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Platform: Playstation 2 Genre: Light Gun Number of Players: 1 - 2 Peripherals: GunCon or GunCon 2 What do Edo era ninjas and guns have in common? Right. Absolutely nothing. You wouldn’t even see this sort of combination in one of those badly made 80’s ninja films. Well, okay. Maybe you would. But in the world of video games, anything is possible, and accepted for the most part. It may seem like a strange combination at first, but then when you see Namco is behind it, that explains everything. Now, don’t go thinking that I’m trying to put Namco down, because that’s not the case at all. I’ve been a fan of most of their games for a long time now, but when it comes to light gun games, or GunCon as most of us PS2 owners commonly refer to it, they are few and far between, and it’s quite a rare occasion when another comes along. Ninja Assault is one of the latest titles to come along from Namco that uses this handy little weapon. You may think that’s it’s something that’s just like the other two GunCon titles released for the PS2, Time Crisis 2 and Vampire Nights, and while in many ways it is, it also manages to hold its own just fine. In a Mario type scenario, the princess has been kidnapped, but it’s not Bowser that’s behind it, and you’re not going to be smashing things with your butt. Instead, you have your choice of three different ninjas: Guren, Gunjo, and Aoi. It seems that the sacred art of ninjitsu now includes the use of firearms, but when you have demonic forces and an evil shogun threatening the peace of the countryside, drastic times call for drastic measures. This is honestly one tough game. Time Crisis 2 and Vampire Nights allowed you to simply hit one of the buttons on the GunCon in order to reload, but that’s not the case here. NA goes back to the old school feel of shooting games, back when you had to point off the screen to reload. The first mistake I made was obviously thinking this was going to be just like those games, and after running out of ammo and taking a few points of damage, all while desperately hitting buttons and wondering why the gun wouldn’t reload, I quickly realized the error in my battle plan. The action is fast and furious, and one wrong move, and you’ll make many, will find you on the continue screen, staring dumbfounded as the counter slowly ticks down. The three ninjas may not have a huge difference when it comes to rate of fire, but they do have some subtle differences. Aoi, the female member of the clan, has a special attack called simply Cyclone, and has the advantage of starting with more bullets than her male companions. Guren has a slightly higher attack power than his friends and can perform the ever-important Flaming Fury attack. Last up is Gunjo who has a higher defense than his friends and can attack with Thunder Strom. The three characters also have different starting points, which will help to fill in some of the details on the story. What makes NA even more difficult is it doesn’t have any of those little goodies that we’ve all been so spoiled with in other games. You most certainly can find some different types of weapons, and even unlock a few later on, but then there other things that I know we’ve all grown rather dependant on. Unlimited ammo isn’t in existence in any way, shape or form, basically placing you in a situation where it becomes imperative to pay close attention to how many bullets you have left. Health is another luxury that’s been thrown to the wolves so to speak, and that increases the difficulty that much more. Sure, you have continues, but they seem to vanish before you even know what hits you. Like the other light gun games that came before, Ninja Assault not only has different degrees of difficulty, not that they help much, but also different modes. Story mode is just like it sounds, get a bit of story, and blast everything that crosses your path in the meantime. Training mode will give some of the fundamental basics of the game, but really will never prepare you for the real thing. There are also min-games, some already available and some that need to be unlocked, arcade mode, and then mission mode. Being as fast paced as it is, at times it’s a chore to get a real grasp on the graphics in the game. My overall impression was that it came across as being a little more like Vampire Nights, minus some of the blocky look and feeling. However, it is a tinge brighter, lacking the night aspect that VN has. However, it’s still not nearly as refined as what Time Crisis 2 is, a game that can more or less be thought of as Namco’s flagship when it comes to GunCon games. But, when it comes to games like this, I don’t think that many people are paying as much attention to detail as they are saving themselves from a quick demise. Now, the one problem that I’ve had with most GunCon games is when the decision is made to add any sort of voice over, they are done incredibly poorly, and that’s the case here as well. It’s hard to determine which game has the worst voice acting, ninja Assault or Vampire Nights, but I finally have come to the conclusion that they both equally have poor voice acting. Then again though, I don’t think that anyone really pays too much attention to that. The main area of focus is on killing, wounding, and annihilation. Where the game really excels though is in the replay value, and that has nothing to do with it looking pretty or being some huge leap forward. It’s just so damn hard that no matter how badly you get beaten, there’s this small part of you that has a personal vendetta, and is determined to not be kicked into submission so easily. That’s just going to keep you coming back for more and more, proving just how much of a glutton for punishment you really are. Those that missed out on getting the GunCon originally have the perfect chance with this title. Apparently, the one that was packaged with Time Crisis 2 has some minor problems with it. Namco removed the GunCon/TC2 combo from the market, revamped the gun slightly, and then reissued it with Ninja Assault. Of course, if you already own a GunCon, you can pick up the game separately as well. No matter how you look at it, you win. If you found Time Crisis 2 on the easy side or though that Vampire Nights sucked (no pun intended) then this is definitely the game for you. And while it still may not be one of the greatest GunCon titles (I have yet to find one that has officially kept me heavily addicted) it’s certainly a step in a better direction, no matter how insanely impossible it is. -mike-
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