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Extremely Difficult!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 6
Date: March 12, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Yes, this game is EXTREMELY DIFFICULT. I have read some online walkthroughs of this game to get info, and I found it very laughable at how the authors describe most of the game as "easy". Maybe if you're one of those gamers that can play for 18 hours a day. Then I see everyone writing how easy the timing of the enemies is to figure out. NOT! Maybe after a few months of constantly playing for hours.

However, as frustrated as I get playing the game, I always want to get back to it. The graphics are phenomenal as is the gameplay. It is by far one of the greatest games I have seen and played, and it is definitely worth the money. If you're someone that gives up too easily, that's another story.

The one point that the previous reviewers aren't stressing enough (and almost a reason not to buy the game) is how badly done the camera view is in this game. This is why I gave the game 4 stars instead of 5. There are A LOT of times in the game when you will be in a major battle and not even be able to see your character. The dinosaur battle is one. There is nothing more frustrating than dying simply because you can't see what's going on.

Great game, but for those who haven't purchased it yet, trust me the camera IS that bad.

The greatest game on the Xbox is going to be even BETTER!!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: August 11, 2005
Author: Amazon User

If you have an Xbox, stop reading this review, and buy this game. This game is the REASON to buy an Xbox.

The gameplay of NG is a hack and slash sword action game, similar to Devil May Cry, or Otogi, but far far superior. The sheer amount of combos, and fighting strategies is staggering. The graphics are also some of the best found on this console. All the models look high in polycounts, and everything has a polished look. However, some of the textures can be a bit bland sometimes, but it's not a big issue.

Now as I said in the title, this game is going to be even better, with the upcomming Ninja Gaiden Black. NGB, is basically NG, with all of the hurricane packs, new costumes, the original NG arcade game, new gameplay modes, and 2 new difficulty settings. I'm probably missing some other features, but just check out gamespot or something for the full list.

Bottom line, get this game. Your only excuse for not getting it should be, that you are waiting for Ninja Gaiden Black.

Solid gameplay and worthy investment.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: August 25, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Title: Ninja Gaiden

Description: Ryu, the gifted and noble young ninja of the Hayabusa clan, is left with the responsibility of protecting the Dragon Sword and keeping the Dark Dragon Blade safe in his village. Things go horribly wrong and after a siege in his village the Dark Dragon Blade lands into the possession of a powerful demonic like being that will protect his investment at all costs. The events of the entire game are observed from afar by a mysterious being that seems to have an unusual interest in the Dark Dragon Blade himself.

Platform: Xbox

Learning Curve: 10- This game has a very complex battle system that you will constantly have to perfect to advance in the game. Expect to spend hours working on new fiends you encounter and how to dispatch them quickly with little or no damage. Foul ups in your fighting prowess can turn you into a dead ninja quickly.

Replay Value: 10- This game has a great replay value. There are nice game rewards available for beating the game at different difficulty levels and you can also unlock new costumes and original NES Ninja Gaiden titles. Tecmo is also releasing some great supplementary editions to the game and the Hurricane Pack is already available using Xbox Live. The new packs introduce new abilities, weapons, enemies, and more.

Difficulty: 10- This game will try the patience of many gamers. I think a lot of gamers that are gonna give up on this title will likely do so in the first two levels. Ninja Gaiden pulls no punches with it's players. Ryu will face insane opposition to retrieve the Dragon Sword so be prepared. One of the game's developers said it best by saying that on most games the enemies are there for you to kill on Ninja Gaiden they are there to kill you.

Guide: Prima has a strategy guide available for $14.99, but I don't recommend buying it other than for collector's purposes. Brady games usually does a better job on their guides so I've come to expect sub par results from Prima, but this guide is one of the worse I've seen. You're best going online and working through the game with online text guides. If you work through the game using solely Prima's guide you will miss many secrets, combo strategies, and make your game play much harder.

Pros: Great graphics, advanced combat system, nice FMVs, expanding on Xbox Live, and enthusiastic online community support (you'll find lots of people loving this game and wanting to go on and on and on about it online.)

Cons: My only real compliant on this title is the camera system. At first I hated the R trigger center the camera function, but than I grew used to it and loved it. There are some points of the game where you simply can't get a good angle and you will die on a simple jump or you won't be able to see your character because a wall is in your way and that can mean death quickly and thus frustration. This is seldom though and tolerable.

Time Expected to Invest: My first game clocked me at about 34 hours and when I added up all the unrecorded time (aka. all the time I died) I'd have to say it was well over 40. I spent most of my time learning the fighting system and I imagine a second run through the game will be much much quicker. I translate this time into about a month of good solid playthrough and the game will still leave much more to explore in the other difficulty levels and with Xbox Live.

Retail Value: $49.99

Suggested Purchase Price: This game is worth every single penny. My purchase of the game cost me $29.99 used so you can shop around and prolly find a good deal.

Overall: 10- This is a solid game. Most gamers will say this is just a pretty and over rated hack n' slash game, but Ninja Gaiden enthusiasts know better. Ninja Gaiden's magic is in it's subtle and complex battle system. If you have the patience this game is sure to become a favorite among adventure gamers.

Spectacular!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: November 29, 2004
Author: Amazon User

Imagine: you round a corner, minding your own business, when suddenly you're faced with three guards, swords on their backs and automatics in their hands, ten meters away. How unfortunate... for them. You effortlessly intercept the incoming arms fire with your sword as you rapidly close the distance, and drive your assailants back with a flurry of blows delivered almost too quickly to follow. You take to the air then, and savage your opponents with a barrage of precisely aimed shurikens as you pass overhead. Finally, you stride off the wall twice, bringing you behind the three, and as you turn, your sword screams around in a lethal arc, decapitating all three of your hapless attackers with a single, fell stroke. By the time you hit the ground, you're the only one left alive. Elapsed time: six seconds. Sound impossible? Not if you're a ninja.

The above is only one example of the countless spectacular feats you'll find yourself performing as Ryu, the protagonist of Ninja Gaiden. It took less than a minute for me to become obsessed with this game, as I learned how Ryu could flip through the air, stride up and across walls, dance across the surface of water, perform all manner of aerial acrobatics, and of course, deal out death in any way you can name, and more than a few that you can't. Playing the part of Ryu is wonderfully fun, and with the intuitive control scheme, it's surprisingly easy to get into as well.

The game's visuals are astounding, some of the best I've seen on the XBox. Its numerous and diverse locales are all very convincingly rendered, as are the various characters that populate them, making for a highly immersive experience. Everything clips along at an excellent frame rate as well, with nary a moment of slowdown to be found, even when you're fighting five guys at once and they're breaking out the incendiary shurikens. The sound effects and the score are excellent as well, spanning a wide variety of themes and always fitting the game perfectly. The voice acting could have been a little better, perhaps, but it's not bad... certainly it's no Resident Evil, so you needn't fear on that count.

One thing a lot of people have mentioned about the game is that it's quite difficult, and it is, but I count that as a point in its favor. Ninja Gaiden gets the challenge factor just right, in my opinion: it's challenging enough that it will require real skill, and multiple attempts at some of its harder battles, but not so challenging that the difficulty detracts from the fun of it. One need only have a little patience, and before long you'll be handling multiple foes and stringing complex combos together like you've been doing it your whole life.

With a superb array of weapons to employ, a numberless horde of foes to engage, a fine variety of secrets and extras to discover and unlock, and such a wonderful world to play in, I'm hard-pressed to imagine what more one could want from an action game. This is ninja mayhem at its finest, ladies and gentlemen, and I strongly suggest that you don't miss out on the fun.

I SMELL HATERS!!!

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: March 05, 2004
Author: Amazon User

For some strange reason a ton of people have wrote some horrendous reviews on Ninja Gaiden, and I have no clue why! This is easily one of the best action-adventure games ever made.
I'm sorry but there is nothing that is truly wrong with this game. There is everything in this game a true game fanatic would want including action, girls, and more action. Now, I'm just
wondering who exactly writes these reviews, oh, I know, those
system basher guys! Whenever a great game comes out for the Xbox

these guys are always the first to review them. I hate this type of stuff, man how come you guys just can't give props where props are due, come on!

You Will Regret

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: March 16, 2004
Author: Amazon User

This game ruins my interest in any other game out there. Here's why: The fluid controls, challenging AI, and unforgettable boss battles are unparalleled.

Ninja Gaiden has fused me to the main character, Ryu, and his surroundings like none other. Gaiden is difficult yet thoroughly rewarding like a good game of chess (although chess does not allow the same freedom of movement).

I've tried looking for video games with the same high caliber, and I found nothing. "Silent Hill 3" is tense at times but the AI is Not Fun. "Twin Snakes" has enhanced AI, sure, but the environments feel constricting as does its hero Snake. The "Prince of Persia" is acrobatic in his own right, but doesn't compare to Ryu's movement in combat (and the Prince's characters sure are blocky by today's standards). Even going back to the original combo-buster "Devil May Cry" and its clones "Castlevania" and the "Legacy of Kain" games, I found myself bored . . . having No Fun.

Ninja Gaiden has slaughtered the action genre, leaving no rivals. It also makes RPGs (such as "Final Fantasy", "Knights of the Old Republic" and any "Zelda" game) feel like a waste of time. A good story is one thing, but as with all games, engaging gameplay is final. Gaiden doesn't hold back. This game has raised my expectations of future games and has made me a little jaded towards games of the present.

I am sorry that I have beaten one of the greatest games of our time. Yet I enjoyed every moment.

Not for the easily fustrated.

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: April 18, 2005
Author: Amazon User

First, lets eliminate the type of people that shouldn't play this game. People easily fustrated, people who enjoy playing Fable because its so easy, people who will drop down the controller after failing to kill a boss 3 times, etc.

This game is only for the "true" gamers, people who are in for a great challenge and mastering the art of the combat in this exciting title. Some of the bossess are incredibly difficult, but if you could use your brain instead of just keep hacking and slashing straight-forward-style, you could probably learn your enemy's pattern of combat, therefore, mastering his moves and using different tactics to effectively defeat him. For example, the mounted samurai boss, many people just tend to hack and slash him straight forward in the way open of the bridge. Just think, if you used the walls you could easily time yourself to when the horseman will ram into your position and then you could run up the wall and slam down with the Y attack. Then you could kill the wizards as well with that move, collect their essence and you could use them to absorbtion for your charged Y attack.

My point is, in order to beat this game, you got to use your brains and apply it to fighting, unlike your ordinary "lets go kill'em all and screw the thinking" type of timesplitters 2 style "kill-everything you-you-see-and-forget-tactics" mentality.

This game features some intriguing graphics and visuals, along with some pretty nice combos, with some that will take time to master. This is a very difficult game, the the gameplay is solid and well built, and extremely fluid as well. There are several types of enemies, ranging from demons to soldiers with submachine guns. Aside from all the combat and action, there's some great adventure elements as well in this game, which balances everything else. Think Prince of Persia: Sands of Time charged with tons of sugar and fuel, then with tons of blood and gore as well.

Ready for the challenge? Go and buy it. Otherwise, just at least rent it to experience this awesome game.

Do You Wish You Were a Ninja?

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: June 15, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Here is your chance to be a ninja.

Once, I flipped over a guy and hucked him into the wall across the room. As he hit the wall upside down 4 feet above the ground, I threw a series of shurikens into his abdomen just before he fell to the ground. IT WAS AWESOME!

I beat the game on Normal, now I'm going for Hard (holy crap).

I won't say its not hard, because it is way hard. Infact, instead of "Normal" and "Hard" options it should be "Hard" and "WAY HARD!"

However,

you know that feeling you got when you stuck your first kick flip, or did your first backflip on a trampoline? Or solved that ridiculous hard equation in calculus that you thought you'd never get? Well, this is how you feel after you waste the first boss--and those bomb throwing ninjas.

You are able to figure out how to best beat different enemies. You can actually become "good" at the game. Its not just hack adn slash and pounding buttons. You need a dynamic strategy and to know your opponent; then you are able to beat the game.

Plenty of save points allow short play time interavls, 10 minutes at a time is reasonable.

Great game, I love it.

Ninja Gaiden

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 3 / 7
Date: January 27, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I also don't like to review games before they come out. Usually, the person doing a review is uninformed and gives out incorrect information. However, I don't think that it is justified to give a game a one star rating just to spite someone because they had some information you didn't. Anyway, Ninja Gaiden will be a game similar to Devil May Cry (Lets hope that its not too similar to DMC 2) with graphics that are characteristic of other games released by tecmo like DOA 3. I watched a tech demo of this game and the game mechanics seemed quite good, with a good mix of both sword and hand to hand attacks. I also hear that the game will have a ninja star like boomerang thing, which is always a good sign. The game will also feature the original ninja gaiden and a few of the arcade ninja gaidens from the late 80's and early 90's. Tecmo hasn't let us down yet and I feel that they will live up to their standards with this game.

Not difficult, just rushed and poorly designed

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 4 / 12
Date: July 03, 2005
Author: Amazon User

Let's clear something up before I begin: before you cry "Hurricane Pack," let me remind you that the main selling point of a console system is "What you see is what you get." Console games are supposed to be complete out of the box and not require a patch to fix their playability issues, but Ninja Gaiden proves with the advent of a viable console online system, the age of complete and bug-free titles is beginning to crumble. With that in mind, this review is for the game you get when you buy Ninja Gaiden, the game you play out of the box, without spending time and money on Xbox Live downloading and installing update patches.

Back when I actually owned an Xbox, I didn't buy this game out of fear that Tecmo's penchant for grotesque exageration and overhyping of their games would shine through with yet another lackluster title selling millions of copies to their horde of mind-numbed fans. After electing to borrow and try it from an acquaintance, let me tell you, Tecmo delivered above and beyond my expectations!

Ninja Gaiden starts out simple enough, with a tutorial-style set of levels familiarizing one with the admittedly intuitive battle system. After a brief series of fights, the difficulty is ramped up a notch and bosses start showing up and giving the player a run for his/her money. The first seven levels of Ninja Gaiden are some of the most fun I've had with an action-adventure title since the old beat-em-ups on the SNES. However, a crucial turning point occurs, and the game spirals downward into mediocrity, taking the newly-committed player on a voyage into the Hades of awful gaming. What is this ubiquitous event, you ask? The level 7 boss.

This boss, already annoying enough, is exacerbated by the fact that if you leave the circular arena whilst fighting her, the much hyped camera goes from genius to special-ed; at some points, after she knocks you out of the circular arena, the camera freaks out and zooms right in on her crotch as she pummels your poor ninja into oblivion. Perhaps the auto-crotch view is really fan-service from Tecmo for its greasy consumer minions who purchased Dead or Alive X-Treme Beach Volleyball.

From this point on until the end of the game, the camera becomes just about the most unbearable thing ever designed and makes the game feel closer to pulling teeth than a polished beat-em-up. The fun never stops, as we eventually hack, slash and break our controllers through an underwater level with probably the worst physics ever designed (mash A to move forward and hump the wall, turn and mash A to hump the wall again, look up down and around and mash A to hump the wall some more, drown and repeat) all the way to the final battles.

If you can tolerate having a professional wrestling match with the in-game camera up to the last 3 levels or so, the quality takes a slight turn upward (saving this game from a 1 star rating) and culminates in one of the cheesiest end-game cinematics of all time; I laughed and cursed endlessly as our faithful ninja turned into a bird and flew away, which negates the entire purpose of almost every level in this game, including and especialy the swimming level. If this character could fly as a bird, why in the world did we have to suffer humping walls and drowning in the process and wrestling with an unruly camera for hours? Tecmo strikes again.

I've thoroughly complained about the camera, which ruins this game's chances of being the stuff of legends and anything more than a "play once-through if you can and then use the disc as a coaster" sort of game. In reality, this game does actually have some good points. The battle system is a lot of fun once you get the hang of it, and by the end of the game you'll be busting out 350 hit combos and racking up obscene amounts of money to buy more equipment and thus rack up even more 350 hit combos.

The difficulty is vastly overhyped, and the game took me scarcely 15 hours to finish, even going around and trying to get extras and bonuses and spending time racking up cash to get weapons, as well as getting lost from the camera's unruliness. It's not a long game, nor is it a difficult one, and for anyone who is a veteran and has the stamina to suffer poor design, it's not too bad when you get to the end.

Would I recommend you buy it? Not necessarily. It has some strong points, and if you're a diehard X-Box fan, it might not bother you so much since you're already probably a Tecmo apologist and can forgive the disingenuousness of requiring one to PATCH a console game to make it playable.

Otherwise, you would do well to avoid it and try something else. Even XBox has plenty of higher quality action/adventure titles--such as Prince of Persia: The Sands of Time or the Otogi series--and should you want to cross platforms over to the evil PS2 land, try God of War.

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

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