Okay, I was not planning on getting this game at all, but one of my friends told me that he loved it. With all the bad reviews, and he loved it...I thought he was crazy. But I tried out his copy and sure enough it was fun. The graphics could use a step up for the 360, but for what it is they are okay. They have some a few good ideas, but could have done so much more. It's neat to see blood getting all over your clothes when facing other ninjas when head on fighting, but why not get any on your clothes when you pull off a stealth kill with blood gushing all over you!? Oh well. Also it would have been cool to see blood getting on your sword, but nope. Hey at least there is the reflection of light on it. As for the character models, they are blah. Your character is detailed with somewhat detail, but the enemies are repetitive in design and animation. To add to the list, there is a lot of clipping. Now the gameplay is where the game shines. If you liked the past Tenchu games, you'll like this one. Many of the past moves have returned along with some new ones. Even the bad enemy A.I. has come back. Anyway, you now have the sheath/unsheath weapon button that mixes up gameplay a bit. You do different stealth kills with depending on if your weapon is drawn and the position/height of your position. This is what makes the gameplay shine. Old favorites return, but you probably won't need them. The missions themselves are fun, but become rather repetitive after the first 12. The online multiplayer is okay to say the least. Killing with your friends is great, but once one of your teammates is spotted, your whole team is too. HOW IS THAT POSSIBLE!?!? But whatever. Another aspect that was added was the customization of your ninja. But this nearly cosmetic, and does not affect the gameplay itself in any way. The sound of Tenchu Z has only added one sound into the game that is new, which the pulling out and putting away of your sword. Other than that one very small aspect, it is the same. So if you hated the past sound effects of past games, you will find nothing to change your mind here. Overall, the game has many flaws, but it is still fun. But it still boils down to the past games. If you didn't like any of the other Tenchu games, you won't find much here to change your mind.
I will start by agreeing with many that this game is indeed under-rated. A score below 5 is absolutely abysmal, with no redeeming qualities whatsoever. I think Tenchu deserves a score in the 7's for this reason: it's ... Read Full Review
This is my first time playing Tenchu so try to keep this in mind. I can't relate to any of the past titles, so this is a review from a new player. Before I actually purchased the game, I downloaded the demo from XBOX... Read Full Review
