Ninja Reflex - DS/DSi

Ninjas are awesome. Freaking awesome, in fact. Something that's been well-known in the Western world for a while now. They blend into walls. They move with crazy stealthiness. They wield katanas (probably the greatest of all types of sword). They're so awesome, that even the world's largest, most mainstream publisher, Electronic Arts, has decided to get in on the action.

So what, exactly, is Ninja Reflex? If you asked that so soon, you're probably not exercising proper ninja patience. But you'll learn. The game is a series of mini games designed to train you in the ways of being an awesome ninja. Aspiring little ninjas (ninjittles, if you prefer) will work their way through the ranks to eventually achieve ninja supremacy and earn a black belt.

The six challenges in the single player mode include shuriken throwing, fly and chopstick (Hashi, for those in the know), fishing (Koi), katana wielding, firefly catching (Hotaru) and nunchaku training. For each challenge you'll work your way through a series of activities which test your performance, ultimately earning yourself to do a belt test comprising of a list of random challenges.

Being part of EA's ongoing show of support for Nintendo platforms, the game naturally makes use of the Wii's unique control system as you master the different ninja arts.

For those wishing to pit their ninja skills against a friend, there's a multiplayer mode that makes use of the single player challenges in either turn-based or simultaneous battles.

If you ever enjoyed systematically painting a fence under the tutelage of an old Japanese master, this one's for you. more