Ninja Blade Eye Candy (Xbox 360)

[fitbabits]

Developed by FROM Software (Chromehounds, etc,) and published by Microsoft, Ninja Blade™ is an action adventure game set within modern day Tokyo.

Parasites known as alpha-worms have mysteriously appeared, unleashing a wave of human destruction as they rapidly spread east, reaching the shores of Tokyo. With the future of humankind hanging in the balance, an exclusive and elite team possessing highly specialized skills is formed to eliminate the enemy onslaught, and ultimately save mankind from complete obliteration.

All well and good, but the question is how does it look? You be the judge. Below you'll see a slideshow of 13 in-game screenshots to feast your eyes on.

Ninja Blade is rated RP - Rating Pending by the ESRB and will be released some time in 2009.

[Disgustipated]

Editor's note - Please don't link to Pirate Bay.

Edit: Whoops, sorry. You can find the Japanese demo available for download at certain sites on the Internet, for anyone who is interested...

[Grifter]

For any of you with a Japanese account the demo is now available to download for silver members.

I'm not a huge fan of the real time events and it's missing the fluidity that Ninja Gaiden has but other than that it seems pretty cool and it does look pretty damn good.

[MachEnergy]

ooooooo.....i like the photobucket slideshow

looks like this one has potential

[Cactaur]

Meh. The game looks like a woefully generic slasher with God of War QTEs thrown in.

[Orca]

[Norse]

I love Ninjas and really liked the demo. Not as much as Ninja Gaiden, but that's one of my all time favorites so it's hard to top.

[JayVe]

I remember seeing the video for this game and thinking it was created from a 'checklist of awesome'.

• ninja
• helicopters
• skydiving
• grappling hook
• fighting giant bug while skydiving down the side of a skyscraper at night
• deflecting 2,893,271 arrows with a sword
• exploding serpent-sky dragons
• rockets
• ninja surfing through the sky on a rocket
• Ninja Blade

I mean, how could it go wrong?


?

[Xerxes]

JayVe summed it up. I wish people could find another way to deal with the QTE. I small ticker bar up top, have the baddie flash yellow signaling the Y button or something.

"ATTACK" = X all in the middle of the action is just meh.

But it's going to be cinematic as hell based on the gameplay vids.

[Orca]

If they had a small ticker bar up top, you'd wind up watching that instead of the action. At least having it in the middle of the screen means you're actively watching what's going on.

It also helps that the button you push is related to what action you're doing. If you know you're going to have to jump or wire swing, it'll be A. If it looks like an attack is coming, it's X or Y.

[jpublic]

OOOH. Pretty.

[Xerxes]

Originally Posted by Orca

If they had a small ticker bar up top, you'd wind up watching that instead of the action. At least having it in the middle of the screen means you're actively watching what's going on.

It also helps that the button you push is related to what action you're doing. If you know you're going to have to jump or wire swing, it'll be A. If it looks like an attack is coming, it's X or Y.

Even better. The second part that is. It wouldn't be random and if you hit the action button instead of the attack button you'd get punished for a fuck up. Same result. I love it.

The ticker bar would only be like subtitles. I can watch action movies with subtitles just fine. I don't like the middle of the screen for shit.

[StarGypsy]

Originally Posted by JayVe

I remember seeing the video for this game and thinking it was created from a 'checklist of awesome'.

• ninja
• helicopters
• skydiving
• grappling hook
• fighting giant bug while skydiving down the side of a skyscraper at night
• deflecting 2,893,271 arrows with a sword
• exploding serpent-sky dragons
• rockets
• ninja surfing through the sky on a rocket
• Ninja Blade

I mean, how could it go wrong?

Game Length.
I played the demo and really enjoyed it. If I can get 10-20 hours out of it, Its a day one purchase.

Thanks for the info about the demo guys.

[Orca]

Originally Posted by Xerxes

Even better. The second part that is. It wouldn't be random and if you hit the action button instead of the attack button you'd get punished for a fuck up. Same result. I love it.

The ticker bar would only be like subtitles. I can watch action movies with subtitles just fine. I don't like the middle of the screen for shit.

1:30 in, there's a missed QTE. It's not horribly punishing and it's nice that there's no loading to start the string over.

I'd definitely watch the HD version though - http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idgBP7TDe0E

[Xerxes]

That's cool. I almost would have preferred a death screen and restart. Still not loving the qte presentation. I hate more for being in the middle of the screen. I don't really know why everyone else hate them. Also, the GREAT and EXCELLENT are very meh.

[Variable Gear]

Looks terrible. Ninja Gaiden without a soul and with QTEs is not something I'd ever buy.

[Orca]

Originally Posted by Variable Gear

Ninja Gaiden without a soul...

What does that even mean? Have you actually played the demo, or are you just basing your dislike for the title off it not being Ninja Gaiden?

[Variable Gear]

Originally Posted by Orca

What does that even mean? Have you actually played the demo, or are you just basing your dislike for the title off it not being Ninja Gaiden?

I've played the demo, and my comment refers to the fact that the game wants to be Ninja Gaiden III, but can't deliver an experience close to that of Ninja Gaiden II, which was inferior to Ninja Gaiden Black/Sigma. I mean that the game is uninspired and has little hope of succeeding. I little soul would help matters.

[Squidbot]

I concur, it's Ninja Gaiden lite, they may as well have called it Ninja Guy: Dan!

[Wellscha]

From software has been always been a symbol of mediocrity to me.

Imagine my shock when I found out that they also did Otogi.