Ninja Gaiden Black

Ninja Gaiden Black
Microsoft Xbox
Whether you're a real ninja or not, you'll agree that Ninja Gaiden Black is the best fighting game for any console. You'd be hard pressed to improve on the frantic action and precision required to succeed. For these reasons, NGB is also arguably the most difficult game to master. The controls are quite complex and the AI is top notch, so prepare to get your ass kicked like a nark at a biker rally. As a bonus, the game contains the original game Gaiden Ninja from last year, and there's a fantastic mission mode with a typical "village-attacked-and-relic-stolen" storyline. As in chess, the better player will almost certainly win in a heads-up match, so there's a lot to practice for—if you have any friends left.
Peter Baillie
category: best of 2005