Ninja Shadow Of Darkness

by Eidos Interactive

Product Details

• ASIN: B000006RGP
• Media: Video Game
• Average Customer Review: 3.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #12,308 in Video Games (See Top 100 in Video Games)

Product Description

GameSpot Review

When an evil warlord sells his soul to rule feudal Japan, a young ninja emerges to battle the army of trolls, goblins, and evil spirits he unleashes. To defeat the warlord, you must utilize your fists, feet, and magical powers to traverse ten deadly levels, filled with merciless enemies and treacherous physical hazards. Unlike another recent ninja title, Activision's excellent Tenchu: Stealth Assassins, Eidos's Ninja: Shadow of Darkness makes no attempt at strategy; rather, it is an arcade-style beat-em-up that harks back to such relics as Double Dragon or Streets of Rage. Although the graphics are three-dimensional, the play mechanics remain roughly the same (walk right, kick the snot out of a couple of guys, walk right...). Core gamely attempts to mix things up by throwing in some wicked physical hazards, cool-looking ninja spells, and simple puzzle elements, but it's not enough to make Ninja more than a prospective rental. Although the game's dynamic camera does a good job of following the action, the control is stiff, resulting in numerous accidental deaths. Worse, your physical attacks are limited to simple kicks and punches; you can't even throw anybody! And you can forget about smacking somebody upside the head with a fire hydrant or an engine block (never mind the fact they didn't have fire hydrants or engine blocks in feudal Japan) like you could in another recent Eidos title, Fighting Force. At best, you may come across a sword or smoke bomb. Despite its best efforts, Eidos is cementing its reputation as a one-franchise company. A few more stumbles like Ninja: Shadow of Darkness, and the house that Lara built could come tumbling down as quickly as it was erected. --Gary Mollohan
--Copyright ©1998 GameSpot Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission of GameSpot is prohibited.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 15 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Great gameplay, good graphics, and fun,fun,fun!, November 25, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Ninja Shadow Of Darkness (Video Game)

This game is HOT! it has outstanding gameplay.you can move freely about in a big boundry area, use weapons,like swords,knifes,your fists,and alot of other ausome weapons. The graphics are excepitional, but a little shaky at times.But other than that, it's great!I would say this game is for audiances 10+.I would not recomend this game for kids under 9.It has a little blood, but not very much.It is like a "fantasy,majic, and supernatural" theme all at once.Try it, you'll like it.

4 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Love this game!, November 6, 2000

By 

Iris Johnson (Lacey, WA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Ninja Shadow Of Darkness (Video Game)

Hi there. I love this game, for the fact that it has all these little extra surprises. Wether it is opening a treasure chest, or the chuckle I get each time I splice a skelleton in half, and it's lower body half is still kicking me. Too funny. The game does have its irritating part, where it is just a bit too difficult, but at least there are several safepoints along each level. The cheat codes for this game are too cool as well. I suggest that if you buy the game, you look them up. The magic move actually turns into a big ole thunder/lighting that eliminates everyone in close proximity. And for the price, this game is definately worth a shot. I may not be a die-hard playstation nut, but I sure like playing this ninja game best, out of the 20+ games we own.

10 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Good game, for the Sega Genesis., December 9, 1999

By A Customer

= Durability:5.0 out of 5 stars  = Fun:1.0 out of 5 stars  = Educational:5.0 out of 5 stars 

This review is from: Ninja Shadow Of Darkness (Video Game)

A ninja is defined as "A member of a class of 14th-century Japanese mercenary agents who were trained in the martial arts and hired for covert operations such as assassination and sabotage". Eidos's definition of Ninja is a person who jumps over hills, throws an endless amount of knives and can't swim. In what I can only label as the worst ninja game of all time, this waste of a perfectly good CD tests how long it will take you to turn hit the power-off button.

Even though the Playstation has been out for 5 years, new games are continually being released that pushes its graphic and gameplyl even further. This is not one of them. 2D graphics, grass that is comprised of one color, and pixelated figures that resembles monkeys, donkeys, or tree branches. The gameplay consist of shooting, dodge the incoming attack, throw a knife and go up a hill. Magic spells consist of blocky flame-like things or wispy wind-like things (I can't tell them apart) that destroy the enemies surround you. Music is ordinary "oriental" music that you can find in any bad karate movie.

Verdict: Don't even rent this game. If repetitive action is your cup of tea, just open and close your bedroom door: it's more fun and at least you'll get some exercise out of it. Go buy Tenchu, which is a great Ninja game, or Syphon Filter, Metal Gear Solid, Tomb Raider, etc...