Nightshade - PS2

A pseudo sequel to 2003's Shinobi - itself a remake of one of Sega's oldest and best-loved games - Nightshade tells of the events immediately succeeding it, this time casting players as a female Shinobi, or Kunoichi. Much like its predecessor, the game is a third-person, hack-n-slash adventure, in which players master a combination of martial arts and magic in order to battle legions of Hellspawn.

Following Hotsuma's victory over Hiroku's evil minions, the story tells how a new rift opens up between Earth and the demon realm, just as Tokyo is beginning to settle. Unwilling to take such supernatural threats lightly, the Japanese government enlists the talents of a Kunoichi called Hibana - a skilled female ninja with a keen understanding of both martial and mystical arts - to put a stop to the ensuing evil.

As you would expect, that's where you come in, as you take on the role of said super-girl and skilfully button-bash your way through an assortment of urban environments that span such locales as rooftops, construction sites and industrial factories. As well as these, the game also boasts a number of over-the-top, high-action scenarios that see you battling it out atop fighter jets, trains and industrial cranes.

This time around everything's been upped, and you can now fly higher, move faster and dole out even more damage to the countless demonic foes. An enhanced combat system supports this, now providing greater depth, all-new attacks, more aerial action, and an improved 'Tate' system that supports unlimited combos and a wider variety of attacks.

In very much the same way as Shinobi, Nightshade combines simple, arcade-style gameplay with a lightning-fast combat system and plenty of impressive acrobatics. The result is quite a lot of fun.
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