Introduction
Ninja Blade is an action adventure game from Japanese developers From Software, most well known for the Armored Core series. With storyboards by the anime studio Production IG, famous for the likes of Ghost In The Shell, Patlabor and the Evangelion films, its cinematic credentials ... Read review
Step into the dark and mysterious world of Ninja Blade, where gamers will be given the ... more
epic task to defend Tokyo and ultimately humanity itself from a horrific, genetically mutating disease.High atop the towering skyscrapers of modern-day Tokyo, Ken Og...
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Tokyo Under Siege. A Modern-Day Ninja for a 21st Century Enemy. A parasite has ... more
mysteriously appeared, unleashing a wave of destruction - mutating humans into vicious, savage creatures. The disease has reached the shores of Japan and into the heart of Tokyo. As modern-day ninja Ken Ogawa, swing, fly, and slice your way into extreme action to save humankind from obliteration. Overview: Step into the dark and mysterious world of Ninja Blade, where gamers will be given the epic task to defend Tokyo and ultimately humanity itself from a horrific, genetically mutating disease. High atop the towering skyscrapers of modern-day Tokyo, Ken Ogawa and his team of skilled ninjas are deployed to destroy the infected monster horde and stem the spreading disease as humanity hangs in the balance. Matters quickly take a turn for the worse as Ken and his team are betrayed from within their own ranks. After narrowly escaping death, Ken is left to fight the daunting battle alone while also attempting to understand the motivations behind his father's betrayal.Armed with an extensive arsenal of specialized ninja weapons, tools and skills including the powerful forces of Ninja Vision and todom, players must fight insurmountable odds, and once again bring peace and order to Tokyo. Features: Unique Ninja abilities: To help defeat the genetically mutated monsters, players will have the special abilities of Ninja Vision and Todom at their fingertips. Enabling "Ninja Vision" will allow players to detect and analyze potential enemy weak points, secret paths, and hidden information within the environment. Beware though, while using "Ninja Vision," characters become susceptible to excess damage. Todom is a special attack that destroys an enemy character's core (heart), by dealing a fatal wound. Balanced and calculated use of both these abilities will be critical to progressing through the game. Variety of weapons, tools and Ninjutsu: Specialized Ninja powers offer an enticing array of options. Varied environments force players to think strategically about which set of weapons and tools will be most effective at conquering their way through different levels. Everything from dual wielding swords, to grapple wire hooks, to grenades each have distinctive features and characteristics, so choose wisely! Ninjutsu is a special power that results in an explosive electrical force to either stun enemies or protect oneself from attack. Only true Ninja Masters can achieve this technique. Interactive quick-time events: Scattered throughout integral parts of the storyline, characters will come across various quick-time events where players will have the opportunity to directly interact with in-game cut-scenes. Quick reflexes will be rewarded as players interact with controller buttons as directed on screen during intense battles. Modern Realism: Ninja Blade offers a fresh twist to the classic ninja saga by basing all 3D gaming maps directly from the actual skyscrapers and building tops in modern day Tokyo.
An unoriginal mixture of adventure with hack and slash
Advantages: A few hours of playable fun if you don't take it too seriously. Disadvantages: There are other games that handle the individual elements far better.
...Introduction ==
Ninja Blade is an action adventure game from Japanese developers From Software, most well known for the Armored Core series. With storyboards by the anime studio Production IG, famous for the likes of Ghost In The Shell, Patlabor and the Evangelion films, its cinematic credentials are pretty good too. The plot is a cliched as they come; a wave of parasites have invaded Tokyo and it's your job to use your Ninja skills ... ...Gameplay ==
For the most part it's very heavy on cut scenes, most of which have thrown in context sensitive controls for quick time events. Basically, you're told to press a button at some point and failure to do so will result in instant death; that's no big deal, however as you can usually continue from just beforehand and have another go. Scenes like this aren't too bad on occasion as they keep you on your toes and stop you dozing ... more
Introduction
Ninja Blade is an action adventure game from Japanese developers From Software, most well known for the Armored Core series. With storyboards by the anime studio Production IG, famous for the likes of Ghost In The Shell, Patlabor and the Evangelion films, its cinematic credentials are pretty good too. The plot is a cliched as they come; a wave of parasites have invaded Tokyo and it's your job to use your Ninja skills to save the planet.
Gameplay
For the most part it's very heavy on cut scenes, most of which have thrown in context sensitive controls for quick time events. Basically, you're told to press a button at some point and failure to do so will result in instant death; that's no big deal, however as you can usually continue from just beforehand and have another go. Scenes like this aren't too bad on occasion as they keep you on your toes and stop you dozing off during the cut scenes, but when overused as they are here they tend to take over. Veterans of 80s gaming may well remember Dragon's Lair, in which the game consisted entirely of sequences played out on a laserdisc which were selected by pressing the correct button at the right time, and things haven't really changed much in the intervening quarter of a century.
As such, it's with something of a relief when you get back to the more conventional parts of the game. These are a fast paced mixture of acrobatic platforming and hack and slash. Your character Ken, the Japanese for blade, is as agile as they come and wielding his katana will give plenty of exercise for your button bashing skills. There's nothing terribly original here, but it works in a sub-Ninja Gaiden II fashion. Indeed the whole package is reminiscent of that earlier game crossed with a bit of God of War.
Graphics and Sound
It all looks very fancy, particularly with the cut scenes and quick time events; it's got the look and feel of an anime action film with a decent budget that occasionally lets you in and decide where it's going to go; and from jumping on missiles and riding wrecking balls, it's certainly not short of spectacle. The conventional parts of the game don't look too shabby either although are nowhere near as memorable; given the high standard expected of action games on the 360 they're nothing special.
There's also a soundtrack courtesy of Norihiko Hibino and his GEM Impact studio famed for his work on the Metal Gear Solid series. It adds greatly to the atmosphere giving a thoroughly Japanese feel to the game. This is dragged down by some iffy voice acting, however, which takes the edge off things somewhat.
Longevity
Whilst it's great fun for a quick blast, I don't think there'll be much lasting appeal to this game due to its overly cinematic nature. Unless you're the sort of person who enjoys watching dumb action films over and over - well, I'm sure there are some - it's pretty much a case of seen it, done it once you're through a particular chapter. Still, it's good while it lasts and you ought to get a week or two of solid play out of it.
Overall
This is a decent, if unoriginal game, that would make for a good rental title. I wouldn't particularly want to own it though as having played most of the way through already it just seems a bit too predictable with the best ideas restricted to the less interactive parts of the game.
