Earlier today a brand new trailer for the upcoming "Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z" was released. As you may or may not know, Yaiba is the newest game by Keiji Inafune (who most know as "the father of Mega Man"), and unlike his other new/original titles; this one actually takes place in the Ninja Gaiden universe and is co developed by Team Ninja.
The story of the game is that this ninja named Yaiba is killed by the hero from Ninja Gaiden, Ryu Hayabusa, and he is then brought back to life to fight the undead. It is basically Ninja Gaiden meets Dead Rising (which was another game Inafune was deeply involved with). From what we saw in earlier trailers, the game is more of a hack and slash (where you simply rip through hoards of monsters and zombies), compared to the skill based Ninja Gaiden main series, and many fans were actually upset by this. The crazy challenging series they once knew, had now been turned into something even a kid could play; that is if you wanted your kids to see this. Now sure, Team Ninja did go on to say that the game would have challenging modes for them die hard Ninja Gaiden fans, but a lot of people just aren't seeing it... And this new trailer doesn't help at all...
Before you watch this trailer, I have to warn you. It contains graphic violence, and strong language which may not be suitable for all viewers. Although the ESRB still has the game listed as RP, the trailer alone shows that it will be rated M (17 +). If you are under the age of 17, do not watch this trailer. (Also special thanks to GameSpot for uploading the trailer!)
So, how do you feel about this? Do you like this new direction Ninja Gaiden is going? Or do you have some major issues with it? Personally, I'm the latter.
When I first posted the announcement of Inafune's new "Ninja Zombie" project; I was excited. I couldn't wait to see where this game would go, and I was even more excited when I learned it would be a Ninja Gaiden game. Really, I just love the series in general. I love challenging games, I like ninjas, I like the character of Ryu Hayabusa, I like the Dead or Alive series, and I love how the game gives you almost complete control over what is going on; something most games lack now days. When you are going up against ten plus enemies in Ninja Gaiden, and when you know you can get killed in a single hit; nothing feels more rewarding in a game when you actually take them all down and survive. Dashing into the fight, parrying attacks, running off of walls, diving from the air, and pulling off crazy combos just feels right. The game is all about skill, and you never really feel cheated; not even when you get grabbed and get killed by an explosion. Overall, it is just a game series I enjoy, and I couldn't have been happier when I learned Inafune was a part of it. Then, I saw the Pre E3 trailer for E3 2013.
The Pre E3 trailer (which first aired on GT TV on Spike) sort of really put me, and apparently a lot of others, off. Yaiba was swinging a sword around trying to act "cool," and he started cursing for basically no reason. It seemed like they were using the words just because they could, and it really seemed to serve no point; it was a lot like one of them late night adult cartoons where they say whatever they want just to be crude. No other reason. None of what was being said felt natural, and it just seemed like they were trying too hard with the trailer. Even so, I decided to look past it, and wait for more news to be released. Now after seeing quite a bit of gameplay, we finally get to see the next trailer which shows off even more of the story, and now more people may be jumping aboard the "hate train."
Overall the game doesn't look bad at all. It has a really nice cell shaded art style (as opposed to the realistic style the main series tends to go for), there appears to be a lot of different weapons and tools for Yaiba to make use of, and if Team Ninja was telling the truth about it having challenging modes for the die hard Ninja Gaiden fans, then it might actually be an amazing game; a must have for some. Still, like I said, this trailer may actually turn a lot of people away.
This time around, it is even cruder. Apparently Yaiba curses every chance he gets, he is constantly making crude sexual remarks, and he has an extreme thirst for blood. This trailer makes it more clear than ever that Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z really is going to be just like them late night cartoons. Chances are, mature players may find themselves too "mature" for this game. Cursing and crude jokes do not make a game mature, and they really don't need to fall back on these themes. There's a difference between using such things as jokes from time to time, and using them just for the sake of using them. The former can really bring out the comedy in a game, or help set the mood of a specific scene, while the latter just feels flat out overdone. (Heck not even Suda takes it this far, and his games are known for being pretty messed up...)
Even so, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z may actually turn out to be an amazing game. As of right now it is still far too early to tell just how it will turn out, but hopefully we'll learn a bit more as we get closer to the release date. Now if you like this sort of "humor," then by all means, be excited! This game may be just what you are looking for! However, for the rest of us, we might just end up passing.
The story of the game is that this ninja named Yaiba is killed by the hero from Ninja Gaiden, Ryu Hayabusa, and he is then brought back to life to fight the undead. It is basically Ninja Gaiden meets Dead Rising (which was another game Inafune was deeply involved with). From what we saw in earlier trailers, the game is more of a hack and slash (where you simply rip through hoards of monsters and zombies), compared to the skill based Ninja Gaiden main series, and many fans were actually upset by this. The crazy challenging series they once knew, had now been turned into something even a kid could play; that is if you wanted your kids to see this. Now sure, Team Ninja did go on to say that the game would have challenging modes for them die hard Ninja Gaiden fans, but a lot of people just aren't seeing it... And this new trailer doesn't help at all...
Before you watch this trailer, I have to warn you. It contains graphic violence, and strong language which may not be suitable for all viewers. Although the ESRB still has the game listed as RP, the trailer alone shows that it will be rated M (17 +). If you are under the age of 17, do not watch this trailer. (Also special thanks to GameSpot for uploading the trailer!)
So, how do you feel about this? Do you like this new direction Ninja Gaiden is going? Or do you have some major issues with it? Personally, I'm the latter.
When I first posted the announcement of Inafune's new "Ninja Zombie" project; I was excited. I couldn't wait to see where this game would go, and I was even more excited when I learned it would be a Ninja Gaiden game. Really, I just love the series in general. I love challenging games, I like ninjas, I like the character of Ryu Hayabusa, I like the Dead or Alive series, and I love how the game gives you almost complete control over what is going on; something most games lack now days. When you are going up against ten plus enemies in Ninja Gaiden, and when you know you can get killed in a single hit; nothing feels more rewarding in a game when you actually take them all down and survive. Dashing into the fight, parrying attacks, running off of walls, diving from the air, and pulling off crazy combos just feels right. The game is all about skill, and you never really feel cheated; not even when you get grabbed and get killed by an explosion. Overall, it is just a game series I enjoy, and I couldn't have been happier when I learned Inafune was a part of it. Then, I saw the Pre E3 trailer for E3 2013.
The Pre E3 trailer (which first aired on GT TV on Spike) sort of really put me, and apparently a lot of others, off. Yaiba was swinging a sword around trying to act "cool," and he started cursing for basically no reason. It seemed like they were using the words just because they could, and it really seemed to serve no point; it was a lot like one of them late night adult cartoons where they say whatever they want just to be crude. No other reason. None of what was being said felt natural, and it just seemed like they were trying too hard with the trailer. Even so, I decided to look past it, and wait for more news to be released. Now after seeing quite a bit of gameplay, we finally get to see the next trailer which shows off even more of the story, and now more people may be jumping aboard the "hate train."
Overall the game doesn't look bad at all. It has a really nice cell shaded art style (as opposed to the realistic style the main series tends to go for), there appears to be a lot of different weapons and tools for Yaiba to make use of, and if Team Ninja was telling the truth about it having challenging modes for the die hard Ninja Gaiden fans, then it might actually be an amazing game; a must have for some. Still, like I said, this trailer may actually turn a lot of people away.
This time around, it is even cruder. Apparently Yaiba curses every chance he gets, he is constantly making crude sexual remarks, and he has an extreme thirst for blood. This trailer makes it more clear than ever that Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z really is going to be just like them late night cartoons. Chances are, mature players may find themselves too "mature" for this game. Cursing and crude jokes do not make a game mature, and they really don't need to fall back on these themes. There's a difference between using such things as jokes from time to time, and using them just for the sake of using them. The former can really bring out the comedy in a game, or help set the mood of a specific scene, while the latter just feels flat out overdone. (Heck not even Suda takes it this far, and his games are known for being pretty messed up...)
Even so, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z may actually turn out to be an amazing game. As of right now it is still far too early to tell just how it will turn out, but hopefully we'll learn a bit more as we get closer to the release date. Now if you like this sort of "humor," then by all means, be excited! This game may be just what you are looking for! However, for the rest of us, we might just end up passing.
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