Onimusha 3 Pre-TGS Update

Capcom showed off some new media and revealed some new details on Onimusha 3 at a press event today in Japan. Producer Keiji Inafune discussed the game's development and gave those in attendance a look at a portion of the new CG intro.

The Onimusha 3 presentation began with a new trailer for the game that mixed old and new footage, which showed off quite a few new gameplay elements. The early part of the trailer covered familiar territory by showing original Onimusha hero Akechi Samanosuke fighting the demonic Genma hordes in Japan circa 1582 as well as new character Jacques Branc, modeled after actor Jean Reno, in modern day Paris. Over the course of Samanosuke's battle to reach his rival Nobunaga, the warrior is transported to Paris where he briefly sees Branc before the Parisian police officer is pulled into a warp himself and winds up in Samanosuke's era.

Once the game's premise was established the trailer showed a variety of new gameplay elements such as Jacques Branc's weapon, a whip, and the ability to play as additional characters (we saw a female officer and male warrior). The sequence also showed off a variety of uses for Branc's whip ranging from combat--we saw it used in conjunction with a handgun to perform a combo--to allowing access to new areas--a clip showed off platformer style areas where you'll use it to catch onto objects and swing across gaps. The trailer also offered a good sense of what to expect from the game's environments, which boast a hefty amount of variety and include a strong helping of environmental effects. The graphics in the game are looking incredibly sharp with highly detailed character models and full 3D environments.

Following the gameplay trailer, Inafune introduced a clip of Onimusha 3's CG intro. The impressive CG sequence boasted direction by acclaimed action director Takashi Yamazaki and fight choreography by Donnie Yen whose recent work can be seen in Blade 2. The short sequence was a small part of the 6 minute intro for the game which Inafune viewed as a compete short film that will feature a distinct beginning, middle, and end. The slick-looking clip showed a number of battles, including one fight between a horde of demons and what appeared to be Samanosuke clad in a ninja outfit. The most impressive element of the sequence was easily the scale--the early part of the sequence showed a Lord of the Rings style assembly of demons facing off against assorted warriors.

Inafune closed his presentation by stating that development on Onimusha 3 was proceeding well and should wrap up in time to make the March 2004 release date that has been mentioned. Onimusha 3 will be playable on the TGS showfloor this Friday, check back with us for hands on impressions soon.