Ninja Gaiden is simply one of the best action games of all time
Ninja Gaiden is simply one of the best action games of all time. You play as Ryu Hayabusa, a young ninja out to exact revenge on the Vigoor empire for destroying your village and stealing the infamous Dark Dragon Blade.
Graphically, this game is a stunner, with some of the most polished visuals and spectacular effects ever in an Xbox game. The animations are also noteworthy, as Ryu moves with a fluidity and naturalness rarely seen in videogames.
All the sound effects are spot on--the sword slashes, shuriken throws, and nunchaku whistles all sound great and serve to enhance the experience.
But all this visual and audio pizzazz would be wasted if the gameplay wasn't there. And if there's one thing that defines Ninja Gaiden, it's the unrivaled action. Ryu is a blast to play, and his move set is wide-ranging and expansive, allowing the player to experiment and create his own fighting style according to his weapon of choice. The action is fast, furious, and relentless--Ryu faces a large variety of different enemies, all with their own strengths and weaknesses. The game is challenging, but rarely frustrating, as part of the fun of the game is to get your butt handed to you until you figure out how to defeat a particular enemy type. The feeling of accomplishment when you do succeed exemplifies everything great about gaming.
There are a few shortcomings to the game. The story is pretty much nonsensical, and the character development is pretty weak, but the gameplay certainly makes up for these flaws. I hope Team Ninja will improve upon these weaknesses in the upcoming sequel.
In short, Ninja Gaiden is a fantastic experience that will undoubtedly go down as one of the best games on the Xbox, and in the Xbox generation in general.
