Since early 2001, Capcom's Onimusha games have been a PlayStation2 staple that have pleased fans and critics alike. Offering a much more action-oriented approach than the snail-paced Resident Evil games that inspired them, these titles have thrived in a crowded market through their unique blend of demon-slaying play mechanics and samurai storytelling. But in what must be an unprecedented move for the perennial sequel-makers, Capcom has decided to end the Onimusha series with the third game. Serving as the saga's swansong, Onimusha 3: Demon Siege wraps up the epic battle against the demon lord Nobunaga Oda with several kitchen sinks' worth of plot twists and gameplay additions. While not as cinematically accomplished as the first title or as open-ended as the second, Onimusha 3 is nonetheless a fantastic action game that fans of the series should enjoy.

While the first two games offered a fairly standard take on the samurai tale, part three throws caution to the wind with an ambitious yarn of time travel, robots, demonic scientists, magical fairies and whip-wielding Frenchmen. Picking up after Nobunaga's defeat at the hands of Jubei Yagyu in Samurai's Destiny, Onimusha 3 begins in the "age of warring states" with a breathtaking CG film that depicts a lone warrior defeating an entire Genma demon army. Of course, our masked marauder turns out to be none other than Samanosuke Akechi, who then goes on to stage an assault on Honnoji Temple with his uncle Mitsuhide. Finding Nobunaga inside, Samanosuke is drawn into a strange black portal and disappears, while at the same time, demons begin to invade downtown Paris in the year 2004. What follows is a wild game that touches all the bases and ultimately offers a satisfying amount of closure.

Onimusha 3 continues with the series' standard practice of using famous actors as its lead characters. Japanese heartthrob Takeshi Kaneshiro reprises his role as the dignified samurai warrior Samanosuke Akechi, while renowned French actor Jean Reno portrays special army agent Jacques Blanc. This dynamic duo is charged with defeating the Genma army and restoring order to their respective time periods. Each will have to hack their way through hordes of demons while helping one another pass a number of trials en route to a final showdown with Nobunaga. Samanosuke will spend much of his time trapped in present-day Paris, while Jacques will have to fend off demons in 15th century Japan. You'll also get to control a third character for short stretches, Jacques' fiancee Michelle (voiced by video game veteran Jennifer Hale). This is an admittedly goofy setup that stretches the limits of believability, but the campy edge and fun gameplay will win over most players.

The basic premise remains the same as previous games. You'll guide your characters through a series of demon-infested stages, all the while collecting items, improving your equipment and solving the occasional puzzle. The game is evenly split between the two characters, and you will switch between them often. This division helps keep things fresh throughout the adventure, since you'll never be playing the same character or stuck in the same area for too long. The games' camera is still not under player control, but it does a satisfactory job of following your movements and only occasionally presents you with an obscured view of the action. The full 3D environments make for a much more cinematic experience; the camera will swoop, zoom and pan to cover the action, both in gameplay and cinematic scenes. Onimusha 3 is a much more interesting game to play and watch thanks to these welcome refinements.

Playing Demon Siege is a snap thanks to vastly improved controls. In taking the series to full 3D, Capcom has finally offered game players true analog control over Onimusha's characters. Accordingly, each character is now far easier to maneuver with the left analog stick, and taking on a group of demons is no longer the chore it once was. You can freely move in any direction, though you can revert to the old style of control by using the digital pad. Analog is definitely what you'll want to use, though this curiously makes performing some moves (like the dashing attack or the kick) much more difficult. Bummer. Aside from this admittedly major difference, the game plays essential the same as Samurai's Destiny, but the fluid control and new gameplay mechanics make the game a lot more fun to play than its predecessors.

Slaying demons will occupy much of your time in Demon Siege, and thankfully this task is very easy to accomplish. Face buttons on the joypad control standard and magical attacks, as well as performing basic functions like searching and sucking up souls. The shoulder buttons control stance (R1) and blocking (L1). The latter function is vitally important to your success, since many demons will continue to attack even as you pound them with sword slashes. Onimusha 3 is no mere button masher and will reward skilled players for utilizing proper combat techniques. These can be learned through the games' extensive training mode, which lets you practice everything from basic blocking all the way up to critical (or "Issen") maneuvers. Pulling off these critical moves results in a one-hit kill and will gain you more souls than a standard kill, so you're encouraged to perform them whenever possible.

In Onimusha 3, killing is your business, and business is good. Dispatching enemies will release "souls" of various colors, which can be absorbed by the Oni gauntlet on your characters' right hand. The more efficiently you defeat your foes (with Issen moves, for instance), the more colorful candy they will release upon their demise. Like always, yellow souls restore vitality, blue souls restore magic power and red souls enable you to enhance your weaponry. Collecting five purple souls, a carry-over from the last game, allows Jacques and Samanosuke to briefly transform into the all-powerful Onimusha. This invulnerable state grants immense attack power that will help you finish off pesky boss monsters or get you out of a multi-demon jam. While very familiar, the soul system works remarkably well by encouraging you to use all of your techniques and to defeat every enemy you come across.

Weapons can be upgraded by collecting red souls, up to a maximum of two times each. In addition to their standard non-magical starting items, Jacques and Samanosuke will have access to three Oni weapons each, all of which are useful and fun to use. Akechi-san can bust some heads with a pair of daggers, a heavy broadsword and an even heavier axe (my personal favorite), while Monsieur Blanc gets to dust demons with a flaming whip, a multi-segmented spear and a heavy ball and chain. By holding down the guard button, you can charge your weapon according to the current level of your Oni gauntlet. Charged attacks do more damage and are most effective against groups of enemies. You also have access to secondary weapons: Samanosuke can take out distant enemies with a variety of arrows, while Michelle can break up crowded engagements with a well-placed grenade. Fun stuff.

There are a host of worthwhile gameplay additions, not the least of which is the pixie-like Ako. This foot-high cutie is a Tengu spirit who can travel across time and translate foreign languages, among other things. She acts as an auxiliary helper who, with the aid of the various vests you'll find, provides a handful of useful services. For instance, decking her out in the blue robe allows you to absorb souls faster, while the white robe allows Ako to recover your vitality when you're standing still. She also acts as a bridge between Samanosuke and Jacques, who will often find themselves in the same area in different time periods. You can transfer key items and healing supplies back and forth via Ako, which comes in handy when Jacques finds arrows that only Samonosuke can use.

Capcom has smartly decided to bring Onimusha into the 21st century by replacing its static pre-rendered backgrounds with fully three-dimensional environments. The graphics have lost a bit of polish in the translation, but the increased freedom, interactivity and camera movement more than makes up for it. Onimusha 3 is a great-looking title that compares favorably with the current crop of PS2 software. Characters are well-detailed, nicely-animated and very closely match their real-life counterparts, though the overall quality of the models don't quite match those found in games like Silent Hill 3. Reno's likeness brings a definite coolness to the game, and his trench-coat clad visage adds quite a bit of style to his whip-swinging segments.

The environments are expansive and richly detailed, sporting excellent texture artwork and a host of architectural styles that will keep things interesting throughout the adventure. From lush forests to snowy fields to wriggling demonic structures, the world of Onimusha is alive with vivid color, rich texture and surprising diversity. And since much of the game takes place in Paris, you'll get to explore faithful reproductions of landmarks like Notre Dame, the Arc de Triumphe and Mont Saint Michele. Visual effects are particularly impressive, as Onimusha 3 boasts some of the best-looking fire ever seen in a video game. All told this is a solid visual package that should please long-time PlayStation2 players.

The games' audio is a bit of a mixed bag, unfortunately. Sound effects are generally crisp and clean, and definitely mesh well with the visual style. Demon roars, weapon clanks and the wet gurgle of swords tearing through flesh all come across loud and clear thanks to Dolby Pro Logic II support. Onimusha 3's musical score is once again solid; soaring orchestral themes punctuate moments of high action, while understated melodies nicely compliment the games' more intimate (read: sappy) scenes. It's not the most original soundtrack you'll hear this year, but its distinctly eastern flavor makes it a suitable companion for much of the adventure.

The voice acting is a huge sore spot though. Capcom once again earns my ire by refusing to include a Japanese language track like they did with the first Onimusha game. The English acting is sub-standard, which is partly the fault of the actors but is mostly caused by the shoddy dialogue. Early segments set in France smartly retain Reno's original French, but he is later dubbed into English by a less-than-stellar sound alike. A noble samurai warrior like Samanosuke looks like a fish out of water speaking English, and as you might imagine, the lip-synching is nowhere close to accurate. I simply cannot understand why Japanese companies continue to omit the option to use a native language track in the western localized versions of their game.

Major complaints are few and far between for this excellent game. Though its wacky premise is endearing, the aforementioned weak acting, coupled with the crummy dialogue and agonizingly awful "tender" scenes, make this a game that is impossible to take seriously from a cinematic perspective. Demon Seige is also quite long and will take well over 15 hours to complete the first time through, especially if you visit the various Demon Realms. These optional dungeons crop up towards the end of the adventure, and if you decide to undertake these grueling affairs, you'll find the pace of the game seriously diminished. Much of that is probably due to the fact that you'll be standing around waiting for Ako to heal you on every floor. Tighter pacing would have made for a much more focused adventure.

But overall the good vastly outweighs the bad and the ugly, leaving you with a great action game that should find a permanent home in your game library. Onimusha 3: Demon Siege is loaded with fantastic production values, tight control and tons of demon-hacking goodness. A host of unlockable extras provide plenty of replay incentive, but the game is so good on its own that you'll likely play it again anyway. The move to 3D environments, coupled with the responsive analog control, makes this the best-playing entry in the series and consequently the most fun. Capcom has sent one of their flagship sagas out in fitting style with a fantastic finisher. If you're a fan of the series, or of action adventure games in general, than Onimusha 3: Demon Siege will give you what you need.

And what other game allows you to play the role of a busty blonde French chick who slays demons with a shotgun wearing nothing more than a towel? Sacre bleu!