'Ninja Blade' video game review

(Credit: From Software)

Developer: From Software (“Armored Core”)
Publisher: Microsoft
Available on: Xbox 360

Imitation may be the sincerest form of flattery, but it’s also sometimes the most pointless. Take this third-person hack n' slash action game. In it, you use all your ninja skills—multiple button combos for stronger attacks, running up and jumping off walls to get places you normally couldn’t, collecting the souls of your enemies to upgrade your weapons—in your quest to rid Tokyo of monsters.

The thing is, we’ve played this game before, most recently when it was called “Ninja Gaiden 2.” Heck, the hero of “Ninja Blade” even looks like a clone of Ryu Hayabusa, the iconic hero from the “Ninja Gaiden” series.

Not that this level of imitation is necessarily a bad thing. Had “Blade” brought something new to the genre, had it improved upon what “Gaiden” does, it would’ve redeemed itself. And in one way, it does: “Blade” isn’t nearly as frustratingly difficult as “Gaiden.” Which might be a negative to some, but to those who struggled to finish “Ninja Gaiden,” and struggled but still couldn’t finish “Ninja Gaiden 2,” the difficultly level of “Blade,” or lack thereof, will be very welcome.

Except that, in their quest to make “Blade” easier, the developers sometimes dumbed it down too much. As with so many hack n' slash games, your battles against bigger enemies often end with you having to hit the right button at the right time. But while this works well when used sparingly, here it’s used way too often, most annoyingly in situations when the player would want to be in control.

Otherwise, “Ninja Blade” is a passable action game with a seriously cinematic bent (besides “Gaiden,” this also swipes liberally from “The Matrix,” both visually and musically). The controls work well, the graphics are great, and setting the action in, on top of, and on the sides of skyscrapers is a nice change from the streets and villages where ninjas usual battle. Too bad we’ve seen it all before.

Bottom Line: This is more “American Ninja” than “Ninja Scroll.”

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