Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z

 Xbox 360
Metascore
50

Mixed or average reviews - based on 20 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 0 out of 20
  2. Mixed: 10 out of 20
  3. Negative: 10 out of 20
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  1. CD-Action
    Jul 23, 2014
    40
    I would turn a blind eye to a non-existing level of challenge posed by Yaiba and to excessively simplified combat system, but why is the hero such a yokel?! [06/2014, p.50]
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  2. GameOver.gr
    Apr 17, 2014
    40
    A mess of a game that doesn't really know what it is trying to achieve. Fans of the legendary Ninja Gaiden franchise should keep their distance from this one.
  3. ZTGD
    Apr 7, 2014
    40
    Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z does a disservice to the franchise by having its name attached. I wanted to love it, but it just kept making me despise its design. Anyone interested in this title should steer clear. There is little here to redeem its many problems, and what it flaunts as its bullet points are hardly worth sticking around for.
  5. JeuxActu
    Mar 25, 2014
    40
    Keiji Inafune and his pals got us there: we were expecting something big, and Yaiba Ninja Gaiden Z is just another insult to the beat'em all gender. Despite some diversity from one combo to another, the fights quickly become boring because of an out-of-age AI, amongst other faults. Mediocrity in the level design reinforces this very straightforward aspect of Yaiba, which is far from its ancestors from a technical point of view.
  6. IGN Italia
    Mar 24, 2014
    40
    Frustrating, convoluted, messy, mediocre and, frankly, kind of wrong. Even hardcore fans of the Ninja Gaiden series should avoid it. In fact, specifically fans should avoid it.
  7. Official Xbox Magazine
    Mar 19, 2014
    40
    Even with our expectations lowered, Yaiba still managed to disappoint. It’s even more sexist than we presumed, uglier than some 360 launch titles, and feels budget-y without the accompanying charm. Hayabusa deserves better.
  8. X-ONE Magazine UK
    Mar 18, 2014
    40
    Rich in ideas yet terrible at executing them, Yaiba picks up all the things people hated about recent Ninja Gaiden games and just runs with them.
  9. GameSpot
    Mar 18, 2014
    40
    Ninja Gaiden Z is crass and stupid but rarely funny. It's mean and dumb but never witty or subversive.
  10. USgamer
    Mar 18, 2014
    30
    Though it does a handful of things right, Ninja Gaiden Z is overshadowed by a litany of awful design decisions. There's just no getting around the fact that it's a wretchedly bad action game. Even the most dedicated Ninja Gaiden fans should avoid this one.
  11. Official Xbox Magazine UK
    Mar 18, 2014
    30
    Attempts to play the main character off as an unlikeable rogue immediately fall flat. Yaiba the ninja is awful to be around, while Yaiba the game is uninspired and technically shallow.

Awards & Rankings

43
#43 Best Xbox 360 Game of 2014
21
#21 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2014
36
#36 Most Shared Xbox 360 Game of 2014

User Reviews

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User Score
5.5

Mixed or average reviews- based on 49 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 21 out of 49
  2. Mixed: 9 out of 49
  3. Negative: 19 out of 49
  1. blueyes25
    Mar 18, 2014
    8
    I ´m really liking this game a lot
    It´s very funny and pretty;
    Have a great combat system that is cool to use and AWESOME to see in    I ´m really liking this game a lot
    It´s very funny and pretty;
    Have a great combat system that is cool to use and AWESOME to see in action

    It´s not an easy game and have lot´s of violence and gore(like all the games in the ninja gaiden series)

    I HATED the platform parts!    … Full Review »
  2. JohnWitten
    Apr 18, 2014
    6
    This review contains spoilers, click full review link to view. [Condensed]

    Nothing sucks more than a complete loss of progress, and that’s pretty much how I felt about the majority of my experience with the game. I was really looking forward to a fun experience, and although some of my wishes were met, I felt like I always took two steps back to every one forward. You’ll have more fun, especially the first time through, on lower difficulties and get more out of the experience. But there’s also really nothing that prompts a second playthrough, unless you’re a really hardcore fan I guess. The combat related glitches are less noticeable on easier difficulties, but they don’t go away. If you do feel like playing through again, at least rest easy in the fact that any and all of your upgrades and collected items carry across between playthroughs on each difficulty, so you can easily level up completely before attempting it again on a harder setting. There is also a small, side arcade mode that unlocks after playing through, and is an interesting diversion when you’ve become too frustrated with the main content- short though it is.

    Concept: Zombie-killing cyborg ninja master! Being a jerk! I hate Ryu, apparently! Yeah, zombies! Did I mention zombie ninja pirate things? Just kidding- no pirates!

    Graphics: Adopts a cartoonish style instead of the series specific, slightly more realistic one. Isn’t a bad look, but can make things hard to distinguish during fast-paced combat at times.

    Sound: I wouldn’t say the voice acting sucks per se, but the lines the actors were given pretty much made me cringe the entire way through. You could mute the game and still have about the same or a better experience basically.

    Playability: The controls normally work well, but will occasionally glitch up and get you killed- especially if you thought the counter system was actually going to work this time around…

    Entertainment: It has its moments, however it also has a lot of extra crappy baggage on board as well. You’ve been warned.

    Replay Value: Low.

    Overall Score: 6.0    … Full Review »
  3. zeldare
    Mar 20, 2014
    8
    action combat style is very nice, story line is missing pieces but globally I had great time fighting all the zombies. I wish we could haveaction combat style is very nice, story line is missing pieces but globally I had great time fighting all the zombies. I wish we could have seen more of Ryu.… Full Review »
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