I have been known to get “well into” games, but I can never predict what they’ll be. For example, I played so much of PS Vita/PS3 arcade racing game MotorStorm: RC that it was part of my personality for a month or so, and I’d negatively judge people who weren’t spending every waking moment knocking milliseconds off their best Time Trials. I have that obsessive trait in me, then, but at other times I just enjoy the feeling of a game, the vibes, the essence of having a great time. This is my relationship with Ninja Gaiden. No doubt some people will go all-in on Ninja Gaiden 4, a game that practically begs to be mastered and used as a showcase of skill, but I’ve always seen the series as less of a test of ability I don’t have and more as a finely-tuned piece of violent escapism. What I’m saying is, you don’t need to be a ninja to enjoy Ninja Gaiden 4, and this entry lends itself to that philosophy more easily than those that came before.
