Ninja Reflex: Defeat All Enemies

At its core the game is like any other reflex-based Wii game. What sets it apart is it places it in the context of the Martial Arts. At first glance one would assume then that this game is about hacking and slashing enemies. Actually it really isn't. It actually gives you the same kind of advice you would normally hear as part of real martial arts training. This is done through a video game sensei who spouts wisdom to you as you are playing the game (kind of like Mr Miyagi in Karate kid or Cain in Kung Fu). The game motivates you to continue by allowing you to take tests after you have practiced enough of the core skills. And you earn belts when you pass each test. There is also a guided meditation session which actually teaches you how to meditate. This is unheard of in a game today.

At first I figured Ninja Reflex from Electronic Arts was going to be just another fighting game. In reality, Ninja Reflex is a PRE-fighting game. Afterall, you can't expect to go out and defeat the enemies as a measly white belt, can you? You are welcomed by your sensei into his dojo will you will learn to move as quiet as a cat and to strike as quickly as a cobra. Reflex is the key word in the title of the game. Making full use of the Wii's capabilities you'll will need to think quick and react quicker with your hands, wrists, and fingers as you master the various reflex games and rise in rank. You get yo pick your Ninja's name from a variety of first and last name combinations. The more belts you earn, the more combinations you unlock up to a max of 25,00 different name combinations!

There are six different reflex games: The Shuriken, Hashi, Koi, Katana, Hotaru, and Nunchaku. Each game requires different skills to pass the tests. As you progress through the game, more tests are added to each of these six games, getting more and more difficult along the way. You have to collect five out of six possible jewels in order to attempt the Belt Test. Here, you have three challenges to face. Your Sensei will grade your performance once you are done with all three. If you pass, you gain the next belt color ranking. If you fail, you are forced to go back and re-earn the jewels in order to try again. You'll use one of the Ninja's most notorious weapons in Shuriken. You must lock onto a target and then make a flicking motion to throw your Shuriken. You lose a point if you hit a Geisha.

In Hashi, you must use your chopsticks to catch flies and put them into a spinning bowl. As the game gets harder, the master will tell you which color of fly to go after and the flies move faster and faster. Koi, finds you having to grab fish from a Koi pond. There are three different sizes of fish to grab. The big fish are slow and easy to catch but are only worth one point. The smallest fish are worth three points but move very fast. You have to grab them right at the split second that they break the water's surface and be careful not to scare the other fish. In Katana, you use your Wii controller as if you were holding a sword. When an enemy Samurai swings down at you twist your controller horizontally to block his sword and then a quick flick to kill him. If he swings from the side, twist vertically instead. The enemies come very quickly and in larger numbers as your skill grows. Hotaru is truly a measure of reaction as you must quickly must press the A button on the remote as soon as you see a firefly. Your time is measured in fractions of seconds so be quick!

Finally there is the Nunchaku game. Start by making a sideways figure eight with the Wii reomote, swinging your nunchaku in a smooth pattern. Get ready because the Sensei is about to start throwing everything but the kitchen sink at you and you have to smash it out of the air. Ninja Reflex isn't a very graphic or sound intensive game. Both are solid but there's nothing exceptional about either. Ninja Refelx's payoff is the game play. You'll work your arm, wrist, and hand unlike any other game. The one weakness is the repetitiveness of the games. Yes they give you different challenges to catching flies and throwing Shuriken, BUT, it's still catching flies and throwing Shuriken over and over. It's a fun diversion game and it's a great party with its multi-player capability but it's nothing that will immerse a single player for a long time.