Welcome to World Zero - Reviews for the hardcore gamer

Creating the perfect game is, in all honesty, a virtually impossible task. Professional game critics and fans across the board have thrown around perfect scores since the beginning of gaming media. Each specifically (or unknowingly) acknowledging a flawless score is the equivalent of a flawless game. In my mind, there is no flawless game. In time, perhaps, but not one that I have yet played. So what of the mentality (that seems to be increasing abundant as of late) that strives to perfect an already existing game? And what if said game has already been deemed perfect by the majority of the gaming public? Twenty thousand lemmings can’t be wrong, can they? In this case, I may end up eating my words. However, saying a game is entirely without flaws is blind ignorance. But I’m jumping the gun. Instead, let’s start at the beginning...

The original NES Ninja Gaiden is the epitome of a classic game, in the true sense of the word. Quite frankly, the game is brilliant. Spawned from an equally classic side scrolling beat ‘em up that took its cue from Double Dragon, Ninja Gaiden came into its own as an action platformer. While the development team changed, the mindset stayed the same when one of the greatest franchises in all of gaming made its transition to the Xbox. It’s obvious that Team Ninja wanted to continue the legacy of excellence that Ninja Gaiden laid before them. Who would have thought that the team behind the arguably mediocre Dead or Alive series would be capable of pulling off such a fantastic accomplishment bordering on Molyneux-like conception somehow combined with Kamiya-like execution?

For those that haven’t played the original Xbox Gaiden, here’s what the big deal was all about; the game was essentially a next-gen action adventure along the lines of Devil May Cry or Onimusha, complete with platforming elements and the minor RPG essentials you’ve come to expect within the genre. But what the game accomplished within these boundaries is what made such an impact within the gaming community. First off, wielding a new weapon was like controlling a new character in a one-on-one fighter. Each had their own variables; reach, speed, damage, timing, and page upon page of move sets. Each weapon in Ninja Gaiden could pull off as many unique moves, combos, and specials as virtually any given fighting character at the time.

Secondly, the enemy AI was ruthless to a degree gaming had never seen before. The enemies (every last one of them) are not your basic action game fodder; you know the kind - punching bags for you to practice combos on. No, Ninja Gaiden’s enemies want you to die, and more often than not, they make that happen. This game chewed up many a gamer and spit them out without hesitation. With a learning curve rivaled only by Gunvalkyrie, Ninja Gaiden forced you to get better, or suffer. You would often find yourself up against a foe that shows no signs of conceding, tearing you apart brutally and repeatedly, over and over, and then something just clicks. Suddenly, you see a new opening in his assault or the effectiveness of a single move or combo you may have dismissed earlier, and you go from getting your ass handed to you twenty times in a row to standing above your foe’s decapitated corpse wondering why it is suddenly so clear now. It’s an amazing transition, the extent of which I’ve never seen within the genre before Ninja Gaiden hit. I know what you’re thinking, but no, not even the mighty Devil May Cry can compare to such ferocity. It’s a level beyond anything before it.

Black gives you a slew of new content, but unfortunately, you have to work for it. All the tangible new content (sans the new weapons) must be unlocked. However, a completed game save of the original Ninja Gaiden will grant you hard mode, and a completed Hurricane Pack save will award you very hard, right off the bat. It’s not much, but it’s better than nothing. Newcomers are in for a ridiculous amount of content. Gaiden veterans, however, are definitely going to be put off by the fact that they are going to have to repeat what they’ve already done (most likely multiple times) to get the goods that they came to the party for in the first place. To those of you, I suggest you go into Black with the mindset that this is not an expansion, but a new experience. Enjoy the journey that you are forced to take, because the rewards are unquestionably worth it. Enough with the suspense. So, what are the rewards? Fine, I’ll play along like you haven’t already read about the new content yet...

First off, the game has been tweaked and refined to that of unprecedented precision, with only a few inconsistencies that somehow slipped between the cracks (but more on those later). The game has been better balanced, move sets have been extended to contain even more combat options, and two new weapons are introduced: the glorified bo staff Lunar (from the Hurricane Pack) and the projectile smoke bomb. Black has also included an easy mode, dubbed Ninja Dog mode, which is sure to help the players having a difficult time, but not without humiliating them along the way. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the new Master Ninja difficulty, unlocked after finishing very hard, which only a single Team Ninja tester was able to best. How the most legitimately challenging game in existence became even more difficult is beyond me, but it has. This is for the true masochist. Also note that each difficulty level is completely unique; new enemies, scarab rewards, items and weapon placement, the works. Team Ninja did not simply tweak the damage done and damage received; they went in and made it a completely different experience for you each time you upped the difficulty.

The game also throws a few staple extras in, such as four unlockable costumes (each one actually worth the time and effort), a few very brief but never before seen cut scenes, and a movie viewer. One of my personal favorites is the addition of a long overdue online ranking system that automatically uploads your karma score to individual scoreboards separated by difficulty. It’s a great way to add replayability and depth to the ranking system and a fun way of waging war against other players from around the world for the top spot on the ladder. Another nice surprise (and for some, a nostalgia overload) is the inclusion of the original beat ‘em up arcade version of Ninja Gaiden. The most substantial new feature in Black, however, is unquestionably the Mission Mode, 50 individual scenarios that are sure to put even the greatest Master Ninja to the test. What’s great about the Mission Mode is that it focuses on what Ninja Gaiden does best; combat. There are no difficult platforming tricks or puzzles that weigh the mode down; it’s just frantic combat in its purest form. Once any of the game’s difficulty modes have been completed, you unlock ten missions. Every time you finish five missions, five more will open, until you’ve finally unlocked all 50.

As if that wasn’t enough, all the Hurricane Pack content has been implemented straight into the game, for those that never experienced it for lack of online capabilities, or whatever reason that may have kept them from it. Hurricane Pack 1 is integrated directly into hard mode, and Hurricane Pack 2 makes up the last 5 missions in Mission Mode.

Unfortunately, Ninja Gaiden was not without flaws. Remember how I mentioned that a few inconsistencies slipped through the cracks? With all the attention Black has been given it’s hard to believe they are there…But they are. Firstly, the original came equipped with a pretty poor camera system. While this has been addressed to a degree in Black by finally offering complete control over the camera, it still behaves uncontrollably and it still is the game’s most glaring annoyance. When up against a wall or in a confined space, the camera simply goes haywire, zooming or rotating overhead to compensate, which always seems to make your view even more obscured. The camera also tries to focus its position intelligently. Target an enemy on the left, the camera pans to the left. In concept, it’s great. In execution, not so much. This enemy tracking has a tendency to occasionally cut Ryu out of the picture completely, or even worse, other opponents. You will get torn apart by an off-screen foe. You will stumble through platform segments because of clumsy camera placement. Quite simply, at least once, you will die because of the camera. The option to move the right stick and rectify the problem is present and quite a welcomed new addition, but in reality it’s often a struggle to get a desirable view, or nearly impossible in the heat of a battle. In Black, the camera is better. It’s not perfect, but it’s better.

The platforming isn’t flawed by the hands of the camera alone; it’s simply flawed by nature. Ryu’s initial leap is not the ideal lunge for platforming in general. When leaping forward, your trajectory is predetermined from the second your feet leave the ground. There is no correcting distance in mid-air, so you have to be precise. Normally, this wouldn’t be much of a problem; however, the aforementioned camera is doing its damnedest to make sure you miss that jump. Thinking you’re parallel to a desired platform, you may end up falling to the ground because the camera had you misaligned. It’s not your fault, or even that of the camera, but a combination of the mediocre camera and the mediocre platforming. Ironically, once Ryu makes contact with a wall, you can pretty much make him do whatever you wish. He wall runs and back flips with such grace that even Hotsuma would hang his head in shame. Honestly, the problem is the platforming comes off as second-rate simply because it’s in stark contrast to the brilliant combat engine. The fact that Black didn’t improve the platforming mediocrities while nearly every other aspect of the game has been revamped is a definite strike against it.

And lastly, Black’s final noticeable blemish is something that really could not be resolved as long as the game was based on the original Xbox version; and that is its originality. There are far too many instances in Ninja Gaiden that will leave you with a sense of déjà vu. Onimusha’s orb and Issen system seem to be directly imported into Gaiden, albeit you don’t draw in orbs quite the same, and “Issens” only do around double the normal damage. Item acquiring is identical to that of Devil May Cry; items rotate and zoom toward the camera in the exact same fashion, and even the sounds effects are eerily similar. In fact, Ninja Gaiden obviously took a page from the book of DMC, and is not afraid to show it. At least Team Ninja picked excellent predecessors; they definitely have good taste.

This brings me back to my original thought. The most accurate way to define Ninja Gaiden Black within the realm of a critic’s viewpoint is that it is, in fact, the perfect action game, but with flaws. Contradictory as it seems, suspend your disbelief and imagine it as an equation. Perfect action + flawed camera + mediocre platforming - originality…You get the idea. At its core, the game is a true exercise in the creation of the perfect action game, and it succeeds on a level that few games this generation can’t even imagine.

Rating	The rating scale in detail
8.9	+/- Ninja Gaiden was gorgeous a year ago, and while the game still looks excellent today, a few instances show their age, namely the lighting (or lack thereof), and a few ill-defined textures. ++ Exceptionally fluid animation.
9.4	+ Nicely done soundtrack and voice acting. ++ Spot-on sound effects. Slicing through flesh, striking another blade mid-swing, and the reoccurring blood spray all sound absolutely perfect.
9.6	++ Frantic, deep, challenging combat that leaves little to be desired. - Mediocre platforming that leaves a lot to be desired. - Why can’t anyone ever get a 3D camera right?
8.0	++ Flawless presentation. The game does a great job of creating an epic (and slightly surreal) atmosphere from beginning to end. -- Itagaki’s “ideal” bodies are extremely grating. Ryu’s “about-to-sneeze” idle pose looks ridiculous and actually detracts from his ninjaness.
9.5	+ 25 hour main game, actually worth going through on every difficulty. + Extensive Mission Mode. + Arcade version of Ninja Gaiden. + Online Ranking system. ++ Infinitely deep combat engine that never gets old.
9.4	A worthy successor to the Ninja Gaiden legacy, and a modern classic.