Ninja Gaiden

Overall Rating:
Genre: Action
Christian Rating: 3 of 5
   (some objectionable elements)
Gameplay: 5 of 5
   (excellent)
Violence: 1 of 5
   (extreme)
Adult Content: 3 of 5
   (mild)

The game begins with Ryu meeting with a friend and instructor of an allied Clan, soon after their meeting, Ayame from the Dead or Alive series comes and tells Ryu that his village is under attack. He rushes off to find his village burned and clan members slaughtered. He finds The Evil Lord Doku with the Dark Dragon blade in hand and Ryu is defeated in combat against him. Ryu rises from his defeat and sets off on a quest to the Holy Vigoor Empire to avenge his clan members and to stop the Vigoor Empire from unleashing the Darkness of the blade upon the world.

The story sounds intriguing but is actually quite a throw away, there a so many loose ends on the story and the game doesn't do a good job at all of explaining certain events such as when Ryu gets defeated by Doku you actually see Ryu get killed by Doku, but then miraclously comes back to life in the next scene with no explantion.

Christan Rating: I give it 3 out 5. This is game is choke full of violence, but it is justified by the fact that Ryu has to retrieve the Dark Dragon Blade to prevent the world from plunging into darkness and it does seem that he remains a good person throughout the adventure, since throughout the game Ryu is running along and the enemy always attacks Ryu first. The game box does seem to say that Ryu also has the motive of revenge as well, and we all know that Vengence belongs to God, but the story is so weak that it never actually makes revenge seem a motive for Ryu. You fight against human attackers as well as fiends or monsters, and in the right combo sometime decapitate your victim. In this sense I think it is wise to show blood and gore to keep it real, people need to know that when you slash/shoot someone wheather it be in self-defense or in any other justifiable way that people do bleed. People should stay away if thier not mature enough to handle the blood, but remember the Passion of Christ great film for Christians, but also one of the most violent films ever made. The other thing is, is that there is a female character Racheal who is very well endowed and doesn't wear much. Thankfully she doesn't appear that much in the game and you can skip past the cinematics that feature her. Once again if you can't handle your thoughts about scantily clad women then stay away.

Violence: I give it 1 of 5. As described under Chirstian Rating this game is very violent and parents should definitely not let their young kids play it, only for mature people who can understand fiction from fantasy and not develop a violent spirit after viewing violence, whether justifiable or not.

Gameplay: Gameplay I gave 5 out of 5. One thing this game does well is indeed provide a fun challenge to your skills as a game player. Ryu has many different combo attacks to dispatch his foes. This game literally has you bouncing all over the place slashing, throwing stars, running and jumping off walls and foes heads, all in lightning fast gameplay. The combos are awesome and give you a great sense of accomplishment when you master the system. The only thing that plagues this game is the camera system is sometimes has trouble keeping up with the action and despite what most people say I found the game a little easy. The music is mostly forgettable as well.

Adult Content: I give it 3 out of 5. Yes there is a lot of violence and some scenes with Racheal that feature her not wearing much, but there is no sensuality at all and Ryu does have justifiable motive for recovering the sword. Also of note, I did not notice any cursing through out the entire game.

Overall Rating 4 out of 5. This game is very fun if your a mature enough Christian and can handle the violence and Racheal. No Cursing, no nudity, no sensuality. This game did not cause me to want to harm or injure anyone in anyway, nor did it make think about women in a negative light. I just had fun with the game's very intense gameplay and ignored it's few negatives. If you can do the same, then have a ball. But please do not let anyone not mature enough such as young kids to play, judge whether or not they can handle to blood and do whatever your conscience can bear by the leading of the Holy Spirit.

Year of Release—2004

Christian Spotlight Guide2Games is part of Christian Answers. Copyright © Films for Christ. • “Christian Spotlight’s Guide to Games” and “Guide2Games” are service marks of Films for Christ.