@mjorh:
Champ thinks he knows shit about NGB, but I'd also add...
Nothing, he fucking nailed it lol.
It'd be easier to just list my gripes with the game as they're almost non-existent, but:
1. Lack of new game +. I get that they don't want you carrying stuff up to the next difficulty level. The game does not compromise for the player. And I get that they wanted their scoring system to be consistent. But it's still a slight bummer. On the one hand, it's just fun starting a game over with a full kit. On the other hand, it makes the challenge a bit front loaded on the higher difficulties. The first couple of levels on Master Ninja difficulty can be tough as nails since you're so short on weapons, skills, and health. I wish they would have at least allowed us the option of having NG+ on difficulty modes we've already cleared, and just disable play throughs like that from showing up on the leader boards, or even have a separate leader board for NG+ play throughs. A minor gripe though, as it doesn't impact the game negatively, and if you really want to go ham on some enemies, that's what the mission modes are for. They have us covered.
2. Trimming off a few sections here and there could tighten things up. I can't recall anything terrible, just stuff that slows the pace for no good reason. For example: There's a warehouse section in the military base mission. This entire section is dedicated to platforming to pick up some items, hit a switch, and get a key to progress through the door. All of this while you have these boring drone enemies that serve as nothing, but cock-blockers to knock you out of the air while platforming. They're easy to dispatch with arrows and the windmill shuriken, but not engaging at all.
Just a pointless section overall. And it's not like the platforming is bad. It's not just brainless time waster platforming like Uncharted. But it works best when it's just a quick zip occasional thing you do while traversing a level, it shouldn't have a big boring box of a room dedicated to it.
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But yeah, the game is soooo fucking dope. Combat and movement is slick and responsive as it gets, feels more in line with a fine tuned fighting game. Enemies are vicious, not cheap, not sponges, just straight up relentless, never allowing the player a moments rest (They'll literally jump behind you, slit your throat, and kick you to the ground if you try to stand still and block lol). Bosses are always ruthless, but always fair. They play by the same rules you play by, which is lost in many other beat em ups that allow bosses to play by their own cheap set of rules, a mistake that even Ninja Gaiden 2 makes. Enemy variety is also ace, not the genres best, but still great, and the way enemies mix in together and complement each other can really make an encounter feel fresh. And like Champ mentioned, the very nature of the level design, how Ryu maneuvers through environments, and how those enemies make their way through the environment, really goes a long way in making encounters feel unique and less "artificial" for lack of a better word. And the difficulty levels themselves, each expertly crafted, no lazy ways of upping the challenge.
In the realm of single player games, it's hard to think of another game that rewards a players growth in skill the way Ninja Gaiden Black does. Not because it's brutally challenging, but because it's a completely honest challenge. The game won't bend for you a bit, but it won't cheat you either. Meaning no matter how impossible a scenario may seem at first, it can always be mastered.
I think @getyeryayasout said something along these lines, the game makes you feel like you've become a fucking ninja yourself when it's all said and done haha.
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