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Ninja Reflex Review: Cut To The Quick
Posted by Mike Fahey at 4:20 AM on March 15, 2008
While I am a huge fan of ninja and ninja accessories, I'm not all that fond of mini-game collections, so when EA announced Ninja Reflex for the Nintendo Wii I was understandably conflicted. On one hand, the game offered many traditional ninja-friendly activities - throwing shuriken, twirling nunchaku, swinging your sword about, and catching flies with chopsticks. On the other, mini-game collections aren't exactly known for offering the sort of deep experience I crave in my ninja games. It was the sort of internal conflict that could only be sorted out via heated battle.
Blue Ninja versus Red Ninja - Ready, fight!
Loved:
Presentation and Atmosphere: Everything from the traditional music to the ink-painted menu-backgrounds help foster the feeling of being trained by a wise Japanese martial-arts master. The theme is treated with respect, aside from perhaps the included ninja name generator, but anything that calls me Naughty Panda is a plus in my book.
The Ninja Factor: The mini-games, particularly in the nunchaku category, really lend themselves to standing in front of the television in your best approximation of a ninja stance. You could still play sitting on the couch, but it isn't half as fun.
Built-In Meditation Break: The game includes a guided meditation session, which is unbelievably relaxing after spending a half-hour of trying to catch a god damned koi without scaring the 30 other fish swimming around it.
Hated
Lack of Variety: While there are six mini-games in each of the six categories, they don't vary enough to feel like they stand alone. "Use your other hand" doesn't really count as its own game.
Repetitive Gameplay: Once you unlock all of the mini-game variations at the blue belt level that's pretty much it. Repeat games at slightly harder difficulty up to third degree black belt. Rising difficulty plus no new games equals boredom and frustration.
The Katana Mini-game: While most of the mini-games perform well, control in the katana portion, which finds you blocking and countering attacks by demons, feels completely sloppy. It's only one section of the game, but when there are only six sections total that's a sizable chunk.
When I started playing Ninja Reflex I was completely charmed by the atmosphere Sanzaru Games had created within the game. The art style, music, and the mini-games themselves all combine to create one of the most cohesive and compelling mini-game collections I have played. Unfortunately, once all of the variations are unlocked and the repetition starts the game's charm begins to fade, which can easily lead to frustration. I honestly don't think Ninja Reflex is meant to be played through as quickly as possible. At its heart it is a reflex training game, and like a brain training game it works best in small doses.
Like the titular stealthy assassin, Ninja Reflex strikes fast and moves with unnatural grace, but unfortunately dies off far too early.
Ninja Reflex, developed by Sanzaru, published by EA, released March 4, for $US 40. Available on Nintendo Wii, played to first degree black belt.
Comments (AU Comments · US Comments)
There are currently no AU comments for this post.
KM91
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
@Pezdispenser: You fail, sir!!!
KM91
joelface
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
i'll just go back to playing N.
joelface
RemyDuvalle
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
@Wyld: Right... cos Kimono's and Karate Gis are "stereotypical" articles of clothing, right?
They're actually just time-pieces. If you saw Kung Fu flicks with them, it's usually cos it's taking place during a specific era of Japanese/Chinese culture (whatever you consider it, since you're all over the spectrum.. and apparently think all asian cultures are the same).
RemyDuvalle
_Ted_
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
i will stick with ask a ninja. every other ninja thing has been a let down for me.
_Ted_
comedy
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
shovel-where? heheh... see what i did?
comedy
bugashi
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
My personal thoughts on the Wii version, how much of a rip-off is this thing? The Nunchuck game is more or less batting things away, unless they add something to it other than bashing things thrown at you and avoiding various kinds of strikes. The Katana battles are buggy and a little hard to understand, but actually work in the clunkard kind of way. The fly catching chopsticks game is ripped from Karate Kid. There's no other way around it, just catch and drag to the "spinning" bowl. The Shuriken mini-game is actually different from point and shoot. Instead it's point, lock on and flick remote to destroy a paper target. The Koi catching game is more or less pinch the remote (hit A and B buttons) when they surface, which only happen when you hold your hand over them a period of time. Oh and the firefly catching "game" which is nothing more than "how fast can you hit the A button". Don't have to aim, don't have to do anything, just hit the button when they light up. Not even sure if that even counts as a game, but I guess they couldn't think of a mini-game version of sneaking, killing, or even using a Bo staff.
Other than that, that's more or less it. I mean, they set out to mate Wii Sports with ninjutsu. However it seems they couldn't find any ninjas, so they overdosed on old Asian Kung-Fu B-movies with an honorable showing of Karate Kid just for something more current without dragging in anything Jet Li (who's a wuss that can't do his own stunts). Who knows, maybe they had nothing but Chinese take-out for food, but at the end of it all Sanzaru Games showed just how much gaijins, er... Americans know about anything Ninja.
One thing that kinda annoyed me was not having any idea on how to play when you jump into the multiplayer mode. Alot of times, I'll end up playing a multiplayer game, and some one doesn't know how to play. Instead of offering a quick screen telling how it's played, it just tells you if the game's played in turns or not. It's expecting all players to have actually played through each minigame at least once before taking on anyone else in a katana battle. Somewhat understandable, but it puts others at a bit of a disadvantage for when they frantically swing the remote around like some sort of stupid gaijin trying to be a ninja.
Anyway, to abuse a line I originally heard from Dr Evil, the game is more or less the Diet Coke of ninjutsu. Just one mask, not ninja enough. Sure it sounds like a thrilling concept and could possibly be fun, but after a while it's dropped for something more productive, like unlocking Wolf in Smash Bros Brawl, or catching up with The House of The Dead 2 & 3 Return. To make things worse, they had the nerve to slap "ninja" on it, when "karate" would of been more fitting. For allowing this dishonor, I say EA should commit seppuku (even though we all know that's never going to happen).
bugashi
ajay42
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
"(Unless, of course, the Gaiden variety is released on it.)"
There already THREE of "the Gaiden variety" on the Wii. And those aren't plagued by a broken camera system ;)
ajay42
rdaneel72
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
"As a wii owner, regardless of premise, I avoid all mini-game compilations. Except for MP8, only because the wife had to have it."
Yes, getting your wife into videogames is not something to be taken lightly. Unless she's into Smash Bros.
Mine isn't!
rdaneel72
jeffx
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
I tried the DS version. The Katana portion sucks just as much, if not more.
jeffx
frank0127
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
@Torgen thinks AAA means "Costs $60": and at least MP8 was good.
frank0127
slacker164
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
This actually doesn't sound nearly as bad as I expected it to be. Still not going to shell out $40 for more mini-games though. Maybe someday if/when it hits the bargain bins.
slacker164
Mav
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
Catching flies with chopsticks is a karate discipline.
Mav
gunstarhero
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
Great just what the Wii needs, more people swinging the Wiimote around like a real sword/nunchaku!
gunstarhero
Pezdispenser
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
This could have been sooooo much better if they just went with Pirates instead. ;)
Pezdispenser
I_Hate_This_Place
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
For some reason, the front page says there are 3 comments for this article, yet everytime I click on it,I only see mine. I hate when this happens.
I_Hate_This_Place
Wyld
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
This game seems like those "western way of seing japan" like old kung fu movies where chinese wore kimonos, and karate kid, and such right?
Or maybe I´m wrong and it´s form a Japanese developer....
Anyway got the DS one, was playing a bit... wierd silly nunchuck minigame...
Wyld
Torgen thinks AAA means “Costs $60”
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
@I_Hate_This_Place: At least MP8 had a board game.
Torgen thinks AAA means “Costs $60”
Neo_Deus
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
Fahey, you need to learn to stop playing "Ninja" games on the Wii. It will only lead to disappointment!
(Unless, of course, the Gaiden variety is released on it.)
Neo_Deus
Friendly_Nemesis
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
With this game can i call myself a Ninja?
Friendly_Nemesis
spinch
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
"Use your other hand" doesn't really count as its own game.
Man, if I had a nickel for every time I heard that one...
spinch
I_Hate_This_Place
Posted 11:01 PM 19/3/08
It's a another mini-game. On the Wii. That's all that needs to be said.
-------------------
As a wii owner, regardless of premise, I avoid all mini-game compilations. Except for MP8, only because the wife had to have it.
I_Hate_This_Place
Gladman
Posted 7:47 PM 26/3/08
@I_Hate_This_Place: You have ridiculously large traps.
Gladman