Ninja Gaiden Black Xbox PreviewRyu’s “Back in Black”, Ninja Gaiden Black! Game Publisher Tecmo and Team NINJA have teamed up again to give gamers another taste of the awesome combat from last year’s action game Ninja Gaiden . While the developers could have made this a sequel, they instead decided to expand the original version with fresh new content and brand new difficulty levels in this Xbox exclusive.

Ninja Gaiden Black will include both of the Hurricane Expansion Packs and will also be crammed full of new content such as new weapons and enemies. Gamers can also expect all new levels and environments to practice their kung-fu moves on. Expanding on the original’s Xbox Live Capabilities, gamers will now be able to post their final scores on the internet for the world to see. In an effort to make Ninja Gaiden Black enjoyable to all Xbox gamers, Tecmo has toned down the difficulty of this game from its predecessor.

What's This Game All About Anyhow? from the developer.

Ninja Gaiden, the commercial and critically acclaimed cut and slash action game, took the action genre by storm with its unique and innovative game play, killer story and mind-blowing graphics. Now gamers can experience even more of Ryu Hayabusa’s deadly artistry in Ninja Gaiden BLACK, the newest installment in the Ninja Gaiden series, slashing its way to the Xbox® video game console this September 2005 as it ships to retailers nationwide. Boasting new difficulty levels including “Ninja Dog” level and “Master Ninja” level, the new Mission Mode with a massive number of new action-packed missions to complete, and colossal amounts of special bonus features including content from both Hurricane Packs 1&2, the new Ninja Gaiden: BLACK is the must have game for all action lovers from casual to hardcore.

Gameplay Features - from the developer

  • Compatible with Xboxâ„¢ Live: Karma scores can be uploaded to the online leader boards via Xbox Live
  • Increased Levels of Difficulty: Five levels of difficulty for all kinds of gamers including “Ninja Dog” to “Very Difficult Master Ninja”
  • Increased Action-Packed Missions: Play in Story mode or Mission Mode with a massive number of missions to complete, including traditional enemy battles, time challenges, boss battles and more!
  • Challenging Hurricane Packs Content: Content such as new enemies and big, bad bosses from Hurricane Packs 1&2 included as special bonus for an extra ninja challenge.
  • Never-Before-Seen Content: New cinematic cut scenes that reveal secrets from the world of Ninja Gaiden.
  • Jaw-dropping Sounds and Graphics: Stunning graphics and incredible sounds as you would expect from Tecmo’s esteemed development team, Team NINJA
  • Colossal Amounts of Bonus Content: Hidden unlockables including the original arcade version of Ninja Gaiden, Ninja Ryukenden, available for the first time on a video game console in Ninja Gaiden: BLACK

Game Media - Screenshots

Ninja Gaiden Black Xbox Screenshot

View all Ninja Gaiden Black Screenshots

Ninja Gaiden Black Screenshot

Game Info and Resources

XBS Commentary - Our Thoughts

For me, the first Ninja Gaiden gameplay was a breathtaking experience, literally. Most of the combat in the game was so challenging I felt like I’d been working out at the gym for a day by the time I finished a level. Team Ninja seems to be giving gamers more of the same in this expanded version of the game. However, a large number of gamers were put off by Ninja Gaiden’s seemingly insane difficulty as well. For that reason I think Tecmo added a few different difficulty levels to try and make Ninja Gaiden Black more appealing to larger audiences. With all of these new features, hard core fans should be satisfied with the game as well.

After reading about all the new features, I’m nearly jumping up and down with excitement over Ninja Gaiden Black. From what I’ve seen the combat looks quicker and more brutal than ever. With all the new enemies, weapons and moves Team Ninja has created for us, I think Ninja Gaiden Black will be worth the price of re-admission to the Ninja Gaiden universe.

Written by XBS Previewer Pure Ego.

Filed under: Previews

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