Mr. Galt's Oni Review
posted at 2:00 AM on Wednesday, Febuary 14th, 2001
Introduction
| Publisher |
| Gathering of Developers |
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| System Requirements: |
PII 266
350MB HD Space
64 MB Ram
8MB video accelerator. |
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| Reviewed Using: |
PIII 933
128 MB RAM
GeForce II 64MB |
Sometimes, the gods are generous. This was the case with me. Being the new guy, I expected to get thrown something similar to Millennium Mantra to review. It made sense that I wouldn’t get anything of real quality, based on simple hierarchy. You can imagine my surprise when I was given Oni. I ran to my computer, as excited as a child on Sporking Day, and loaded up the game.
I had some initial worries about the game. Bungie was very late in completing it, and the rights to the game had been given to G.O.D. as a part of the deal that saw Microsoft buy out Bungie and it’s other project at the time, Halo. Seemed to me like this game had a lot going against it, the unwanted red-haired stepchild.
Boy, was I wrong.
Story
Many of the action/adventure games similar to Oni do one of two things to their storyline. They either overwhelm the player to the point where they have far too much to remember, or they have such a lack of plot that the game turns into something similar to the directions of a shampoo bottle: Kick. Punch. Throw. Repeat as necessary. Oni finds the delicate balance between too much and too little plot. The cut scenes are placed in such a way that they enhance both the story and the character development, and seem to fit almost seamlessly into where they are placed. Other objectives and storyline features are added in on the fly, and you are informed of this through voice-overs, which are optionally subtitled. For those who have destroyed their memories with extensive drug use, advanced Alzheimer’s disease or, in my case, a partial lobotomy, a menu catalogs the current objectives and diaries the player’s progress.
The story starts out with the main character, Konoko, as a new member of the TCTF. This is a police force in the near future dedicated to stopping the spread of illegal technologies and other fun stuff. Konoko’s first mission is to track down a shadowy organization known as the Syndicate, and by doing so prove herself a worthy member of the TCTF. Of course, this being an action game, everything starts to go wrong and Konoko is suddenly cast off on her own with nobody to trust. Lots of punching ensues.
Gameplay
Many games of this genre can become almost mind numbing with their simplicity. Oni likes to up the ante by continually adding new weapons and combination attacks as you progress through, though the lack of an explosive banana was a real shame from my perspective. In many ways, it truly gives a sense of the character’s development throughout the story, and at times leaves a sense of wonder around every corner. I remember the first time I saw the tazer weapon. Just following a cut scene, two drones were set upon me. I thought to myself, “Gee, that one has some odd weapon in his hand. It’s shooting bolts of current. I wonder what it *zap* does?” My cubicle neighbor poked his head over the wall when he heard my girlish scream of dismay.
Oni’s save feature is a nicely implemented enhancement to the gameplay as well, though not everyone agrees with me on this score. Each mission is broken down into segments, so you don’t have to go all the way back to scratch, but only to a checkpoint. There were times, in a heavy firefight, that I hoped I would see the little Game Saved message pop up on the screen. I knew I was close to the end of the segment, and I didn’t want to start over. Somehow, I completed the smaller objective, and was able to save. I hooted in glee like a howler monkey. Considering it was about 3AM at this time, I got a lot of people upset at me.
That being said, the fighting can become repetitious at times. You can only disarm and annihilate the enemy so many times before it begins to get a little pedestrian. The keyboard control itself is a little awkward to get used to as well. This is precisely why you are forced to go through a training and orientation before you are let loose into the main game. The learning curve is far from exponential, however, and after a short period of time, the keyboard/mouse combination of fighting feels familiar. And after it feels familiar, the attacks feel fluid and second nature, and the display is seamless and silky.
Aesthetics
The aesthetics are breathtaking. Often, when you are being set upon by a small horde of men with guns, you fail to miss the little nuances. I have to say, though, that it’s the little things that matter. That bullet hole that appeared in the wall next to your head? That’s caring. The cascade of shells that fell around your still body as you were ruthlessly eliminated by the guard you didn’t see ‘till it was too late? That’s the game loving you back. Occasionally, I was shocked by the realism in the game. I was standing on a ramp and had just disarmed a guard. I went to grab for the gun, and found it had slid all the way down the ramp. You mean the game implements physics? You got it.
Often times, I would take a moment to look around, and would usually be amazed. Trashed computers not only flame, but also fizzle and spark. People you are fighting will dive for a gun on the ground, roll, pick up the gun and come up shooting. The aesthetics lead to a truly immersive quality, that sucks the player right in. I know that’s what I look for in a game: that giant sucking sound as you leave the real world behind and are immersed in this virtual reality.
Sound
For the type of game Oni is, the sound is done well. I played this with my THX surround sound running, and noticed how the game made use of the surround sound. In many cases, I would hear footsteps behind me which would alert me to danger. The dialogue is all voice overs, and not extraordinarily horribly acted either. There is a general lack of music, that when it does play becomes repetitious with its looping techno base. Of course, to be completely fair, I didn’t pick up Oni to hear an aria, or a sweeping overture. I picked it up to play an action and adventure game and to hear gunshots, screams of agony, and bones breaking. I got my wish.
Value
Go buy it. It’s worth the cash. You won’t be disappointed. It retails (on average) for $39.99. I can think of worse things to do with that money than spend it on Oni. If you are strapped for cash at the moment, remember that your friendly, neighborhood plasma bank is always looking for donors. Drop a few pints, and you too can buy Oni!
Conclusion
I had a fantastic time playing Oni, and have to say it is a shining example of how the ancient Greeks would like their games designed. Everything is in moderation. There is a fine balance between the straightforward fighting aspects, as well as the story/thinking aspects. You can’t jump in and destroy everything in sight. Sometimes, sneaking around a situation will keep you alive a lot longer. The enemies can hear your footsteps, they will call for help, and they will work together to attack you. What this means is not only do you have to destroy, but also you have to think while you do it. You have a sense of development that keeps the game new each mission, and is able to offset the occasional tedious repetition so often found in these games. Definitely one to pick up.
Gameplay 4.5/5
Gotta get past that learning curve!
Aesthetics 5/5
Looks great, nice and smooth. Lots of beautiful details.
Sounds 3.5/5
It’s suitable, but nothing to write home about.
Value 5/5
I’d justify paying more than it sells for.
The Verdict 4.5/5
Go get it. Even Mikey likes it.
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