It's unquestionably difficult, but Ninja Gaiden is also unquestionably rewarding.
Ninja Gaiden follows the trials and tribulations of Ryu Hayabusa, a highly-skilled ninja of the Hayabusa lineage who quickly discovers that his entire clan has been killed off by a dangerous new evil. Armed with the legendary Dragon Sword, Ryu challenges the evil samurai Doku and his weapon, the Dark Dragon Blade. Ryu's journey of vengeance challenges the power of the evil Vigoorian Empire, along the way introducing him to some interesting new characters, like Fiend Hunter Rachel. The storyline is actually pretty well presented; the characters have a degree of emotional attachment and you'll find the story to be better than the average action romp. Ryu is an interesting character; starving for vengeance, he still possesses a piece of humanity, despite his shinobi-killing agenda. It's not particularly flawless, but the story is worth watching the cutscenes for.
It's safe to say that Ninja Gaiden's presentation really shows what the Xbox is capable of. All I can say is that it's stunning to say the absolute least. The cinematic sequences are full of beautiful graphics and smooth animation, some of the best seen on the Xbox. In bloody realism, the characters show a sense of creativity and action-packed intensity. Looking into an enemy's face is a moment that you won't forget. While in battle, Ryu's movements are unchained and smooth. While the ninja's moves are blatantly unrealistic, he moves with such hypnotic fluidity that you just can't look away. Everything from a brutal sword slash to running along a wall is placed in such elegance. The only graphical complaint I could find was the environments, which though functional, don't possess a degree of life and action as the rest of the game. There's diversity for sure, but not much interactivity. However, the rest of the game is fast-paced and full of action. To back up the graphic intensity, the sound design is equally well done. Voice acting is passable, nothing brilliant, but the music and sound effects are intense and appropriate. Team Ninja has been known for excellent presentation in their games and Ninja Gaiden is definitely worthy of the developer's name.
Ninja Gaiden doesn't hesitate to let loose and bring on the action. Immediately, much of Ryu's extensive list of ninja techniques is available to use, and you're going to need it. It's become somewhat of a standard these days to compare challenging games to Ninja Gaiden, and for good reason. Why? Because Ninja Gaiden is the poster-child for difficulty. There's no game on the Xbox, or any console of the generation for that matter, that puts you into such an incredibly difficult environment the way Ninja Gaiden does. A single enemy can chip away at your health at a surprisingly quick rate. Even worse, the enemies usually come in packs, some with increased weapons or stamina. Blocking is absolutely essential nearly all the time; a single missed defense can mean the difference between continuing and being sent back to a previous save point (which are quite rarities in Ninja Gaiden). And if the regular enemies are a pain, think about the bosses, which are downright monstrous. But despite the insane difficulty (even on Normal difficulty), Ninja Gaiden has a spark of captivation that will insist you continue. The battles are borderline masochistic, but you'll find no battle to be impossible. Well-timed dodges, blocks, and counterattacks fuel your defenses, and analyzing an enemy's attack patterns pays off. It takes a ton of practice and even more patience, but Ninja Gaiden's maniacal difficulty is actually one reason that the game is so much fun.
While the combat and onslaught of enemies is a major part of Ninja Gaiden's gameplay, there's also the roaming about the levels, adventure style. Ryu has plenty of acrobatics at his disposal, many of which are essential to traversing the environments Ninja Gaiden shows off. Ryu can run up and along walls, leap over gaps, and even wall-jump up chasm walls to reach higher areas. All of these abilities are useful and fun to use, all because Ryu is remarkably nimble. Exploring areas can reveal item chests to restore health, Ki (used for the Ninpo spells), among other items that can be useful towards your adventure. The only real problem with roaming about the Ninja Gaiden world is the camera, which sadly can only be controlled by pressing the R-Trigger. You can't control the camera manually with the right thumbstick; instead it switches to first-person (which despite being functional in some cases feels out-of-place in Ninja Gaiden). Enemies can appear off-screen and attack or you could miss a crucial item. The camera isn't impossible to deal with, but it would've been better with a more manual control, as simply using the R-Trigger can be a pain at crucial moments. Ryu can also visit a shop to increase the strength of weapons, buy items, or receive information. New weapons and abilities are common in Ninja Gaiden, each one introducing an interesting new twist to gameplay. There's a ton of ways to go about beating the crap out of enemies and Ninja Gaiden does it remarkably well.
Once the brutally difficult single player is complete, Ninja Gaiden possesses some interesting new additions to keep you interested. Aside from some higher difficulty levels (yes, they found ways to make it even more difficult), Ninja Gaiden has well-hidden classic Ninja Gaiden games for fans of the originals. Also, there's online ranking courtesy of Xbox Live, where players can compete to see who is the better ninja. The story isn't extremely long, but the fluid combat system and high-intensity action will keep you coming back, even if the difficulty tends to be on the steep side.
Pros
+ Animations are smooth and stylized
+ Colossal bosses with plenty of challenge
+ High intensity action doesn't get old
+ Ryu's acrobatics are impressive to wield
+ Excellent presentation
Cons
- Challenge is intimidating
- Environments can be a bit stale
- Camera can be a pain to deal with
- Some gameplay elements feel unneeded
Is Ninja Gaiden the greatest action game ever? No. Its difficulty is extremely steep and the camera issue is a seriously distracting gameplay flaw. The environments lack a degree of interactivity and some of the exploration factors feel misplaced. But that doesn't matter. Ninja Gaiden is a blast to play, frustrations and all. The combat system is one of the smoothest and most fluid pieces of gameplay of the generation, and Ryu's techniques are incredibly fun to wield. Slashing up Fiends and taking out enemies is simple, though the heavy challenge offers plenty of reasons to come back to battle. Discovering the many secrets and tricks to the combat system is only the beginning, especially when Ninja Gaiden tosses a really strong boss or two in your way. You won't find a game on the Xbox with as much challenge as Ninja Gaiden. All in all, Ninja Gaiden has enough style and structure to be worth any action fan's time. It's full of insane amounts of battle-heavy moments, all while keeping the combat simple and fun to master. Even after its generation has passed, Ninja Gaiden remains a remarkably action-packed, endlessly-stylistic, and tough-as-nails adventure that any gamer would be foolish to pass up. Just be sure to pack some elixirs.