While it has its shining moments, it certainly isn't as good as it looks.
Unfortunately, the game didn't turn out to be all it was cracked up to be, as many found out. Playing as Ken, a young Ninja sent into Tokyo to clear out a horde of infected humans and other monsters, certainly has its shining moments, but for the most part the game has issues that leave you feeling less than satisfied by the time you're done. And while the game's developer, From Software, did a decent job of glossing over many of these problems, they weren't completely successful in finishing the task before the game launched.
Don't make the mistake of thinking this is a complete waste of disc space, because it isn't. While the graphics are inconsistent in terms of the frame-rate, it's not a constant problem and the game is pleasant to look at overall. It also sounds fantastic, with voice-acting that is more than passable and helps carry the story well. Even the controls are tight and allow you to perform some very fancy bladework, so you'll be able to carve up your enemies in style.
They also included some extras in the form of unlockable costumes, complete with an obscenely bright clown outfit, that can be worn during gameplay. And you can change the colors all you want to suit your tastes, so if you want to save Tokyo in hot pink and blue, all the more power to you.
Where they nailed it, and this is the major aspect that helps save the game from becoming a disaster, is the outrageous quicktime events that take place during the boss battles. Not only are they over the top and fun to watch, but they also timed the button presses so that it's a little bit of a challenge without being frustrating. It's truly a nice payoff for fighting a long battle, and almost makes it all worthwhile.
With all of this said, Ninja Blade's shortcomings are painfully obvious, and almost of these problems boil down to the game being unfinished. At times you'll run down a hallway and instantly blip to the next section without any kind of transition effect whatsoever. There's also a screen loading glitch which actually freezes the game at the end of a level, which is particularly frustrating when you take into account that the game usually saves your progress at the same point. The end result is that you're forced to replay the entire mission (most of them are usually an hour long) all over again, and it's enough to make you want to use the game disc as a frisbee when it occurs.
But the big problem here is with the gameplay itself, which takes a very old-school approach for such a modern game. There is no enemy A.I. to found here whatsoever. Melee enemies simply approach you and attack, and your ranged adversaries are more like gun turrets that actual living beings. They simply aim, pivot, and fire, and they don't try to get out of your way when you get close. It's as if there's no sense of self-preservation whatsoever.
Bosses are as big of a problem, because instead of giving any sort of reaction to your movements, they simply continue to attack in a completely predictable pattern removing any challenge these battles would normally hold. Sadly, these fights are also very tedious, because it follows a routine of "attack, run away, run back, attack" over and over again to the point you'll want to cry.
And the best part? You get the privilege of fighting these same enemies and bosses repeatedly throughout the game. It's as if From Software never grasped the basic concept of variety when they were planning all of this out, and it forces the game to become more of a grind than an actual enjoyable experience. The closest it ever comes to really mixing it all up is the final level where you're fighting repetitious bosses while avoiding another boss's electrical attacks, which only serves to make it more frustrating. It all ends up completely destroying the replayability of the game, because you'll feel as though you've already played the game three times by the end of it.
Overall, Ninja Blade turned out to be a game that was truly a lot of flash with no substance. So if you'd enjoy the old-school gameplay mixed with some outrageous cutscenes, and can deal with the glitches I've mentioned above, this one is at least worth a rent or a pickup from your local bargain bin. Everyone else will find it a complete waste of time and money.