Games like Bioshock and Grand Theft Auto IV are pushing the boundaries in terms of storytelling and emotional evocation from a video game.
Ninja Gaiden 2 does no such thing.
What it does do, is provide the most exhilarating, visceral kickassery that you’ll experience on the Xbox 360.
An way to describe the kind of game you’re getting yourself into might be that it’s what Michael Bay would make were he to make a summer blockbuster involving ninjas, demons, explosions, decapitations, blood, and big-breasted women. It’s as easy to play as mashing buttons, but the combat also has the depth of a fighting game like Soul Calibur.
If that sounds appealing to you, or if you just love action games, go out and buy this game now. It has some flaws in both design and camera work, but as an overall experience, it’s still great fun.
You know how a lot of DS games feel like they’re either Super Nintendo titles or could have been done on the Game Boy Advance? Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword (NGDS) is not one of those games. In fact, it’s pretty safe to say NGDS would not be possible on any other gaming platform. It’s a unique title that every action game fan who owns a Nintendo DS should check it out.
NGDS takes place about 6 months after the events of the Xbox version Ninja Gaiden (or Ninja Gaiden Sigma if you were late to the party). Personally, I can’t remember much of the plot of Ninja Gaiden since I played it about 5 years ago, but I’m pretty sure it had something to do with saving the Hayabusa ninja clan from evil fiends and demons from the netherworld. NGDS has something similar with a kidnapped girl and the fate of the world blah blah blah. Let’s be honest here, you’re not playing Ninja Gaiden for the plot. You’re playing it to kill the shit out of dragons and ninjas as Ryu Hayabusa. And believe me, you will be doing lots of that.
Naughty Dog’s inaugural Playstation 3 effort, Uncharted: Drake’s Fortune has been hotly anticipated as one of the pillars of Sony’s 2007 holiday lineup for the embattled system. The creators of Jak and Daxter continue their tradition of creating new franchises for new generations of Playstation hardware by putting forth one of the best titles of the year on any platform.
Uncharted combines intense cover-based combat with fluid platforming to create a gameplay experience that’s just plain fun. It also doesn’t hurt that the game boasts some of the greatest graphics in a video game this side of Crysis, along with a stellar presentation comparable to a summer blockbuster film. The game is definitely the best single-player game released on the Playstation 3 thus far and a good reason to “play b3yond.” Continue reading »
