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Ninja Blade - 1/29/2009 Release in Japan

I actually wasn't expecting much here, but surprisingly I'm pretty impressed with what I've played so far. The level of polish is solid and the framerate is super smooth. The cut-scenes are actually nicely done with QTEs and really sucks you in as far as involvement. I also like the fact they would mix up the QTE controller sequence when I died. That gave it a little more of the surprise factor. There were enough checkpoints to allow the QTEs to not be too overbearing as well because if you miss on the QTE you just go back to that last quick checkpoint. The gameplay is like NG, but it seems for some reason to me a much smoother flow to it. Still not entirely sure about this one, but so far the experience has been good.


The Faceless Master said:
can the demo actually be downloaded outside of Japan? i've heard conflicting reports.
Click to expand...

I just downloaded it about an hour or so ago. Who knows if it has been region locked by now however.
 
this game is awful

it's like if someone thought to make a worse version of Heavenly Sword, then actually went ahead with it for some stupid reason
 
bloke said:
Does it work from memory stick? Guess not.
Click to expand...

- download the five rar parts
- extraxt them
- this will get you one (1!) folder named "content"
- burn this folder to a cd
- insert cd into 360, it will show up as "mixed media"
- navigate to "my xbox", "demos"
- click & play!

As for the demo, it's pretty much what I expected. The graphics are among the best I've seen and the game is incredibly smooth, definitely a step up from Ninja Gaiden 2 as far as performance is concerned. While game play isn't as deep or complex as you'd find in a Devil May Cry or Ninja Gaiden game, it's certainly good in it's own right and has a good feel to it. I can't really give an opinion on performance outside of game play considering the game's load times were atrocious when played from a burned DVD (Load times were easily in the minutes) and the transitions between QTE's were quite long as well... I'm sure this has to do with the game being played off a burned medium. I'm definitely looking forward to the final product :D
 
game seems pretty cool but QTEs are so annoying, hope they're not as prevalent in the whole game as they are in the demo.

played it from the HDD after downloading from the site Keikoku suggested. that transfer cable is proving to be very useful

:)
 
good stuff , but don't know if this will work as good for the entiregame tho , anyway it's like a cinematic take on Ninja Gaiden 2 with a bit of Shinobi art style , dunno , I liked the demo .
 
Love the game, the amount of moves the demo has is awesome. Holding block while attacking when he attaches the sword to his feet! It's like the Raiden mgs4 cutscene except user controlled, very cool.
 
QTE's done right can be good. Like in the context of making cutscenes interactive, and perhaps screwing them up could send you down a wrong path or something, that would be cool.

Waiting on the Demo to download, impressions to follow. I expect alot as this. I hopet this lives up to be spiritual Otogi successor, then the 360 will finally be closer to 'complete' with me.

Just waiting on Jet Set Radio and Panzer Orta sequels to make it the definitive sucessor to Xbox (dreaming of course).
 
Just got done playing with the demo.

The QTE's were okay, but I could see myself getting sick of them soon enough. The combat itself was decent, reminiscent of NG and DMC. Good framerate and animations.
 
Graphics are beautiful and the scinematics are extremely well done.

Combat is fun, but the 30FPS takes getting used to after DMC and Ninja Gaiden blaze by at 60.

I found the quicktime events decent. Then again QTE's never really bothered me much in action games. They are done nicely here.

Demo is EXTREMELY short, but my favorite part
was running down the building, taking out demons, ala Sonic Adventure. Very cool part. Impressive boss, Ninja Vision is cool, this is a solid action game.

Looks like I'll have something to play in 09' before Street Fighter IV and Star Ocean. Happy.
 
It's ok. A couple good ideas, but the presentation during gameplay is weak. The screen doesn't need to shake every time I hit an enemy.

Oh, and I downloaded it using the account I made for RE. Was done in <10 minutes.
 
Downloaded the demo and I must say other than the QTE I really enjoyed it. The gameplay is very cool and if you liked Otogi I think you'll like this. But there's something missing that has been replaced with QTE ...
 
I like the feel of the character, his animations, his weight, his style...i like it. It feels better than what i thought it would...color me interested.
 
Played the demo and was not impressed. The QTEs are highly annoying and while running down the building is cool the AI is pathetic an dull. Would rather play NG 2.
 
Arpharmd B said:
Heavy compression must be the reason my 360 is choking on the disc, and it takes ten minutes to load.

That or my DVD burner is on it's way out.
Click to expand...

I had problems too (loading went on for minutes, waited for like 4 or so and then I ejected the disk both times), then I burnt on a CD (not DVD) and it worked, dunno why.

Try that :)

EDIT:
Also what you mean by heavy compression?
When you unpack the .rar files you just get the iso which is the same size as the marketplace download (450MB circa IIRC)
 
I love it. I'm not a fan of Ninja Gaiden so that didn't stop me from enjoying the game. Other than the QTE's I thought it was a ton of fun, especially that awesome boss fight. It also looks beautiful.
 
It's okay. All the battles seem horribly drawn out though. You have to wail on the regular enemies for forever to put them down. The (half of a) boss fight was long and boring as well.
 
Looks like people here have to be in a certain mood/mode to survive the demo. If you go into it with a shitty attitude you will pretty much come out the same way. Protip: Pay your bills after you play the demo. Also, its not long enough to unbore you if you were already bored going in.
 
Just tried the demo, is awful and chaotic.

Qte are boring and repetitive, if you fail one of them the game rewind just before the fail and the button to press are always the same.

The collisions with the enemy in the fighting scene are dim, the difficulty is non-existent and there is no technique, no challenge.

I have found an horrible bug, during the boss fight i pressed jump + y and the ninja missed the spider, falling down, down down into the void :lol

I restarted the checkpoint from the menu (because i was still falling down into the black void), only to find the ninja in front of the spider with the impossibility to move.
Well done, From! :lol :lol
 
I actually liked the demo. The visuals and animations are very nice, and the QTEs (while I'm not exactly a fan of their inclusion) aren't exactly horrible. I was hoping that the move-set for each weapon would be more varied - instead of having a single set as you mash your attack button. Hopefully you'll be able to upgrade your weapons, and in doing so, you'll be able to unlock more moves for them.

I really like how you can cancel and combine the attacks of other weapons as you switch through the d-pad. Very Devil May Cry 3-ish stuff.

I'll probably pick this up on release, as this demo has left a good impression on me.

I think a lot of the disappointment generated about this game is a result of people expecting this to be the real Ninja Gaiden II (or just Ninja Gaiden III, if you enjoyed that abomination of a game). You shouldn't have this expectation, as Ninja Blade is a (very?) different game.

I honestly think that, in terms of quality, Ninja Blade will be better than Ninja Gaiden II
 
I liked the demo, sort of an easier Ninja Gaiden with more of a cinematic flair to it. There's some strategy though - I haven't been able to consistently get finishing moves to fire off, so I must have to get better :D

Screenshots, plus some YouTube videos that offered HD playback.

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http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=idgBP7TDe0E
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Iuf-F-2-pSY
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0Ck0fiSZ53A
 
Excellent job Chrange with the HD shots and videos - about to watch them right now!

And based on the responses in here, it falls in line with what I expected, so it's a must-buy for me when it's out...

Still have to try the demo for myself when I get back, but I'm already sold on it...
 
boss fights>QTE>regular fights, something seemed off when I was fighting the regular guys (maybe it was the camera) but I liked the boss fights and QTEs. Will rent it, when dose it come out
 
The demo can now be downloaded with a Silver Japanese account.

The demo is short, but it game me the impression that this is the 360's Heavenly Sword. Solid graphics but weak art, emphasis on cinematic presentation and QTEs, and mediocre combat. Not what I'm looking for in an action game.
 
I thought it was pretty good, you can do some nice moves by combing LT with ninjitsu or normal attacks. Didn't really have much interest in the game before but it's on my radar now.
 
Visually I found the game impressive and like the cinematic flare of the presentation.
The actual gameplay and controls seem a bit lacking; I personally did not have a problem with Heavenly Sword's gameplay mechanics. The QTEs look impressive, but need to be handled a different way, because they are frequent in the demo and if you miss one you have to replay the sequence. There's got to be a better approach then replay entire sequence...

The 150MB demo did not run so well for me the loading times were horrible and as a result I did not finish the demo. At this point the game would be a rental at best, but I will try the official demo when released to make a final evaluation.
 
Damn, the demo was AWFUL.

I was looking forward to this game, seemed right up my allie, but damn is that a boring and archaic game design.

This is one of those times were a demo was more than enough for me to get a full picture about how I'll like the game (or not); this case is especially depressing considering the demo was like 3 minutes worth of gameplay. :lol
I know I would have bought the game if I didn't have the chance to try it first hand.
 
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