Anybody else playing Tenchu Z?

[ThunderousWrath]

I'm a big fan of Tenchu, have been since way back in the day.

The newest one's out. So far I dig it. If you're out there and you're also playing it, I'd like to hear some opinions, good or bad.

[betachris_00]

That's 360 exclusive, right?
I'm not going to buy a 360 just for one game, no matter how much I love Tenchu. That's not to say I can afford a 360 (or any of the new systems), but if I could, I'd wait to see if it would wind up on a console with more games I like available.

[h4x.m4g3]

My brother bought it a couple of days ago and let me play it for a bit. Overall I like the game, I've been a fan of Tenchu since the first one but their a lot of disappointments/faults with the game.

Maybe its just me but very few of the special stealth kills ever work when they seem to be able to. For example around the corner kills never ever work for me, it seems every sing enemy in the game seems to be just out of reach, the stealth lamp never pops up and they see me as soon as they've reached the edge of the corner. Consecutive stealth kills are the same way with me, I never have a chance to stealth kill the second enemy and instead he just instantly attacks me, sometimes during the stealth kill. Its a big complaint of mine, because whenever I play I end up having to run around a corner to kill someone (which always works) instead of being able to do around the corner kills.

My biggest disappointment is with the customization the game offers. Because while I can change the look of my character (in a way that is very limited after looking at the customization offered in other games from this generation) I can't change my weapon. I mean their were various weapons/move sets in the other games that they could've copied over but I can't use them. Personally I'd look to run around using needles and my bare hands like Tesshu from Wrath of Heaven.

Also I'd like to address the lack of split-screen multiplay. The game boast 2-4 player co-op play but only system link and xbox live. Wrath of Heaven had split screen co op while not Tenchu Z.

Like I said, I like the game, but really it disappoints me when I step back and look at its flaws.

[Mirai Gen]

Same. Tenchu Z's expanding off of the original Tenchu (the game that made me want to be a ninja) was great, but there's so much lacking. The actual combat system is archaic at best - You have the circle-slash, one-two-three, rising slash, and that's pretty much it. Fighting the first boss of the demo was laughable at best, since it involved just block attack three times, etc.

I am, however, enjoying how completely badass being a ninja is once more. When you do something cool, it feels so good. Haven't felt so much stealth perfection since Tenchu 1.

[Melfice]

I played the demo, but... where is the recap of the objectives?
I pressed every button I could find on the controller, but to no avail.
I was completely lost in the demo.

I just deleted it again. I prefer Shinobido Imashime. Then again, that most likely doesn't say much for you USians.

[h4x.m4g3]

Originally Posted by Mirai Gen

Same. Tenchu Z's expanding off of the original Tenchu (the game that made me want to be a ninja) was great, but there's so much lacking. The actual combat system is archaic at best - You have the circle-slash, one-two-three, rising slash, and that's pretty much it. Fighting the first boss of the demo was laughable at best, since it involved just block attack three times, etc.

Well that's actually one of the places the game has some slight improvement, though it probably doesn't show in the demo. In the actual game you can choose to buy new skills, moves and abilities to use in combat. Although by default all you have is that standard 3 hit combo.

[ThunderousWrath]

The game definitely disappoints on many levels, but it's really hard for me to call it a weak title.

It's just that the level of improvement since Tenchu 1, nine years ago, basically comes to nothing. This game adds a lot of stuff, but I'm still pretty sure that Tenchu 2 has the most different stealth kills. And that Tenchu 2 is the best one of the 5 home-console games.

Around-the-corner SKs don't work, which is sad. I've been wishing for them since Wrath of Heaven. Basically, just enjoy the one you get to pull off during the tutorial, because you'll never get to use it again. I haven't even had a chance to use the consecutive-SK mechanic...


Yes, the customization isn't that great. I was expecting something more along the lines of Armored Core.

Don't judge me! They're both from From Software.

You know... simple concepts. Like armor -- the heavier your armor, the more it slows you down. Stuff like that.

I must say though, while game fails to deliver on, you know, anything new or improved, it does deliver on classic Tenchu. Cool level design, simplistic platforming, badass stealth kills, and horrible AI. And you're a ninja. It's hard to not enjoy being a ninja.

...Unless you're playing Red Shadow.