Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword ( 6.5 out of 10 ) ...
May 15, 2008 ... Review by Chad
I personally waited for this game for about forever and a day before I got the chance to actually sit down and enjoy it until the end. Unfortunately, the end of this game is at about the five or six hour mark.
The game takes place just after Ninja Gaiden Black/Sigma, but you’ll hardly notice or care, as the story isn’t the main attraction in Ninja Gaiden games. This game is obviously all about the intense game play, and it delivers that in spades. You only need to use one button on the DS itself, which is block. That button incidentally is any button on the system, which makes it very easy to reach. Every other command in the game is pulled off by using the stylus. Ryu’s signature moves like the Izuna Drop and being bad-ass are all achieved with relative ease. One of the biggest drawbacks however is that on the easier difficulty, you can pretty much just go nuts with the stylus and wipe out every enemy on the screen. In fact, because this is the case, you may have some luck in getting people who don’t normally play games into this one. Just tell them how easy it is to control the game, and they should fall in love with it.
It’s nice to see that it’s pretty much possible to port the original Xbox version of Ninja Gaiden to the DS, but that doesn’t mean that it should be done. What I mean by that is the game rehashes everything you’ve been playing for the past few years on your Xbox or PS3. In fact, I can’t remember more than five or so new enemies. Even a lot of the 
bosses were rehashed, which is inexcusable because you beat them in the same exact way! If I remember correctly, I think I said “You’ve gotta be kidding me.” as I wasted boss after boss without getting hit because I had memorized strategies from the Xbox and PS3 game.
Even the music is rehashed, which isn’t necessarily bad. It’s a crying shame however that the track ‘Pray To God’ wasn’t used, as it’s the single best track from the Xbox game. What music is in the game though is pretty good, and I’d have to imagine pushes the DS to its limits.
One thing that stood out after I was halfway through the game was that there is only one main weapon that you can use. After the Xbox and PS3 version had more than ten main weapons, this made me yearn for more.
Obsessive fan-boy gripes aside, the game is truly a blast to play. To be honest though, the game doesn’t last nearly long enough. It’s an extremely fun game, and you’ll be able to play for hours on end, but that only lasts for a few sittings. If you’re a fan of the series, you owe it to yourself to rent this one. Only the diehard should buy this one, and even then, it’s so predictable that most players won’t play through it more than once.
Completion Time – 5 or 6 hours on your first run.
6.5/10
Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword At A Glance |
|||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
6.5 |
The Good |
It’s Ninja Gaiden, great controls. Art style used for conversations and cutscenes. Sound effects are glorious. |
The Bad |
You can count the number of new enemies on one hand. Everything else is pretty much recycled as well. Only one main weapon. |
||
Decent |
The Verdict |
Rent it if you can |
|