammy, which recently merged operations with Sega to become a gaming-industry powerhouse. While Sammy apparently was not involved in developing the Onimusha 3 pachislot, the company cohosted the conference because of its affiliation with Rodeo. It should be interesting to see if Sammy's appearance at the conference leads to any deals with Capcom in the future.