With the 'Tenchu' series on its side, From Software has already proven that it has what it takes to compete with Tecmo's 'Ninja Gaiden' series. This time, however, the company looks to stake its claim to the dojo action genre with 'Ninja Blade'.

The first thing you'll notice about 'Ninja Blade' is that it takes a different, more arcade approach to the genre. With furious combos and huge bosses, it's a throwback to the coin-op games of yore. And the game feels eerily similar to 'Ninja Gaiden' — a bit too similar...

With the same brown, purple and dark green colours, 'Ninja Blade' looks and feels like an expansion pack at first glance. The neon lights of Tokyo go a long way to making 'Ninja Blade' stand out, perhaps drawing from the flashy buildings seen in the 'Rainbow Six: Vegas' series.

The enemies consist of your standard lumbering monsters and flying bat-like creatures. While not bad-looking, these minions could do with more detail. The same could be said for many of the early bosses. The game's visual speed on the other hand, is blistering, with combos often looking like a blur and enemies leaping at you at a smooth frame-rate.

The biggest difference between 'Ninja Blade' and 'Ninja Gaiden' is in the Quick Time Events during cut-scenes. These button prompts serve to liven up the already action-packed cut-scenes.

The problem, however, is that these prompts get repetitive very quickly, because every action in a cut-scene needs a prompt. Want to dodge an oncoming projectile? Then flick the control stick upwards quickly! Want to take to the sky in your vehicle? Then tap Y quickly! Want to land your vehicle after taking to the sky?! You get the point...

The cut-scenes are of your typical anime-inspired variety and wouldn't look out of place in a 'Naruto' episode (bleh). With Ken riding motorcycles in mid-air and diving off hundred-floor buildings, 'Ninja Blade' eschews realism for a more white-knuckled approach.

A nice addition is the ability to customise the look of your character. With choices ranging from your standard emblems to the more extreme girlie costumes, there are more than enough colourful options and accessories to tinker with. The ability to unlock items as you play through the game also extends replayability.

The upgrade system is a welcome step away from other games, with the ability to 'partially' upgrade a sword. This is a different approach to other games, where a full amount of currency is needed to upgrade a weapon to the next level. Along with the benefits of a stronger weapon come more combos and attacks as well.

'Ninja Blade' sticks to the old mantra of "easy to pick-up, hard to master", with the opening minutes of the game easing you into the mechanics. But by the second and third levels, you'll no doubt be furiously tapping the A-button in an attempt to quickly get back into the game.

Again, comparisons to the 'Ninja Gaiden' series are inevitable, and 'Ninja Blade' is not nearly as frustrating as 'Ninja Gaiden' was — but this is either a good or bad thing depending on your preferences.

Ultimately, 'Ninja Blade' borrows more than its fair share of gameplay elements from the "other" ninja series but introduces enough of its own elements to make it a worthwhile purchase for fans of dojo action games. To the rest, however, a rental or demo download from Xbox Live is recommended before buying it.

6.8/10

Buy this game: Xbox 360

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