Ultimate "Ninja Gaiden"

You loved him in the side-scrolling NES games that redefined action-adventure titles on that venerable system. You thrilled to his dazzling displays of hard-hitting ninja style and ingenuity in Dead or Alive 3 (developer Team Ninja’s last Xbox outing). Now, Ryu Hayabusa, the original booty-kicking ninja assassin, gets his own solo show on the Xbox in the all-new Ninja Gaiden, published by the fine folks at Service Games. The first thing you’re going to notice is that the game looks even better than the bench-settingDead or Alive 3-except this is a full-on third-person action game with huge levels and cut scenes that could teach even the Wachowski brothers a thing or two. But Ninja Gaiden is much more than a visual work of art. Once you pick up the controller and see what you can do with Ryu, you’re going to be hooked.


Choose the right weapon for the job.

Enter the Ninja
Like all good avenging ninjas, Ryu has an arsenal of weapons at his disposal, including his sword, a variety of shuriken, a bow and arrow, a heavy war hammer, and of course, nunchuks. Each weapon has unique strengths and weaknesses, and with his ninjitsu powers (i.e. magic), Ryu has virtually never-ending series of possible combos-not to mention basic moves that look like they should be combos.

Check out these gameplay tips to get the most out of your shiny new Hayabusa.

The Walls Have Feet
One of the simplest tricks to master is the wall run, which lets you access unreachable areas and utilize all three dimensions of any combination. It’s also as basic as you can get. To run up the wall, just get close to the wall and guide Ryu from the floor to the wall with the thumbstick.

Button Mashers Need Not Apply
Repeat after me: I will not mash. The first time you pick upNinja Gaiden, the speed will seem frantic. But don’t cheat yourself with some equally frantic mashing. The elegantly simple control system rewards accurate strikes as well as tactical thinking, so learn the controls and execute moves and combos purposefully.


Learn your enemy’s weak points.

Behold, the Power of Ninjitsu
Using the mysterious dark arts of the ninja and an able assist from the Y and B buttons, Ryu can call upon different ninjitsu powers in the game. These ninjitsu powers are essentially spells that can inflict heavy damage on many foes at once, but the power to execute these special attacks is limited by the number of golden fire balls underneath Ryu’s health meter … and they don’t refill quickly. Try to make sure you’re surrounded by enemies, and then hit Y and B together to release the particular power you’ve selected. You can go into the menu and switch that power at any time during the game, assuming you’ve got more than one.

Room for Improvement
Keep a close eye on your score. Ninja Gaiden rewards a stylish kill with points that you can use to upgrade your ninja arsenal. Don’t be satisfied with merely defeating an opponent; string together those combos and earn yourself a better weapon.


Stay on the move if you want to keep in one piece.

Throw, Slash, Repeat
You have an endless supply of throwing stars, which will do a small amount of damage, but leave many enemies briefly stunned. That gives you the chance to follow through with your weapon of choice and combo away. Throwing stars are also handy when Ryu is surrounded by foes that don’t quite warrant the use of ninjitsu powers.

Think Like a Ninja
Ryu Hayabusa isn’t a slave to the same laws of physics as you, me, or even most videogame characters, for that matter. Initially, you will encounter areas that seem to be utter dead ends. In such cases, there’s sure to be a way for you to get where you need to go, but it’s not necessarily going to be obvious. If you get stuck, snap into first-person mode with a click of the left thumbstick, and scan for corners that Ryu can climb with a wall jump-walls that might be vulnerable to an exploding shuriken or a low-hanging bar that our ninja hero can use to gymnastically reach higher elevations.