Mark of the Ninja Big Hit on Xbox360 Dashboard
Mark of the Ninja is an adventure platform game that is one of the most fun and addictive arcade games to hit the Xbox360 dashboard in quite some time. It’s pretty funny because when you look at pictures and media on the game, it looks like a kid game but the rating on it is ‘Mature’ due to “Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, and Strong Language”. You play an extremely stealthy ninja that needs to use his unique abilities to fight off an enemy that is threatening to wipe out your clan.
Not only is this a platform game so it provides that classic, Mario-like feel but it’s one of the very rare platform game that allows stealth so there is in fact some strategy to the game. When players enter stealth mode (i.e. a dark spot in an alley, or propped up above an enemy), they will watch and observe the enemy they are stalking and learn the path that he takes and the weapons he has so they can kill the enemy in the most efficient way possible. This idea is what is making Mark of the Ninja so fun and addictive because they were able to take a simple, cheap game and put a very intense feel on it.
Not only is the game a ton of fun if you are looking for something to tide you over while you wait for some major titles, this game has a little shock factor in that it has a story itself and Microsoft Studios has made a brilliant move publishing this game and it is going to be rocking the top of the arcade list in that section for quite some time. For those that sound interested, since I tried the free trial demo, I bought the game, downloaded it, and haven’t been able to put it down when I have some free time. Mark of the Ninja is definitely worth looking in to and we can only hope games that get that are missing that certain element, will evolve in to this kind of masterpiece.
