Reviewed: March 26, 2005
Reviewed by: Matt Gonzales
Publisher
Sega
Developer
K2
From Software
Released: February 15, 2005
Genre: Action
Players: 1
ESRB: Mature
6
5
5
6
6.5
Supported Features:
Screenshots (Click Image for Gallery)
The Tenchu series is an interesting one; in the wake of stealth action series like Metal Gear Solid and the mind-blowing Splinter Cell, it's understandable that people forget that Tenchu started it all. While it may not have necessarily been responsible for the genre, it's only fair that it be credited as the first of its kind on the original PlayStation. The cinematics of other lauded stealth games easily outshined Tenchu's in production values, but where others relied on the intrigue of covert military operations, the Tenchu series treaded older, more historic ground; the world of the shadowy ninja assassin.
Hallmarks of the stealth genre as we know it today were all represented in Tenchu even in the beginning. The enemy AI mechanic was based upon detection - or un-detection to be exact. Of supreme importance was getting past numerous guards to the target, dispatching them, then slipping away into the night with no one the wiser. In your arsenal were the tricks of the trade, state of the art weapons for incapacitating and otherwise eliminating the enemies you couldn't sneak by. Sound familiar? It should.
In the wake of the innovations that other games brought to the genre, the venerable Tenchu developers attempted to likewise update their series with new gameplay mechanics. The ability to swim, the necessity of dragging bodies out of sight, the use of a reed for breathing underwater, and even the addition of online co-operative play gave new life to the aging series. But not enough to keep the original publishers interested. Since then, SEGA has taken over the reigns and we are given Tenchu: Fatal Shadows.
Ayame, the popular female ninja of the series makes a return but without her partner Rikimaru. Instead, she has something of a protégé in a new female, Rin. There's a meager plot involving the destruction of a village, find the perpetrators, avenge death of masters, yadda yadda yadda, but it doesn't really matter. The bottom line is that you're up to your old tricks as another pair of ninjas do their thing.
One of the major aspects of the game is the fighting. We're given basically the same moves as previous games but with very little innovation or variety. Even the stealth animations are still basically the same, though they've become more the focus of the experience. But this colorful bloodlust (read: red) is hardly enough to carry the game despite the visceral thrill of a well-timed and executed (no pun intended) take-out of an unsuspecting enemy.
This game would probably be able to coast on its well-cultivated sense of style in a world that has since seen the comings and goings of all games cel-shaded, movie-based, or predicated upon an intricate card battle system. But what truly does the game in is the clumsy camera. Sadly, this holdover from the first entry in the series is still a problem several years later, delivering the deathblow, as it were, to an otherwise interesting (if no longer innovative) series.
Another major aspect - indeed THE major aspect - of the game however is the actual sneaking around bit. After all, ninja basically translates as "stealth". Making noise has now become part of the detection mechanic but it is strangely erratic. You can often run right up behind an enemy without them hearing you, but once you get in or out of water near them, the familiar "?!" flashes in the detection meter.
And of course, no one ever seems to hear the sound of a metallic grappling hook flying through the air, hitting a surface, followed by the whooshing sound of a human being flying up onto a roof just as they turn the corner. Perhaps a small matter, but if you're going to make it part of the gameplay, you should at least be consistent.
Interestingly, there isn't much of a difference between the styles of Ayame and Rin like there was with Rikimaru and Ayame. Without that contrast you lose some of the replay value despite the addition of new stealth kill moves. Fans of the series will remember fondly the discrete animations signaled by executing (oops, there's one of those unintentional puns again) an attack behind - or even near either side of - an unsuspecting enemy. While these are really cool in the beginning, it actually gets kind of tedious when you get to enemy #34 as some of the animations can be a little long.
In an attempt to add to previous iterations of the series, there are ultra stealth kills that involve special button presses to extend the animations. In some cases, you stealth kills can even involve taking out two enemies at once. This is actually a pretty sweet move that really makes you feel like a world-class, feudal assassin.
Unfortunately, the Tenchu series has always involved a lack of any interesting textures, which was forgivable seven years ago on the PlayStation but are mind numbing in their fourth iteration. Seriously, the dreary brown and gray palette (that's brown for dirt, gray for stone) of previous Tenchu games still pervades despite some decent particle effects.
One wonders whether it has to do with the PS2's texture limitations as this game might benefit from some true normal mapping a la Splinter Cell: Chaos Theory. But, I'm not trying to compare it head on with the likes of Sam Fisher's style or Snake's modus operandi. Thanks to a higher polygon count than ever before, levels look a little more organic than the angular, fenced in areas of the series' first outing - but only a little.
Fatal Shadows does little to add to the game's environments since the first game. That's right, this PS2 game looks virtually the same in terms of level design, texture mapping, object design, you name it. Yes, of course, the character models have more polygons, as do the buildings, but they're hardly on par with the current competition - especially at this stage of the console's life cycle.
Look at the detailed models of Killzone or Mercenaries. The characters in the game look like they're carrying all kinds of equipment on their person, be it bandoliers, ammo pouches, or what have you. But Ayame and Rin, while having a fair amount of definition to their models suffer from a washed out over-processing that makes them look like the same model with a new outfit and hairstyle - another reason not to have two sassy girls as the protagonists.
But to better make my point, it's starting to seem like the developers are using the simplicity of the era to be lazy. I mean, most of the buildings are square, and most enemies wear various robes (no pesky legs), and the areas are quite barren (as perhaps befits the Japanese aesthetic simplicity). The lights are basically glowing cubes for crying out loud!
The cumulative effect visually is that every environment looks about the same as do the enemies. And does nobody on the development team play Splinter Cell? What about the lighting? You're outside in the moonlight most of the time, why doesn't it look like it? The soft blue glow filtered through trees should make for beautiful shadows replete with fireflies, or other ambient wildlife to complete the effect of a living outdoor environment. Myriad details like this are forgivable in the first and even second iteration of the series, but as late as the third game appeared on the PlayStation 2, there's little excuse to neglect to do more than the obligatory increased polygon count and anti-aliasing.
The sound of Tenchu was never its strong point, and Fatal Shadows carries on this tradition I'm afraid. Again, the developers seem to have slacked off due to the nature of the game. Just because it's all about stealth, doesn't mean the game has to be quiet. I would love to hear a more fully realized environment in a game that sets itself mostly outdoors.
And don't get me started on cheesy voice-overs. I don't know if they were trying to evoke an anime feel to enhance its Japanese lineage or what, but it doesn't work, trust me. The problem is that you don't really benefit from having a nice 5.1 setup when there's little to no reason for it in the game.
Where some developers gain a little appreciation on a lackluster game is the replayability of multiplayer or, even better, online multiplayer. The previous entry in the series, Wrath of Heaven, had this feature, but sadly, it's not in this version. The only nod at replayability at all is the well-trod developer path of in-game collectibles in the form of scrolls and weapons that you can buy with points awarded for stealth kills. It's not going to make you want to go back and complete the game 100%, but it's something.
I was a huge fan of the Tenchu series on the original PlayStation, to the extent that I recently went looking for the first and second games in the bargain bins at the local game store. And the updated franchise was appreciated when it finally hit the PlayStation 2 with appropriate enhancements.
But this latest version of the game suffers from the same problems pretty much since the beginning. What was once tolerable due to technology constraints simply doesn't cut it in the era of Snake Eater and Chaos Theory. Perhaps that's a high bar to set for this humble series, but I believe the first-ever stealth-action game of the "next generation" has a worthy pedigree. Well, there's always the PlayStation 3. Anyone got Ubisoft's number?