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> Results: Ninja Gaiden Black
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So, someone destroys your village, kills all your ninja friends and family, and makes off with a family heirloom that could end the world. Some days, it just doesn't pay to strap on the sword. Take on the role of Ryu Hyabusa, a young ninja set on revenge in a reissue of one of the better Xbox games: Ninja Gaiden Black. All of the great action from the first incarnation is here along with the downloadable bonus content, and for the first time on a console, Ninja Gaiden arcade!
Ryu Hyabusa, a ninja of the Dragon Clan, is sworn to protect an evil sword from being used. You must advance Ryu through several free roaming environments, battling the evil forces of the Vigoor Empire. Along the way you will meet a few allies, several foes, and learn just how good a gamer you are. This game is hard, even on the brand new Easy mode made just for Black. You will be outnumbered, out-armored and quite frankly outgunned in a few situations. Along the way, several new weapons can be obtained by either finding enough Golden Scarabs, which can be traded to the blacksmith like extra cash, or by defeating certain boss characters. These include more traditional weapons like a bo staff, nunchaku, or a katana, to more unique weapons such as the Dabilahro, which is very big sword, the Plasma Saber MK.II, which is a laser sword, and the Vigoorian Flail, which is a nunchaku with razor blades attached. As you advance in the story you can stop into the local blacksmith's store to upgrade these weapons to gain new attacks and more power.  There is more than just fighting in Ninja Gaiden Black. You will spend a considerable amount of time wandering around, jumping from ledge to ledge, hunting and retrieving, flipping switches, and trying to get behind that fence you just ran past. The levels are diverse environments, from a peaceful Japanese countryside to underground catacombs reminiscent of Egyptian pyramids, a modern blimp, and even an alternate dimension. Ryu's ninja training gives him extraordinary skills and agility. You can do various jumping combinations, such as running along a wall over a large gap, or bouncing between two close walls to climb to higher areas, even running circles around a large shaft as you climb to the top of the room. With the right timing, you can dash across some water surfaces as well. The controls are easy to learn but difficult to master. After just a couple of enemies you will be decapitating bad guys with all the flair of a true ninja master, but just when you think you're a big bad ninja assassin, you reach the first boss of the game: splat number one. Yeah, this is one hard game. The levels are absolutely gorgeous and subtly detailed. Sound is highly appropriate, from quiet mood music while you attempt to get to a ledge that's just out of reach, to rocking techno tracks for boss fights and challenges. Once you finish the game on easy (go ahead, admit you're on easy mode) you get access to the even harder Mission Mode where you are dropped into a situation with enemies, a selection of weapons, and one goal: kill. If you were thorough enough to find all fifty Golden Scarabs for the blacksmith, the Ninja Gaiden arcade game will be available to play! I was midly disapointed that the original Ninja Gaiden trilogy does not appear on Ninja Gaiden Black, but I got over it. This is (as far as I know) the first time the arcade version has appeared on a console. This one is definitely worth picking up, especially if you missed it the first time.  
Sorry kids. This one got a big M rating. You're chopping heads off at the first victim errr...enemy. Ryu is viciously sliced into quarters in the second movie. One of the Bosses, Alma, has rather provocative armor on her chest. Rachel, an ally you meet and save a few times later in the game is the token "damsel in distress" and is scantily clad. There's another reason for the M. Maturity, as in enough not to toss the controller through the TV set. Ninja Gaiden Black is crazy hard. I've mentioned that, your sales person should mention it, and you should definitely mention it to the person who will be playing the game if that's not you.
This review edited by Dave Long Comments? Chat about it in our forums! Format For Printing | Tell A Friend | Digg | Slashdot | del.icio.us | Buy This Game Home > Review Archive > Video Games > Results: Ninja Gaiden Black |
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