Ninja Gaiden

"A landmark title of it's genre"

How long have I had my eye on this game, and how long have I pored over the screenshots and the first reviews coming in from abroad. I've always been a fan of martial arts games, and to me this looked like absolute gaming nirvana. I remember the absolute bliss of playing the original platformer on the NES so many years ago, thinking there could never be a better game. Since then, action and platformer cross-overs have come and gone, as have their respective consoles, and none (in my nostalgic eyes at any rate) have ever captured the fun, incredible action and sheer adrenaline rush of the original titles. So it was with unbridled anticipation that I awaited the delivery of my bargain find on eBay of the new Xbox Ninja Gaiden, again released by team Tecmo.

I can't really remember the story in the original Ninja Gaiden, but I do remember seeing cut-scenes used effectively for what I think was the first time. In that respect this latest version instantly pleases, as right from the outset you're introduced to a fantastical yarn of dragons and demon possessed swords, that only the faithful few of an evil order can wield. Step forward a young ninja by the name of Ryu Hayabusa, who has endured arduous training but finally turns it to good use seeking revenge on the evil Count Doku, after his village was wiped out by Doku's evil minions. Ok, it sounds like the usual nonsense, but the cut-scenes are spectacular and you can't help but be gripped by it.

On first appraisal this story appears to be enacted through a third person action adventure. Your ninja is viewed from behind as he works his way through many landscapes, taking on all-comers with a variety of martial arts weapons, acrobatics and ninpo (ninja magic powers). Throughout the game you can upgrade to different weapons, obtain a variety of new ninpo attacks and collect items that can improve your health bar, ninpo powers or allow you work out puzzles and achieve certain objectives. On paper this sounds like a fairly humdrum game, a bit too similar to other titles on the market, where you collect things and explore while fending off the opposition. However, the actual playing experience is something altogether different and quite remarkable.

The bulk of the game really does revolve around how you approach the opposition, and the ninja has a remarkable array of tactics at his disposal. The button mashers amongst us may get towards the end of the first level after a few tries, but to clear it and wipe out the ridiculously hard end of level bad guy requires careful consideration of the controls and attack tactics. To say the protagonist is a nimble fellow is an understatement! First of all you're going to have to take time out to learn all the useful on ground attacks, which include short stabs, hard swipes and some great double-tapping combos. Besides this you also have to use the block control effectively, or you're going to get cut down very quickly indeed. Piling into the enemies and hacking away is just plain suicide. Another effective tactic at your disposal is to roll, which allows you to work yourself around your opponent's guard, taking them out when and where they least expect it.

It's incredibly well done, but again you might ask how this is different from other games. Well, besides the fabulous execution of the combat moves you have another string in your bow - your incredible athletics. Our martial masked crusader can do some awe-inspiring things, the likes of which I haven't seen since the acrobatics of the Shaolin Monks or even Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd. First of all there's his ability to run up and along walls. Running along the wall confuses the opponent and again allows you to get past them or behind them for a counterattack. You can also run so far and execute a quick leap away from the wall, spinning round to do a devastating downwards slash. Also, if you're facing a wall and an opponent comes up behind you can run so far directly up a vertical plane and do a graceful swallow jump which spins you up and over the enemies heads to again bring you down behind them. This tactic isn't just good for niftily chopping them into salami but is also an incredibly useful tactics for when you're cornered by four guys all hacking away at you.

Many of these moves are essential for getting through the levels too. Some areas cannot be reached without running up a wall and grabbing a ledge, or leaping upwards from wall to wall to get to the top of a narrow vertical passageway. Similarly, running up a wall so far and doing the backward swallow dive can land you in new parts of the game. In level three this is essential, as you're running around inside a massive zeppelin, and the struts and gangways on the inside of the balloon are inaccessible otherwise. This level also introduces you to some overhand rope grappling in a very Splinter Cell fashion.

It all sounds incredibly unrealistic, but when you play it just feels so right, so athletic and quite real. If you're still doubting a mere mortal's ability to do this, I should mention that the aforementioned Buster Keaton and Harold Lloyd used to perform these stunts regularly and without wires as part of their old black and white TV shows. Keaton in particular is on film running up a vertical wall and doing the exact same swallow jump from the top, landing gracefully on feet, just as our fearless master of ninjitsu does in this game. However, the only person I've heard of who could walk on water before I saw Ryu do it was some bearded guy from the Middle East about 2000 years ago...

Getting to grips with these controls, although fairly intuitive, can take some time and the difficulty level right from the outset can be incredibly frustrating. As I button mashed my way to the bad guy at the end of the level I thought I was picking it up ok, but when confronted with the nunchaku wielding assailant I realised just hammering the buttons was woefully inadequate. Each boss battle requires several attempts, during which you must study their tactics closely. Running along walls and back flips, followed by quick short stabs took care of the first one eventually (after much rending of teeth and tearing of hair) but the second one was a nightmare, being attacked not only by a demon samurai on his equally nightmarish horse, but also by some evil magician ninja minions who spewed blue life sucking electrical bolts at you. Also, as it was taking place on a wooden bridge there was no option to run along walls, relying on double jumping off the heads of the minions whilst desperately trying to slash the passing war steed. It gets even worse by level three where you're confronted with a giant overweight android fellow with a massive beam gun and a penchant for quick body slams if you get too close. However, when you finally overcome these monsters you get a great feeling of a job well done, and are rewarded with even richer and deeper gameplay on the next level.

There are items scattered around that will help you, and you'll be desperately trying to find the elixir of life to replenish yourself throughout each level and gird your loins for the boss battles. Also, locating ninpo scrolls gives you access to ninja magic such as glowing fireballs and the like, but I found them too slow to generate mid-battle, as a lot of arm waving goes on before one is shot at your opponent. However, there's more than enough mileage in the fantastic combat system to keep everyone amused for some time.

Ninja Gaiden continues to amaze with regards the visual aspects of the game. My initial impressions of the graphics were coloured by all the hype surrounding this game, so when I was initially presented with our hero standing looking upstream between cliffs I was a bit disappointed. The colours seemed washed out, with very little definition and only a little above par on the rock and ground textures. Doubting Thomas as I am, I suspected the movie sequences in the intro were the best the graphics I was going to see and was about to dismiss the in-game visuals as just a bit above par. How wrong I was! A few paces downriver and I ate my words. Once you're out of that rock channel you're confronted with a fabulous ninja palace, complete with carvings, murals and burning torches set in an incredible mountain environment. The autumn leaves flipped through the air, crows fluttered and flapped about and the lit torches spat embers into the dusk. I have to admit to mentally eating my words and making a note to self that I shouldn't prejudge games before I've played them!

Later on in the game I discovered other treats in the landscape, such as a spookily empty burning village, most of the occupants having been slaughtered, complete with mist shrouded avenues, cemeteries and stone idols of the various village gods. The third level sees you on a commercial zeppelin, the passenger section of which could be on one of the most luxurious ocean liners. The floors are polished, the ambient light is wonderful, and the fixtures and fittings seem of an almost photo quality. Further on the engine room and navigation room give the impression of a worn workhorse of a vehicle, solid metal instruments, scuffs and tarnishes of use, blinking lights, and even faulty wiring sparking away. The atmosphere of each area varies significantly within each level, being bright and cold for the engine room, but warm and luxurious for the passenger area.

I still had that phantom of doubt in my mind when I came across the first ninjas, who seemed all cut of the same cloth, and no different from each other besides the colour of their clothes. Closer inspection soon saw a variety of differences though, including weapons, body mechanics and the fluidity of their moves. I really have not seen the dynamism of the human body expressed so well in any game before. They run, they crouch, they leap, they dazzle you with athleticism and funky martial arts moves - it's such a spectacle! Of course, it's not all ninjas either, as I soon discovered. The second level introduced me to some evil samurai foot soldiers and their horse riding counterparts. The way the light gleams from their armour is great, and is visible even on those high up on horseback. The horses look fantastic too - it's almost as if as much attention has been given to equestrian athletics as human. Their flanks look clean and muscled, and whether they're galloping, trotting or rearing into the air as you slash them they can't help but fill you with awe.

Not quite as much awe as when you confront the demon samurai and his equally hell-bent horse at the end of the second level! The demon is clad in shining blood red armour, and his massive warhorse has all the leather, reins and spiky bits you'd expect. When this guy turned up in a movie sequence before combat began, stepping regally through the flames, all fangs and gleaming red eyes, I didn't think for a second that when the combat started the same graphics would be utilised. Again, how wrong I was! There was no breakdown in resolution, no cutting of corners with dodgy polygons and certainly no less tension as he started racing towards me. In fact, all the end of level bad guys I've come across so far have been the very best in visual ends for each chapter as I've ever come across, be it the details, their fluid movements or their impressiveness. The graphics are so good during the middle sections of each level that sometimes I wondered if I hadn't come across the end of level bad guy already, only to be totally blown away by the time I waded through the evil cronies to get to him. Throughout all this there is not one polygon or rough pixellated edge evident - everything looks rounded, smooth and incredibly well presented.

This applies equally to the sound in the game. Although there's not much in the way of voice acting what little there is works fine, and certainly isn't hammy. The music on the other hand is as carefully executed and balanced as the combat, rising in pitch and timbre as the tension and number of combatants rise. The end of level bosses each have their own theme tune, and if you were stuck on each as long as I was you'll soon find yourself hacking, slashing and humming along. The special effects sounds are great too, be it the clash of sharpened metal, the crackle of fire from small torches to entire buildings, the evil cackle of some big fat android guy or the snorting and stomping of angry war-horses. Even the bow and arrow has a perfect twang when you fire it, and there's an unmistakeable whoosh as arrows whizz past your ear when returning fire.

This is one of the few games I've played which has such a solid main game that the bolt-on's don't need to extend the lastability any further. It's just as well, as Ninja Gaiden only has a Normal and Hard mode, an Xbox Live Tournament option you can enter only when you've completed the game once and during a brief time period when the tournament begins, and the unlockable NES classics of the same name. A multiplayer option may have been nice, but it really isn't necessary. Due to the extreme difficulty combined with the sheer pleasure of pulling off such incredible moves it's a game I'm going to be coming back to for a very long time.

Unfortunately it's only the sheer difficulty of the game that stops me giving Ninja Gaiden full marks. The frustration factor can be so high even for hardened players and perfectionists that this may not be the game for all. However, it's worth going prematurely bald just to experience the beautiful graphics, the perfectly executed and balanced combat system, the incredible level design and the both haunting and exciting music. I only hope I've got some frayed nerves left when they release the sequel.

Reviewer's Score: 9/10, Originally Posted: 07/05/04