Day 21, Game 21 - Mark of the Ninja

Game of the Year awards are still trickling in from various media outlets - yes, three weeks into the new year, but I digress - and while Mark of the Ninja hasn't won GOTY anywhere I have seen, it has been nominated and in a lot of top tens throughout the internet. It should be noted that I have seen it win "Downloadable GOTY" or "XBLA GOTY", but not the flat out GOTY overall.

So anyway, I kind of ignored the game when it came out, for no real reason other than I probably had way too much to play at the time. It did come out on XBLA and was a critically acclaimed success right off the bat. Fast forward to tonight, when I was scrolling through my games catalog on my Xbox, and imagine my surprise to find that I actually had downloaded it a while ago, and simply forgot about it. Probably isn't the first, or last, game that will happen with ... I can guarantee that.

So I played it. On the heels of being disappointing by the newest Ninja Gaiden offering, I was prime to be wowed by this ninja game. As I was playing it, I thought the only appropriate way to blog about this game would be in haiku. So without further adieu, here is The Noyse's first official gaming haiku:

Ninja in the dark
Silent kills, death by the sword
Best ninja ever?

I enjoyed this game. But I didn't love this game, as much as everyone else at least. Maybe I just need more time with it. While the sneaking around, being stealthy is pretty fun, the controls seems iffy at times, and the combat system is based solely on being stealthy. You can't confront enemies head on, even if you are accidentally noticed. Your only chance is to run, hide and wait it out. Trust me, that gets old after a while.

I do love the art style. But I also wish the game didn't blur the lines between modernized enemies and weaponry and the ancient art of ninjas. I want a ninja game based in ancient times, when ninjas were at the height of importance. Being a ninja trying to avoid laser beams while stylistic Asian culture sets the scene is just weird to me.

Like I said, I need to put more time in with this game. I won't mind doing so, as it is easy to pick up and play on a whim it seems. Unless I forget I have it again, and if that's the case, well, it was fun while it lasted. 

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