Ninja Gaiden 4

The game's good; fun combat, strong gameplay loop, but it definitely has stutters and lag on PC, especially if you're using an AMD GPU. I had to drop settings to Medium and turn on FSR with Performance priority. That helped a bit, but the micro-stutter never fully went away. If that kind of thing annoys you, the console version is probably the smoother ride.

The gameplay is fast, punishing, but fair - exactly what you'd want from Ninja Gaiden. Blocking and parrying feel tight once you get it down. The red attacks need to be countered with your own power move or you'll just get shredded. The first boss was a great reality check: not impossible, but fast. You can't just mash buttons, you actually have to learn. When it clicks, it feels amazing.

The new mechanics like Blood-Raven/Berserk mode and the Catiswire grappling hook add good flow once you figure them out. Skill trees and training are straightforward, and upgrades feel meaningful. Enemies with guns and rockets can be annoying, but that's part of the challenge curve.

Atmosphere: The cursed neo-Tokyo setting looks cool. The story's fine but pretty secondary... a priestess vs. Clan plotline that exists mainly to keep you moving. I'm here for the combat, not the cutscenes...

Weapons: You start with the standard katana. Personally, I wish the heavy weapons showed up earlier, but apparently they come later.

It's definitely worth playing, if you like fast, skill-based combat and can deal with a bit of tech roughness. If you've got Game Pass, though, absolutely give it a try. The core gameplay loop hits hard once it starts to flow.

This was my most anticipated game of the year and we waited 13 years for this. Was it worth it? You already know. Hell yes it's worth it!

When I played the previous episode 13 years ago, I was a young boy living home with my parents, no girlfriend, no kids, no car, no career. Fast forward 13 years and here I am still living home, no kids, no girlfriend, no career, I started to loose my hair, I gained weight, my back kinda hurts all the time, but at least I have an xbox series x so that's something right? Oh and we get to enjoy this masterpiece which is awesome so it's all good.

All jokes aside, I knew I would love this game no matter what because of nostalgia, and how much this franchise means to me so I am definitely biased when it comes to Ninja Gaiden.

To say a few things about the game, here is one of my favourite additions. The camera movement was something I was not a fan of in the older games but here, omg they made it perfect. It is no longer an issue. It works flawlessly.

Yakumo (the new character) was gonna be a hit or miss. He is a massive hit! Great addition to the franchise. I love him. He is a badass.

The environment is breathtaking. We get to visit this futuristic Tokyo that has a cyberpunk feeling. I should have run through these levels like a real ninja, but instead I was walking like a tourist and enjoying the view.

The whole game has this cyberpunk/futuristic style which is amazing.

Graphics are gorgeous.

Performance is flawless (series x)

It's part of game pass, and I am subscribed to it but I just had to buy the physical version because come on guys, it's a new Ninja Gaiden game after 13 years.

I could talk about this masterpiece all day but I will go back and play some more and I don't want to spoil anything for you guys. The most important thing is that it's still a real Ninja Gaiden experience.

The one we were waiting for, the one we deserved.

Playing as Ryu again after all these years.. oh god.. priceless. Please play this game and you will have a wonderful time I promise. Have fun my ninjas!