Everyone who’s ever picked up a controller has, at one point in time, realized a universal game truth: Ninjas are cool. Let’s face it, dealing death from the shadows, silently infiltrating lairs and assassinating enemies are all in a day’s work, and they get to look good while they do it. But while a majority of ninja-focused games highlight ultra-realistic violence (a la Tenchu) or straightforward hack and slash (a la Shinobi), the light-hearted ninja platformer has been woefully neglected. Well, Argonaut and Namco are shining a large spotlight on this dim landscape with I-Ninja, a hilarious new tongue in cheek title. The most immediately noticeable thing about I-Ninja is the main character, a diminutive ninja with an enormous head that’s twice the size of his body. (How he doesn’t tip over does seem to defy the laws of physics, but he’s got ninja strength, so just go along with it…) This gigantic skull is accentuated with a pair of very expressive eyebrows that convey a “don’t mess with me” attitude to the world at large. But this emotive state isn’t just for show; the little guy is incredibly deadly with weaponry. Aside from the typical throwing star, the ninja can string together multiple combos with light strikes or even cut an opponent in two with a heavy slash. Definitely not someone you want to face in a dark alley. The demo we played was set on an island dominated by a large, albeit toppled, robot. After exploring around a bit in all directions, four separate levels were revealed by a wizened sage-like character, who pointed out that successful completion of a stage would provide the hero with a medallion. Each stage could be played in any order, and featured plenty of variety from level to level. One level was set in a large automated rocket factory. Aside from dodging incoming projectiles and leaping large chasms, the little ninja demonstrated a knack for rail sliding and hand planting, with moves that could rival some skateboarding titles. On top of that, he also fights a duel in a spatially disoriented mini-boss sequence, one that feels somewhat reminiscent of Zone of the Enders. Another level involved standing on and rolling an explosive barrel towards a cage. Sounds tricky, until you realize that you also have to avoid enemies, sharp turns and traps that could quickly send you hurtling towards a volatile death. (Get ready to give your fingers a nimble little workout for that one.) A third level involved robot boxing. Similar to the old school Rock ‘em Sock ‘em Robots, the ninja sits at the controls as the player punches, uppercuts and laser beams their opponent. Of course, you’ll have to bob and weave from your enemy’s missiles, punches and other attacks at the same time. Finally, after a brief level involving grappling hook half-pipes and plenty of wall running, climbing and leaping, your little ninja will find himself placed atop a large ball, where (a la Super Monkey Ball) he’ll quickly descend down a large chute in a timed slalom course. Here, you navigate down the slide, aiming at enemies convienently placed like bowling pins and avoiding obstacles. Aside from its frantic pace, I-Ninja’s 3D graphics are rather pleasing to the eye. As I said earlier, the main character is very expressive with his facial features, but the rest of him is animated extremely well. As he runs up and down a half pipe, you can see the ninja’s feet kick and pump for additional speed until he finally reaches the top of a wall, where he sets and plants his hands before doing a deft little spin on its edge. Details like this go a long way towards making this game stand out. While there isn’t a lot of dialogue, (in fact, the only speech is an angry grunt from the little guy once he’s acquired a medallion,) the driving techno background combined with the light nature of the gameplay will probably make I-Ninja a hit with most players looking for a solid platformer. I-Ninja will hit shelves later this year, so keep checking here for a full review! Questions or comments about the upcoming release of I-Ninja for the Xbox, GameCube or PlayStation 2? Talk to us! [ E-Mail Jeff 'Linkphreak' Haynes ] [ Comment in our Forums ]

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