Metareview: Ninja Gaiden Black a big hit with critics
by Vladimir Cole 
{ Sep 28th 2005 at 10:15PM }
The balance between yin and yang, dark and light, heat and cold,
pirate and ninja may have been disturbed by Ninja Gaiden Black (exclusive for the Xbox), which
has reaped an impressive Metacritic score of
95. Here's what the critics have to say about it.
1up: 100/100 "While some might suggest that Ninja Gaiden Black is a premature effort to leech off the success of the original, rarely do reissues come packed with so much additional firepower."
Cheat Code Central: 85/100 "No one ever said that being a ninja was easy, but I can tell you for certain that being a ninja has never been this much fun."
Gamespot: 94/100 "Consider just about everything cool you've ever seen a ninja character do in a video game, in an anime, or in a movie. .... Ryu probably has all these moves in his repertoire—and then some."
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Rare Hare @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
i'm highly interested in this game. have been since i heard that it was being made.
i wanted the first one and never had the right kind of money at the right time, so i never ended up picking it up.
i don't think i can miss it this time around though, just like i'm making sure not to miss MGS3: Subsistence.
hmmm, maybe i should wait it out on all the games i'm interested in so that i can pick up an enhanced version later..
OTAM @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I sucked so hardcore at Ninja Gaiden on the Xbox.
That game made me cry,admit I couldnt read well,and told me my mother still dresses me.
John Bennet Ramsey @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Well I will PWN anyone in Ninja Gaiden II for NES!!!!!!!!!!! (maybe LOL, younever know).
Sedeas @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I still maintain that Devil May Cry 3 is still a much better game than Ninja Gaiden. Bark all you want about the rendering, DMC3's battle system was just a hell of a lot more fluid and fun.
OTAM @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Sedeas,what the hell are you talking about?
You're comparing two games with 0 in common.
It's like me coming out and saying,
"I liked Crimson Skies better than Ninja Gaiden,the battles were much more fun"
I could understand if you were comparing DMC3 and NG in difficulty,but this brings me to ask,what the fuck are you talking about dude?
peeweejd @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I am LOVING this game. I borrowed the first one from a friend and got pwned by it so I never bought it. Now with having the Lunar early on and the easy mode as a crutch if I get stuck, I'm doing much better. I havent even used ninja dog mode yet (my kids have though).
I HIGHLY recomend this game to people who got frustrated with it before (or have never played it).
Icelawn @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I played and beat the first ninja gaiden on XBox and never have I had so much fun dying over and over again. It was very hard for me on normal. Unfortunately I dont have the funds for live so I never got any of the expansion packs for it. But sice black has thos eincluded and then some i will be picking this one up without a doubt. I look fun to the long nights, headches and controller throwing all over again and again and again and again and............. well you get the picture!!! Again
PiratePete @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
Yeah, Ninja Gaiden was tough. I couldn't even find my way up the moutain in the begining of the game. Got too frustrated with it.
Left it behaind and never looked back.
Matters @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
The games pretty cool except for a few things.. The camera SUCKS ASS it's almost as bad as old tomb raider games which causes the controls to feel clunky some times which only makes things harder during the heat of battle. If the game were a GameCube exclusive it would be docked .5 for this alone. I'd give it a 9 out of 10 tops. Plus the fact that this isn't exactly a new game it's just a re-release with some expansion packs should dock it a few more, but the low price makes up for that.
Joel @ Dec 18th 2005 9:07PM
I playing it right now. It's really good. Gameplay and moves are all there, to be sure. I wish they'd picked camera angles better, though. To me, that was the one nitpick I had about DMC3, so they do have something in common there. I like this game a little better than DMC3 though, because the level designs make a little more sense to me. The level designs aren't as majestic overall as DMC3, or esp. God of War (no real awesome "holy crap" moments like the Pandora's Temple level in God of War, for instance) but at least you don't feel like a milkman making deliveries like you do sometimes in DMC3.
The story is also a little weak. It shouldn't get in the way of experiencing the great gameplay, it just adds nothing to it. I think this game could have been as good as God of War, since it has what God of War had in the cool moves/great gameplay aspect, but God of War did a much better job putting it all together with a great story, music, environments, ect.
My advise? Get this game. You will have fun.