Red Ninja: End of Honor

This game had potential. I just know it had. They came up with a good idea and tried to work it out. Too bad they didn't try hard enough...

When it comes to video games, I give my stars to a number of aspects: graphics and music (2), plot (2), game play (6).

So here's my score: Graphics and music: 2 /2 Plot : 1,5 /2 Gameplay : 2,5 /6

And now the explanation.

From the intro FMV on I knew the game had beautiful graphics. They weren't Final Fantasy, but they were great. Later on I found out the cut scenes were good as well and so was the music in every level.

The plot was very movie-like, you really learn your place in this story and it feels good to play your part and do your stuff.

But then came the game play...

I only have one word for it: frustrating. The camera movement only is annoying. You have to do it all manually, then when you want to do it manually, you can't. The camera never repositions so you have to do it yourself. Then the battles. You can not lock on to an enemy that easily. It takes a while for you to do so and after you've attacked him, you have to lock on again. The Tetsugen was a very original idea, but it's a very difficult weapon to work with. There's a limited range to use this weapon, you can't be standing to close and you can't be too far off either. Close enough for the enemy to hear you, if you aren't careful. When an enemy strikes you down you better equip a Potion cause in the later levels it's difficult to pull away from his attacks, since you have to stay on the ground for three more seconds, Gods knows why, before you can get up. Sometimes you can block enemy attacks, but I don't really understand why they've put that in either. Most of the time, you can't. There aren't many save points in the game, which is also very annoying. You can be wondering about a level for hours, in the middle of the night, longing to get some sleep, then you finally break through, you end up in another long level, without being able to save your progress.

Like I said, it had potential, but it just wasn't meant to be.

Just as there are some games out there that make you think "Whoa! I can't believe we have this technology!" like Resident Evil 4 and GTA: San Andreas, there are games at the other end of the spectrum that make you wonder just how little effort was made to make the game at least playable. Red Ninja falls into the latter category. It seems as though most of the ideas of the game went into making the protagonist's kimono as skimpy as possible, complete with a g-string underneath (most of the time you're staring at her bare @ss). I picked up this game because, as far as I know, it's the only game in which you use a flail as your main weapon, but even the flail is clunky and impossible to use. Above all, the camera never moves on its own, never repositions itself for the convenience of the player, and is very difficult to control, making controlling your character most of the game's challenge. This blatant rip-off of the Tenchu series has only two points of interest: the level designs are unique and innovative (although a level that kills you fifty times before you can beat it once is not challenging, but rather a cheesy way to hook a player), and the boss battles are fairly inventive. Besides that, the story is garbage, the enemy AI is well below par, and the ability to seduce guards is a cheap way to sell this game to sex-deprived deviants. A very poor game, mostly cashing in on its (ahem, LACKING) sex appeal.