One of the best action games i have ever played, if not the best. (full review inside)
Id like to put down how I Score games (this is important if you want to understand why my score is so 'low'):
1 - Utter rubbish
2 - Utter rubbish
3 - rubbish
4 - average
5 - Good
6 - Pretty good
7 - Great
8 - Greater than 7
9 - Awesome
10 - so great ill never review a game that's this good...period.
Ninja Gaiden Black is a remake of Ninja Gaiden on the Xbox about 4-5 years ago. Yeah its old, and yes iv put off reviewing it because i couldn't find anything i didn't like, but here i am now, iv just replayed it on Master Ninja and im ready to review this bad boy (and to start playing Ninja Gaiden 2)
Graphics
Ninja Gaidens graphics are very, very nice. Ok, yeah it looks dated but it still looks pretty dam fantastic. The character models look and move realistic, your attacks as well as the enemies attacks move with grace and speed. But, then again, they ARE dated. There are really bad shadows, crappy water textures, bad amour shine on some enemies, average environment textures, pretty much everything you come to expect from a 4 year old game on a last gen console. However, there is never any slow down during combat which keeps it speedy and smooth which makes up for its environmental downfall. The prerendered cutscenes all look really nice, however compared to current scenes, they look low rez, and run pretty slowly looking like 10, 20 fps, which is watchable but could have been better. HOWEVER! This could be because i was running it on my 360 and there could have been some problems in Backwards compatibility. The loading times are also pretty short, excluding the screen that loads the first level which takes 2 minutes. A final good point with the graphics is how clear they look, they may have some bad textures by todays standards but you can see EVERYTHING perfectly clear, no blurring or anything.
Sound
Ninja Gaiden is partly voice acted. All the cutscenes are voice acted, but most of the text isn't with the exception of Ayane who has voiced acted scrolls. This makes the game more in depth and the acting is really good, with everyone sounding great. Sound effects are nice with everything you come to expect from guns, sword, bows and whatever else is in the game.
Forgettable sound track however.
Gameplay
Ninja Gaiden is by far one of the hardest games i have ever played. And iv played a lot of games. You die if you dont block and dodge with extreme precision, all your attacks must be performed exactly when they are needed and you need to vary your attacks because the AI is smart enough to block the same attack over and over again. The default difficulty is Normal which is a challenge to novices and casual gamers if you die 3 times on the first level you get the Easy level. After Normal however you unlock several even harder levels of difficulty which is reserved for only the hardcore like my self. Each weapon comes with between 2-9 levels of upgrade ability. By killing enemies you obtain essence which can be spent on items, ammo, weapon upgrades, Nimpo (magic) as well as a few other things. With each new level you gain new combos and power for that weapon, and in some cases giving you a weapon make over such as the Lunar Staff which changes 3 times i think. The combat in Ninja Gaiden is fast and furious requiring constant attention other wise you will leave yourself open to an onslaught of attacks which will probably kill you. What i dont like is the lack of saving in the begining of the game, you have 1 save point in a huge level which can take up to an hour to complete and if you die you have to start again, which can be frustrating, however this is a minor downside. Another downside could be because it really is a solid game. If you are not used to this sort of game, be prepared for anger and possibly crying if your weird.
Of course thats just Combat. Ninja Gaiden is also a platforming puzzler. Yes this seems stupid for an action game, but Ninja Gaiden uses this to GREAT effect. Ryu Hayabusa(YOU) is possibly the most acrobatic character of all time. Anything a ninja can do, he can do...and more. You really have to use your head later in the game to navigate the levels using everyone of your moves and skills to get to your destination whilst avoiding pitfalls and traps. These are some of the best moments in the game as you get a real sense of achievement when you scale a 100ft wall using only wall runs...its fantastic and really does split up the combat nicely. Puzzles are basic but fit in nicely and add something different from the fantastic platforming and combat. However, this is no Legend of Zelda, so don't expect a in depth puzzle experience from Ninja Gaiden. The platforming whilst fantastic can also be a bit...iffy. It works nearly all the time, but when it does it can really aggravate you.
One final note is that the Boss battles are fast, furious, hard and fantastically fun. Highlight of the game. Oh, and dont expect a indepth story, its acceptable but its no KotOR or Mass Effect.
Ninja Gaiden Black also comes with a few extras such as 50 new missions in the Mission Mode which is unlocked after you complete the game. This adds to the longevity of the game and is a welcome addition to this already fantastic game.
Overall
A great game that i recommend if you have a 360 or just a regular xbox, or a PS3(Sigma its called, not as hard, but looks better). Fun and rewarding combat and platforming with great level design and replay value a well deserved:
7.5/10
Now all you gotta wait for is Ninja Gaiden 2 which comes out in TEN DAYS!!!! WOO!