inja Gaiden has always been one of those games that the hardcore crowd likes to notch across their belt and then hold over everyone else’s head. It’s true that Ninja Gaiden provides a formidable challenge when it wants to, but it has somewhat unfairly developed this aura for being a game that devours gamers and spits them back out. This is kind of unfortunate, since I know some people have chosen not to play the game simply out of fear, and anyone who enjoys some good action should give this title a try.
Even three years after its initial release, Ninja Gaiden still has the moves that inspire awe. The action is fluid and intense, and you still get to upgrade your weapons to learn new combos. Those who have played the game before will be impressed to see new cutscenes, combos, enemies, and bosses. There are even new missions featuring Rachel as a playable character. The new dual katanas are pretty fun to use, even if I found a few spots where it is better to just use one of the original weapons instead.
Of course, one of the biggest changes is the graphical overhaul. I went back to play a little bit of the original game, and was surprised to see how much the graphics have changed. It’s a graphical powerhouse.
As great of an experience as this is, I do have a few problems with the game. The biggest I consider to be a design flaw that could have been fixed with a continue system or better save point spacing. Developers, I don’t care how hard you make a game, but when I die, please don’t make me replay the last 10 easy minutes to get back to the point where I need to practice.
A few other holdovers from last gen make this game feel a little outdated, like odd load points, confusing level layouts, enemies that respawn when you turn a corner, and a bad camera. That last one actually baffles me since the camera is a little worse now than it was in the original. This may sound like a huge laundry list of complaints, but they are all fairly minor, and when you are in the middle of a killer combo or pulling off some slick ninja moves, they just float away. Now can we please have a sequel now, Tecmo?