I'm going to write this review as if I had never played a Tenchu game before (albeit that I've played each and every one). Game mechanics are fair and controls never seem to fight what I want to do. In fact, sometimes my ninja does great things even when I think I'm dead-meat. There seems to be quite a bit of customizable options for those wanting to make their own unique character. AI is somewhat questionable, but let's be reasonable here. These guys are just guards from a period where quality education just wasn't available. We're not dealing with military-trained professionals here, just hungry town-folk who took a day job guarding some guy who pays them in riceballs. But, alas... here comes a ninja who thinks (like me) that he has to kill everyone in town to get to his target. If spotted, a guard will try to protect himself, but will give up and go back to duty when the threat is over (and God help him if something happens to his post if he were gone). There are a generous amount of missions, even when one looks beyond the fact that some seem very similar or take place in the exact location. Still, 50 missions (150 given difficulty ratings) adds to the overall value of this title. Character graphics aren't great, but the map does seem to go on forever in the distance. There are even some nice little details in the surroundings such as bubbling brooks and enchanting little gardens that make waiting on rooftops somewhat pleasurable. The question is, does online play take away from the depth of the graphics? I did get a little lag from playing offline with a few friends, but we still got along pretty well. Any more detailed and I don't think the online portion would have worked. So, is this option worth the trouble? There does need to be a bit more variety with online play, because with a good group missions can last about five minutes tops. Eventually, It would be nice to see this option expanded in the future with this game to make it worth the trade-off. Now for the part from a seasoned Tenchu player. For the patient ninja looking to perfect his abilities, this game ultimately won't let you down. Eventually, you'll come to appreciate the size and details of the maps and the fact that From Software didn't stray too far from what made the first Tenchu great. For everyone else, definitely rent the game first to see if it fits your style, because Tenchu isn't for everyone. The next message goes to all those people who didn't like Tenchu before and are complaining about this title. The basic game mechanics are never going to change, so please stop buying Tenchu games. You're not doing the people who like it any favors by giving this title a low score.
I will start by agreeing with many that this game is indeed under-rated. A score below 5 is absolutely abysmal, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I think Tenchu deserves a score in the 7's for this reason: it's ... Read Full Review
This is my first time playing Tenchu so try to keep this in mind. I can't relate to any of the past titles, so this is a review from a new player. Before I actually purchased the game, I downloaded the demo from XBOX... Read Full Review
