1) The gameplay is faster, smoother and more action-packed.  There are more demons/monsters to fight than I ever expected.  Up to six monsters can attack at once!  (There could have been more attacking simultaneously, but I killed them so quickly that it was impossible for them to replenish any faster.)  The areas are bigger, too.

2) It took me around eight or nine hours to beat Onimusha: Warlords for the first time.  It took me more than 13 hours to beat the sequel.  I took my time, and there were things that I could have done faster, but even so, this game is definitely longer than the first one.

3) Onimusha 2 will be released on Wednesday, August 28th.  That's only 17 months after the first game was released.  Usually, you have to wait 24-30 months for a great sequel to land on store shelves.

At the end of Onimusha: Warlords, Capcom gave its fans a special bonus: a black and white teaser trailer for Onimusha 2.  In typical Capcom fashion, the sequel was set to star a whole new cast of the characters.  The first cast included Samanosuke Akechi, a master swordsman.  He was a fierce warrior, defeating more than his share of demons, including the King of Demons: Fortinbras.  When the war looked like it was finally over, a very angry Nobunaga Oda revealed himself.  Badly damaged by the battle with Fortinbras, the fortress continued to cave in.  After that, Samanosuke was not seen or heard from again.

Years later, Kaede met a similarly grim fate.  The war went on, and while she continued to fight, she eventually lost the battle.

But Nobunaga still lived.

This opened the door for a new hero to come in and defeat Nobunaga Oda once and for all.

Onimusha 2 features several heroes, but the main hero is Jubei Yagyu.  Jubei is thrown into the vicious war of man versus demon when he returns home to find his town burned to the ground.  Intent on getting revenge, he immediately jumps into battle.  But there is a lot more to the story than that.  Before long, secrets are revealed that connect Jubei to the demons.  Revenge may be what he is after, but it seems as if no matter what, he was destined to fight in this war.

Shortly after the game begins, Jubei will meet up with four other warriors: Ekei, Oyu, Magoichi and Kotaro.  (As you can see, the names are authentic.  Capcom didn't change anything for the English version!)  These warriors all have their own reason for fighting, some more important than others.  To delve any deeper into the story though would be to give too much away.  The story is much more thought out, and the dialogue has been improved over the first game.  There are a few crazy aspects to it that really stretch things...but it's still entertaining.

Onimusha 2's controls are nearly identical to the first game.  They have been tweaked in some minor ways, but the button layout is the same.  This is a good thing though, because I didn't want the controls to be altered too much.

The combat is better than ever.  All of the moves feel very natural.  With a little bit of practice, I got to the point where I could just run up to a demon and attack without even thinking about it.  The soul tug-of-war from Genma Onimusha is not present in this sequel, but the invincibility power-up has returned.  Absorb five purple souls and Jubei will automatically turn into Onimusha.  While in Onimusha form, Jubei cannot be harmed.  His moves are stronger, and his magic attack is a demon-seeking blast that will hunt down any foe in the area!  Using magic takes away power from your Onimusha gauge, which means that you'll transform back to normal sooner, but the trade off is sometimes worth it.

Jubei has four main weapons to use, two of which are from the first game (the double-sided wind sword and the thunder sword).  The first new weapon is spear enhanced by the power of ice.  Its magic attack is very much like the magic attack of the fire sword from the first game, except that it can freeze most demons!  Once frozen, a demon only takes one hit to kill.  It'll shatter on its own though if you're too busy to do it yourself.  The second new weapon is a deadly hammer with the strength of an earthquake.  It's the heaviest weapon in the game, so it moves kind of slow, but its attack power is incredible.  Almost all of the demons, even the big ones, will die after only a few strikes with the hammer.

Each weapon has a number of standard attack moves and combos.  If you pay close attention, you can find a few special items that will allow Jubei to perform a really fast combo by pressing Up, Down and the square button.  This can be done while performing one of the standard combos, allowing you to link them together!  Very cool.

Remember the unorthodox box puzzles from the first game?  They are one of the few things that didn't make it into the sequel, and I could not be happier.  Several other puzzles replace them, but they're logical puzzles that can be solved by thinking, not guessing.  Some of them are really tough.  They're similar to slide picture puzzle, but you don't have as much freedom to move around, and the number of moves you can make is limited.  Like I said though, the solution can be figured out in your head.  There were a few that I couldn't solve, so I just skipped them.  All of the puzzles that HAVE to be solved are practical.  The ones that have optional items are more difficult to solve.  There are also a few number adding puzzles that require you to add the same number in multiple directions.  These aren't difficult at all, but they are very clever.

Speaking of things that are clever, Onimusha 2 features terrific boss battles.  I won't give any of them away, but I will say that every Onimusha fan out there will be impressed.  Even new players will be surprised by the size of some of the bosses, and their different attack styles.

Aside from helping the story progress, Ekei, Oyu, Magoichi and Kotaro work as battle helpers.  Every now and then, one of them will appear in an area and help you defeat all of the enemies.  Once the enemies are defeated, the character will leave.  They'll also help you with some boss battles if you take too long to defeat them.  There are a couple of other surprises related to these four characters, but you'll just have to play the game for yourself to find out what they are.

The game still uses CG (computer generated) backgrounds, but Capcom has managed to make each area seem bigger.  Plus, they've added more animation, more colors and more detail, making the whole game seem that much more real.  For the beach, real water moves in and out of the shoreline.  Actually, I'm not 100% certain that it's real, but it does not look fake at all.  I swear, it looks like they filmed a beach somewhere, and inserted it behind the characters.  Real or not, it's still amazing, and it makes the game feel so much more realistic.

The backgrounds aren't the only thing that look better.  The facial expressions are light-years ahead of the first game (and this time around, you actually see tears fall from their eyes).  Every single main character/demon in the game is super-realistic.  I mean it, just take one look at Jubei and you'll see what I mean.  His face is just as detailed, if not more detailed than Chris and Jill in Resident Evil.  Rather than point out each and every tiny detail of all the characters, I'll just say that Oyu and the rest of the gang look amazing.

This is all real-time footage that I'm referring to.  In addition to that, Onimusha 2 features some of the most spectacular computer generated movies that I have ever seen.  The intro is incredibly beautiful, and incredibly sad.  It's one of the most brutal sequences ever created for a video game, or any entertainment medium.  Honestly, I think Hollywood would have shied away from such an intro.  Saving Private Ryan was violent, but its intro did not involve any civilians.  This one does...

Onimusha 2: Samurai's Destiny is exactly what I wanted it to be.  I am extremely pleased with it.  No, wait, I take that back.  Extremely pleased?  That's an understatement!  This is the first PlayStation 2 game I've played since Medal of Honor: Frontline that is worthy of being called one of the best games of the year.  Even before finishing Onimusha 2, I looked forward to playing through it again.  That's true of most Capcom games.  Replay value is their greatest advantage.  This is a must-buy game for everyone.  Even if you've never played the original, give Onimusha 2 a chance.

Gameplay: 9.5
Onimusha 2's gameplay is right up there with Resident Evil and Devil May Cry.  It's fast, it's exciting, and it never gets boring.  I could slice and dice the same demons for hours and I'd still want more.  As Yoda might say, "Truly mesmerizing, this game is."

Graphics: 9.1 
Onimusha 2 isn't quite as realistic as Resident Evil, but it's close enough.  Without a doubt, the characters are just as impressive (in many ways, they look better).  The backgrounds are nearly as good, and the CG movies are comparable to those featured in full-length feature films.  The only thing missing is real time shadows/lighting.  They're in Onimusha 2, but they're not used as dramatically, or as realistically, as they are in Resident Evil (this is likely due to hardware limitations).  Plus, the framerate slows down whenever there is too much action on the screen.

Sound: 9
Onimusha 2's stellar soundtrack was recorded with a 150-piece orchestra!  The result is another amazing soundtrack with a distinct Asian sound.

Difficulty: Medium
Onimusha 2 is really challenging.  From the start of the game, it's clear that Capcom made this sequel for guys like me who had beaten the original multiple times.  However, if you die a few times in Normal mode (the default difficulty setting), the game will give you the option to switch to Easy mode.  Plus, once you beat it, you'll have access to a harder mode.

Concept: 8 
When you combine the game's new, expansive story with the new levels and the unique gameplay mechanics, Onimusha 2 has one of the best concepts for a sequel.

Overall: 9.5
What more can I say?  Nobody likes to miss out on a superb game, especially one that is as enjoyable as Onimusha 2.   If I haven't convinced you to buy it then at least rent Onimusha 2.  I am willing to bet that a rental will quickly turn into a purchase.  That's what happened to me with the first Onimusha.  Five days wasn't enough for me.  I doubt it'll be enough for you either.