To all you naysayers: the DS CAN do action, and this game proves it!
User Rating: 9 | Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword DS
Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword is a game in the Ninja Gaiden series that stars a ninja called Ryu Hayabusa. No, these aren't like the show-off Naruto ninjas, these are serious, high action slashing ninjas that really mean business. In this game, you ward off two enemies called the Black Spider Clan and the fiends. A girl named Mojimi is held captive, and it is up to you to save her. Along your quest, you'll collect these orbs called Dark Dragon Stones. The stylus is put to good use in this game, so much that every action (with the exception of the guard and pause buttons) is done with it. My only gripe is that you can't really slash forward, since an upward stroke will cause Ryu to jump instead, but the formula still works well if you adapt. You can also perform these multiple aerial slices called Flying Swallow attacks that really help in putting the hurt on the enemy, especially against the challenging bosses in the last 4 chapters of the game. So far, I've only played on normal difficulty, but those looking for a serious challenge will find it when they complete it again on a higher setting. The adventure lasts a good six hours on the first playthrough, so it is a little short, but the awesome controls more than make up for it. Hopefully, this series will eventually come to the Wii, a system that could really use a boost in the action genre.
