Full Review

18 April 2008 - In tales of old, ninjas have to have quick reflexes to defeat their foe. But has Ninja Reflex from EA on the Nintendo Wii got what it takes to impress? We grab a throwing star to find out.

Those hoping that Ninja Reflex will be a stealth-based game where you stick to the shadows, take out whole Chinese villages and basically play Monkey from Monkey Magic will, we're afraid to say, be disappointed.

Ninja Reflex instead is a collection of six mini-games, lasting about 30 seconds a piece, that challenge you to be quick handed with your Wii Remote.

In an attempt to bind these mini-games together, you have to complete a number of tasks to earn belts (from blue to black) to open up more games based on the same six skill sets at the beginning.

Just like something out of Karate Kid, the six skills see you testing different abilities and get you to move the Wii Remote in different ways. Flick, swish, figure of eight, etc.

While there isn't a chance to paint a fence or wax a car, Ninja Reflex has fallen for the obvious karate stereotype and includes a game called Hashi that, you guessed it, makes you catch flies with Chopsticks - drone.

Other mini-games see you fend off bad guys with sword blocking and catching Koi carp from a pond with a steady hand.

After you've completed said available mini-games you get to do a belt test - a selection of the aforementioned mini-games (exciting huh) - and then that unlocks yet more mini-games and the ability to do the same games you've just played over again with slightly higher goals.

This being the Wii there is a multiplayer element whereby you can have four of you trying to catch Koi or flies, but with games being so short and so uninspiring you'll really have to gee yourself up for the enjoyment as the entertainment value runs out pretty quick.

Finally in an attempt to bolster the games offering there is a meditation area, but really, who wants to sit in front of a video game and meditate?

VERDICT
Yet another mini-game based offering, the problem Ninja Reflex suffers from is that there are really only six skill sets used, meaning the interest will soon run dry.

Okay so you get more than one level per skill set to complete, but there is only so many times pressing a button when you see a firefly buzz on to the screen stays exciting.