Ninja Blade (360)

[Family Fry]

Demo is short and ends just as it's getting good as well.
Your typical slash em up, very nice visuals and fast paced.
Starts with a crazy Elite Ninja Squad in helicopter, seems like you have been sent out to help with some crazy **** going down which no one else can handle.
Presentation is slick, lotta QTE's but they move very well and are nice and actiony too, if you fail QTE has an odd rewind back to start, like a movie rewinding.
Standout QTE involved dodging a massive spider by jumping through a window, game then goes straight back into gameplay as you are skydiving down a skyscraper and slashing everything as you fall, was impressive.
Combat sees you with 4 weapons, all ready to equip from D-Pad.
Real time weapon switching
I was always interested in this since it was From Software and always enjoyed Otogi, this is looking stylishly crazy from the demo but will wait and see how it pans out.

Demo is on JPN 360 Marketplace and can play on UK console.

[MisterBubbles]

Ninja Blade ( X360 Demo )

Well just played the demo and im thinking is this the new EDF2017 its wacky the graphics look meh to me but it has giant worms and spiders but its fun QTE FTW
discuss .........
HAPPY GAMING !!!

[SUMIRE]

I thought it was ok, but the QTE totally kill it for me.

[TheBlackLodge]

Thought this was quite good actually. Looked nice, was completely ridiculous and was damned good fun.

[mr_rich]

thought it was ok. though couldnt stop laughing at the mental end QTE stuff.

[Lebowski]

Its odd but the crazy amount of QTE reminds me of Road Avenger on the mega cd its all style over substance with the odd button press rewarding you with some crazy scenes.

I found the intro funny in that the main guy has a silly amount of swords on his back already and then gets given another one!

his dumfounded response on getting the extra sword came across as "oh great another feking sword"

[prinnysquad]

Lebowski - you've just explained why this demo was so great!

Completely OTT and style over substance, the combat didn't feel particularly deep, and some of the design choices felt awkward.

BUT ... haha it's great fun. MASSIVE bosses (that reminded me more of God of War than EDF, but I think I get where Lizard King is coming from), QTEs that are a total pisstake (yet quite forgiving and part of outrageous action/camera work), appealing visuals, and hilarious speech.

Really enjoyed it! A cheapy buy, for defo.

[Stormtec]

I actually thought the spider boss fight was a bit slow. I mean, once you get up to him it's simply a case of waiting for his legs to come down.... and there it is SLASHSLASHSLASH...leg goes up.... you wait around again. Dodging the shockwaves was pretty cool though.

Personally, I think the the boss fights in the Xbox Ninja Gaiden and even the PS2 Shinobi were more fun.

the rest of the demo was alright. Although I did find it a bit slow and plodding. It felt like fighting was rather start-stop between each enemy/set of attacks, and... Iunno, not quite as fluid? Though maybe I've been spoiled on Ninja Gaiden, which has speed in mind.

[EvilBoris]

I'd buy it for £20 that's for sure. it was fun holding R and running around like a Ninja High on Diet Redbull.

[prinnysquad]

Yeah I'd forget about Ninja Gaiden and just play it on its own merits. Sure the spider fight was slow and methodical, but the cutscenes were a decent reward. You felt like you'd taken down a total BEAST after that grind!

[Team Andromeda]

Just finished this and the game is brilliant and so much fun , and some of the graphics are eye popping, more so onthe last boss (which took me over an hour to beat ), awesome boss though , its the size of the screen) .

There's a few O.TO.GI references (emblems ect) and in an Ninja Blade interview, Masanori Takeuchi didn't rule out a sequel to O.TO.GI .
So i can but hope with this great engine and great Team , we'll see another O.TO.GI game.

Shame this game hasn't sold better , its brilliant fun

[Super Monkey Balls]

I think I'm still only 5 levels in (the lack of save points puts me off quick sessions) but I think this could be my vote for "Game everyone should have played but possibly didn't" next year.

It lacks variety, there are perhaps too many bosses and you have to like QTE's, but it's a lot of fun in the same way DMC is because its positively dripping with style and is a good old fashioned slash-combo fest with epic monsters.

[rmoxon]

Bought and played this a bit yesterday, It feels increadabley tacky, it looks like crap and the controls arent exactly brilliant (I wasnt even sure what the differerence between the two starting swords really appeared to be) and you seem to be able to just mash buttons for the normal enemies so far. It certainly feels like a low rent Ninja Gaiden/Devil May cry.

Having said that the first boss was good and it is pretty bonkers which is always nice...

I must have been playing my PS3 a bit too much recently though, because I'm having trouble with the QTE's, I keep pressing A everytime it tells me to press X.

Speaking of the QTE's they are increabley pointless, if you fail it rewinds to like 5 seconds earlier and you have to watch the same scene again and then press the button again... doing this constantly throughout the game will surley get annoying.

[Super Monkey Balls]

I think one of the things I like about NB is its so very Japanese in its execution and I've missed that in games of late.

[Dazzyman]

Just bought this online (with Riddick also on 360 and SR2 again this time on PS3). Funny I tried it other week and thought it was a meh button masher but went back to it this morning and it just clicked, very much DMC meets NG lite. Think the QTE and music is very lovely on it. The redoing the QTE didnt bother me as thats always what happens ( really enjoye em on RE5 better than just sat watching a cutscene for me).