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This was the absolute best game ever! It had everything I wanted! RPG with a ton of characters to manage some comedy some drama and a lot of action! You get to build and upgrade weapons by collectng Genma stones and Genma souls! I would recommend this game to anyone. It's a must by for Samurai fans and sword hack n' slash fans and magic using fans and throwing those ninja thingies with points fans and comedy fans and . . . okay this is getting long that's it

Okay so in lieu of FF-Tactics (FFT), Red Emblem (RE), and Tactics Ogre (TO), Onimusha Tactics (OT) doesn't offer much in game play. But, what it does offer it offers WELL - and that's simplicity! You never guessed how much you [the gamer] have trained your brain to tolerate complex interfaces, intricate battle sequences, and inane superflousous features until you've played games like the aforementioned. ::stares at FFT!::

Seriously, OT doesn't do anything that FFT, TO, or RE hasn't done already and 100 times betters. BUT, OT is a necessary reminder that games don't have to get 'crazy' with interfaces and complex storylines. In fact, that's its strength!

Cons:
Game play is a watered down version of FFT and TO. The storyline is straight forward and LINEAR, and the introduction of "out-of-left-field-characters-that-you-didn't-know-existed-whom-come-into-the-picture-arbitrarily" takes away depth. Music is mediocre, and the graphics are sprite like - can't really mess THAT up. :) And, it has poor player development. You can't backtrack, and you can't explore the world.

Pros:
So, what's so good about OT? Visually beautiful (especially the handpainted character shots), tricky/cunning AI (at times), simple interface (this means a lot ppl, trust me), culturally DIFFERENT setting (i.e. story takes place IN Japan - how many games do you see that???), interesting story telling style (not to be confused with the actual storyline - OT uses a non-conviential way of telling a story and putting you in the action. It's like a cartoon.), and an overslimplified way of obtaining and upgrading weapons, armors, and items!

IMHO, you have to look at OT like this: You're in, you're out, and you're done! That's it. Don't look to this game for intricate battle systems and complex boards, bosses or whatever. Look to this game as an oasis, a vacation spot, away from the hectic and detailed nature of other games like its kind.

Though it is not near as complex as Final Fantasy Tactics or Tactics Ogre, Onimusha Tactics hits home for those who like tactics based games. Unlike the other two titles mentioned, Onimusha Tactics does not penalize/reward side or back attacks, which makes fighting a little bland. Another flaw it has is that you're stuck on a storyline, there is no backtracking or random battles at all, its purely level based. Even though, it still is a good game, and deserves a playthrough. Just don't expect a complex system of levels and classes.