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Finished with Tesshu's missions and now for the final impressions. I have to agree with a few assessments on this title in that it could have been more. It could have told a deeper story, presented some more light sourcing effects and could have aimed for a less repetitive design.
However, I agree with the more of the positive assessments. The soundtrack is right up there with the first, the gameplay is well defined and sooner or later, at least once, you are going to find yourself sneaking up behind someone at school or work, ready to perform a perfect “stealth kill”, until they turn around and look at you funny.
An upgrade that I think many people miss is that the characters now have very different play styles, not just different moves. Ayame is quick, nimble and pulls off combos with ease. Rikimaru is steadier, has a longer reach and some more power. Tesshu is the slowest, is not made to combo and should be used for single hits. Once you are familiar with the controls and how Rikimaru moves, you must, I repeat, you MUST press L1, Up, R1, Down, L2, Right, R2, Left at the title screen (or wait until you beat the game with all three characters) to unlock the Bonus level.
Yes, you can also play the demo level (Up, Down, Right, Left, X, X, X at the title screen), but the bonus level is a new experience altogether. It is set not only where Rikimaru went to during his "Ninja Sleep" inside the portal, but it is also placed in a modern day corporate headquarters. The mission is to punish the evil pharmaceutical CEO, and in doing so you will face fully armed, heavy weight guards, who cry out about donuts as they bleed to death. The final confrontation is fantastic, very reminiscent of the end bosses in Final Fight and Streets of Rage. A special CGI movie will play on completion, which is about the only time you will see Rikimaru's face during the entire game.
In the end, when it comes down to it, and when you add everything up... This is the best ninja game ever made. Really. While the next Ninja Gaiden should surprise us all, I still have a feeling that only the next installment of the Tenchu series will rival Wrath of Heaven.
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i'm still amazed by how well the game's atmosphere conveys ancient feudal japan..
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Cool :p Thanks for the Secret Level impressions and codes :)
We still working through the game, and hopefully we will get to it soon.
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I'm still trying to figure out how to get the new armor, and it looks like I got some work to do in order to get the B-Side audio (Grandmaster in all of the first layouts for all characters).
From what I have heard, it is worth it.
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You dont have to get Grandmaster in all the levels for the extra level do you? Its just finish with all 3 right?
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I just skimmed over this thread, so I may have missed if this was posted already, but did you guys check out the Ninja Movie contest Activision ran for this game?
http://www.ninjafilmcontest.com/
Pretty cool. I liked the movie that won.
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Wow, a Tenchu Contest, sweeet. I just hope I get one of the T-Shirts!
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*brooooing*
Finally got around to buying this and played it for a bit yesterday.
Totally gave me the same warm n' fuzzies that I had when I played the original for the first time.
From the brief amount of time I played, I was really digging the guys first stage over the chicks.
Could just be nostalgia speaking though.
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Just a heads up, if you guys haven't already entered our Tenchu Promo. Do so now...two lucky board members will win themselves a copy!!! :D
