Xbox Critic Reviews

From start to finish, the main element that propels Ninja Gaiden above all others in the action genre is the dazzling combat-based gameplay.

There has been such precise and accurate detail placed on this game that it would be near impossible to point out any faults.

Ninja Gaiden epitomizes all that is beautiful in gaming, an experience that is at once difficult, though never in a cheap way, and artistically crafted.

The jaw-dropping graphics help. As do the weapons, power-ups and the scope of the game (15-plus levels, 40-50 hours of play to complete). But it's the fighting that really won us over.

The character models and environments are drop dead gorgeous. This is one of the prettiest games to ever grace a console, on par with some of the high end PC games out there.

This game is cooler than ice cream stored in a fridge on Pluto. It look cools, it plays cool, it sounds cool.

The majority of folks will clock in for a 20-plus-hour thrill ride. Few games are this good, for so long, and still keep you coming back for more. Ninja Gaiden is truly outstanding.

The sense of accomplishment is strong with this one, as if the frenetic gameplay, incredible bosses, and awe-inspiring graphics aren't enough already.

This is one of the best-looking games on the Xbox. That it also boasts fluid, intuitive gameplay, and does not condescend to the audience by making the fighting too simple or automatic, is miraculous.

What Team Ninja have achieved is no less than a modern miracle, a game that somehow conjures the same stickiness and addictive spirit as its 8-bit juggernaut. Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox is, quite simply, a perfect video game. [Apr 2004, p.53; Grade = A+]