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PRE-GAME

An evil Fiend warlord has just killed your entire clan, stolen a sword of unimaginable power, and left you lying there for dead. 

What’s a good ninja to do? 

Let’s just say your not gonna be baking cookies!

EYE-SPY

THE HOOK: What drew me to this game was the chance to kick some serious ass as a ninja. I mean, do you really need more of a reason then that? You do? Fine. How bout the fact that its one of the best pure action games in years, and definitely one of the best Xbox games out there. What?!? That’s still not good enough? Well keep in mind it’s made by the people who brought you the various Dead or Alive games, and it’s a continuation of a classics series of games from the NES era. So, convinced now? Good.

HOW IT LOOKS AND FEELS: The Xbox is already known for its impressive quality of games. The Xbox has more power than the other systems out there, so many of its games look better than those on the PS2 and Gamecube. Ninja Gaiden one of the best looking games you’ll find this side of a high end PC. Everything, from the characters to the environments, looks and acts like it’s alive. I can’t think of very many games that look better than this one.

This game plays almost as well as it looks. The controls are tight and responsive. This game plays almost like a free roaming fighting game. Not surprising considering who the makers are. You have a wide variety of weapons to choose from, in addition to your ninja skills and magic attacks. The only thing that can cause problems is the occasional awkward camera angle, but its not as big a deal as some people might have you believe.

HOW IT SOUNDS: The audio for the game really helps to set the mood. The music helps by being more quiet and subdued when you’re wandering alone, and picking up when you’re in combat. Sure it pretty common in games these days, but for Ninja Gaiden, it works! Just too bad there aren’t any memorable tracks in the game.

As far as sound effects go everything sounds just like it should. Gunshots, footsteps, the sound of your weapons slicing through the air, everything sounds right. No complaints here.

One thing I really liked is that this game lets you choose between English or Japanese dialogue w/ subtitles. MORE GAMES SHOULD DO THIS. The choice of playing with Japanese dialogue really made this game all the more enjoyable to me. I can’t comment on the English voice acting, seeing as I avoided it like a dead skunk, but the Japanese voice acting was good. It came off as believable and well done.

EXTRAS: So, you want extras huh? How do to complete, FREE, expansion packs to the game sound? The catch: you have to have Xbox Live in order to get them. These expansions, called “Hurricane Packs,” add all sorts of new elements to the game play. The first pack moves all the items you find in the game, changes some of the enemies around, adds in a new type of enemy, makes all the enemies harder, and it gives you a new weapon to boot. The second pack creates a sort of survival mode where you keep fighting hordes of the most difficult enemies in the game.

Aside from the Hurricane Packs, the game has some other extra to offer. You can unlock and play the original 3 NES Ninja Gaiden games. Beat the game with them in your inventory and you can play them whenever you want. Also, beating the game give you a movie theater where you can rewatch the games cinemas whenever you want. You’ll also gain access to some new costumes, which can be used when you start a new game.

CINEMATIC EXPERIENCE: This game has some very impressive looking cinemas, which won’t disappoint. The only thing you’ll be wanting is more of them. They are quite action packed. The characters all look quite good.

BEST PLAYER: Well, you only get to play as Ryu Hayabusa, so no real best player here.

CHEAT CODE YOU NEED: Well, there’s not really any cheat codes for this game.

CHEAT CODE YOU WANT: I’d like the option of pulling off an ultimate attack with out having to charge it up. Most times you won’t have time to charge one up before you get attacked again.

OH MAN! MOMENT: Ghost Fish!

GLITCH ITCH: Breathe Underwater!
Approach a large body of water and just as you hit it tap A to run on the water. Keep running until you hit a wall and start sinking slowly. Eventually you will hit the bottom and if you keep running you will be able to breathe underwater.

FAN SERVICE: There are some nice looking girls in this game. There are some nods to the Dead or Alive series, but that’s about it.

END GAME:

I have to be honest with you. I’ve never played a “Dead or Alive” game before, nor did I ever play one of the old “Ninja Gaiden” games. I hadn’t even been planning on getting this game until it was $20. But then a friend of mine gave it to me for Christmas and I’m glad he did. This game rocked!

I’ve always liked ninja movies, and I especially enjoy getting to slice bad guys up with a sword, so this game suited me quite well. In the game you play as Ryu Hayabusa, a young ninja from the Hayabusa ninja clan. They are the guardians of an ancient evil sword known as the Dark Dragon Blade. Near the start of the game an evil Fiend (demon/ghost) warlord known as Doku steals the blade and kills the entire Hayabusa clan save for Ryu. Ryu arrives too late and tries to stop Doku, and he promptly gets his ass handed to him. After being left for dead, Ryu recovers and vows revenge against Doku.

Sounds like a pretty standard story, and in all honesty it is one of the games weaker points. It’s pretty much your typical badass good guy out for revenge story, and they never really go into to much detail. Still, it can be forgiven since the story is basically just an excuse for the copious amounts of ninja action you partake of in this game. Right from the start of the game you’re forced to master your ninja skills, such as running along walls, and fight off bad guys with your sword. Along the way you’ll get more weapons and upgrade old ones, along with learning some magic attacks.

This game is difficult right from the start. On the default difficulty it can be a challenge even for experienced gamers. Then there’s the Hurricane Packs, which make the game harder still. The Hurricane Packs were originally used in a high score tournament on Xbox Live, but anyone with Live can play them. After you reach a save point you can continue on in the Hurricane Packs even without being connected to Live. The Hurricane Packs are great examples of a developer being committed to a game even after its been released. You never see something like this outside of the PC world. For example, when the game first came out a lot of people complained about the camera system. So, in the first Hurricane Pack the developers added in a new freely moveable camera system for those who wanted it. The second pack contained at least one new cinema, but I haven’t made it very far in that one so I don’t know if there are more.

Well, for a game I hadn’t been planning to get, “Ninja Gaiden” turned out to be an awesome Xbox title. I’d definitely recommend at least a rental, though you probably won’t finish it in a week. If you’ve got the cash and especially if you have Xbox Live, you really should buy this game. You won’t be disappointed.

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