Ninja Blade

For all those who don’t mind trying something a little different, and can accept having to play through lots of quick-time cinematics then Ninja Blade is worth a look.

Derivative, repetitive and QTE heavy – yet still amazingly good fun. This game is more like Dynasty Warriors than Ninja Gaiden in terms of combat as you can eschew learning stupidly tricky combos in favour of button mashing good times.

Between the swearing-hard bits and the lulls, it's actually a lot of fun, much like hanging around with any true mentalist. When I read the back of the (Asian import) box, in its three-screenshotted features, it listed "Quick Time Events" as one. That raised an eyebrow. It's like listing "Ineffectual, infinitesimal penis" on a dating site. But Ninja Blade was right. It totally sold me on its ludicrous quick-time events. [JPN Import]

Ninja Blade is certainly a game with two different sides, but fortunately each side has enough to recommend it - the glamour of the QTEs, the workmanlike derivativeness of the combat - that you can forgive this rather jarring division.

Ninja Blade is like an old school b movie with a total lack of taste and gory fighting to boot. Even though the actual fighting is done well here the tasteless and somewhat schizophrenic design leaves much to be desired. If you're in the market for some ninja action this is a fun brawler, but a lesser game than the recent entries in the Ninja Gaiden series.

A game that transcends its weaknesses with the winning combination of pure fun and an unending desire to entertain. [May 2009, p.114]

It’s far from perfect but it supplies gamers with a decent action experience with an awesome QTE mechanic to show off scenes that are totally outrageous, but so memorable.

Ninja Blade is an enjoyable game that's well worth digging out of a bargain bin or taking home pre-owned.

This cinematic action game is the result of several action classics melted together, without any alchemy. The final product is indeed unpolished and unaccomplished, split between over-the-top quick time events, and repetitive hack’n’slashing. It doesn’t lack personality, it’s more a matter of unbalancing in the features.

It’s a title nowhere near the upper echelon of Xbox 360 titles, but it’ll fit quite well in a catalogue for gamers who prefer action-oriented games over the standard first-person shooter fare that overruns the Xbox 360 game library.

It does have a certain charm to it for simple mindless fun, but those looking for a deeper story or combat will be disappointed from the general clichés.

A middle of the road action game.

For someone who has nothing planned for a weekend, this is a fun thrill-ride with cinematic action that delivers on many levels.

The whole package is serviceable, even if the majority of the action tends towards the mundane and tedious far too often.

Despite its flashy razzle-dazzle, Ninja Blade feels surprisingly shallow.

n the end, you’d think a game with a see-through plot, derivative gameplay, a mess of bad cut scenes and stinky voice-acting would be a total turn-off, but that’s just not the case. There are times when Ninja Blade is just fun.

In fact I thought despite the QTE, and some other frustrating parts it was a pretty fun game.

Even though it's a bit of a flashy game, Ninja Blade is surprisingly shallow. It's not particularly long either - you can see everything in less than 10 hours, which doesn't help much with replayability. Worst of all, the novelties it wants you to like, it shoves in your face quite rudely many times over - resulting in a hack-and-slash that could have ultimately been a lot, er, sharper.

Ninja Blade is a game that only true fans of the genre should mind. Give it a chance only if you’re not tired enough of Ninjas. The adventure of Ken has occasional good moments, but quickly becomes repetitive and that results in a forgettable experience.

Ninja Blade offers a mix between God of War and Ninja Gaiden and is, in more than one way, pretty action packed. Perhaps too action packed. In between the cut scenes and the end bosses there is little room for 'normal' gameplay, making it hard to really enjoy the game for the hack and slash fans. Ninjas with an appetite for destruction and giant monsters will be more than satisfied while playing Ninja Blade.

Ninja Blade is fun, but it’s fun that wears thin very quickly and when it’s gone you’re left with a game that’s shallow, repetitive, and can quickly become annoying and frustrating.

It features far too many—and poorly integrated—“quicktime” events, frustrating core combat and non-sardonic C-movie camp. There are bright spots here and there, but the fact that said bright spots still pale in comparison to those featured in Ninja Gaiden doesn’t help Ninja Blade’s cause.

Unfortunately, the clunky combat mechanics, camera issues, and overabundance of Quick-Time Events make this a disappointing and unoriginal endeavor.

Shallow, repetitive and easy, but this Ninja Gaiden clone is also mad as a hatter - and that helps a lot.

Ninja Blade's presentation trumps the actual combat. Excessive quick time events result in lots of trial and error, the game chugs along during certain boss fights and monsters have a nasty habit of scoring cheap hits that often put players at a disadvantage.

With Ninja Blade, From Software commits the cardinal sin of the action game developer; it allows the action to become boring.

Another few months in development or some more thorough testing could've saved Ninja Blade.

Ninja Blade's action can be fun for a while, but it doesn't really satisfy. The story and presentation can get ridiculous, and the repetition, easy combat, and lengthy quick time sequences all wear down its edge. Worst of all, it's a complete rip-off of the Ninja Gaiden series, and we wonder how there could be laws to protect such a blatant theft of creativity.

Ninja Blade isn't without merit, but little of what it sets out to do is well implemented. [May 2009, p.64]

Ninja Blade provides a banal and vapid experience that only truly dedicated action junkies without any other plans could justify playing.