I’ve got a confession to make: I hate horror films. This may come as a surprise to some who see this reviewer as a person who can handle fantastic amount of gore and violence, especially since most of the games I’ve played have both.

The fact is that I always thought of horror films in two lights:

1) Too gory or intense to deal with, since I have a slight problem with handling intense violence on screen (as a film reviewer, I couldn’t handle Hannibal, Dead-Alive (or Braindead 13) or any of the Saw films)
2) A film made for pure shock and schlock value, just to get a rise out of an audience. Yes, I know there is an “art” to it, but it nonetheless holds no interest to me.

So, knowing this, it should come as no surprise that I was lukewarm and dismissive to Left 4 Dead in 2008. The game had a great structure that was good in 1 – 3 hour bites, but the lack of anything meaty left me to feel like it was only a shell of a game that relied too much on its co-operative feature. You can only imagine how excited I was for Left 4 Dead 2 (read: not very to pretty much disinterested).

Left 4 Dead 2, however, cleans up a lot of the issues that were in Left 4 Dead, which include a lack of personality by the cast and its environments and to what could be simply described as a feeling of being incomplete or lacking of direction. Simply put. Left 4 Dead 2 feels exactly like what Left 4 Dead should have been like, which is why some transgressions can’t be excused with this second version.

Left 4 Dead 2 first big plus is the diversification of the environments. Instead of feeling like you’re going through Junkyard A and Building B or Non-Descript Farm Area C like Left for Dead did, the differences in the environments are  clear, diverse and interesting to go through. Whether you’re going through a twisted and seedy Circus area filled with parlor games and a concert hall or (in what is my favorite campaign) a sugar mill in the middle of a monsoon, each of the five campaigns has a distinct personality that caters to any taste.

While we are on personalities, it’s great to see a much more likable cast of characters in the game. Instead of having such a cookie-cutter template of characters in the last game, which consisted of old guy, black guy, white girl and amiguously gay biker dude (I swear, they are in like every game nowadays!), you get this cast of characters that are as different as any of the environments. Sure, they aren’t exactly deep, but they are pepper in just a little more personality that you can grow an attachment to any character in the game. (For the record, Nick, who looks like a disheveled gambler, is my favorite, while my girlfriend frequently uses Ellis, the hillbilly)

The look of the zombies are also decidely different in each campaign. Instead of making them ashey grey and falling limply to the ground, like the first game did, limbs get torn off from impeding gun fire, heads get ripped apart by the swing of an axe or katana and, which makes the killing so much more satisfying, blood gushes everywhere, including on the camera and in the environment.

Melee weapons drastically changes the strategy of the game in many situations. The inclusion of melee weapons felt like somewhat of a “so what?” kind of addition to the game when first announced, however the different melee weapons makes fighting your way out of a group of zombies not only makes it easier, but decidedly more satisfying and bloody. Just wait until you pick up the loud, menacing chainsaw and watch the blood really fly.

Any Left 4 Dead match would have the disgusting and dysfunctional family of “Special Infected” show up at any point of the game and the new types definitely mixes the campaigns up. Joining the standard fare of S.I.’s (Boomer, Smoker, Tank, Witch and Hunter) is the Charger (like a one-armed mini Tank), Spitter (a female looking beast that spits noxious acid) and the Jockey (which jumps on top of the Survivors to control their movement) all add more frantic firefights, which leads to more interesting and intense battles.

These new infected add to the regular modes of Campaign, Versus and Survival, but they also add to the new Scavenge mode that is introduced in the game. In Scavenge, you carry gas cans to fill up a car or generator in order to put more time on the clock. Meanwhile, players playing the Infected will stop the Survivors from getting gas cans or getting to their destination. For those who don’t like the absolutely lengthy pace of the Versus mode, Scavenge is a very nice, relatively faster paced mode they will enjoy.

A lot of praise is deserved to this game, but there are still detractors that throw it out of the “classic” status and more into the “cult following” classic. First off is “Realism” mode. This mode has the special and common infected being much more deadly by having the common infected only get limb specific damage. That means if you hack off their arm, they can still come after you with their other arm or whatever is hacked.

In theory, it sounds like a great idea that adds more strategy to the game. In execution, it’s kind of messy. Although I’m far from an expert in the game, all it seemed to do is add extra padding to the enemies to make them harder to use. And the fact that the outlines and hud help is pretty much gone makes it more difficult than is really necessary. If you want to make it more difficult yet still make it fun, don’t take away the things that make the game as accessible as possible: it looks more like they ran out of ideas.

Gunplay is also very bland and lifeless. For a shooter that is running on what is considered to be one of the best engines for First Person Shooting (the Valve Source Engine), the game still feels a little too loose and imprecise to be entirely comfortable. Also, accuracy seems a touch off, which is fine in most situations, except when trying to cover a friend and accidentally shooting their face.

Finally, the lack of a cohesive experience in a single-player sense is still a very big problem in my opinion. Yes, I have no problem with playing any of these campaigns again on my own, but after playing a game that works perfectly on single-player and multiplayer while being the same game (New Super Mario Bros. Wii), it still seems that the game is leaning more and more nowadays to multiplayer.

Which is perfectly fine, if they decided to go full throttle on multiplayer than keeping a lacking single-player. While playing the game, I played with my girlfriend on every single mode and on every single campaign and I completely enjoyed the experience with her. As the old adage says, however: Everything’s better in Co-Op. She’s also been playing the original Left 4 Dead religiously since September (when she got her 360), so I was playing with someone who knew how to play the entire time.

So, it comes down to this: If you have someone to play with that is good at this specific game and will play with you all the time, Left 4 Dead 2 is a great time that can be played constantly. The additions really make this a much more well rounded and well thought out game…

…in multiplayer. In single-player, I’m afraid it still lacks a certain type of completion or finality that some of the best games have, which keeps Left 4 Dead 2 from reaching the classic game it truly deserves. In fact, I’d tell people who don’t have a dedicated group of people to play with to steer clear of this game and that if you do, make sure one or two of them are very good at the game to make it enjoyable.

Brad Wiswall
www.twitter.com/gamakarmica

Share/Save

Details on what this program gives is still up in the air. Below is an excerpt from the e-mail that Kotaku received:

“This is an exclusive pilot rewards program. That means that the people who get in get stuff. Cool stuff. You want cool stuff, right? Sure you do, we all want stuff. Especially cool stuff. Well, you’ve only got until October 21, 2009 to let us know you want cool stuff, because after that, the doors close and someone else gets the cool stuff.

So, you click the button below and register to let us know you want in and pretty soon we’ll let you know if you got in or not – and not everyone will (that’s why it’s called exclusive).

This offer is for a select few – you can’t send it to anyone else (why would you send something this awesome to someone else, are you nuts?). If you make the cut, you can pass or opt-out whenever you want.

But then you’ll never know how it ended.”

Brad’s Take: Well, the rumor is more than likely true if Kotaku is citing that sources trusted to them are being sent this e-mail.

Question is: Who else is getting these e-mails? And how do they qualify?

If Microsoft sees success in this program, a full launch by Summer 2010 seems very plausible and it’s something that Sony better pay attention to if it happens.

Share/Save

Of course Major Nelson didn’t exactly call everything overpriced…he was too busy talking about what he’s listening to on his ZUNE and on his new computer using WINDOWS 7 while playing something on the “very popular” GAMES FOR WINDOWS PLATFORM…but that was before he watched one of his favorite shows, “The Guild,” on his XBOX 360 using WINDOWS MEDIA CONNECT…which is SOOO easy and convenient to use!

Brad’s Take: If there is something that has been put to an immediate halt, it’s the third party development of accessories on nearly all platforms. And that of course started with Microsoft, who wouldn’t allow any developer to create any wireless controllers on the 360 because they needed a specific wavelength that only Microsoft could actually allow to use.

That’s not necessarily a bad thing, since it does mean we should expect quality with our controllers. This also, however, has led Microsoft to overcharge for nearly every one of its accessories, including hard drives, memory units and controllers. The potential locking of these units will very likely mean that some gamers will lose their information, such as game saves, which is a hassle.

This could also mean they can potentially lose the items they have purchased, which is due to the fact that Microsoft licenses their digital download content with marks on the account on which it was sold, the console it was first downloaded AND (most importantly) the memory unit at which its stored. If those units come up faulty or “locked,” there is the potential that someone may lose the rights to the media they purchased.

I’ll have more the definite answer of that question as time goes on, but a STRONG suggestion to anyone who has a third party memory unit is to go out and buy a Microsoft branded unit IMMEDIATELY.

Share/Save

This game covers the songs they played and historical events they took place in. The songs are memorable and any rock fan should know some of their work. Seeing the graphical reenactment of playing in Shea Stadium to their later years just recording songs in a sound studio. The game portrays the songs and events wonderfully.

Starting off with the story mode, you get an eight stage look of The Beatles as they grew with their music. To the clean shaven, short hair cuts in The Cavern Club to the scruffy, long haired demeanor on the rooftop concert, the game shows that progression nicely. John Lennon, Paul McCartney, George Harrison and Ringo Star have their roles in the band but are given equal amount of time to show off their talents. Ringo and Harrison sample their songs like “Boys” and “Here Comes the Sun” while Lennon and McCartney show cased the rest of the game with songs like “With a Little Help from My Friends” and “Revolution”. Though the game doesn’t actually feel like being at that place and time, you do get a great feeling playing songs from revolutionary artists that changed history as we know it.

While playing story mode, you can unlock pictures that give you more insight into The Beatles then average fans wouldn’t know. The reward seems small at first but enlightening after you play the song that gave you a picture.

Game Challenges can be completed while in story mode to rack up points by playing each stage again but continuously. The harder your difficulty, the easier it will be to move up in the rankings and beat your friends.

Quick play is a basic feature that is seen in all rhythm games that allows you to play locally or online with others but playing only Beatles songs. All 45 songs are available out of the box. Downloadable content will be coming for this feature soon but is limited now (as of 09/17/2009).

The sheer look of this game is wonderfully done in a cartoon-sort-of-way. The graphics don’t scream ‘realism’ but keep a fun and exciting feel while fretting away on the guitar or singing that song of childhood memories. The graphics did shine when The Beatles were in Abbey Road Studios just recording song but the developers made it more interesting. Harmonix took that studio time but added some ‘trippy’ music video like scenes displaying a message for the song being played. Anyone who is looking to see realism in this game will be disappointed. The game doesn’t need that graphical realism and still produced a wonderful game.

As I leave you from this review, the one thing you should take from it is The Beatles are terrific band and Harmonix didn’t down-grade or disappoint. Relive the events and songs of The Beatles: Rock Band.

Share/Save

This list covers everything that came out from the beginning of Jan. to the end of Aug., so here goes the Ten Favorite games, in no particular order, that came out this year thus far. This list includes games on the XBOX 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP, PC and iPhone:

Battlefield 1943 (XBLA/PSN) – It’s pure Battlefield, sure, but its also one of the best bargains for multiplayer games. $15 for a great, competitive multiplayer game with satisfying gunplay and multiplayer mechanics is considered a great bargain to me…now if only Fat Princess could be anywhere near as satisfying.

Space Invaders Infinity Gene (iPhone) – This beautiful, trance inducing iPhone games meshes the simplistic, addicting gameplay of Space Invaders with the artistic aesthetic of Rez to create one of the best games on the iPhone platform. $5 for this game is a steal.

UFC 2009: Undisputed (PS3/X360) – Featuring one of the deepest, most intricate one on one fighting systems in any game, UFC could have been completely content on being a cash-in product to the rising popularity of MMA. What it became, however, is the ultimate fighting/wrestling simulation that fans of the sport have been waiting for. Deep fighting mechanics, excellent graphics and one of the most rewarding fighting systems makes this a game that all fighting game fans should experience.

Knights of the Nightmare (DS) – Knights of the Nightmare is a strange, cerebral hybrid of turn based RPG, strategy-RPG and shoot-em-up. The game takes a while to get started (and to learn, you’ll spend your first few hours on the tutorial), but once you get the ball rolling, you’ll find an incredibly unique and satisfying RPG on your DS.

Street Fighter IV (X360/PS3) – The true king of fighters is back, relying on its old school charm and deep fighting system to elevate it to one of the best fighting games ever made. Excellent balance, great fighting mechanics and a beautiful art style create one of the best fighters to come out in a long time.

Wii Sports Resort (Wii) – It’s easy to scoff at the minigame collections on the Wii, but Wii Sports Resort creates some of the best minigame collections for its new WiiMotion Plus peripheral. There are key favorites (Table Tennis, Archery) compared to others (Cycling, Canoeing), but the overall package is so well thought out and polished that its hard to fault its shortcomings.

Dissidia: Final Fantasy (PSP) – PSP gamers who have been dying for their next big gaming fix has certainly foudn it in Dissidia: Final Fantasy. This unique Power Stone/Final Fantasy hybrid marries fast paced tug of war fighting mechanics with the lore and the RPG mechanics of a Final Fantasy game. Fighting games fans with some RPG love should pick this up immediately.

Plants vs. Zombies (PC) – PopCap makes another smash hit. It’s twist on tower defense and strategy blends with its unique sense of humor and RTS qualities to create what may possibly be the most addicting game to come out on PC.

Drop7 (iPhone) – Easily the most addicting puzzle game to come out on any platform, Drop7’s ingenious twist on the Match3 concept makes this game impossible to put down, even after only play a quick 5 minute game. For $3.99, every iPhone owner should have a copy of this game to play at all times.

Shadow Complex (XBLA) – A perfect homage to 2D exploration games like Super Metroid, Shadow Complex takes this once handheld only genre and creates one of the more addicting games this year has produced. A $50 disguised as a downloadable product, Shadow Complex is easily one of the deepest offerings on any downloadable service.

Here are some honorable mentions that just didn’t make it to the Top Ten:

Halo Wars (X360) – Almost perfectly blends the RTS genre into consoles. A great time for fans of the genre.
Klonoa (Wii) – A level for level remake of the original PS1 game. For $30, any platformer fan owes themselves to have this game in their collection.
‘Splosion Man (XBLA) – A platformer filled with personality and maddening difficulty, this will pull your hair out but leave you completely satisfied.
Shatter (PSN) – This Arkanoid-plus blends clean visuals, an excellent soundtrack and excellent ball bashing mechanics to great effect.
Flight Control (iPhone) – A simple 99cent puzzle game is one of the more addicting, with its colorful visuals and its addicting and sweatbreaking gameplay.
Tiger Woods PGA Tour 10 (Wii) – The WiiMotion Plus-ified features one of the best games of golf you can play. The WiiMotion Plus attachment adds a lot of weight and interactivity to an already deep and fun game.
BlazBlue: Calamity Trigger (X360/PS3) – Beautiful animation and crazy character designs are par for course with Aksys Games, but the intense and intricate fighting system of BlazBlue elevates the game past its predecessor Guilty Gear.

And thus ends the first 8 months of the year, but for some, the year in gaming is just beginning. Let’s see what happens in the next 3 months of gaming.

(Note: Some of you might be wondering “Hey, where’s Batman: Arkham Asylum? Well, in all honesty, I got to play a good amount of Arkham, but not enough to have a strong opinion on it, thus it wasn’t included.)

Share/Save

September

Biggest Release: Beatles: Rock Band – Set to break sales records when its released on Sept. 9, Beatles: Rock Band has been getting nothing but glowing endorsements on any and all preview coverage for the game. Add to the fact that this game has been gaining more mainstream appeal as the word comes out about the game and you have a game that may very well be one of the best games, and best selling games, of all time.

Potential Sleeper: Scribblenauts – A game that may very well come to take numerous Game of the Year accreditations, Scribblenauts has been charming previewers and reporters with its nearly infinite ways of playing the game. It’s got a dash of old school (adventure games) and a smidge of new (the innovative creation system), but it has a charm and an open sandbox feel that could appeal to the masses.

Potential Disappointment: Marvel: Ultimate Alliance 2 – As one of the first must have games of the new generation, Marvel: Ultimate Alliance stood out as a great online game. However, there have been better games like it released since the first game, and as most are discussing, the second iteration of the game hasn’t changed much at all. This game has a potential to be a dud.

Most Likely To Be Delayed: Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days - Previews haven’t been too impressed with the side story of the Kingdom Hearts series, but most are holding out hope that this game will work when its released this month. Even so, there hasn’t been much of a presence to this game, which is strange because a huge marketing blitz for a new Kingdom Hearts always happens, whether its a full game or a spin-off. I suspect this will be delayed until 2010.

Should Be Delayed: Section 8 - Let me be frank…with ODST coming out and that game may not be as big as it should be, do I really think another game may get better sales? Word of mouth has been good for its multiplayer, but if this game does turn out to be quality, I’ll feel for Southpeak on the not so good sales it will wind up having. I think it would be best if they release this the first week of January next year.

Multiplatform Releases
Guitar Hero 5 – Releasing the game 8 days before Beatles: Rock Band may be a good business and marketing strategy…until they realize they start Beatles: Rock Band’s marketing push this month.
Dirt 2 – Dirt and Grid are quickly becoming the go-to racing games of this generation. Dirt 2 continues where the original left off and adds inventive and fun fantasy courses for variety.
Mini-Ninjas – Heard little about this game, but from the little I have heard, it’s actually a charming little title. No marketing, however, will hurt this game when trying to find an audience.
NHL 10 - The critically acclaimed and award winning sports title will recieve several polishes and boosts to reclaim yet another award winning season.
Need for Speed: Shift – Shift’s change-over to a more simulation feel may be risky for a brand that has been known to be highly accessable, but early reports are saying that this game is a nice primer until Forza 3 comes out.
Wet – A highly stylized, overly sexualized third person shooter meant to pander to the more masculine set. Too bad early reports haven’t been so favorable.

XBOX 360 Releases
Halo 3: ODST – It doesn’t really feel like a Halo game is coming out in Sept. does it? I have no doubt it will sell…it just seems like a more muted release than I was expecting.

PS3 Releases
Katamari Forever – In what may be the last Katamari game, this game remakes all the levels from the previous game and puts it on the PS3 at a discount price. I still want the music  to this game series, by the way.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 – Ninja Gaiden 2 for the 360 was a bloody, violent game with a camera that was so spastic it could make you sick. Sigma 2 takes out the blood and violence, but if it fixes the camera issues it may just bave a great game on its hands.

Wii Releases
Muramasa: The Demon Blade – The creators of Odin Sphere’s next big game is this stylish, beautiful platformer for the Wii. Ignition Entertainment is releasing this game limitedly, but there’s no reason to think it won’t sell through its stock immediately on the first week.
Dead Space: Extraction – Light gun, rail shooter games are being made with more frequency, but they still don’t sell (take a look at House of the Dead: Overkill). Dead Space didn’t sell as much as EA wanted to last year, so I’m not sure if putting this game on the Wii will mean great sales.

DS Games
Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story – The hilarious and charming Mario and Luigi games have always been a hit on Nintendo handhelds and this will likely be no different. Whether the game itself will have any significant changes…well, that’s another story.
Kingdom Hearts 358/2 Days – Previews haven’t been too impressed with the side story of the Kingdom Hearts series, but most are holding out hope that this game will work when its released this month.

PSP Releases
Shin Megami Tensei: Persona – The Shin Megami Tensei series has gained a cult fanbase since the releases of Persona 3 in the States a few years ago. Because of this, the ultra rare (but admittedly botched localization wise) Revelations: Persona game was remade for the PSP and will be released in September, which will include a completely relocalized storyline and quests that were previously deleted from the game itself.
Disgaea 2: Dark Hero Days – Disgaea 2 is a devisive entry into the series: some prefer this to Hour of Darkness, while others think it should have never been made. Whether you like it or not, it will be released at the end of September, so it looks like you’ll have a decision to make: this or Persona?
Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny – Tekken: Dark Resurrection is still one of the best games on the PSP to date, because of its excellent graphics, spot on controls and its bevy of modes. There’s no reason not to think that Broken Destiny won’t continue this trend of fighting game excellence on the go.

Will Most Likely Buy: Beatles: Rock Band, Halo 3: ODST, Soul Calibur: Broken Destiny, Shin Megami Tensei: Persona, Scribblenauts

Will Most Likely Rent: Mario and Luigi: Bowser’s Inside Story, Muramasa: The Demon Blade, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, Dirt 2

Brad Wiswall
www.twitter.com/Gamakarmica
XBL: Gamakarmica
PSN: Vanillatwisted

Share/Save

Having both Knothole Island and See the Future DLC’s didn’t take away a wonderful experience that a player would get from not having them. Both DLC’s add a new rhythm to the game for those playing it more then once during the story or after.  The game itself is still nice to look at and has a lot of enjoyable parts with to entertain yourself with. From purchasing buildings and stores to searching Fable 2 for gargoyles to destroy, the game keeps you hooked. A lot of repetitive missions and jobs though could be boring at times but place some of your favorite music on a playlist and just listen to that to pass the time away during your job.

The fighting is still fun but can also be unbalanced as you will probably use more of your Magic then anything else if you boost it up quickly. Defeating enemies becomes easier and your neglect the rest of your Skills and Attacks to update more of your Magic abilities. My favorite combination is ‘Raise Undead’ then do a level 5 ‘Fire’ to kill everything around me while the Undead keeps my enemies busy. As a test, try to not use as much Magic in the game and stick to just Skills and Attacks to give it more of a challenge.

The co-op still sucks so you will not need this unless you need an achievement that someone else can help you get.

So, does this game still has what it takes after it’s release in October of 2008? Yes, that game still has that addictive feel to it even with it’s repetative jobs/missions when playing but this  game surpasses the XBOX original Fable. The game is like a good book, even after you read it and know every part of the story, you are willing to pick it back up and start the experience over again.

Share/Save

Sony’s Motion Controller? Pfft…small potatoes.
Wii Vitality Sensor? Ha…you’re joking right?
Samus’ return to consoles? I don’t think so.
Project Natal? Shheeeeaaaatttt No!

What was the most important thing to come out of E3 this year? According to Wedbush Morgan’s Michael Pachter, it was the implementation of last.fm, Twitter and Facebook that will be the most significant…which was one the media completely neglected to cover or mention in any coverage.

His reason? It opens the Xbox 360, in a somewhat limited fashion, to the internet which gives the 360 that one step closer to being the be-all, end all of connection to anything on your TV.

Brad’s Take: See, I recognized what a big deal Twitter and Facebook on 360 are gonna be during E3…the thing is, we won’t know what kind of impact it truly will have until it’s set out in the wild.

That being said, this connection with the 360 means that more people will probably look into getting a 360 because the added feature of staying connected to either Twitter or Facebook is a plus to them. And this could essentially provide more sales for the 360 later this year.

Share/Save

Market Analyst group In-Stat published a report stating that there will be a significant increase of Web-to-TV device usage, with gaming consoles leading the charge as television viewing alternative.

Leading the charge is, obviously, Netflix on 360 with its ease of use.

Brad’s Take: Honestly, with the exceptions of shows such as Lost, Heroes or Grey’s Anatomy, Hulu and Xbox Live are the ways I view current television episodes.

Personally, I hate giving up chunks of my gaming and social life for a certain day and time (unless the show is worth it of course). If it wasn’t for this type of distribution, I would miss such great shows as Kings, Castle and the “Motherlover” skit from SNL.

I only see this going further…do I sense Hulu on XBL next year?

Share/Save

The game takes you six years into the future, 2015, when a small village in Japan gets attacked by weird creators. Survivors of the attack were moved for research and the original site became known as the “Alpha-Site”. Researchers find that the creators infected the survivors as their skin starts to decay. Also, the survivors start to gain strength, resilient to human disease and losing their sanity. Those infected started to attack the people studying them which increases the infection count. The government that took over the site decided to sterilized the situation. The measures the government took did not stop the infection from spreading so the G.U.I.D.E. squad was formed to help clear the infected area. Your character, Ken Ogawa, is the protagonist and seems to be an outstanding G.U.I.D.E. member as he starts off jumping off a helicopter, flies by monster while killing them and finds time to break through a window to the building were the infected are. As you kill infected monsters, you are also being taught the basic of the game and mastering the ‘quick-time events’ before moving on with the rest of the story. At the end of the first level, you find out that the G.U.I.D.E. Master is your father and betrays the organization and sides with the infection. You are sent by G.U.I.D.E. to continue the killing of infected but also try and stop your father from what plot he has in store for the world.

The actual controls and gameplay of the game will remind you of a Ninja Gaiden mixed with the Resident Evil 4 ‘quick-time-events’. When you are fighting, you have 3 weapons to choose from and a magical ninja star to help with enemies/puzzles. Each weapon will help you with certain enemies and bosses. When playing, switching between weapons can be an important skill to learn to defeat enemies quickly. The over-sized ninja star is your ‘ninjutsu’ with elements attached to it. An example of this is you can use your ninja star to throw at people with ‘fire’ attached to it. The fighting will be done mostly on the foot but can and will move to the sky or on a turret attached to a car. When you are not attacking monsters with ninjutsu or your weapons, you are performing the ‘quick-time events’. These events can be at the beginning of a mission or when ending it. The action sequences are the climatic scenes for your character to perform. When pulling them off, this can be entertaining but at times, it can be to much as there seems to be to many to perform. If you mess up during the ‘quick-time event’, you might have to start over from the beginning which can take awhile to move past.

The game offers a lot after a mission to improve the weapons and your characters outfit to make him look the way you want him to. During the game, you will collect ‘blood crystals’ which can be used to improve either your weapons or ninjutsu. Improving either can help with defeating harder enemies down the road in the game. Along side that, you can improve how your character looks with pre-made outfits found in missions or you can make some of your own. This part is the more enjoyable part since it gives you a sense of ownership to the main character. You can make him as serious or as childish as you want. If you want to see what a ninja looks like with polka dots, this is your chance.

The other options you have before a mission is: see the move list, change to a previous mission, see your stats, or change the system options.

The only other part of this game is the XBL Leaderboard which is calculated after each mission. Your stats are then compared to others who also have played the game and give you an idea of how well you did when others played that mission as well.

The game does not provide anything else but missions, customization and leaderboards.

The game gives you a quick satisfaction when playing through the weak story line. The mixture of beating up enemies and quick-time events are nice but can get a bit boring after some time. The customization of the character can also only go so far. I would say the original Ninja Gaiden would be a better selection but if you don’t mind forking over some money to rent it, you will be entertained for the $8.00 you spend for that.

Share/Save