Fat Ninja

Me and the Creator of My Virtual Antagonist (Team Ninja’s Tomonobu Itagaki) 

I must be a glutton for punishment, because I went out and picked up Ninja Gaiden Black for the ol’ Xbox this past weekend. I owned the original Xbox version, having pre-ordered it and picked it up on day one.  I absolutely loved it, despite its incredibly steep level of difficulty.

I can honestly say that before getting Ninja Gaiden, the last time I had thrown a controller down in anger and frustration was during the Street Fighter II days on the SNES and Genesis. Well, Tecmo’s Team Ninja certainly managed to get my heartrate up and bring me to near-aneurism levels of seething angst.

Despite my growing indignation, I truly loved Ninja Gaiden. It was the first game in a long while to truly challenge me. It brought out my inner resolve, fostering determination and will. This was a game that truly tested my mettle. But in the end, I was tested and found lacking.

Yes, I caved at the end, slumping my shoulders in the shame of defeat, bested by AI. I was close, too. My last save was at the close of level 15, right where you teleport in to fight the Satan-like boss that sits on his throne and throws you to his minions for the majority of the battle’s first half, before jumping into the fray himself.

Problem was, no health potions. I had jack to keep myself in the fight, and efforts to make my way back down the tower through room upon room of foes and through swarms of ghost-fish in order to purchase more from the nearest vendor ended in failure; my repeated deaths left my will broken. Thus, I was unprepared for the undertaking of the final boss battles.

I tried, again and again, to take him on, dying countless deaths, and beating him but once. And what does my dumb-ass do? I forget to save and dive headlong into the next back-to-back battle against a new and improved Alma. I was devoured.

And that was the moment that I gave up and retired my copy of Ninja Gaiden. It sat around collecting dust until Tecmo released the Hurricane Packs, which I downloaded immediately. That didn’t last too long. After getting my ass gift-wrapped and handed to me, I shut down the Xbox in self-disgust and returned the game to its shelf where it would sit until I traded it in for another Xbox game that I, most likely, have since traded in.

So you would think I would know better than to pick up Ninja Gaiden Black, but I apparently don’t. I’m back for round II, an over-the-hill boxer back for a rematch and hoping to salvage some pride in the twilight of his career. And I’m gonna beat this sumbitch. If I don’t beat myself first.

Tecmo’s ressurrection of the Ninja Gaiden franchise is a great work, a noble addition to the canon of truly great games. The amount of detail and care that has been devoted to each and every pixel of the game’s visual design is matched only by its intense gameplay. They’ve made a game worth playing.

This isn’t some flash-in-the-pan, beat-it-in-a-day game. Ninja Gaiden & Ninja Gaiden Black are games that hail to a bygone age of games that challenge your wit and reflexes and test your skills. This is a game that can beat you.

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