Ninja Gaiden Black

"Kindling the hearts of ninja lovers everywhere."

You are Ryu Hayabusa of the Hayabusa Clan, descendant of the Dragon Lineage, protector of the Dark Dragon Blade, and privileged wielder of the Dragon Sword. Your village has been scorched by the Greater Fiend Doku, and you yourself have been put out by his power; fortunately, you have a knack for survival. From the ashes you will rise again, reborn with only one very important question: “Which way did he go, Doc?”

Ninja Gaiden Black, herein referred to as Black, is essentially the re-release of the original Ninja Gaiden, reworked masterfully to provide the richest ninja experience this side of the Serengeti. With numerous game play and enemy tweaks, the inclusion of all Hurricane Pack editions, new costumes, an unlockable arcade version of the original game, a new difficulty, fifty brand new unlockable bonus missions, a host of new enemies, and more, Black will consume you like never before.

Game play (10/10)
The core of any game, it inherits a very imperative importance in Black. The system itself has a few nagging flaws; however, this is negated by the pure measure of freshness and fun in the actual game play. The biggest concern with most gamers it the camera. It's often difficult to gauge enemy locations because of a flaky camera, and even more so when the auto-aim system attracts you to a completely different enemy off-scene than the intended on-screen target. The game does feature a camera reset button, which allows you to place the camera behind Ryu, but Ryu's feet are typically not on the ground often enough to take advantage of this in an area of highly concentrated enemies.

The second, possibly just as conflicting problem, is the auto-aim system. On your first run through the game it's not too noticeable, primarily because you're still becoming acquainted with the battle basics, button combinations, and maneuvering in general. However, once you begin playing missions and learn the absolute necessity of blocking, you'll begin to realize just how annoying the auto-aiming system can be. Possibly most noticeable when attempting to perform a Fiend Sealer (in which you press Y near a downed enemy to cause massive damage), but also pertinent to air-born moves.

Another annoyance is the sensitivity of controls. While it actually provides for a more refined scheme, it can become a hassle to overcome, especially for button-mashers. For example, a technique with the Dragon Sword calls for you to press X, then Y, and once the enemy has been boosted into the air, continue pressing X several times. The problem, then, lies with the time involved for Ryu to actually pull the first action off. By the time he does so, there's a good chance you'll have pressed Y in an inpatient fury to try and step-up Ryu's response time, which decisively does not work. Experienced fighting game players to not advocate such playing styles, but this game appeals to more than just the experienced.

A few other minor flaws include: the X button being used to both interact with objects and to function as the primary attack button; sometimes, while trying to escape from an enemy, jumping away using X+A seems like a good idea, but Ryu will instead jump towards the enemy.

These issues aside, I'll move on to what makes Black the most definitive action/platform game play experience, bar none.

For starters, the concept of assuming the role of a ninja with the ability to run up and across walls is highly appealing. If you're human and you're male, I guarantee you had once been or always have been fascinated by the aspect of ninjas, and while many attempts at making a bona fide ninja experience have been made, none can compete with the near-flawlessness of the Ninja Gaiden franchise. This alone makes the game worth playing, even if it does not have any physical effect on the game play.

The heart of this games enjoyment factor lies in the aspect of complete domination. In most games, slaughtering countless enemies is not very exciting after the first five or ten minutes, mostly because of the easiness. In Black, nearly every hit is satisfying, each kill appreciable, and every severed head an absolute orgasmic experience (an exaggeration in the purest sense, but regardless).

Despite the enormous amount of praise this games game play receives from me, it is not recommended to people who ceremoniously perform the art of button-mashing. Black requires a special skill, used especially in real life, called adaptability. If you're unable to adapt to a situation and manipulate it to your benefit, there's a good chance you'll never obtain the status of a Master Ninja. Blocking often, dodging, and the use of calculated, deliberate attacks are a must, which is why button-mashing is the biggest no-no made while playing this game.

Graphics (9/10)
Black's graphics are obviously beautiful, work well, and are consistent, but I don't find them as attractive as a large chunk of the gaming community does. It may just be that I'm an advocate of realism, however. Oh, and since when does blood flow out of a neck like a fire hose?

Sound and Music (10/10)
The sound effects in Black are wonderfully done. In fact, it's likely that you'll never even notice them, or think about them, because they're blended so well with the rest of the game. Each and every enemy has a unique death sound, signaling the time to target a new enemy, and the sword-slashes are down-right painful. Additionally, the voice acting is well-done; never did I watch a cut-scene and complain about low quality voice acting.

Music, typically a very important aspect of any game, is almost unnoticeable in Black. The reason being: you'll probably be too absorbed in arse-kicking to hear it! That doesn't mean it isn't there, and what you do hear is wonderful, and is always appropriate for the occasion.

Extras and Replay Factor (9.5/10)
What with the inclusion of 50 missions, the original arcade version of Ninja Gaiden, and a variety of difficulty levels, the extras and replay factor of Black are among the highest of any game old or new. Period.

And the verdict, please...
Ninja Gaiden Black is the action gaming experience of this generation, bar none, enough said. With a statement like that, what other score could it receive but a...

10/10 - Perfect or near-perfect game demonstrating above-average-quality craftsmanship, attention to detail, graphics, and game play. Sets an industry standard for a game of its genre.

Buy this game. For $30.00, you will not be disappointed.

Reviewer's Score: 10/10, Originally Posted: 11/21/05