Ninja Gaiden

 Xbox
  • Publisher: Tecmo
  • Release Date: Mar 2, 2004
User Score
8.8

Generally favorable reviews- based on 195 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 173 out of 195
  2. Mixed: 6 out of 195
  3. Negative: 16 out of 195
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  1. AnthonyV.
    Mar 1, 2004
    10
    Early game of the year candidate. The controls, visuals, sounds, and overall feel are absolutely superb. The camera is about as good as it can be for a game like this and is a necessary evil when games such as this make the transition to 3D, so get over it. Oh, and Tuomas K.: congratulations on bringing down the overall score with your insipid gag review. Do yourself a favor and go work Early game of the year candidate. The controls, visuals, sounds, and overall feel are absolutely superb. The camera is about as good as it can be for a game like this and is a necessary evil when games such as this make the transition to 3D, so get over it. Oh, and Tuomas K.: congratulations on bringing down the overall score with your insipid gag review. Do yourself a favor and go work for Gaming Age. They could use a few spin doctors.… Expand
  2. DennisY.
    Mar 10, 2004
    10
    Unlike shinobi its faster, better weapons and just blows shinobi out of competition. yea its a little hard but were would the fun be if one were able to beat the game in 1 to 2 days. there is no fun that. plus theres always something new in the game that one can find. so if u like shinobi u will love ninja gaiden.
  3. ShinobiSon
    Mar 8, 2004
    10
    The whole game is good just keep clicking right trigger.
  4. ShaneT.
    Mar 8, 2004
    10
    Amazing. Get this game. gameplay is brilliant, ,graphics are perfect and as for the camera The right trigger is a part of the game. never had a problem . Love it. Love, it love it. even after 15 tries at a boss.
  5. Drianna
    May 19, 2004
    10
    Rick, you sucking at this game is your problem, the controls are absolutely masterful, you just can't button bash. it is an easy to learn-hard to master game, does not have any unfair challenges, just requires patience and skill. it is also, as robert said, very diverse. its only downside is the locations of save points. they should be before, not after tough challenges. btw, i Rick, you sucking at this game is your problem, the controls are absolutely masterful, you just can't button bash. it is an easy to learn-hard to master game, does not have any unfair challenges, just requires patience and skill. it is also, as robert said, very diverse. its only downside is the locations of save points. they should be before, not after tough challenges. btw, i don't think they should have made it possible to save whenever you want. this would allow you to get past rooms by lucky shots, then save. it would therefore remove the need to be skillful enough to beat a given enemy time and time again, witch would be a shame as it is just this that gives you the "i rock more than ten tons of flax (search google for discordia for details)"-feel.… Expand
  6. HarryS.
    Aug 10, 2004
    10
    This game is awesome... the graphics are awesome and the gameplay is really fun. whoever gives this game a bad score means that they probably suck at the game.... this is one of my favorite games for the xbox if not my favorite.
  7. ShayS.
    Aug 10, 2004
    10
    The people who criticize this game for its difficulty and camera system are ignorent and cant see past their noses! Tomonubu Itagaki is already installing a brand new camera system in which you will be able to adjust it more. As for the so-called repetitive gameplay and difficulty, these people weren't skilled enough to get past the first level (In which you get 1 weapon with limited The people who criticize this game for its difficulty and camera system are ignorent and cant see past their noses! Tomonubu Itagaki is already installing a brand new camera system in which you will be able to adjust it more. As for the so-called repetitive gameplay and difficulty, these people weren't skilled enough to get past the first level (In which you get 1 weapon with limited attacks, but thats normal for any first level of any game). Once you get at least 3 hours into the gameplay the attack list doubles and boredom (which there isn't) ceases. At around 20 hours you can have weapons with up to 30 combination attacks. Repetitive fighting my arse, the game gets 7 unique upgradeable melee weapons (one even upgrades 7 times), 7 projectile weapons, and 5 armlets that give special qualities. The game takes up to 50 hours, which is 5 time longer than the average action game, and is in a world bigger than GTA: Vice City. This game deserves an 11 out of 10 because of all the work that the people at Team Ninja have done for the past 6 years, and still are doing to improve on those little "flaws" so many prople are ranting on about. Ninja Gaiden owns.… Expand
  8. LoucasM.
    Sep 2, 2004
    10
    A clear ten for the best XBOX game out yet. Simply beautiful.
  9. Skillerified
    Mar 28, 2005
    10
    For me this is unquestionably the best XBOX game of 2004. Ninja kicks the crap out of Halo 2 (and follows that up by promptly decapitating Master Chief and the Aribitor in one furious slash). I consider myself only a casual gamer and, yes this game was difficult, but not unbeatable. To me it was refreshingly difficult. It reminded me of younger days (before the wife, house, job, "other For me this is unquestionably the best XBOX game of 2004. Ninja kicks the crap out of Halo 2 (and follows that up by promptly decapitating Master Chief and the Aribitor in one furious slash). I consider myself only a casual gamer and, yes this game was difficult, but not unbeatable. To me it was refreshingly difficult. It reminded me of younger days (before the wife, house, job, "other adult responsibilty") when hours were spent battling the same boss over and over again. There is great satisfaction in victory after such lenghty, fierce battles. I personally had no problems with the camera.… Expand
  10. MarkoF.
    May 3, 2005
    10
    One of the best Xboxgames overall. The game is not that hard, you just have to be somewhat patient. Brilliant gameplay and the graphics are incredible. I've beaten the game on Very Hard (ok, THAT was hard...), Normal shouldn't be a problem... Buy it!
  11. WaycoulDoude
    Feb 10, 2004
    10
    I'm looking forward to this game, even more than Halo 2!! Hmmm a gun verses a ninja sword. Plus the graphics look better than halo 2 also.
  12. MikeM.
    Feb 25, 2004
    10
    You people are idiots for rating a game before it comes out. Who the hell do you think you are? --- " I give it a 10 cause the pictures in a gaming magazine I saw 6 months ago look cool." -- Morons.
  13. BobbyH.
    Feb 27, 2004
    10
    The game of the year.
  14. Kainraziel
    Feb 9, 2004
    10
    I cant wait for this game to come out... getting to kill other ninjas in a fight to the death... mmmmmmmmm dismemberment of body parts.
  15. AaronJ.
    Mar 10, 2004
    10
    Just plain good!!!!!!
  16. ApheX
    Mar 12, 2004
    10
    Probably the best action game of this year!
  17. JordanK.
    Mar 1, 2004
    10
    This game im really xcited about!!!i cant wait till it comes out.i was in love with dmc 1&2 and chaos legion,i wished it was ninja games like this that came out 1st on xbox so i can already play it.the visuals rock my world and should do yours!:)
  18. GeorgeP.
    Mar 10, 2004
    10
    Great game. Graphics are awsome, and the gameplay is very challenging. I am still stuck on the horseman boss at the end of level 2. Any tips would be appreciated. My E-mail is gpoulos31@yahoo.com
  19. [Anonymous]
    Mar 1, 2004
    10
    Tuomas K. You have no idea what you are talking about!!! Do yourself a favor and grow a brain and then start to play games. You will actually see that this game is 100% why consoles were invented in the first place. Get a life!
  20. Farout
    Mar 2, 2004
    10
    This game raises the bar for no just action games but all games on every platform. With its superior in game graphics and gameplay it crushes all prior games. This is an amazing game! PS2 game owners, I feel so sorry for you and your pitiful game machines. Not being able to have this one of a kind game must be painful. Thankyou Team Ninja for this game. You're by far my favorite game This game raises the bar for no just action games but all games on every platform. With its superior in game graphics and gameplay it crushes all prior games. This is an amazing game! PS2 game owners, I feel so sorry for you and your pitiful game machines. Not being able to have this one of a kind game must be painful. Thankyou Team Ninja for this game. You're by far my favorite game creators. THIS GAME ROCKS!!! … Expand
  21. SamJ.
    Mar 21, 2004
    10
    The greatest action game out there so far. the graphics are smooth and fast. The game is challenging. So if your not a hardcore gamer, dont buy it! the bosses are hard to beat but fun at the same time. I struggled on the first level against murai, but after 4 trys I gave him a lickin. So I do recommend you purchase it. (Im stuck at those platforms where Doku was defeated so if you have The greatest action game out there so far. the graphics are smooth and fast. The game is challenging. So if your not a hardcore gamer, dont buy it! the bosses are hard to beat but fun at the same time. I struggled on the first level against murai, but after 4 trys I gave him a lickin. So I do recommend you purchase it. (Im stuck at those platforms where Doku was defeated so if you have tips email me at sciencelab99@hotmail.com) … Expand
  22. MikeYo
    Mar 3, 2004
    10
    Ya this game is the coolest game ever and for the people who complain about the camera just hit the right trigger and it goes back to perfect.
  23. Deliveryboy
    Mar 3, 2004
    10
    Metacritic needs to do something about that gaming age review score. If you read the gaming age on their site they give it a C- which they state is an average score. An average score on metacritic is probably a 70 to 75 so where did the 42 come from?!?!?
  24. AndyA.
    Mar 8, 2004
    10
    Easily the best game in YEARS! The difficulty is a must for games of today. true, this game doesn't hold your hands like EVERY OTHER 3D game, and the developers made it clear that's what they was going for. the controls are fluid, the graphics are beautiful, and the the camera 'IS' controlable. the action is fast and deadly. this game is true to the roots of old schoolEasily the best game in YEARS! The difficulty is a must for games of today. true, this game doesn't hold your hands like EVERY OTHER 3D game, and the developers made it clear that's what they was going for. the controls are fluid, the graphics are beautiful, and the the camera 'IS' controlable. the action is fast and deadly. this game is true to the roots of old school videogames. we've lacked true challenging games since the 16/32 bit days, and this is a homage to a true gamer's test of skill. and to be quite honest, the difficulty is fair. it's hard only because the player wants to button smash. if you select a certain weapon, there are specific moves offered in a 'moves list' that would help you understand and use that weapon. plus the 'BLOCK' button is definitely, and FINALLY, a useful button. True action, hardcore gameplay, lots of hidden goodies, and 20 hours of play! pluse unlockables, and online features! this game is a true gamers trophy. if you want to spend (and lose) $50 on an easier game that would baby you through it's end, making you feel that you never EARNED your way to the ending by use of your own game playing skill, then look elsewhere. If you want to master the arts of a ninja for $50, and feel that you actually accomplish something when you reach the end, then BUY this game NOW. The Story is very simple, no twist endings, or deep storyline because that would take away from the core of the game itself...the action. the music is well tuned for each environment...and it actually made me feel like im in an old school Ninja movie from the '80! wow! dont be fooled into giving up so easily...the challenge isnt frustrating...it's just good AI for the bad guys. I welcome Ninja Gaiden with open arms because classic gaming is back...NINJA STYLE!!… Expand
  25. VinistensityCheetaago
    Mar 8, 2004
    10
    Nuff' said.
  26. JonathanK.
    Mar 9, 2004
    10
    Back in the days of the NES I fell in love with a simple little game called Ninja Gaiden. I absolutely adored it. I played it everyday. It took my wee self 9 months to beat it. I was 9 or 10 I think. I don't recall. I recall every level of that game. I still hum level themes from that game from time to time. Only themes from games as popular as Mario and Zelda have ever done that to Back in the days of the NES I fell in love with a simple little game called Ninja Gaiden. I absolutely adored it. I played it everyday. It took my wee self 9 months to beat it. I was 9 or 10 I think. I don't recall. I recall every level of that game. I still hum level themes from that game from time to time. Only themes from games as popular as Mario and Zelda have ever done that to me. Well, Mario, Zelda, and Ninja Gaiden. The game was frustratin as hell as times, but I felt like I accomplished something when I finally beat a section, boss, and finally the game. It was never unfair, just amazingly hard. The same was true of Ninja Gaiden II. (note: Ninja Gaiden 3 came out when I was no longer using my nintendo, and I never found a copy of NGT for the SNES) I was deeply saddened when I learned that Ninja Gaiden would only be remade for the Xbox. But in the time since I have purchased one, and waited. Now I have Ninja Gaiden. I was upset at first. But I was judging a book by it's cover. The game goes easy on you in the very beginning. It starts with a very simple training stage. Savor it I say. It will get MUCH harder very soon. I welcome that training stage. It doesn't force you through a walkthrough, as you can skip all the training text (and by skip I mean never even access it rather than immediately remove it from the screen). You finish that area with a difficult first boss (only difficult because I didn't have any other bosses to compare it to at the moment). Now you're treated to the game's amazing graphics in full CG glory, and yes, they look even better than the amazing in game screens. But don't be wowed too much, for you now have many more stronger enemies to content with. I thought I reached a boss when two horsemen jumped out at me and I had to fight them, especially considering the special attack one of them had. Turns out they were just a warm up. The game has killed me over a hundred times easily since I got it. Easily. It's that hard. The enemies are that rough. It's frustrating. Not because it's cheap, but because you know you're just not good enough yet. But oh the glory when you are, the glory when you are. This game is destined for greatness. Oh yes. A perfect ten. Why? Because it is everything an action game should be. Devil May what? Castlevania Who? The Ninja's got them beat.… Expand
  27. A.A.
    Mar 9, 2004
    10
    Great Game !!!
  28. Bob
    Apr 7, 2004
    10
    BEST GAME EVER!!!!!
  29. BobB.
    May 30, 2004
    10
    This game is really fun!! Graphics are amazing and controls are really good!!
  30. MarcoC.
    Jun 22, 2004
    10
    After reading nearly everyone's reviews of this game, I think I'm the only one who didn't have a BIG problem with the camera, yes there were times that camera was a LITTLE bit of a pain on the ass but overall this is - to date - One of the...... No..... IS THE BEST Game of its kind (well to me anyways). The Graphics are one of its best features. The cutscenes almost looks After reading nearly everyone's reviews of this game, I think I'm the only one who didn't have a BIG problem with the camera, yes there were times that camera was a LITTLE bit of a pain on the ass but overall this is - to date - One of the...... No..... IS THE BEST Game of its kind (well to me anyways). The Graphics are one of its best features. The cutscenes almost looks as if it was made for a big budget Hollywood movie film. The controls are sooo close to being perfect. The Gameplay is what shines in Ninja Gaiden the most, If you were to mix The Legend Of Zelda, Devils May Cry, & Prince Of Persia you would get Ninja Gaiden that is the best way I could describe it. If your the type of person who unforgiving then this game MIGHT not be for you. Yes the game is Very Hard to the point that a simple enemy can kill you if your not skilled enough and if you passed that then you can really call yourself a true gamer. Its a No brainer - Its a game you have to get if you own an X-Box or at the very least rent it and Try it out. #1 action Game ~Ninja Gaiden~… Expand
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Awards & Rankings

6
#6 Best Xbox Game of 2004
3
#3 Most Discussed Xbox Game of 2004
6
#6 Most Shared Xbox Game of 2004

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
91

Universal acclaim - based on 89 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 86 out of 89
  2. Mixed: 2 out of 89
  3. Negative: 1 out of 89
  1. Weekly Famitsu
    83
    9 / 8 / 8 / 8 - 33 gold [Vol 796; 19 Mar 2004]
  2. Thunderbolt
    100
    From start to finish, the main element that propels Ninja Gaiden above all others in the action genre is the dazzling combat-based gameplay.
    Read full review
  3. DarkStation
    100
    There has been such precise and accurate detail placed on this game that it would be near impossible to point out any faults.
    Read full review
See all critic reviews »