Recently, many developers have taken up the challenge of recreating the classic games. There have been hits and misses, but in the end it is always nice to see your favorite old characters brought back to life. I mean honestly, of the gamers who actually played those classics, who hasn't ever thought about "such and such" being brought back with a new story, modern gameplay, and a kick ass graphics engine? Well, this is exactly the case with Ninja Gaiden. And let it be known here and now that fans of the originals have nothing to fear, this game ROCKS!

I generally don't rate games too harshly, but earning a high score from me is very difficult and it takes a truly amazing game. "Truly amazing" are two words that fight Ninja Gaiden perfectly. In all honesty, this game really does deserve a 10. However, the lack of any kind of a multiplayer really detracts from the replay and the so-so soundtrack (and the lack of being able to play your own custom soundtrack) hold back the games' sounds. Other than that this game is nearly perfect.

Think Onimusha, Dead or Alive 3, and, of course, the classic Ninja Gaidens all wrapped together into one pretty package. What is the result? A game with a fine tuned battle system, solid gameplay, sick combos, an interesting story, and jaw-dropping graphics. This game perfectly combines the style and level-up system of the Onimusha series, the combos and amazing graphics of Dead or Alive 3, and the intriguing concept and storyline behind the Ninja Gaiden games.

Alright, let's get started with the gameplay. Keep one thing in mind with this game: it's not for everybody. At its core, this game is just a basic hack and slash. Sure, it is spiced up with crazy combos, but it is still just a hack and slash game. Only certain gamers can handle a hack and slash for long (myself being one of them). If you are one of the lucky few, then this game will be everything you ever dreamed of and then some.

There are two basic attack buttons, X and Y. X is for quick attack and Y for a power attack. Seems simple enough, right? Well, things get tricky and a hell of a lot more fun once you learn how to really use these. There are a crapload of combos, as mentioned way too many times, and by stringing these two buttons together and also with the jump button, there is a ton of variety that come out of this basic setup. Depending on how you are moving, if/when you jumped, timing, if you are jumping off a wall, how close the enemy is, etc, and then pressing these two buttons (either repeatedly pressing one or stringing them together) there is a ton of moves that Ryu (the "Ninja") will perform. These attacks range from the basic "stab" to a side slash to jumping off the enemy, teleporting above him, leaping off the wall with one foot, holding in mid air for a second as you raise your sword, and then fall to the ground with an earth shattering smash that damages and stuns all of the enemies around you. Yes, my friend, this game packs a punch.

The best part about the combo system is how smoothly it all flows together. The moves of the combos flow perfectly as it transfers from move to move. Jumping in the air, unsheathing the blade, raising it above your head, and then crashing down on the enemy is all perfectly woven together. Even better, ending one combo and going into a blocking stance to prepare for a counterattack or trying to develop another combo is just as smooth. Keep in mind, the action in this game is fast, and you have to have the reflexes of the Flash to be able to really handle some of these enemies.

Handling the enemies brings up another important factor in this game. It is tough. You know a game is holding true to its NES heritage when it offers enemies and bosses that are as difficult as the ones in Ninja Gaiden. Even on normal mode, the easiest mode offered in the game, the enemies can be EXTREMELY challenging even for the best of us. I swear, some of those guys and most of those bosses are ridiculously hard, either that or we have been so spoiled with easy enemies and bosses in other games that our skills as gamers has lessened considerably. Just keep in mind, there is Normal, Hard, and Very Hard, and most of you will never graduate past normal. Yes, this game is hard. VERY hard.

As mentioned earlier, the level-up system is similar to Onimusha. When you kill an enemy, they drop either yellow, blue, or red orb like things (sound familiar, Onimusha fans?). The yellow is used as money to buy items, scrolls (for magic or moves), and to upgrade weapons. Blue is used to replenish health. Red is used to replenish magic (called "Ninpu" in this game). Upgrading your weapons can be very important in this game, however, buying the elixirs to replenish your life is also necessary and can also be quite costly. Learning to manage your "money" will be very important.

Ooooohhhhhhh...yeah baby...this game looks good. Finger-lickin good, in fact. Let's get one bad point out of the way before I delve into the good parts, the environments really aren't very impressive. I mean, they aren't bad by any means, they just aren't good, especially when compared to the other graphical aspects of the game. The background textures, walls, etc, all look bland and empty. Of course, I can't be too harsh because it is possible (and even likely) that the environmental details had to be spared to allow for the better animations and special effects while keeping up the solid frame rates.

Alright, now here's the good stuff. Everything else. When I first started up the game, I thought "Blah, overrated." I had no clue. Honestly, the graphics at the start really don't look overly impressive. However, once you start getting a little deeper into the game, you start to find out that this baby is packin. The main character, Ryu, is detailed to the MAX. His suit, his weapons, his facial textures (what you can see, since he has part of his face covered), all look gorgeous. When the in game cut-scenes (the ones rendered using the in game graphics, not the CG video's) show, you can really see what kind of detail was put in. Man oh man, is it pretty.

In fact, all of the characters look absolutely amazing. Friends and foes alike, all characters received an astonoshing amount of detail. This game runs off of the Dead or Alive 3 engine so naturally it looks good. Hair flows in battle, Ryu has a scarf type thing that flows smoothly and realistically behind him as he spins and jumps, and most importantly, the animations are incredibly smooth. That's the best part, not only do the characters look good, but they flow. The attacking animations are just jaw-dropping. The sword actually connects with the enemy when you attack, that details in the path of the sword will become distorted as the sword flies by.

Even more goodness comes from the special effects. The flames, orbs, and lights all look incredibly good. The shadows and lighting paths in this game are well done (however, in though this is a "Ninja" game lighting really doesn't matter since there is no stealth involved, go figure). But they are hardly appreciated in the heat of battle (which fills most of the game). The flames of fire and the explosions of incindiery shuriken and the blueish eminence left behind when an attack is moving so quickly that you seemingly teleport *phew...need a breather...* are all beautiful. Simply beautiful.

The sound department is solid in this game, but definately not perfect. There is a little bit of Japanese music to fit the theme mixed in, however, most of the music is a techno hybrid that is fast and upbeat to match the action. The problem is that the music gets old extremely fast. The lack of being allowed to load up your own custom music is very dissapointing since the music in this game is below average.

On the other hand, the sound effects are very well done, as are the voice-overs. The voice of Ryu and all the other male characters are fairly deep and strong, as they should be. They are all strong, muscular men and they sound like it. The women in this game also have nice, sexy voices to match the bodies that were created for them (yes, this game uses the Dead or Alive 3 engine so naturally there is plenty of boobies on the ladies). There is fair amount of dialogue in the cut-scenes and CG videos (the CG videos look absolutely amazing, just so you know).

But the sound effect definately make up the action portion of the game. They compliment the graphics and gameplay perfectly. It is always nice to hear the sound of your sword cutting through soft flesh just as you see spurts of blood shoot out from your enemies chest. Yes, there is the usual "Ha!" from Ryu as he swings his sword around. The enemies also have their chirps, yells, and cries of pain.

The replay is the only part of the game that is truly lacking. The game is definately fun for a couple playovers because of the addicting action and a good amounts of secrets and stuff that can be unlocked and used in your next game. In addition, for an action game this one is quite long. There are about 16 levels and each one will take a new gamer an hour at least (sometimes two) and veterans at least 30 to 45 minutes even on the easiest difficulty.

However, the problem is that there is no multiplayer. No cooperative. This game would have been PERFECT with a cooperative. I would have easily given this game a ten if it did (of course, the custom soundtracks would have been nice as well).

So now the verdict. Well, this is an easy buy for hardcore action hack and slash fans. Not one? No matter, at least give it a rental. This has something for everybody. Most gamers will probably be satisfied with a rental due to the lack of replay. But in either case, this game is a load of fun while it lasts.