Onimusha: Way of the Sword Review: Capcom’s Samurai Epic Overstays Its Welcome Late in Onimusha: Way of the Sword, when I was growing weary from facing down the same few demonic bosses in demanding duels, I found some much-needed wisdom in a stone slate. “When going through hell, one must keep going,” it told me. It’s the advice I needed to hear 20 hours into Capcom’s new samurai action game, because Way of the Sword can feel like hell in its hardest moments. The franchise revival does away with the Resident Evil-like exploration of its PS2-era games in favor of a typical modern boss gauntlet filled with parries. Even when your power is rising through piecemeal RPG progression, it always feels like you’re in the duel of your life. And as old foes you swear you vanquished already rear their ugly heads again, you have no choice but to give up or stand and fight. I chose to keep going until the end, but Way of the Sword struggled to earn my patience in a promising action game bogged down by needless repetition. Sometimes, it’s a battle worth surviving. Powerful swordplay moves in lockstep with thematic takeaways about the nature of strength, making for the rare hard game that actually has something to say about its own difficulty. But by the end of my quest, I couldn’t say that I felt enriched from all that suffering. Way of the Sword is more or less a total reboot for the Onimusha series, which debuted in 2001 and largely wrapped up in 2006 after four mainline games. The originals were tight horror-action games with fixed camera angles and puzzles — Resident Evil’s samurai cousins. Way of the Sword does away with that in favor of a more modern action RPG, one that contains shades of Dark Souls, Respawn’s Star Wars Jedi games, and the Yakuza series.#capcom #miyamoto_musashi #onimusha_way_of_the_sword #toshiro_mifune #kenichiro_thomson
Onimusha: Way of the Sword Review – CAPCOM Revives The Series With One Of Its Best Entries Yet CAPCOM’s return to the Onimusha series with Way of the Sword marks a significant milestone for the franchise, delivering a polished and engaging action-adventure experience that balances traditional elements with modern design sensibilities. The game follows the legendary ronin Miyamoto Musashi, a historical figure renowned for his mastery of swordsmanship, as he navigates a tale steeped in Japanese history and folklore. While the narrative doesn’t break new ground, its execution and integration with the game’s combat system elevate it to one of the series’ strongest entries in years. The story begins with Musashi challenging Seijuro Yoshioka, the head of a kenjutsu school, in a duel that mirrors real historical events. After defeating Yoshioka, Musashi becomes a target for his followers, forcing him to flee Kyoto. His journey takes a supernatural turn when he is transported to hell, where he receives an Oni Gauntlet from a mysterious figure. This artifact grants him the ability to confront the Genma, a group of demonic entities seeking to corrupt Kyoto. Guided by the guardian of hell, Ono no Takamura, Musashi embarks on a quest to purify the city, defeat the Genma, and prevent their plans. While the plot is straightforward and occasionally lacks depth, it serves as a framework for the game’s core mechanics. Musashi’s character is portrayed with a mix of determination and humor, making him an endearing protagonist. The narrative’s reliance on historical and mythological references adds cultural weight, though some sequences feel rushed or underdeveloped. Nevertheless, the story’s emotional beats and the stakes of Musashi’s mission provide a compelling backdrop for the gameplay.#capcom #miyamoto_musashi #seijuro_yoshioka #oni_gauntlet #onimusha_series
PS Plus Essential March Monthly Free Games Rolling Out Now The PS Plus Essential service has launched its March 2026 monthly free games, beginning with Japan and Asia on March 3. Players can access four new titles for PS5 and PS4, including a popular Capcom game. The free games will become available in other regions at noon local time on the same day, marking the final opportunity to claim the February 2026 lineup for those who missed it. Last month’s selection featured Ace Combat 7: Skies Unknown (PS4) with free DLC, Subnautica: Below Zero (PS5, PS4), Ultros (PS5, PS4), and Undisputed (PS5). For new subscribers, it’s important to note that Essential tier games are permanently owned and can be accessed at any time with an active subscription. However, players must add the games to their library before the monthly lineup changes. The service emphasizes that unlike Extra or Premium tiers, Essential games are retained indefinitely. The article concludes by inviting readers to share their excitement about the current month’s free titles in the comments section.#capcom #ps_plus_essential #ace_combat_7_skies_unknown #subnautica_below_zero #ultros
Capcom delivered a marketing masterclass with Resident Evil Requiem Resident Evil Requiem shattered sales records, selling five million copies within a week of its release. This outpaced the previous fastest-selling Resident Evil title, 2023’s Resident Evil 4 Remake, which took three months to reach that milestone. The game’s success was driven by strong performance across multiple platforms, with PlayStation 5 leading sales but also seeing a significant surge in PC players. Steam’s peak concurrent player count reached 344,214, more than double the previous record set by Resident Evil 4 in 2023. Capcom attributed the game’s commercial success to its “worldwide acclaim,” highlighting its blend of action, horror, and accessibility features like multiple difficulty settings and two playing perspectives. The game’s launch strategy marked a departure from Capcom’s usual approach. While previous Resident Evil titles were announced during PlayStation E3 events or State of Play broadcasts, Requiem was revealed at Summer Game Fest, a multiplatform event. This shift reflected Capcom’s growing focus on PC audiences, as the company has observed declining console sales and rising PC adoption. The reveal generated massive buzz, with the game surpassing one million wishlists within a month. It also dominated discussions during the event, becoming the most talked-about title of the show. Capcom further expanded Requiem’s reach by showcasing the game at Gamescom and PAX, where players could experience demos. The game’s next major milestone came in September with its announcement for Nintendo Switch 2. This move built on Capcom’s long history with Nintendo, including early ports like Resident Evil 2 on the N64 and exclusive titles for GameCube, Wii, and 3DS.#resident_evil_requiem #capcom #summer_game_fest #gamescom #nintendo_switch_2
Resident Evil Requiem Sets Franchise Sales Record Capcom’s Resident Evil Requiem has become the fastest-selling entry in the franchise’s history, surpassing 5 million units sold within its first five days of release. Launched on February 27, 2026, the game’s meteoric success outpaces previous records, including the Resident Evil 4 remake and Resident Evil Village, which took longer to reach similar milestones. The achievement is attributed to a multi-platform launch across PlayStation 5, Xbox Series X|S, PC, and the newly released Nintendo Switch 2, alongside a peak concurrent player count on Steam exceeding 344,000. Capcom’s official announcement highlighted the game’s global demand and the company’s ability to expand the franchise’s reach. The success builds on the Resident Evil series’ cultural legacy, which began in 1996 and helped define the survival horror genre. Over the decades, the franchise has evolved through remakes, spin-offs, and multimedia adaptations, maintaining relevance across generations of players. Analysts noted that Capcom’s marketing campaign for Requiem effectively blended nostalgia with modern storytelling and gameplay innovations, resonating with both long-time fans and newcomers. Community reactions have been overwhelmingly positive, with players praising the game’s cinematic presentation, refined mechanics, and continuation of the series’ dark atmosphere. On platforms like Reddit, fans have described the milestone as a “new era” for the franchise, reflecting its ability to adapt while staying true to its roots. The game’s success underscores its appeal as a bridge between classic survival horror elements and contemporary gaming trends. The record-breaking sales also highlight the growing popularity of the Resident Evil brand in a competitive market.#resident_evil_requiem #playstation_5 #xbox_series_x_s #capcom #nintendo_switch_2
Capcom's Pragmata Debuts with Innovative Sci-Fi Shooter Gameplay and 2026 Release Details After years of delays and uncertainty, Capcom’s Pragmata has finally unveiled a new trailer, sparking excitement among fans and critics alike. The sci-fi shooter takes a departure from traditional open-world blockbusters by focusing on a compact, idea-driven experience. Set on a mysterious lunar research station known as the Cradle, the game blends third-person shooting with real-time hacking and character-driven storytelling. Powered by Capcom’s RE Engine, Pragmata promises striking visuals and a unique dual-character system, positioning it as one of the most intriguing and innovative releases of 2026. The game is set to launch on April 17, 2026, with a global release across multiple platforms. It will be available on PC via Steam and the Epic Games Store, marking a significant milestone for Capcom’s new intellectual property. This simultaneous release across platforms highlights the game’s broad appeal and its role as one of the publisher’s major new titles in recent years. The narrative follows astronaut Hugh Williams as his mission on the Cradle spirals into a survival scenario after the station’s AI turns hostile. Alongside him is Diana, an android designed to resemble a young girl, whose presence adds emotional depth to the story. Together, they navigate the abandoned facility, uncover hidden secrets, and fight against rogue machines. The evolving relationship between Hugh and Diana forms the emotional core of the game, set against a visually rich sci-fi backdrop of artificial ecosystems and futuristic environments. A standout feature of Pragmata is its dual-character gameplay system. Players control Hugh for movement and combat, while Diana handles hacking in real time.#capcom #diana #pragmata #hugh_williams #cradle
Pragmata PC Ray Tracing vs Path Tracing Performance Compared Capcom’s latest sci-fi shooter, Pragmata, has introduced ray tracing and path tracing support, offering insights into how these rendering techniques perform in the RE Engine. The game, which shares the same engine as Resident Evil: Requiem, serves as a second data point for analyzing the behavior of ray tracing and path tracing in one of the most advanced proprietary game engines of 2026. Recent titles have seen a narrowing gap between the two techniques, particularly on the latest Blackwell-based RTX 50 series GPUs. This article evaluates the performance of the RTX 5070 Ti in Pragmata and compares it to RE: Requiem to highlight trends in rendering efficiency. Initial benchmarks on Pragmata reveal the game’s demanding nature. Tests on the RTX 5070 Ti show that path tracing significantly reduces frame rates at 1440p, dropping to an average of 69 FPS. Enabling DLAA further lowers this to 37 FPS. The analysis breaks down performance at both max and lowest settings to uncover how the GPU and engine handle these rendering techniques. For the tests, DLSS Super Resolution was set to the Quality preset. With ray tracing and lowest settings, the game achieves 200+ FPS on average, suggesting it is primarily CPU or engine-bound. Activating path tracing shifts the workload to the GPU, reducing performance to 82 FPS on average. Notably, with FG 4x, path tracing averages 213 FPS, but 1% lows drop sharply to 48 FPS. This discrepancy creates a “fake smoothness” effect commonly associated with DLSS 4. At highest settings, path tracing results in a similar drop, from 162 to 69 FPS, a 2.35x reduction. The high fixed cost remains unaffected, indicating the setting is still hardware-limited.#resident_evil_requiem #capcom #pragmata #rtx_5070_ti #re_engine
Valve Preparing 2026 Steam Machine Launch with Advanced Hardware and Software Enhancements Valve is set to unveil its 2026 hardware lineup, including the highly anticipated Steam Machine, as part of a broader strategy to strengthen its position in the gaming industry. The company’s focus on integrating advanced RAM technology and artificial intelligence has enabled it to enhance device performance while maintaining competitive pricing. These innovations position the Steam Machine and its counterparts as versatile options for gamers seeking a responsive and adaptable gaming experience. The 2026 hardware launch, scheduled for the first half of the year, marks a significant step in Valve’s efforts to create a cohesive ecosystem that bridges hardware and software. Key developments include breakthroughs in RAM technology, which have been accelerated by AI advancements. These improvements allow Valve to reduce production costs and improve performance, ensuring that its devices remain accessible to a wide audience. Significant shipments of Steam Machines and related hardware have already been received, signaling that the company is well-prepared for the upcoming release. On the software front, Valve has made substantial progress with updates to its Steam OS. The latest 3.8 series introduces critical enhancements to desktop mode and compatibility across devices, reinforcing the company’s commitment to optimizing its operating system for both gaming and productivity. These updates lay the groundwork for a robust gaming ecosystem that supports a variety of hardware configurations, ensuring seamless integration between the Steam Machine, Steam Deck, and Steam VR. Valve’s Steam Deck remains a cornerstone of its ecosystem, with ongoing optimization efforts aimed at improving compatibility with both new and classic games.#capcom #steam_machine #valve #steam_deck #greyzone_warfare
Pragmata Reviews Raise 8GB VRAM-Related Questions Ahead of Launch Capcom’s upcoming title Pragmata is drawing early attention over PC hardware demands after reviewers reported performance issues on some 8GB VRAM graphics cards. Technical analyses, including one by Digital Foundry, highlighted discrepancies in how the game runs on different GPUs. While the RTX 5090 delivered high frame rates at 4K with maximum settings, the RTX 4060 experienced significant performance drops at 1440p. Initial stability in the demo section gave way to stuttering and frame rates falling below 60 fps once players reached the control center. A later street area and certain cutscenes reportedly caused frame rates to drop to single-digit levels. Adjustments to settings, such as disabling the shadow cache and reducing memory load, reportedly improved the experience. A tester noted that freeing memory on the RTX 4060 made a significant difference, suggesting VRAM limitations rather than raw GPU power or missing Nvidia features were the primary cause of the issues. The analysis also pointed out that Pragmata uses ray tracing and strand-based hair effects, which may require more memory than some players are willing to allocate. Additionally, the game’s options menus may not accurately reflect memory usage, complicating efforts to optimize performance. Capcom reportedly restricted pre-release GPU benchmark comparisons until April 16, 2026, a move described as unusual by TechPowerUp. The publication noted that journalists were only allowed to display results from one graphics card before this date, requiring edits to existing coverage after the restriction was lifted. It remains unclear whether this limitation was tied to inconsistent results on mainstream GPUs.#capcom #digital_foundry #rtx_4060 #rtx_5090 #techpowerup
