#4: Ninja Gaiden (Xbox)
Reaching far back into the memory bank (March!), I recall the smooth, yet frustrating, be-all-end-all of ninja titles…
Sure, it should have been on our 2003 lists, but Tecmo & Team Ninja delayed Gaiden?s release for so long that it didn?t end up in stores until March. And while the wait certainly killed some of the game?s significance, there?s no denying that Ninja Gaiden offered a unique and challenging(!) experience that left even some of the most hardcore gamers smashing controllers while cursing the very existence of Itagaki-san?not because the game was technically flawed (okay, maybe the camera), but because they simply weren?t good enough.
It?s rare in this day and age to find a truly difficult action title, let alone, one that offers such speed, grace, and beauty as Ninja Gaiden?summoning every ounce of the Xbox?s power. In fact, my dated unit (1st generation) was pushed so hard it often froze; at times, every ten minutes or so. I went through three copies of the game (believing it was the software), but ultimately settled for this crippling glitch, unwilling to sacrifice my Xbox and the treasure trove of labor recorded on its hard drive. Yeah, I was stubborn, but it also speaks to the value of this title, seeing as no other game has ever caused similar malfunctions.
What I appreciated most about Ninja Gaiden was its old school commitment. This was not a game that you simply played once and trashed. This was about perfection, step by step, becoming the Master Ninja. And this is where Team Ninja really took Gaiden to the next level, offering the most unique Live content to date. Even if you ignored the online tourney, both Hurricane Pack Vol. I & Vol. II re-envisioned how developers could manipulate downloadable content; in a sense, Team Ninja rebuilt the game. Forget that they added costumes, weapons, and enemies (although, those were great), we?re talking a new game engine and camera control!
But Ninja Gaiden was far from perfect.
I?m not alone in expressing my disappointment with the storyline. Back on the NES, the original Gaiden
(unlockable in the Xbox game, along with its two sequels) owned the cut-scene? the intro alone, just brilliant.
But the latest Ninja Gaiden didn?t deliver; and the CGI-FMV was simply superficial eye candy. Instead, Team Ninja
focused primarily on the action?as of yet, unmatched?but in doing so, fell short of the total package. Still,
there?s nothing like this game; it?s a masterpiece of this generation and will be studied by hardcore gamers,
developers, & historians for years to come?
