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When the original Otogi hit the Xbox in 2003, the game garnered high critical marks and respectable sales. The stylish third-person action game let you live the " life" of undead warrior Raikoh who' s called back to face off against hordes of demons. While Raikoh capably took care of business in the original game, he' s back to kick even more demonic ass in Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors, the next entry in the fledgling series. Although the game was released earlier this year in Japan, it has yet to hit the US. We had the chance to check out the upcoming English version of the game that' s due soon, and so far we are pleased by what we' ve seen.

As we mentioned, when we last saw Raikoh at the end of the original Otogi, the villainous Michizane was dispatched and all was pretty right with the world. While the ending was a little vague in spots, it wasn' t too big a stretch to assume that everyone lived happily ever after. But, despite the fairly upbeat ending of the original game, trouble has arisen yet again that requires Raikoh' s special abilities, sending the powerful warrior off on a new adventure tailor-made for a ripping sequel. This time out Raikoh faces a sizable threat that will find him getting help from five other playable characters in an appropriately epic and creepy tale steeped in Japanese mythology.

Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors' structure and play mechanics draw liberally on many elements of the original game, but it offers some new twists. The biggest is obviously the inclusion of new playable characters. We' re pleased to report that if you' re a fan of the character designs of the original game, ornate and unsettling creations that were both beautiful and grotesque, Otogi 2' s new faces come right out of the same school of thought. O.G. demon slayer Raikoh is back with his creepy skull-bearing armor that has been polished up for his second adventure. Kintoki is an undead powerhouse with Herculean grapples and an unsettling chest plate patterned after a demon' s head. Tsuna is a lycanthropic butt kicker who looks quite cool. Sadamitsu is the most normal looking member of the cast (she looks like your average young girl in flowing robes) who happens to be carrying an enormous scythe. On the other end of the normal spectrum is Suetake, a bizarre, multitentacled tree creature that carries an enormous wheel on its back. Finally, Seimei is a priestess who almost looks normal except for her enormous hat and unearthly glow.

You' ll be able to choose from this cast of characters as you play through levels of the game that are now structured slightly differently. Each level will feature different areas you can tackle, and you' ll usually have a choice of which one to hit first. You' ll generally be able to pick any of the characters to play through the levels, although Seimei only opens up later on. The catch is that once you use a character to clear one area in a stage, you may not be able to use that same one for other areas. This ends up working out pretty well, as each character has unique abilities that will make one better than the other for tackling specific challenges.

The levels you' ll go through in Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors make use of the same basic flow as the original game. You' ll be briefed on what needs to be done in a level, usually involving the death of one or many demons, and sent on your way. For those who take special pride in their work, Otogi 2 will feature more of the destructible environment fun of its predecessor and let you practically level an area as you work your way through it. Besides the obvious fun to be had in wreaking havoc, it also helps bump up your final rating on the level, which is tallied as you complete each one. Like the previous game, you' ll be able to purchase items, magic, and enhancements that you can use on your warriors, which helps you make it through Otogi 2' s challenging levels.

Another new twist to the game experience is the inclusion of bonus stages that you' ll unlock as you progress. The 18 stages, some of which you' ll have to unlock by going through the proper game, will feature a broad array of minigame-style challenges. You' ll be challenged to do everything from breaking 99 arches before time runs out, defeating a set number of demons, or just taking out a boss. The short stages play at faster speeds than the main game, and they offer a very cool change of pace. Besides offering a fun diversion, clearing the stages will also reward you with some bonus content that you' ll unlock.

Not Just A Pretty Face

The actual game mechanics haven' t changed much from the first game, which is both a blessing and a curse for Otogi 2. On the plus side, the game' s basic controls are still simply laid out and very accessible. You' ll move your immortal warrior with the left analog stick, lock on to enemies with the left trigger, and dash with the right. The Y and B buttons will let you perform heavy and light attacks while X will fire off magic attacks. As before, you' ll be able to perform a decent helping of combos by mixing the above buttons together, which will come in very handy against the demonic hordes you' ll be facing. Finally, the A button will let you jump and, when pressed twice, let some characters double-jump.

The new wrinkle in the attacks is that each character will have at least one unique aspect to him or her that makes them control slightly differently. Raikoh will feature a double-jump; Kintoki, while lacking a double jump, can grapple with foes in the air and toss them at targeted enemies; Tsuna generates shock waves after certain combos, which help complement his powerful array of attacks; Sadamitsu is able to double-jump after dashing, allowing her to get the most air out of the cast; Suetake is able to jump more often in the air and can store magic while it moves; and finally, Seimei can double-jump after dashing and then toss enemies at targeted foes. The one downside to the whole setup is the game' s camera, which can still be problematic at times. Although there' s nothing you can' t sort by manually adjusting it with the right analog stick, it would have been nice to see the system tweaked.

Otogi 2' s visuals stick to the same outstanding level of quality seen in its predecessor, and they are actually improved to boot. From Software has clearly dialed in the Xbox hardware by the looks of the grip of enhancements on display in Otogi 2. The massive detailed environments, each with plenty of destructible elements, are gorgeous. The varied locales send you to lush forests, snowy mountains, and dank caverns that feature high levels of detail and plenty of little touches to bring them to life. You' ll see running water, cherry blossoms, falling snow, and other nuances that add a commendable layer of polish. As for Raikoh and his crew, what really sells the starring cast, besides their creepy designs, is their animation. The fluid and otherworldly movements, especially in the case of Suetake, vary from elegant to creepy and help to give them personality. This is also true of the various enemies you' ll confront, ranging from the crow demons seen in the original game, ethereal ghouls that look like paper craft, exploding spiders, and even massive statues possessed by spirits.

The graphics are further complemented by a robust lighting system that gives the whole game a deep glow that sells the otherworldly experience perfectly. The game' s rich particle effects system is equally impressive with its literal showers of light and other effects that are used liberally. You won' t find many Xbox games that come close to Otogi 2' s level of graphical quality and fewer still that match it. You' ll see some slowdown when the visuals head off into crazy territory, such as 20-plus hit combos that send one foe careening into a cluster of enemies that all explode in massive showers of light, or when you' re simply reducing massive, room-filling pillars of ice to rubble--but all of this rarely affects gameplay.

Aurally, Otogi 2 follows the same approach as the original game as it features a mix of sparse tunes, ambient sounds, and bilingual audio. The music in the game is an assortment of minimalist tunes with a heavy Japanese influence that' s heavy on bells. Sound effects in the game are atmospheric and stay in tune with the dreamy quality of the visuals. Finally, the voice in the game is offered in both English and Japanese. While the English is actually surprisingly good, we' re still fans of good, old-fashioned (and heavily emoted) Japanese, which is a selectable option in the game.

Based on what we' ve seen so far, Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors is looking like an impressive second entry in the fledgling series. Thanks to improvements in nearly every aspect, the game is most definitely worth the time of fans of the original game and anyone looking for a stylish third-person action adventure game. You' ll find a bigger quest, greater variety, more playable characters, the bonus stages, and better visuals, which add up to an experience worth having on the Xbox. Otogi 2: Immortal Warriors is currently slated to ship this October exclusively for the Xbox.


By Ricardo Torres, GameSpot POSTED: 09/13/04 05:42 PM