Tecmo made good use of the Xbox’s Dolby Digital support but I wouldn’t say that it’s the game to use to show off that brand new surround setup that you just got. It’s good but it’s not “piss off those neighbors that live two streets down” good. What’s here is what you’ve probably become accustomed to in the past few years. Clean samples, competent music and decent separation. It’s action heavy but most of it comes from the front so you can expect the front three channels to get some pretty heavy use. I rarely heard anything come out from my rear channels so don’t expect those to get much use. I enjoyed some of the music although I wouldn’t be the first in line if Tecmo were to release an OST for the game.
If I had one recommendation to the guys at Team Ninja it would be this; get a new camera man. All of the sequences in the game move at a scorching pace and the camera does a terrible job of keeping up with the action. You can always reposition and re-center the camera but you never can get a competent overview of the situation. This instead focuses you to rely on instinct instead of knowledge. This is especially frustrating during combat sequences where you often find yourself fighting a foe that’s sitting off screen. Some of the platforming elements can be frustrating as well because you can never catch the full scope of things. It’s not crippling to the game but it definitely mars the overall experience. To be fair similar games have the same problem but that doesn’t mean that a better camera couldn’t have been designed.
Yes, the packaging touts Xbox Live support but it’s probably not what you had hoped for. All of you junkies out there who had diluted visions of tearing up the levels with a bunch of strangers around the globe will just have to keep on dreaming. There are no multiplayer modes to be found here, what
is here is the Master Ninja Mode. Very few details have been announced except that a tournament will be held this summer to test the mettle of the world’s best players. It’s a nice addition but I think that many people would have much rather preferred a true multiplayer mode in which they could slice up their human opponents. Other extras include an even more difficult mode, unlockable outfits and emulated versions of the classic trio of Ninja Gaiden titles.
Aside from the camera issues I’d say that Ninja Gaiden is everything that I could have hoped for in an action game. It’s got intense action, a deep and varied combat system, lush visuals and the overall challenge that I had been waiting for. It’s, dare I say, the best action game available on the Xbox and probably the first true must-buy game of 2004. If you’re even considering Ninja Gaiden I say that there’s no reason that you should hesitate to pick it up. If you’re not considering it then you should because it’s the best $50 bucks that you’ll spend this spring.
A
I'm a hard person to impress but Tecmo's action title left my jaw on the floor from the opening moments and kept it there for about 20 hours. Probably the first true jaw-dropper of the new year and a worthy purchase for all Xbox owners.
Page 3 of 3
