E3 2004: Celebrating Ninja Gaiden

Tecmo's stand was pretty empty, but the Ninja Gaiden energy still burns inside. Here's our 'second opinion' lookback on possibly the best game of Q1.

When you first confront him, the master will kick your pathetic, pot-bellied ass. You may have second thoughts about testing him again, but the master does not want you to lose. He merely wants you to acquire the skills needed to defeat him.

Initially, the challenge seems insurmountable. Gradually, you realize that victory is possible. If you hone your skills and execute with flawless precision, you can and will defeat the master.

Essentially, this is the Ninja Gaiden experience. I have heard several people say - and I use the term "people" in the loosest sense of the word, because I'm talking about message board users - I've heard them say Ninja Gaiden is too hard. This, in a word, is rubbish.

Ninja Gaiden is challenging. It is demanding. It is unforgiving. But it is not too hard. The game will ruthlessly and gleefully punish those who fail to learn the moves and techniques at their disposal, but it never does so unfairly. If you learn how to play the game properly, you will be rewarded with success.

More than the beautiful visuals or the diverse and dazzling levels, the genius of Ninja Gaiden is its ability to deliver the perfect challenge. Though it is undeniably difficult, Tecmo's masterpiece gives us the impeccable control and devastating arsenal of weapons and attacks needed to survive its many deathtraps.

The controls are incredibly responsive. Barring several years of secluded training in the mountains of Japan, this is the closest most of us will ever come to experiencing what it feels like to be a ninja bad-ass. If you have yet to play the game, I'll break the news: it feels amazing.

Nirvana is the first time you properly execute the Izuna Drop, slashing a hapless foe high into the air and pile-driving him against the ground in a spinning tangle of shattered arms and legs. Nirvana is breaking down a boss and abusing him mere minutes (or, in some cases, hours) after he tore you to pieces. It is finishing Ninja Gaiden, then immediately playing again because playing this game a second time is better than playing a new game for the first.

Yes, there will be moments of frustration. But if you are anything like me, you will always, inexorably, come back for more. Ninja Gaiden is just too damn good.

Which brings us to another reason why this is the best action game of this generation. The gameplay is perfect, but it also is varied.

As the game progresses, new weapons will be acquired, most of which introduce entirely different moves and provide a drastically different feel than the others. The first weapon in Ninja Gaiden is the best, but that will not stop you from weilding the other weapons, because, to be honest, they are really, really fun to use.

There is no sense belaboring the details you already know. Yes, the visuals are superb. Are they the best on the Xbox? Perhaps. What matters is that they leave almost no room for complaint. The sound effects are excellent as well, from the stinging whip of the nunchakus to the heavy, metallic clang of the monstrous 100-pound Dabilahro sword.

What you really need to know is where Ninja Gaiden falters. The shortcomings are minor, and they do little to tarnish the overall appeal of the game, but they do exist and must be noted.

First, though Ryu has a wide array of combos, the effectiveness of each can be wildly imbalanced. The aforementioned Izuna Drop is money in the bag - unleash it and you at once become deadly and invincible. Other moves, such as the Blade of the Dragon's Tail, are just as fun to use and nearly as cool to watch, but will often be avoided because they leave you vulnerable to mid-combo attacks.

Second, the third person camera does a fine job of following the action, but it you will leave it in the dust on more than one occasion, only to leave it pointed in the wrong direction while enemies happily cover you with the sticky, smelly "eau de la whoop-ass." However, considering the frenetic pace of the game and the multiple vectors at which enemies attack, the camera behaves remarkably well.

Finally, once you battle through the game, it would have been nice to begin a new game with all or part of your repertoire of combos and weapons, particularly on the harder difficulty levels. As it stands, on consecutive runs through the game you're merely rewarded with a slick plasma sword (*cough* lightsaber) that looks nice but functions just like your original sword. Everything else - except for collectible items called scarabs - is lost.

But this is nitpicking. This is criticizing the Mona Lisa because you don't like the frame, complaining about Angelina Jolie because her shoes and nail polish do not match.

To say Ninja Gaiden is a great game is a disservice. It is, quite simply, one of the best games I have ever played. Bear in mind that this is coming from one of Team Ninja's biggest detractors - I would sooner eat a copy of DOAX Volleyball than actually play it.

Maybe Team Ninja head honcho and self-styled rock star, Tomonobu Itakagi, really is a misunderstood genius. Maybe he simply gave up and sold his soul to the devil. I don't know.

What I do know is that your life is incomplete until you play this game. Learn the moves. Conquer your demons. Feel the love. And don't go crying on some message boards about how hard this game is, because I most assuredly will Izuna Drop your ass.

Click here for more Ninja Gaiden coverage, including our original review.

Tony Scinta
Staff Writer, Kikizo Games