Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven

"Holy crap, this game is great"

Wow. That was the first word that came to mind when I first played this. Being a fan of tenchu 1 and 2, I decided to give this game a test drive in the ol' PS2. Even after the first few minutes of the first mission, I was thoroughly impressed. Lets see those scores:

Graphics: 10/10
The visuals this time around are phenomenal. Rikkimaru and Ayame both move with fluid grace that would make any fan of the tenchu series cry out with glee ''Finally, excellent gameplay AND great graphics!'' The stealth kills are a beauty to watch, especially the one that rikkimaru does when he jumps on the enemy's shoulders and rams his sword straight through their cranium and out their jaw. Beautiful.

Controls: 9/10
The controls are much improved this time around. No more jerky movements and accidental falling due to controller error. The analog sticks make walking much easier, and the control layout is very simple and easy to follow.

Sounds: 7.5/10
Ok, the blood-curdling screams as you stealth kill a ninja just make me smile, as do the small conversations between lackey guardsmen. ''So, did you have fun with that geisha last night?'' ''Yes, we went out for sushi.'' ''Did you taste her wasabe?'' Oh man, that cracked me up when I heard it for the first time. The only downside about the sound in my opinion, is the music. Granted, the music is very fitting, but sometimes hearing a sitar plinking off 2 chords with some japanese guy ''singing'' gets kind of annoying. Good thing you can turn the music off. The incredibly cheesy voiceovers from previous tenchu's have also been (thankfully) taken out and been replaced with half-way decent voice actors.

Gameplay: 10/10, but this rating doesn't even begin to do justice to how much fun this game is. What's not to love about sneaking around compounds and caves littered with ninja body guards, creeping up behind them, and cutting a gaping hole in their neck? The replay value is great, and I recommend buying this game 100%. No ifs, ands, or buts. If you liked tenchu 1 or 2 (heck, even if you didn't like them) Give this game a shot. Oh yeah, not to mention that this game has MULTIPLAYER DUELS!

Well, there you have it. Great ninja action, amazing visuals, blood everywhere, the multiplayer, I could go on for quite a bit more. Just go play the thing already.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 03/16/03, Updated 03/16/03