Ninja Gaiden

Team Ninja's much-anticipated action bonanza was destined to make waves, but does it live up to the hype? Includes staggering new screens and gameplay videos.

	Version Xbox	Developer Team Ninja	Publisher Tecmo	Genre Action

By Ben S. Dutka

Whispers of a hot new action title, designed to bring a classic 2D side-scroller into the 3D universe, began way back in the spring of 2002. As time went on, the gaming public was treated to glimpses of Tecmo's new vision, and despite discouraging delays over the past year and a half, these little peeks kept us salivating. Action fans everywhere had already reveled in the brilliance of Devil May Cry, and the idea of a Ninja Gaiden in a similar format was just too enticing to overlook.

With the Dead or Alive series on Xbox, Tecmo and Team Ninja have already proven that they can floor you with their stellar graphical productions. If you expected anything less from Ninja Gaiden, you clearly didn't do your homework. For the most part, the game looks amazing. Ryu Hayabusa, the main character, is designed and defined almost perfectly, and his fluid movements never produce clipping or unsightly jagged edges. The environment isn't quite as sharp as you may expect, but the color palette and artistry is still most impressive.

This, I fully expected. What I did not expect was the astounding level of quality that is shown in the cinemas/FMV. Square-Enix may still be the king, especially in terms of creativity and innovation, but with the advent of Ninja Gaiden, "Squeenix" is facing a strong contender. In fact, some of the more jaw-dropping cut-scenes in Gaiden equal, and in some cases, even surpass the beautiful scenes of Final Fantasy X and Final Fantasy X-2 that many of us know and love. Despite somewhat lackluster and bland areas, and the occasional odd appearance of some fuzziness, Ninja Gaiden is just a darn pretty game. If it were a woman, I'm thinking Brooke Burke or Jennifer Garner.

The sound effects throughout the game are nearly flawless, poignant in their execution, with the sharp slashing of a blade or the audible "thunk" of a lumbering fiend. The developers went out of their way to put a major emphasis on the weapons themselves, and in so doing, make them the focal point of battle. Unfortunately, this causes the soundtrack to get drowned out somewhat, but when things get crazy, you can expect some hard-hitting tracks to accompany your butt-kicking. These tracks are a cross between techno and classical, and while they don't exactly exude orchestral genius, they remain solid and effective. Overall, the sound is excellent in many areas, and can range from good to great throughout your adventure.

To be perfectly honest, anyone who questioned the technical capability of Tecmo was either ignorant to the nearly unrivaled beauty of Dead or Alive 3 and Dead or Alive: Xtreme Beach Volleyball, or was simply in denial. The real question for most of us centered on the old adage, "you can't polish garbage." Ninja Gaiden could look spectacular, but without the gameplay as a foundation, all we would get is a valiant attempt to... well, polish garbage.

Fortunately, Team Ninja shows the world that they're about more than just glitz and glamour, flash and panache. The game plays beautifully, and from the get-go, you will notice the stunning speed of the battles. Ryu is one versatile guy, and from running along walls (ala Prince of Persia) to dozens of combination attacks and even a form of magic ability (entitled Ninpo), he will blow you away with his sheer capability. The only question is, can you mold him into the deadly weapon he's supposed to be?

Make no mistake, this is no joyful romp through low-IQ enemies easily torn apart by Ryu's superior ability. Every last enemy in the game can kick the snot out of you if you're not careful, and a group of them will dispatch you in record time if you're not prepared. Boss fights are immensely challenging as well, and you will find yourself dying quite often. The long and short of it is this - Ninja Gaiden, along with titles like Viewtiful Joe, is one of the toughest games this generation has produced.

Ryu will have access to both melee and ranged weapons, including the Dragon Sword, Nunchaku, Vigoorian Flail, Bow, and a variety of Shurikens. Some of these weapons can be upgraded with the Blacksmith option at the shops. For example, the Dragon Sword can be increased to Level 3, and the Vigoorian Flail can be increased to Level 2. Each weapon functions very differently in battle (although the Flail and Nunchaku are essentially the same), and choosing the correct weapon could mean the difference between life and death.

You progress through the game in a series of Chapters, and each is rife with nasty respawning enemies and bosses that will make you tear your hair out in frustration. The balance of the game is quite good, as you will gradually advance your weapons and your abilities, all the while watching your adversaries become tougher and tougher. Unfortunately, the placement of the save points in the game isn't nearly as well balanced. Their positions, in many instances, seem to be entirely random. This can get insanely frustrating and decidedly annoying at times, but it can be worked through.

Now, when it comes to 3D action games, one of the first questions that can spring to mind is, "How's the camera?" A terrible camera can ruin the experience entirely, no matter how good the rest of the game may be. The biggest problem with Ninja Gaiden is that the camera will sit too low behind Ryu, especially when you're moving upwards along a series of cliffs or ledges. This can be a major drawback because it seriously limits your field of vision. With frequent and dangerous encounters, this is certainly an issue.

However, given the intense speed of the game, the camera does the best it can to keep up. Furthermore, you'll soon find that the right trigger is your best friend, as you can press it at any time to center the camera back in front of you. There have been better cameras in existence in the 3D realm, but there have been a whole lot more that were worse. In the end, the camera will be your biggest problem (besides the difficulty, of course), which is a very, very good thing 'cuz it ain't all that bad to begin with.

Team Ninja went with an interesting decision, concerning the battles. As mentioned before, every enemy poses at least a minor threat, so instead of being outnumbered 20-1 by mindless drones, you are usually only outnumbered 3-1 or 4-1 by skilled warriors in any given battle (with the exception of major battles which can find you facing 10-15 enemies at once). In the end, you're faced with a challenging and diverse game that ranges from hard to ridiculously difficult, but it is within one of the finer gameplay mechanisms ever utilized. Beyond many expectations, Ninja Gaiden takes some cues from Devil May Cry, and creates one of the fastest-moving games ever, presented in tip-top form.

As far as depth goes, the game is about as deep as it should be, and that's all that can really be said. The various moves Ryu has at is disposal, the shops that contain items and accessories, the ability to upgrade certain weapons, the Ninpo skills, the platforming elements; it all blends together extremely well, and ultimately provides a more than satisfactory level of depth. The game will provide around 20 hours of entertainment (with an additional 10 hours worth of infuriating deaths), and there are the old classic Ninja Gaidens to unlock as well.

Presentation-wise, the game shines brightly with cooler-than-hell cut-scenes and cinemas, visually intense battles, and a few beautifully designed characters. However, it also suffers from sub-par voice acting, a somewhat generic story that isn't brought out enough, and a main character that is less than charismatic. In this way, it cannot replicate the attitude and style of Dante and Devil May Cry (which may never be equaled), but the glossy finish of Ninja Gaiden cannot be denied.

Hundreds upon hundreds of games get released each year. Any and all game lovers owe it to themselves to play the best of the best, even if it doesn't look like something that would interest them. Ninja Gaiden is one of these games. Is it the best action game ever made? Probably not. Is it the best action game of this generation? It just very well may be. Nothing is perfect, and this one does have noticeable flaws that can detract from the overall entertainment factor, but they're never enough to keep you from coming back from more. You may not finish it, you may not even like it, but you darn well better at least try it. Chances are, you're in for a real tasty treat.