Ninja Gaiden Reviewed!

[bigloser]

Ninja Gaiden is simply the most polished and responsive action game we have seen so far this generation, and it's my belief it will likely remain so till the end. It fulfills the half-forgotten promise of the Xbox: to provide a gaming experience you can't get anywhere else. Sure, there are some games that you can point at and say, "That wouldn't be easy to do on PS2," but Ninja Gaiden is something the PS2 never even dreamt of. It would be coughing up blood trying to run a game with graphics this good, that moves this fast, at a constant 60 frames per second. And the gameplay backs that promise up, too; rarely have I felt so deeply engaged by an action game, no matter how much I'd been enjoying it. Castlevania had atmosphere, Rygar had level design, and Devil May Cry had cool. Only Ninja Gaiden has the whole package.
GameSpy. (http://www.gamespy.com/reviews/february04/ninjagaidenxbox/index.shtml)

5 out of 5.

*Drools*

[Ninjermy]

must... have... game...

[diranged]

ahhhhhh! i dunno what to do! i have enough for 4 things i wanna get live, splinter cell pandora,breakdown,suffering,ninja gaiden i dont know what to pick. i need some advice. thanx :cheers:

[colosso]

gamespy gave it a 5 out 5?you are joking,don't you? i can't believe it,coming from gamespy who really hate xbox is something unexpected,but i have to go and see it with my own eyes and if they did so,that's great,because i know they won't give a high score that easy,see ya and thanks for the info.:p

[AlBoogy]

Good stuff man, I hadnt seen that yet. Someone on IGN duped me by saying that the IGN review was up and it got a 9.0 and he trashed it. But when you clicked the link, it was a review of the 1989 game. *******.

[diranged]

Originally posted by AlBoogy
Good stuff man, I hadnt seen that yet. Someone on IGN duped me by saying that the IGN review was up and it got a 9.0 and he trashed it. But when you clicked the link, it was a review of the 1989 game. *******. :rofl: :rofl: :rofl: :rofl:

[diranged]

i cant find that review anywhere hmmm. :watchout:

[diranged]

nevermind i found it. :yikes:

[Ugunnalose]

got this one preorderd will be on my doorstep soon

[AlBoogy]

Did anyone actually go to Best Buy and ask for the game seeing as how they advertised for release on thursday?

[themoosearmy]

The EB I preordered mine at will getting it in on tuesday, so I'll be honing my skills for the tourney ASAP.

I especially love how he commented on how the difficulty is not for casual players. I'm not casual, but I don't know if I'm hardcore either, but I beat the demo on hard (with 1 or 2 100 hit combos).

[bigloser]

1UP has their review up for Ninja Gaiden.


Ninja Gaiden, the biggest Xbox-only title of the season, would have received a perfect ten had Tecmo cut out a handful of scenes. Most of the game -- from the graphics, to the controls, to the cinemas -- is perfect "10" caliber, beyond any doubt... yet there exists one annoying problem that holds the entire thing back, if only slightly.
1up. (http://www.1up.com/article2/0,4364,1539244,00.asp)

9 out of 10.

[l Maximus l]

Man, that Gamespy review couldn't have been more close to the actual feeling that I got when playing the demo. Never before have I enjoyed a game of this genre so much...I can't wait to pick this up!

Also, thanks Bigloser for providing the 1up review also. Honestly, I think 1up must be full of a bunch of cry babies...because, the camera is great, I think. Yes, it was kinda awkward at first, but, once I got used to it, I wouldn't want it any other way.

Remember how awkward the controls were with Halo at first? Honestly, it took me a solid 10 minutes to actually feel sorta comfortable with them...now, I wouldn't change them at all! Same with Ninja Gaiden....after one gets used to it, it's great. Simply pull the right trigger and the camera is behind you. Also, the game provides other camera options, which is not exactly common...it's a great feature eventhough I prefer the default.

[colosso]

insn't 1up part of EGM OR GAMERS?because if it is,there's the answer why they gave ninja gaiden a low score and that is because they love ps2 more than anything in this world,i won't be surprise if gamespot gave this game a 8.5 like they did with PGR2 AND SPLINTER CELL in the past.

[bigloser]

Closing Comments
There are a few things Ninja Gaiden does wrong. There's some backtracking, some fights near the end that seem a bit unfair, and a camera that is at times bothersome. However, these minor points are just that, minor. There is no perfect game, but there are those that come close. Ninja Gaiden sets a new standard for third-person action games in terms of length, depth, speed, and gore. It is Itagaki's masterpiece, easily Team Ninja's best work, and one of the finest games on the Xbox to date. How many action games combine great controls, amazing visuals, superb gameplay, and incredible design? Not many.
What's most impressive to me is how over a dozen areas overlap with one another and how Team Ninja perfectly nailed game progression. Many games in the same genre either stay at the same difficulty or suddenly ramp up the difficulty at the very end for no apparent reason. But with Ninja Gaiden, each chapter brings slightly more difficult enemies. It doesn't just stop with the enemies, though, as the early parts of the game are very light on puzzles and platforming challenges, but just as you get a handle on combat, the platforming aspects kick into high gear. It just doesn't get stale or repetitive. I never once rolled my eyes when enemies appeared and sighed, "Oh boy, more of this crap." Instead it was muttering, "Oh crap, I don't wanna die after having just getting past that last set of enemies! Must. Cowboy. Up."

All these words (and boy, I've typed quite a lot of them for this review) lead up to a final score. Scoring any great game is difficult, because the difference between say a 9.4 and a 9.5 is much greater than the difference between an 8.4 and an 8.5. In the end, Ninja Gaiden doesn't deliver quite as great an experience as Halo and its depth does not match Knights of the Old Republic. It would have been helpful to have the ability to toggle a close and raised camera perspective and the story could have been more involving considering the length of the game. Really, all of those concerns are small potatoes compared to the overall experience. This is a great game, one of the best on any system, and worth more than one play through.

-- Hilary Goldstein


Ratings: Description:
out of 10 click here for ratings guide

9.0 Presentation
A brilliant package, Ninja Gaiden was made to suit a variety of gamers (just not overprotective mothers). Varied weapons, smart mechanics, and online tourneys.

10.0 Graphics
You've got eyes don't you? Running at a solid 60 fps, it's fast-paced, filled with interesting enemies and a variety of locales, is beautifully designed and has loads of heads flying off.

8.0 Sound
The weapons each sound unique and enemies have nice squeals, but the English dub is pretty weak. The range of the score is impressive, but a greater variety in sound effects would have helped.

9.0 Gameplay
Granted there are some camera problems and some annoying things that happen near the end of the game, but overall this is a masterpiece for an action game. It's Prince of Persia with a sack.

10.0 Lasting Appeal
Not only is it 20 hours long, but there's new challenges in the online tourneys and plenty of reasons to play through again. This alone will get you through the dog days of summer.

9.4 OVERALL:
(out of 10 / not an average)



IGN. (http://xbox.ign.com/articles/495/495186p1.html)

GameSpot Review!


This is one of the best, most challenging action adventure games ever made. - Greg Kasavin
GameSpot. (http://www.gamespot.com/xbox/action/ninjagaiden/review.html)

9.4

[Third Eye]

9.4 from Gamespot too. Damn it's nice to see that.

[mattgame]

Originally posted by Third Eye
9.4 from Gamespot too. Damn it's nice to see that.

Game(ps2 owned)spot gave it a 9.4? That's amazing. I guess even they can't knock greatness.:)

[colosso]

TEAMXBOX gave it a 4.6 and GAMEPRO 5 out 5,sounds to me like we have the first GOTY candidate.:cheers:

[X-Factor]

Ninja Gaiden is the third highest rated Xbox game at GameSpot: you know if GS is giving Ninja Gaiden love, then it must be great!