Even with those minor quibbles aside, it's still an excellent game. In what has to be one of the most unlikely comparisons ever made, dismembering ninjas, slaughtering fiends from hell, and taking on gun-toting battlebots has never felt so much like ballet. When one more hit will kill and there's still eight ninjas and three dragons facing you down, things can seem hopelessly frustrating.
It's at times like this that one really achieves that true sense of flow, pirouetting from enemy to enemy, sending limbs arcing and shurikens flying, spinning in a maelstrom of fury, until finally there's only you remaining, standing in silence at the centre of an apocalypse. It's a powerful feeling, one still unmatched by many games, one that has to be experienced to understand.
Graphics - 8.0
Sound - 8.0
Gameplay - 9.0
Lifespan - 9.0
Overall -
