Red Ninja: End of Honor

"My end of honor"

okay, I've really had it enough of people bashing on this game. Is it a great game destined to be remembered as one of the premier titles for the xbox or ps2? Certainly not.

However, I do feel like there is a certain amount of fun to be had with this game. Don't believe me? Well, how about some reasons why this game is fun?

1) The tetsugen. A wire which wraps around an enemy and slices them in two. With this feature of the tetsugen there is quite a bit of variety. Instead of slicing the enemy through the torso, you may also slice their head or even legs off! Much like other miracle gadgets, this can do more than slice and dice. You may also modify the end of the wire to be used as a form of grappeling hook. Now drop your bias and tell me the tetsugen isn't one of the coolest weapons seen in a game recently.

2) Stealth kills. I am not a noob and I have played many games with stealth action, hell, I own both Splinter Cell and Splinter Cell CT (i am going to own PD as well in a few days). These are, in my opinion, the games that define the stealth action genre. With that in mind I must admit that while the stealth kills in Red Ninja are not on the level of any of the Splinter Cell games, they are fun and quite bloody!

3) Seduction. Sexy ninja + unsuspecting guard = good times. It almost adds an element of humour to the game and it takes a little while to master.

4) Wall running. While not a new concept to video games, still a cool one to use. And despite what you hear, it isn't hard to master at all.

5) Beautiful cinematics. Yeah, that's pretty self-explanitory.

I know you're saying to yourself, "if this game is so damn great, then why did it get such poor reviews?" I have your answers.

1) Flawed cameras make this game quite difficult to play and I will admit, they are some of the worst I've seen. But if you can master moving around in most Resident Evil games, you'll have no problems here. It just takes a little patience. And I do feel that I have to point out that in wide open spaces I see no problem with the camera.

2) An overly dramatic storyline is easy to mock.

3) A ninja without pants is also easy to mock.

Could I justify paying fifty dollars for this game? No. Could I justify paying the $17.99 for a used copy at gamestop? Yes, oh yes!

In summary, I have this to say: Red Ninja is not destined to win the hearts of millions like games such as Splinter Cell, Halo, or Half Life, however, for those looking for a decent ninja game, I would wholeheartedly recommend this.

Reviewer's Score: 8/10, Originally Posted: 07/01/05