Customer Reviews

Tenchu Z

5 star:		(10)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(10)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(3)

 

 

I have played all the Tenchu games.
The two shining moments of the franchise are when it was originally released (Tenchu Stealth Assassins) and when it first appeared on the PS2 (Tench Wrath of Heaven).

Pros:
- The graphics and motion capture are improved.
- There is a greater degree of customizability.
- For a Tenchu fan, the fact that Tenchu lives on the next-gen platform is a plus.

Cons:

- Some reviewers have said that the game is repetitive. Others have countered by saying that a game like God of War or Metal Gear Solid is repetitive. The reason Tenchu Z feels so much more repetitive is because there is excessive reuse of locales, whereas in God of War for example, the locales are different with each new level. There is no reason for this, other than lack of time or, more likely budget- because if you look at every other Tenchu game, there has never been a repeated locale in a story thread. In this game you play through the same village, castle, whatever several times. After the 2nd time you've just about had enough.

- One of the things that made the original Tenchu game so interesting and challenging was that the enemies' ninjas would also hang out on the roofs. In this game, staying on the roof and crouching generally means that no one can reach you. None of the characters seem to climb them, even low roofs.

- There is no notion of a boss after each level. This is sad because the boss was yet another element that made the other Tenchus interesting.

As a fan I am glad that Tenchu lives on in the next-gen platform. But I feel somewhat cheated by Tenchu Z's lack of content as compared to previous Tenchus.

Im a fan of the whole Tenchu series, Ive been there since the 1st release day of the original on PSX. I originally picked it up not really knowing what to expect, especially since it didnt have much attention from the critics. It became an instant favorite. Its never been huge with critics despite is innovative and groundbreaking gameplay- it was the first stealth based game, But I guess thats how ninjas roll, incredible and unnoticed... the way they strive to be.
Ive played all the Tenchus many many many times through. I can honestly say without a single doubt this is the best. The Tenchu group has removed alot of the old pestering issues and this time around its very slick.

For those of you who have never played tenchu its a stealth based game, and not a tom clancy limited controll sneaking around in a linear dark corridor stealth game - you play the role of a ninja. Tenchu Z by far has blown the world of steath based gaming (as it usually does), scent, sight, and sound are the elements involved. you stand on a roof and if Your shadow is cast where the enemy can see he will notice if you move. You get too bloody the enemy can smell you.. the dogs can always smell you. As your moving around you have a sound gauge as to exactly how loud you are, which is sensitive to the surroudings. In other words u step in water splish splash, you walk on leaves crInch crunch, you walk on loose boards creak creak, you run fast you hear pitter patter and so on. all of these things are balanced well with swift control of character, usefull items, and special abilities.

As with the prior games every stage is replayable. Staying unseen will always yeild the best results and points. Points are now transfered into money. Tenchu Z has added a character customization which to say the least is......impressive. Hundreds of items, accessories, hairstyles and clothing that has been sectioned to each body part.

One thing im RELISHING in is theyve gone and remade some of the original levels. newer snazzy and fun!

As far as the traditional scoring goes id say it does pretty well.

Graphics- yes its on the 360 ... doesnt look fall out of your chair drooling like mad eyes bleeding great, but its waaaaay better than PS2 graphics.

Sound- this one is a no brainer its a comprehensive stealth game, sound effects are like another set of eyes- tenchu has never lacked in this area. music during movies n scenes are well done crisp and fitting. durign gameplay music is simplified and quiet so u can concentrate on you surroudings. When a fight breaks out its fast paced and again.. fitting. As it should be.

Gameplay-Tenchu Z has patched up some older serious fighting problems with new moves and slicker controls.. that is, if your so bad at being sneaky you get stuck in a fight. Otherwise, controls are smooth and easy to get down. Multiple styles of stealth kills and creative options in doing so. Camera is fully controllable even in weird corners n such...Again this is another vital thing in a stealth game - sight.

Replay Value- Well now... all 50 some levels are replayable with different difficulties, random hidden items, custom character ceation and advancement,unlockable skills, items, abilities, and clothing. System link with a few friends and lets not forget it all can go online as well... it will keep you busy for quite some time.





So if I could sum it up in one word.. itd be as I said in my title wow....*bows*

Tenchu Z - Circa 2007


GOOD:
- Game has 50 missions and three different difficulty settings.
- Create/customize your very own ninja with lots of costume options and props like a crow on your shoulder or an extra sword on your back, as well as change your hair style, gloves, boots, pants and top.
- The customizing doesn't just stop at looks; this game has lots of unique and different moves as well as combos. Some new abilities help you do things like run along walls and cling to ceilings.
- Game has large open-ended stages with a sandbox attitude (finish missions the way you see fit).
- Online Co-op mode (from two to four players), while this mode is a little glitchly it is a nice feature.

BAD:
- Most missions are pretty mundane and by the numbers (not just the first few).
- A few missions are for lack of a better term repeats of earlier stages.
- This story is very bare bones and seems too heavily focused on feudal Japan politics.
- The graphics are old for a game that came out 2007; this game looks at best like a game from the early Playstation 2 days.
- The enemy A.I. is not very good and loses interest in following targets after they lose direct sight of their target. Example, if you get spotted by a guard jump over a small wall and the guard will not only not be able to follow you or know where you "disappeared" to, but after a few minutes that same guard will lose interest and go back to his rounds.
- Higher difficulty settings dose not mean smarter guards or more guards, but just that all enemies have better vision and can spot you much easier.

IF IT FITS YOUR TASTE:
- This game only has three boss battles two of which are on the last mission.
- Westerners (who in this game are Spaniards or pirates) are portrayed odd to say the least (they come off very un-masculine when compared to all other characters even the woman).
- After beating a mission you get ranked on your skill as a ninja (really the game only counts how many times you got spotted and for how long versus how many stealth and normal kills you performed) you get gold according to this and you get a ranking number from one to five (five being the best).
- The game has you earning money or gold on missions to buy/unlock new costumes options, abilities, and items. New costumes options become available every few missions.
- The Ninja Village (just a very small hub world) where you can select missions and change/buy costumes options, abilities, and items has the time of day set to the clock on your Xbox 360, play at night and the Ninja Village is at night, play during the day time and the Ninja Village is set during the day time. Unfortunately this is not carried on to the stages them selves with 95% of the stages taking place at night.

GAME ITS MOST ASSOCATED TOO:
- Tenchu: Return from Darkness (Xbox, PS2)
- Tenchu (PS1)

ADDITIONAL NOTES:
- A demo of this game is available on Xbox Live Marketplace.
- Using the right or left bumpers (the 360 equivalent to playstations R1 and L1) makes the difficulty easier or harder per stage.
- A few missions in this game have you kill members of the Echigoya family; this is note worthy because every Tenchu game has its first mission killing a member of this family (usually a corrupted merchant).
- Every mission (50 in all) has at least one guard known as a Tomikichi (they are wearing the over sized round/circle type of hats) killing one on every stage gives you secret achievements.
- Beating the game unlocks a few new costumes options like Modern Day military uniforms with a stock gun (M-16 type) that you can hold on your back (its only a prop you can't use it) and Over sized animals heads (like the ones you see at theme parks).

Ok I'll cut right to the chase and address some of the gripes people seem to be having about this game, then give my review.

1)The missions are too repetetive??: Ok people, you're a NINJA and you KILL people or gather intelligence. BUT, no matter what the primary objective is... you are going to have to kill lots of people! What is wrong with that? What kind of missions do YOU people think should be in here? Maybe a gathering firewood mission or steal money to give to the poor?

2)The AI sucks?? Ok, the AI might not be the greatest (like MOST games) but you have to put the time factor into perspective. In REAL life, if a guard sees you and you run, you'd stay gone for an hour or a day or week, THEN come back to complete the mission. Obviously the developers were smart in realizing people want things not quite that realistic so they sped things up a bit to where the guards forget about you after a minute or so. I see no problem with that, under the circumstances.

So, my review is very positive. I've only done the first mission so far, BUT I've done it like four times and done things differently EVERY time. That is the magic of this game. There are so many options open to you. You can hide in bushes, water, on top of buildings, UNDER buildings, and you can constantly buy new equipment and items to help you out on missions. It's a very welcome step to the game and makes you feel like your "building" your ninja more.

True, the combat aspect of the game is a little stale by modern standards, but of course this is a stealth game, so its not all that surprising that they don't focus so much on that. If I had one real wish for improvement, though, I guess that would be it.

Make NO mistake: This game is FUN and you feel like a ninja, like you're really in the thick of enemy territory. I found myself holding my breathe more than a few times. The improved stealth-kill system is awesome, even including multiple kills.

If you are a true fan of the series, pick up the game, no question. You won't be sorry.

Let me get this out of the way: I was a big fan of the original Tenchu. In its day, it was one of the first games to emphasize stealth and strategy over button mashing combos.

But now we have games like Splinter Cell that feature better graphics, AI, and still have that fun stealthy feel.

But since this game still has the same "feel" as the original, it's hard for me to hate it. The stealth kills are still satisfying. You still have to plan your attacks and time things just right to avoid detection.

The game has 50 missions, which sounds like a lot, but when you consider there are only ten or so maps (at most?) it ends up feeling very repetitive. In fact, since most of the missions involve 1) retriving an item or 2) killing one target; the gameplay cannot help but feel stale quickly. For example, one map is a castle. Every time you play that map during the course of the game, the target or item is in the castle. So you end up taking the same route to the castle - leaping on the same rooftops and zipping over or eliminating the same guards - before reaching the target.

The story is convoluted and in Japanese. Fortunately you can skip the cutscenes; but it feels unsatisfying to beat the mission without knowing what or whom you've beaten.

A word about the multiplayer: don't bother. The x-box live mode feels tacked on. In theory, it'd be fun to play a mission with your buddies; but the lag is so terrible and glitchy, it'll have you swearing off the stuff (blissfully none of the achievements are multiplayer).

The best thing about this game is that you can rent it over a weekend, enjoy the sneaky ninja assasination fun, and only be out a few bucks. Once you've done that, there's absolutely no reason to pick up this game again.

For Tenchu veterans, this game is a must-have. It stays true to the franchise in almost all aspects of gameplay! There are some slight improvements, such as a character customization screen where you can change everything from clothes to abilities... Also you can kill people through the paper doors! Other than that, it's still good ol' Tenchu.

Newbies to the series, please understand that this is a STEALTH game. You are not meant to play like an action hero and try to cut everyone down in mortal combat. The key is to assassinate as many characters on the map to maximize how much money you get in the end. As you go, you will unlock new items and abilities to purchase to improve your character. If you want an action-style Ninja game, go for Ninja Gaiden! They are on complete opposite sides of the spectrum! If you love stealth, such as Hitman and Splinter Cell though, definitely give this game a try.

I was a HUGE fan of the first couple Tenchu games on Playstation. Then they just kept on tossing out cheap ports packaged as "new games". No innovation, no updating the experience, just the same old stuff with slightly new level maps. Now, with the Xbox 360, they have released YAT ANOTHER cheap port of the same old game. The graphics are awful for a 360 game, the controls are clunky and slow, the level maps are ridiculously lame looking and un-detailed, the bad guys are just as stupid and dense as they were on the Playstation 1. I wish people would stop buying these games so that the developer would be forced to take a hard look at the franchise and either stop making it or properly update it and make a good game. The first couple were so fun and tense, real white knuckle gaming. Then it just got boring. Not taking advantage of the potential on the 360 is just stupid and I feel sorry for people who basically threw away $60 on a game that is not worth $10.

First of all, I am VERY critical when it comes to reviewing.
This is a great game, BUT,... you must be patient, as a ninja would be. I suggest a lot of practice before starting, in the tutorial. That way it is much more fun, and rewarding while accomplishing missions. Graphics are up to speed, as the 360 is famous for. Overall, worth the money, and time.

Adapt, Improvise, and overcome Devildogs

Sgt.DRat
USMC
~~~(")

The camera angles really ruined this game. It seemed your character was always looking in the wrong direction when fighting. You also had to buy clothes before you were allowed to see them.

This is one of the best games I have played for the 360, yes the AI isn't increadible but I think it works really well for this game, the graphics could use a little work but overall I think this is a good starting point for what could be the best ninja game ever, the missions can get repetitive but like another reviewer said that is what I would have to belive it was like for a ninja assassin. Great replay ability, one of the kind story, and challenging. This game would have been a 5 star game for me if the character shadows were better (they can be seen through floors and hard walls sometimes)other than that this game is one of if not the best Ninja and all around game I have ever played. I would recommend this to everyone, and I cannot wait for the next release.