Let's just get this out of the way; Ninja Gaiden is hard. Very hard. I'd say it's the toughest fucking game I've ever got through in fact, and I'm proud to say without cheating.
But where there's challenge, there's also satisfaction. After engaging in a life or death duel with any one of the many end of level bosses for hours upon end, and finally landing that killer death blow with zero health left...well, it's a moment of pure joy.
Players assume the role of Ryu. His village ravaged by evil-doers, the game is ultimately - if you hadn't guessed by now - a classic martial arts tale of bloody revenge. In practice this means battling your way through thousands of minions, lopping many a head off, collecting weapons and items, and even solving one or two puzzles.
Michael Dudikoff Eat Your Heart Out
 | | The environments in Ninja Gaiden are truly beautiful |
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What Ninja Gaiden does well, it does
really well. The graphics range from impressive to absolutely spunk-tastic. At times it even resembles CGI, with some of the most eye popping animation and special effects you'll find in any game on any system.
Whether it be the glowing blue electrifying ninpo attacks Ryu pulls off, or the glorious views looking out from the top of a mountain village, it harnesses the power of the Xbox like nothing else ever seen. Also, the
real end of level CGI sequences manage to rival the kind of Oscar winning efforts seen in modern cartoons from Pixar and company. I could easily watch a whole movie of nothing but these.
 | | So desperate to win the jumping contest, Ryu decided to cheat when the judges weren't looking |
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Ryu's controls are responsive and simple, with breathtaking moves firing off with absolute ease. Yet the more you dig, the deeper it gets. Tons of different melee and ranged weapons are on offer, each with their own combos and specials to master, along with an incredible charge-based power move system. Figuring out how and when to wield each to their full effect proves the true secret to mastering Ninja Gaiden, but I tell ya now, it'll take you an age and half.
Kill Bill Gates
But while it's fun and pretty, Ninja Gaiden is actually quite painful too. The difficulty ramps up so high on some of the levels that you'll come close to grinding your teeth into dust. The first boss fight, a training match against your mentor, is hard enough to put most off, but is absolutely nothing compared to the horse back riding samurai bastard on the following level. Yet this pattern repeats from start to finish; just as you think it can't literally get any tougher, an even bigger bad arse appears from behind him, leaving you shaking in the corner like Michael J Fox.
 | | Ryu - the original firestarter |
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The first fight with Alma in a stunning looking church hall goes down as the downright hardest video game battle I think I'll ever endure in fact, taking me weeks to finally beat. Even though the bosses in her wake were even tougher though, that fight itself had made me skilled enough to defeat them all with comparitve ease.
That's the thing about Gaiden...for all the screaming, shouting and hair pulling from frustration, it actually enhances your skills and reflexes with every bit of progress that you make. A game so tough it actually makes you better at all other games.
Yes, it makes the all-time big arse mistake of punishing the player hugely every time they die, making them retread large parts of the level over and over, but at the same time you never feel cheated - these set backs are always your own fault for fucking up, not vice versa. The game treats you like Pei Mai in Kill Bill 2, smacking you hard with a cain every time you lose focus, forcing you to improve in the process. You simply
have to stay at the top of your game at all times, or it's your arse.
The duels you face require genuine skill with that in mind, the block button more often the greatest weapon in your arsenal, and that alone makes it stand out head and shoulders above the average button basher.
To Buy or Not to Buy?
 | | That's what Ryu thinks of your cheap lightsaber knock-off |
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Ninja Gaiden was originally an ancient NES game, actually available as an unlockable bonus here, but I haven't mentioned this until now as it's irrelevant in a way. This is about as cutting edge a beat 'em up as you can find, and it takes the 3D fighting genre to a whole new level.
If you're the kinda guy who completes games in a few days and could always dragon punch Sagat with your eyes closed, then I'm guessing Ninja Gaiden will be the ultimate challenge you've been waiting for. Everyone else will probably snap their controller in anger before beating the first level sadly...but man they'd be missing out on one hell of an experience.
This review/report was created by the great team at TPSreport.co.uk:
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