Derrick
ლ(ಠ_ಠ )ლ
- Joined
- Nov 22, 2010
- Messages
- 5,085
- Reaction score
- 5
Ninja Blade could have been a fantastic game, but it isn’t. It just borrows too much, and uses what it borrows poorly.
It’s a little sad when a videogame is released that is an obvious clone. And that’s what Ninja Blade is when you get right down to it: a clone of the massively popular Ninja Gaiden.
The player controls an operative in a top-secret, government funded squad of ninjas, sent in to wipe out a virus that is attacking a futuristic version of Tokyo. The virus turns all that it infects into slavering mutants bent on the destruction of everything they see.
The premise is pretty weak, but there have been some truly great games in the past that have featured shaky backgrounds and plot holes you could drive a tank through. This isn’t one of them. Large sections of the game are made up of cinematic sequences driven by quick-time events – in other words, the kind of ’press the indicated button at the right time‘ sort of game dynamic that works for some titles but, when overused, leaves the player devoid of any sense of accomplishment. The sections that aren’t quicktime events feature a simple control scheme and enemies that are essentially thicker than two planks. It’s a button-mashing marathon, at best.
The player is presented with a small arsenal of weapons, but can complete the game with very few switches between them - just using the biggest sword in repetitive sequences will be good enough. The enemy AI is incredibly predictably, so even the newest of gamers shouldn’t have a problem besting Ninja Blade.
The quick-time sequences do lead to some very impressive stunts, but, once again, it’s hardly as if the player has much to do with that. Everything is pre-scripted, and the player just needs to be awake enough to press buttons every now and then.
Ninja Blade could have been a fantastic game, but it isn’t. It just borrows too much, and uses what it borrows poorly.
It’s a little sad when a videogame is released that is an obvious clone. And that’s what Ninja Blade is when you get right down to it: a clone of the massively popular Ninja Gaiden.
The player controls an operative in a top-secret, government funded squad of ninjas, sent in to wipe out a virus that is attacking a futuristic version of Tokyo. The virus turns all that it infects into slavering mutants bent on the destruction of everything they see.
The premise is pretty weak, but there have been some truly great games in the past that have featured shaky backgrounds and plot holes you could drive a tank through. This isn’t one of them. Large sections of the game are made up of cinematic sequences driven by quick-time events – in other words, the kind of ’press the indicated button at the right time‘ sort of game dynamic that works for some titles but, when overused, leaves the player devoid of any sense of accomplishment. The sections that aren’t quicktime events feature a simple control scheme and enemies that are essentially thicker than two planks. It’s a button-mashing marathon, at best.
The player is presented with a small arsenal of weapons, but can complete the game with very few switches between them - just using the biggest sword in repetitive sequences will be good enough. The enemy AI is incredibly predictably, so even the newest of gamers shouldn’t have a problem besting Ninja Blade.
The quick-time sequences do lead to some very impressive stunts, but, once again, it’s hardly as if the player has much to do with that. Everything is pre-scripted, and the player just needs to be awake enough to press buttons every now and then.
Ninja Blade could have been a fantastic game, but it isn’t. It just borrows too much, and uses what it borrows poorly.