Preview by: Tracy Erickson

*Please note this preview has minor spoilers about an early level boss battle.

Tokyo has the worst of luck. Godzilla started razing the city in 1954 and come April you can add massive demon worms to the list of disasters that have struck the Japanese capitol. Like any good ninja game, Ninja Blade sees the city under siege by hordes of demons that demand a thorough button-mashing.

Ninja Blade has you wielding the weapons of a stealthy warrior to defeat a legion of demonic forces. The arrival of alpha worms (enormous earthworms that burrow beneath the streets of Tokyo) has thrown the city into obvious chaos and it's your job to set things right using a range of blades and ninja abilities. In many respects, it resembles Ninja Gaiden: an unrelenting focus on over-the-top action, quick-paced combat, and slick graphics. Panache is something absent from this spin on the genre, but an effort is being made to tailor the experience to a wider audience with a gentler difficulty curve and interactive quick-time events that set it apart from its sadistically difficult inspiration.

The level we played began in the skies above Tokyo where our ninja leaped out of an airplane, descending toward the impressively rendered skyline. Flying demons were taken out with ease via a quick-time event, the buttons popping up at the center of the screen. Correctly pressing the button involves waiting for a collapsing white circle to enter the button icon. An impressive scene depicts the ninja crashing into a skyscraper, immediately after which the game shifts into full control. No time is wasted--stone-shielded demons start going for you as soon as you're in the building. Attacks are issued by pressing the X and Y buttons; additionally, special ninjutsu attacks can be executed with a tap of the B button.

Switching among three weapons: a heavy blade, katana, and pair of swords, is done via the directional pad. Naturally, each weapon has a specific use: the heavy blade breaks through armor, but is slower than the katana, which is middleweight. The katana is more powerful than the pair of swords, though not as fast.