Ninja Gaiden

Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden series, which began as an arcade game in 1988, makes its long-awaited transition to 3D as an Xbox exclusive. Players guide master ninja Ryu Hayabusa (who made his Xbox debut as a playable fighter in Dead or Alive 3) through a variety of settings within Japan. Players can fight enemies using such tools of the trade as a katana, shuriken, and throwing knives, or call upon the power of the ninja arts -- strong magic -- to vanquish foes. Players will also encounter a number of puzzles as they jump, flip, and swing across levels. Familiar techniques from the eight-bit trilogy on the NES, such as the wall-spring jump, are featured in this 3D version as well.