Ninja Blade

 Xbox 360
Metascore
68

Mixed or average reviews - based on 65 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 27 out of 65
  2. Mixed: 32 out of 65
  3. Negative: 6 out of 65
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  1. 1UP
    42
    Despite the limited enjoyment found in figuring out how to kill the game's enemies, none of the tired, tentacle-porn clichés conjured here are of that much interest.
  2. Giant Bomb
    40
    The focus on occasionally tough boss fight patterns and cutscenes goes a long way in making Ninja Blade feel old.
  3. Thunderbolt
    40
    From Software’s goals with Ninja Blade appear to have been slim to negligible, and with a considerable portion of fans of the infinitely preferable Ninja Gaiden ready to buy up anything with a similar remit, they’re unlikely to be nearly as disappointed as I am.
  5. BigPond GameArena
    40
    If it weren't for the QTEs during cut-scenes I'd say it was nothing special but nothing brutally terrible and probably worth it if you desperately wanted something like Ninja Gaiden to play.
  6. Xbox World 360 Magazine UK
    32
    We originally had this down as "Ninja Gaiden Lite". We were wrong. Tedious. [May 2009, p.81]
  7. The A.V. Club
    25
    If Ninja Blade succeeds on any level, it’s only in creating a greater appreciation for the superb Ninja Gaiden series. Play them instead.

Awards & Rankings

45
#45 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2009
22
#22 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2009

User Reviews

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User Score
6.8

Mixed or average reviews- based on 73 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 36 out of 73
  2. Mixed: 24 out of 73
  3. Negative: 13 out of 73
  1. aspentitan
    Sep 9, 2016
    6
    My review for this game is almost identical to my review for Bourne Conspiracy. Being 2016 is this game still a play? My verdict is no. IMy review for this game is almost identical to my review for Bourne Conspiracy. Being 2016 is this game still a play? My verdict is no. I played for only one hour and came across a lot of things I liked but decided the gameplay was too shallow and not for me. I enjoyed the visuals I thought they looked sweet but what stopped my from continuing my game was two things. First of all the camera decided to do its own thing at times in wide open boss battles I had a difficult time wasting time in the most important part of the game. The other areas of the game were trivial. The two features added together easily suggested to me to not go further into the game. I do not feel the game was broken but considering how many games are on the market this one lost my interest pretty fast. It did seem there was a lot of fun features in this game. I would neither recommend it or say its bad. Just with so many games on the market and so little time to play current generation games this one was a skip. I would fully agree with the reviewer who stated this game is style over substance.… Full Review »
  2. Singolo
    Aug 18, 2013
    6
    I'll give this game one thing, it got me excited through the whole campaign, the action scenes and QTE's are simply insane, but, as a whole,I'll give this game one thing, it got me excited through the whole campaign, the action scenes and QTE's are simply insane, but, as a whole, it's a style over substance game. Gameplay outside of the "OMAGAH THAT IZ AWSOM" scenes is nothing else them shallow, you have two attack buttons that you use to strike the enemies with your different types of swords and you can use your shuriken that comes with three diferrent flavors too burn, cut, or shock your foes, but, you really doesn't have to do much than just press the X button to win, at least with the normal foes.
    You see, this is the problem, outside of the game action packed moments where you are fighting gigantic flying larvas in the sky or chasing a giant yakuza dog and his medusa daughter with a tank, the game feels boring and uninspiring, simply because there's not much else in this game than that.
    The graphics aren't that special or unique in this game, facial expressions are HORRIBLE, just terrible, try to look into a characters face while his laughing or screaming and try not to be scared by that Character models are okay, nothing special with the exception of Ken, the protagonist and some of the monsters you fight. One thing that shines for me in this game is the clothing customization, it is really cool and you can just make your character look even more badass than he already is. Weapons cannot be customized but they can be upgraded, which changes their appereance and gives you new combos and special attacks, and talking about extras... well, there aren't that much in fact.
    This is a one-time playthrough game, and you should have it clear when you buy it, after you beat it, there's not much to be done. You can look for some gems that will ugprade your health and karma (You'll need that to use the Ninja Vision and the Shuriken attacks) and some pieces of clothing to customize but, aside from that, that's it, and this resumes Ninja Blade, a huge and kinda dissapointing "That's It".    … Full Review »
  3. SuleimanM.
    May 14, 2009
    4
    From Software has managed not only to embarrass themselves with this pitiful attempt at an action title, however they have also succeeded in From Software has managed not only to embarrass themselves with this pitiful attempt at an action title, however they have also succeeded in creating a game that manages to stray away from an enjoyable experience all together. Ninja Blade is a mediocre title at best, and has very few elements that warrant a visit. The only thing that I can list as a positive aspect to such a title is the finishers once you have defeated a boss, other than that, Ninja Blade falls flat. Too many quick timed events often lead to frustration and repetition. If I wanted to play a rhythm game, there's a specific genre for that. The graphics in the game are decent, but nothing to brag about, menus and gameplay are sluggish, and offer intense amounts of frustration, and this is coming from a guy who has beat Ninja Gaiden. Speaking of Gaiden, you're better off playing that, it… Full Review »
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