Ninja Blade

Xbox 360

From Software

Rating: 6.5 out of 10

Ninja games seem to never disappoint, can this one keep the trend going?

Ninja Blade is nice hack n’ slash game that liberally borrows from
past ninja-centric games and tries to form its own identity. On first impression, I’m sure hardcore gamers will dismiss it as a Ninja Gaiden
rip-off with it’s similar story set in modern-day Tokyo. The game
mixes fast hack and slash action and large scale boss fights with an
unthinkable amount of quick time events. As a gaming aficionado, I can
get past shoddy graphics and slacking controls if a game has an
engaging storyline and easy gameplay. Thankfully, Ninja Blade doesn’t
lack in any of those departments. The developer’s put out an amazing
looking game with simple controls.  Don’t you just hate when you HAVE
TO use every bottom on your controller or when you spend just as much
time configuring your controller’s scheme than actually playing the
game?

You play as Ken Ogawa, who, after an alien infestation takes
over Tokyo, as part of an elite ninja force you have to overcome the
massive beasts with the infamous Ninja Blade. Simple, but the
developer’s included the added twist of Ken’s father, leader of the
elite force, using the Ninja Blade against him and leaves Ken for
dead. Ken must now fight alone to eliminate the alpha worms in Tokyo
and restore peace to the city. It’s actually a pretty good Hollywood
flick, which seems to be exactly what From Software has produced.

What I liked most about Ninja Blade was the constant hordes of alien
attacks. Where most games throw one or two aliens at you in an area,
then you move on, Ken will take on hordes of baddies, dispatching them
in spectacular and bloody fashion, and then take a quick breath before
the next wave hits. Even better, the combat takes on three main forms:
hack-n-slash, gun turret sequences, and cinematic Quick Time Events.
None of the three are all that great, with the standard three swords,
two attack buttons, and a few projectile/area Ninjitsu attacks you can
upgrade as you progress. Thankfully,  Ninja Blade never sticks to one
strategy very long. You’ll slash or shoot through standard minions for
a couple of minutes (and its worth noting that you’ll be facing the
same four or five enemy types throughout the entire game) before
coming to a huge boss. An epic battle will ensue, where you’ll
identify patterns, avoid attacks, hack away, and make use of some
ridiculously over-the-top QTE “Todomes” (or finishing moves). Ever
since Resident Evil 4 and God of War popularized QTEs, they’ve become
a crutch employed by developers who want to make their games look
cooler than they really are. Many argue that they have you watching
games more than playing them. These boss encounters are where the game
really shines, so it’s a shame that even they fall prey to its
repetitive nature. Late in Ninja Blade’s ten-hour run, you’ll be
facing some of the same bosses again, albeit with a couple of new
wrinkles in their strategy.

Ninja Blade is about as average as it gets when it comes to an
action-adventure game and once it starts it doesn’t stop till you
reach the end credits, literally. You might want to consider a rental,
but if you’re in the mood to just slash some monsters and see some
crazy stuff, Ninja Blade delivers. –A.K.

Tags: action adventure, fighting, microsoft, ninja blade, xbox 360

This entry was posted on Monday, May 11th, 2009 at 10:38 am by The Notorious BJP and is filed under Games, XBOX 360. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.