Ninja Gaiden Black

"Best game of all time....yeah, I said it."

There is only one thing better than this game, and that's something I'm pretty sure I'm not allowed to post it here. But all jokes aside, this is either a love it or hate it game, I'll explain why throughout this review.

Graphics: 10/10
This game pushes the Xbox to it's limits. There is no slow-down what-so-ever, despite how beautiful this game is. Everything is detailed, even in certain cut scenes, you can see the reflection of Ryu's surroundings in his eyes. Great character design is also a plus, I just can't begin to explain how great the graphics are! This is something that no one can dispute about this game...how great the graphics are.

Sound: 9/10
Every sound effect is great in this game. Each sword has a different sound when you swing it, each platform you land on sounds different. You can easily tell they much a lot of effort into putting great sound effects in this game. Next on the list...Character voices! Personally, I love the American voice overs in this game, but many people don't...Sucks...I know...or does it? You can switch to the original Japenese voice overs if you want, which is a great feature. Ryu has the badass "I must complete my mission" attitude which you can easily tell just through his voice, a blind guy could describe Ryu to you. Each character is perfected in their voices. Now, if I claim everything is so perfect, why did I give it a 9/10 instead of a 10/10? Because of the music....Although it is great, it just seems generic at too many spots in the game, I felt there was room for improvment for the music.

Story: 9/10
Story was actually good, I know many people will disagree with me, but man, I enjoyed the story. I guess I was the only person who didn't see who the final boss was going to be, because it shocked me, but everyone else was like "saw it coming/10". ehh...Some of the story felt incomplete though, I just wanted more stuff to be explained. There's not much else I can say without spoiling the game.

Gameplay: 600/10......ummm, I mean 10/10
This is where the game shines! Now where to start....Weapon selection. Every weapon in this game is useful, each is unique, each is awesome. You get speed weapons like the nun-chucks, and Vigoorian flails; Light swords such as the Dragon sword, and Keitsu; Heavy weapons such as the Dabi, War Hammer, and the...well, this one is a secret. Also, another honorable mention is the Lunar Staff, which is brand new to Ninja Gaiden Black. You also get a very good set of projectile weapons that are actually useful! Such as Shurikens, The Bow, and smoke bombs...I kid, I kid, the smoke bombs are useless, I was being serious about the rest though. Now, I consider the weapon selection to be a very important part of this game because of how you need to use them for different situations. Once again, I can't get into detail to avoid spoilers. NEXT: The combat system is great, no, it's perfect. You have to have at least one of two things to survive in the harder difficulties in this game; Technique, or Skill. You should have both just to be careful though. It will take months of practice to crack Master Ninja Mode. The enemies A.I. is one of the best features of the game. They are hard, but not cheap, you have to have a strategy to beat each individual enemy. They know when to attack, block, and back off, which is something you're going to have to adapt to. This game is extremely fun, but you have to practice, and not give up for it to be fun. If you get frustrated easily, don't even bother, this game isn't for you. It takes a lot of practice. Each second of practice is worth it though.

Pros:
+Best Graphics of any game on the Current-Generation systems.
+Great sound effects, and voice overs
+Great story for this type of game.
+Great weapon selection
+Best A.I. I've ever seen in any game.
+It's just fun.

Cons:
-Music could be better.
-The story felt imcomplete

?'s:
?Where is Ryu's dad?
?Why do the berserkers keep killing me?

One final note: If I see the game over screen one more time...I will kill someone....

Rent or buy? Wow...This is a tough choice...Oh my god, I've never faced a decision this tought before...eh, I'll stop being a sarcastic ass now. Buy the game.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 08/22/06