It's a Ninja Thing
While a few gamers will remember Ryu Hayabusa from the earlier Ninja Gaiden games, a majority will remember him from his appearance in the recent Dead or Alive games. He's the main hero in this incarnation of Ninja Gaiden, this time seeking revenge on the Vigor Empire for the murder of his clansmen, and intends to reclaim the magical sword "Ryuken" while he's at it.
Much of Ninja Gaiden's gameplay is still under wraps, but Tecmo assures us that Ninja Gaiden is going to get the adrenaline pumping with its realistic battles and fancy ninja moves. While we've not had an opportunity to play the game as yet, it looks as if it plays a lot like Shinobi and Devil May Cry. Ryu will have a variety of different weapons, such as a Katana sword and shuriken, and a load of acrobatic moves, such as the wall run and various flips and things. Tecmo also promises that players will be able to upgrade their abilities and weapons throughout the game as well. They also boast that their save system that allows the player to resume at the exact point they quit. Not exactly a revolutionary concept, but a nice touch. For fans of the series and those who missed the earlier games, Ninja Gaiden also contains the original 3 titles hidden somewhere, so gamers can go back and experience the original titles in their 8-bit glory.
Visual Feast
Tecmo are amongst the top tier development teams when it comes to producing amazing visuals, and Ninja Gaiden is no exception. It features just about every little graphical feature that we can think of, and they're all of an excellent quality. Bump mapping, high quality textures, intensive particle effects, pixel shading - you name it, and chances are it's in Ninja Gaiden. The graphical splendor of Ninja Gaiden isn't just limited to its technical side - it features an excellent art style, and the characters and enemies are well designed.
Uncertainty
As good as Ninja Gaiden sounds, PALGN does have a few worries as to how excited some gamers are getting about its imminent release. The older Ninja Gaiden titles don't really stand up to the test of time, and the few things that Tecmo have revealed about the latest incarnation aren't really that compelling - we get a feeling of déjà vu. That said, the game boasts amazing visuals, but we hope Tecmo can prove that this title has substance, unlike its last game. The game is due for release in a few weeks in the US, and we'll be very interested to see how it turns out. Unfortunately, the PAL curse ensures that we will not see the game until May. PALGN will have more on Ninja Gaiden as it breaks.
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