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Videos | Title | Views | Length | Date Added | | 63 | 1:05 | 9/18/2008 | | 66 | 0:36 | 9/18/2008 | | 60 | 1:12 | 9/18/2008 |
| 65 | 1:33 | 9/18/2008 | | 62 | 1:15 | 9/18/2008 | | 66 | 1:31 | 9/18/2008 | | 64 | 1:46 | 9/18/2008 | | 60 | 0:27 | 9/18/2008 | | 62 | 0:32 | 9/18/2008 | | 60 | 4:40 | 9/18/2008 | | 66 | 0:24 | 9/18/2008 | | 60 | 0:16 | 9/18/2008 | | 63 | 0:43 | 9/18/2008 | | 68 | 0:31 | 9/18/2008 | | 63 | 1:45 | 9/18/2008 |
Reviews Touch-screen with balls, August 18, 2008 Rating: 8.0/10 By cward20 from Austin, TX Let me start of by saying this game is a prequel to the original Ninja Gaiden on the NES, it is the story of how Ryu Hayabusa got the Dragon Sword. When I first heard about this game I was excited, I grew up playing the series and have enjoyed Ninja Gaiden in all of its forms; from 8-bit to 3D, and this game makes some nice additions. It adds to the series by using the DS’s stylus to move and attack, which actually works a lot better than it sounds. Also, the graphics are sideways so you need to hold the DS “book style” as in Brain Age series games, this was done to give the game a longer area to maneuver in and add more depth to the graphics.
Gameplay: 8/10
The gameplay may seem a little awkward at first, as the touch-screen is used both to move and attack, but after some trial and error the controls become easy. The game plays much like the Devil May Cry series with combos and several different attacks, for example: the Cicada Slash, and the Izuna Drop. Ryu can also use Ninpo abilities (magic) to attack enemies and open new parts of the game. One interesting thing is that you start the game as Kunoichi Momiji, and play as her for the first Chapter, which is really just a training level. Kunoichi has less stamina than Ryu and it takes more hits to kill enemies, which makes sense because she is Ryu’s student so she should not be as good. This also makes the game feel easier once you get to play as Ryu. You even use the DS’s internal microphone at one point to wake up Muramasa,; fortunately the game gives you a hint so it shouldn’t be too frustrating for gamers to figure this out. The only problem with the gameplay is that the view of the game is not 3D but instead uses one or more screens for each room of the map, the problem with this is that sometimes you are forced to fight at the other end of the screen making it hard to see what you’re doing. (There were times it was so bad that I almost thought I was playing the NES original). They really should have added other camera angles.
Story: 9/10
The story is entertaining and a little Lord of the Rings-esque (with the Dragon Sword being the ring), seems to have a little Japanese mythology thrown in. The story is too complicated to fully explain here (it would take five to ten pages itself), but basically the back-story is this: in ancient times Dragons lived with humans, all of a sudden an evil Dark Dragon appeared and began killing the other dragons. The dragons made a sword out of their teeth, which they gave to the humans to kill the Dark Dragon, he is killed and the dragons died out but their spirits live on in the Dragon Sword (whew). Like the other games in the Ninja Gaiden series the story progresses after each chapter (level). Moreover, I like how at the end of the first chapter after you’re inevitably beaten by the first boss (he kills you in three hits max) Kunoichi is captured, so Ryu has to come in a save her. This is a nice way to rehash the old “hero must save his girlfriend/damsel in distress” video game cliché. The only reason I didn’t give the story a 10/10 is because it’s too elaborate at times for this type of game, in other words overkill.
Graphics 10/10
These are the best graphics I’ve seen on the DS, bar none. Everything on screen is bright, vibrant, and even (gasp) realistic looking. Nothing is polygonal at all and characters have about 60 frames of animation. The best way I can describe the graphics is that they look like PS1 graphics on steroids. They are as good, if not better, than anything on the N64.
Audio: 7/10
The sound quality is on par with the graphics, but the game loses points because the music is so uninspired. While the sound effects and voices are great and even amusing it times, the music really adds nothing to the game. Honestly, it has got to be some of the most generic and workmanlike music I’ve ever heard in a video game; it gets the job done but just barely. They should have spent as much time on the sound as they did on the graphics.
Challenge: 7/10
The challenge of the normal mode is not that impressive, you’ll definitely have your share of deaths getting the controls down and mastering the fighting engine, this game should take about seven to nine hours to complete on normal. Even old impatient platforming veterans like me will find it short. On the positive side, there are two harder difficulty levels that can be unlocked.
Replay Value: 8/10
This game may be short but there is a decent amount of unlockables (five total) that will keep you playing for a while after you’ve beaten it on normal. There are: Head Ninja (hard) mode, unlocked by beating the game on normal; artwork, beating the game; Master Ninja mode, beating Head Ninja mode; Muramasa’s prize shop, beating the game; and Kunoichi mode, win the battle with the first boss. You can also check your ranking using the DS’s WiFi and an in-game link, though it seems unlikely when you’ve “100 percented” this game that this feature will keep you playing.
Overall Conclusion: 8/10
This game is one of the best fighters for the DS, granted the system is known more for RPG’s and shovel-ware, and it is a nice addition to the Ninja Gaiden franchise. To make a comparison, this game is like the movie The Dark Knight: both look great, both are fun, and they have more depth than you’d expect; but neither are destined to become classics. (By the way I loved The Dark Knight; it’s the best Batman movie ever, but unfortunately it won’t win any awards.) With that said, I can only recommend buying this game if you’re a big fan of the series, otherwise rent it, chances are that you’ll have it 100 percent completed in a week.
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