Ambitious game, mixed results.

User Rating: 6.7 | Oni (Platinum) PS2
Oni is one of those games that sounds like a blockbuster on paper: An anime-inspired sci-fi action shooter by Bungie(pre-Halo) and published by Rockstar Games(pre-GTAIII). But as we all know, those games rarely have the effect we want them to, nor do they show the true genius behind their creators.

Having said all that, however, I love this game. It has great elements of martial arts action, decent shooting mechanics, and an interesting art style. But, like I said, this kind of ambition comes with a price: Difficult controls. Anyone who has played Halo knows that Bungie is capable of fantastic controls for shooting, but anyone who has also played Oni knows that specialties aren't always developed early on. Sadly, this is a big downfall of the game in question. Trying to perform a Flying Guillotine-Spinkick while focusing the shooter-based camera on the proper enemy can(and will) be a hassle.

As for the graphics, anime aesthetic fits the feel and story of Oni quite well. The detail in the backgrounds, however...Well, let's move on.

The sound is nice, and the music creates a good atmosphere, though there's nothing revolutionary here.

Overall, Oni is a decent attempt at an overly ambitious gameplay combo. Kudos to Bungie for trying, but it deserves the score I give it.