Whilst strolling around IGN Avenue, I came across a rather interesting article. There's a new game coming out from From Software called Ninja Blade, and to be quite frank, I'm getting deja vu, and not in a good way.
Masanori Takeuchi: Ninja Blade features fast-paced action and an interactive cinematic experience. Unlike most games that bounce between slow-moving cut scenes and twitchy gameplay, Ninja Blade offers a seamless action-movie experience that keeps you in control.
IGN: The fact sheet mentions "Todome" and "Ninjutsu" as special powers available to Ken. Will he have more than these at his disposal?
Takeuchi: Ken, the player character, is a ninja in the making who does not yet possess all the possible ninja skills. Right now all additional skills are top secret.
IGN: How does the weapon acquisition and upgrade system work? Is there a store of sorts in the game that players will be able to go to buy new equipment?
Takeuchi: Ken doesn't need to go to a store to upgrade his weapons. Instead, he uses "crystals" taken from defeated enemies. These crystals are a concentrated form of life energy. Weapons can be upgraded by injecting this energy into the weapon of your choice.
IGN: What sorts of enemies can we expect to encounter in Ninja Blade?
Takeuchi: The enemies in Ninja Blade were once common, everyday people and animals who have been transformed by a parasite into powerful monsters. They are bloodthirsty and, like zombies, they spread their infection by attacking others.
Anyone else get the feeling From Software are trying to emulate a certain successful Ninja game for the Xbox? The monsters in the trailer look like they could have been Team Ninja creations. The moody Tokyo setting definitely looks reminiscent of NGII. And the main character Ken bears a striking resemblance to Ryu. I know games all have their influences, but I think this definitely crosses into 'uninspired' territory.
Incidentally, check out the trailer on the IGN page. The logo at the end is almost identical to the NG logo. Link
What i've just seen is basically a re-vamped version of the openning cutscene from Shinobi... I'm guessing you thought they're copying Ninja Gaiden, but honestly i see alot more Shinobi for the PS2.
Yeah, so far this "Ninja Blade" has the setup for a flopped ripoff.
Though I'd rather it not. There are certain... aspects of Ninja Gaiden where I'd like to see improvement, and a competitor might just be the thing to kick them in the right direction.
Eiseman: Yeah, so far this "Ninja Blade" has the setup for a flopped ripoff.
Though I'd rather it not. There are certain... aspects of Ninja Gaiden where I'd like to see improvement, and a competitor might just be the thing to kick them in the right direction.
There's a difference between competition and a straight up rip-off.
That being said, I would laugh my ass off if this turned out better the NG.
That's the same company/developer that makes the Tenchu series, so It's not like they suddenly thought "Hey, people seem to like this Ninja Gaiden, why don't we make a Ninja game?"
Hmmm, I'm not one to form opinions based on PRE-RENDERED CUSTSCENES... So, it might have something going on for it, but the first impression was that it looked too much like Ninja Gaiden.
Why am i under the impression that i'm the only person in this thread that hasn't played Ninja Gaiden or that i'm the only one who's played Shinobi for the PS2?
I mean really that trailer is just the scene where Shinobi was falling from a helicopter towards the streets of Tokyo, just with some monsters added to it.
The armour and mask he's wearing also looks ridiculously like Shinobis. Yes, Ninja Gaiden has ninjas, yes Ninja Gaiden probably has Ninjutsu or ninja magic or whatever it's called, but so do most ninja games, and history most likely.
But solely saying it's ripping off Ninja Gaiden alone is a bit much.
Or are we accusing anything with Ninjas of Ripping off Ninja Gaiden now?
(be aware i'm not standing up for this game, noticeably unoriginal concepts are just as bad in my books, i'm simply saying there ARE other games it's ripped off style-wise.)
The Iron Ninja: That's the same company/developer that makes the Tenchu series, so It's not like they suddenly thought "Hey, people seem to like this Ninja Gaiden, why don't we make a Ninja game?"
That's true but look at the style of the video, you don't think Tenchu when you see that.
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Whilst strolling around IGN Avenue, I came across a rather interesting article. There's a new game coming out from From Software called Ninja Blade, and to be quite frank, I'm getting deja vu, and not in a good way.
First, the trailer
Now, some choice quotes from the developers:
Anyone else get the feeling From Software are trying to emulate a certain successful Ninja game for the Xbox? The monsters in the trailer look like they could have been Team Ninja creations. The moody Tokyo setting definitely looks reminiscent of NGII. And the main character Ken bears a striking resemblance to Ryu. I know games all have their influences, but I think this definitely crosses into 'uninspired' territory.
Incidentally, check out the trailer on the IGN page. The logo at the end is almost identical to the NG logo. Link