Ninja Gaiden: It's one of those games that so difficult, you'll keep coming back to try and overcome its difficulty
. Awesome presentation, with beautiful graphics and sound
. Great soundtrack that fits the mood of the game
.Combat is excellent and fluent and animation is really good
.Great bosses battles
.Control is to near perfection, being very responsive
.Cut-scenes are just amazing
.Lots of content, both on the game and as DLC
.The old games are unlockable in the game
The Bad:
.Somewhat iffy camera
.Difficultly might turn some people off (which is a damn shame)
Ninja Gaiden. This game is so awesome. The first you might probably notice in the game is the first opening cut-scene and it looks amazing. Then there's the game itself. As for it's story, it is pretty standard. Basically, it's a revenge plot for Ryu Hayabusa, the protagonist in the game. After his village is destroyed, his best childhood friend killed, Kureha, and the ancient evil relic that Ryu is suppose to be protecting, gone. All thanks to Doku, Lord of Greater Fiends. Although it's not the most compelling story, it's still pretty damn good, thanks to the use of awesome cinematic cut-scenes. While the talking portions in the game, they can sound rather corny, but can get the point across. It's like watching an episode of Naruto (yeah, I said it. I did watch the show and the English voices are decent) But, you can switch the voices over to Japanese, which I thought was cool.
Gameplay wise, it plays magnificently, fluently and just great. As you progress through the game, you can upgrade weapons by handing over enough money (which you get by killing enemies), find techniques scrolls, find and collect new weapons and Ninja Magic, a.k.a Ninpo. Depending on which button you press, how you move the analog stick and which weapon you use, Ryu will always do a different move and they look great and are pretty useful. And this game will get tougher as you go further into the game, make no mistake about. The difficulty might turn some people off, making the game not for everyone, which can be understandable (It has been a year since I got this game and I can't beat Very Hard mode) . It really is only a minor flaw, but whatever.This game also has some puzzle solving to do actually (i.e some parts of chapter 7) and do require some thinking skills but luckily they don't take too much away from the core-game play: cutting up enemies, and beating the loving hell out of them. It's truly satisfying when beating a really tough boss or section, which most games don't really have now-a-days. While the camera can get in the way and may feel dodgy at times, you can always tap the right shoulder button to reset and it works out just fine.
The graphics are some of the absolute best I've since on most game consoles ever, in my honest opinion. Sure, graphics don't make the game, but it sure can help with the look and feel of a game and in Ninja Gaiden, it's pretty much unmatched, especially in the cut-scene department. It's just spectacular. Ryu animations look believable and so do other characters and enemies you meet along the game. While today, graphics have gotten alot better such as in more modern games, I still really like the style of the game from the quiet Japanese settings to Gothic, European architect to even the depths of hell and beyond, the game looks beautiful.
Sound for the game is also pretty damn good, from Ryu yelling, to the slashes and sound made from your sword when slicing up enemies. Even in the music department, it still kicks ass. While you my not hum the tunes down the street (which sometimes I actually do for some reason), the music still sounds great and can fit the tone of the situation your in. If you beat the game on any difficulty, (normal or hard, very hard is unlocked by beating either difficulties) you unlock the sound test of the game to listen to the music, which was an awesome touch on the game.
Overall, the game is just excellent with its control, sound, graphics and is just a blast to play. Even if you find flaws, they are very minor and won't ruin the fun this game has. If anyone wants a challenging game, it's right here. (Not to mention, I got this game for about 10$. What a deal!)
Overall score: 9.5/10