Fun with Video Games: Oni

The game Oni puts you in the role of an anime heroine out to save the world. With the cheat codes, however, you can play as any of the characters in the game, including her helpless android assistant Shinatama. Or maybe not so helpless....

"If you fail your Classic Arcade Games class one more time you'll be expelled! You're a disgrace to video game sidekicks everywhere!"

Note to video game academics: never argue about grades with a machinegun-toting anime android schoolgirl.

The SBG Man-Portable Mortar is all the rage with today's teens.

Class dismissed!

Another fun character to play is Barabas, a gruff but loveable jetpack-wearing henchman for the game's main bad guy. Here we see Barabas and a fellow henchman practicing Tae-Bo.

When taking on another character, all of that character's special moves become available as well. Here Barabas demonstrates the "earthquaker" stomp, popularized by the recent River Dance craze.

Another cheat enables Gatling Gun mode, which allows you to fire the weapons found in the game at super speeds.

Just for fun, you might try playing as the Crash Test Dummy character, seen here squaring off against the local health inspector.

"This is a surprise inspection! Let's see your certificate of cleanliness, Mr. Dummy."

"What, no certificate? Take that! Nobody messes around with the health department!"

CHEAT CODES: In the game, hit F1 to go to the console. Type "shapeshifter" to select different characters, using F8 to toggle between available models. Type "roughjustice" to enable Gatling Gun mode. And while you're at it, type "bighead" to make your character's head really big.

©2002-2007 Tom Jacobson. All rights reserved.