PlayStation

Ninja: Shadow of Darkness

There isn't a great deal more to say about Ninja that hasn't already been said. Visually, it's a masterpiece. In fact I would say that the graphics are among the best I have seen on the Playstation... and I must have witnessed well over 500 PSX titles. Just wait until you cast your eyes over the water effects as Ninja wades across the stream. Tropical fish can be seen swimming around slightly below the surface of the semi-transparent deep blue rippling river. Unfortunately I found the gameplay quite repetitive. Defeat two attacking enemies and there are another pair waiting in the wings to take over. These are quickly followed by yet another couple of baddies... and so it goes on. Perhaps if the original enemies had lasted three times as long.... who knows?

Un très bon jeu d'action/aventure orienté baston. NINJA est même vendu en "vraie" version française (et pas en version européenne où vous devez choisir la langue), avec une introduction comprenant des voix en français, ce qui est encore loin d'être le cas pour tous les jeux.

Core gamely attempts to mix things up by throwing in some wicked physical hazards, cool-looking ninja spells, and simple puzzle elements, but it's not enough to make Ninja more than a prospective rental.

Ninja could have been cool (taking a game like Shinobi and trying to provide an updated variation), but it's not. The gameplay is cheap and irritating throughout, especially the "cunning" traps that only seem to be in there to annoy you. Graphically it's all a bit "first generation" with only the magical effects really raising things above the level of "bad". Not what you'd expect from Core.