Possibly the best action adventure game I have ever played.
Ninja Gaiden tells the story of Ryu Hayabashu, and Dragon Clan Ninja whose life is dedicated to guarding the dark dragon blade. When the blade is stolen by the greater fiend Doku, Ryu sets out on a journey to retrieve the blade and avenge his dead kinsmen. The game is truly intense. Combat is fast, very fast. The game runs at an impressive speed. Ryu starts the game with his dragon sword, and this sword remains his primary weapon throughout the game. In addition, Ryu can pick up around a dozen other weapons. Fighting takes up about 95% of the game. Enemies are varied and all are highly intelligent. This is one of the hardest games that I have ever played. Enemies wont give Ryu an easy fight. They are devilishly intelligent. They will fight with a move set almost as deep as Ryu's. They are strong and hard to take down. This makes fighting all the more rewarding though. When you beat the last enemy in a room you get a true sense of accomplishment. Boss battles are really the highlight of the game. Incredibly difficult, but very very fun, boss battles are just masterfully done. Each boss is very different (although you may fight the same boss more than once) and all have deep move sets. You may fight a boss a dozen times (and with this difficulty you probably will) and still see new moves. The long range arrow firing is more difficult to pull off, but still very enjoyable and rewarding. Ryu can also cast several different spells. These are devastating and really cool to watch.
The graphics in Ninja Gaiden are simply the best the system has to offer. The detailed enemies, unique environments, beautiful water and stunning animation and spell effects really show off the power of the Xbox. Overall the graphics are flawless. The camera does have some trouble, but this is never to much of a problem. If anything it makes the game more rewarding. Unlike many reviewers, I found swimming to be natural and enjoyable.
The sound quality is great, with epic scores and great voice acting. No problems here.
The game lasts about twenty hours. The addition of the Hurricane packs adds to the value, and there are several difficulty settings and unlockable content.