Metacritic Games

I-Ninja (GameCube)

He might be small, but he's one angry Ninja! Despite his size, I-Ninja is the consummate warrior who has spent years mastering his weapons and honing his skills. Challenged by the world's most wicked villain, Master O-Dor and his menacing army of Ranx, I-Ninja is graceful in honor and deadly in combat. With extreme agility he traverses unknown environments and conquers all that is evil. There is no challenge too big or risk too great for I-Ninja! Gravity defying game play -- utilize new specialized manga-style ninja moves to navigate through each dynamic environment. Multiple Weapons -- use shurikens, swords, blowguns, rocket launchers, guided missiles and more! Challenging enemies and ruthless bosses -- fight the invading Ranx Army on the ground, in the air, in the sea -- even face off with a menacing 150-foot Giant Robot! Imaginative missions and environments -- a wide variety of thrilling missions, mini-quests, and unique powerups span across 5 immense environments uniquely designed to incite I-Ninja's special Rage abilities. [Namco]

Namco
Third-Person Action, Adventure
Players: 1
T (Teen)
Developer: Argonaut Games
Released December 4, 2003

Overall Metascore

This is a weighted, normalized average of all individual scores given by critics, on a scale of 0 (worst) to 100 (best).

77 / 100

Critic Reviews

92 Nintendophiles
A great throwback, mixing several different game elements, to create perhaps one of the most enjoyable games I’ve ever played.
91 Play Magazine
If rich visuals, stunning environments, and the most diversity-packed gameplay of this year or any other sound good to you, I have a ninja for you to meet. [Dec 2003, p.81]
90 Game Chronicles
I-Ninja just oozes with a perfect blend of charm, humor, and visual quality that has been long overdue in a platform game. A definite must-own title.
86 Nintendo Power
The controls are tight, the gameplay is varied and the whole experience feels polished. [Feb 2004, p.147]
85 NintendoWorldReport
It’s jam-packed with clever little touches, and only really disappoints in that it has to end.
84 Nintendojo
It’s cute and funny and at the same time it takes the gameplay seriously. The subtle touches that are found throughout the game are what make it such a joy to play.
80 IGN
Looks and feels like a playable Saturday morning TV show. It's quick and responsive, maintains a solid framerate and almost always keeps the camera angles in the right positions.
80 Game Over Online
It's not easy, it's pretty funny, and you'll only rarely do the same thing twice. It's there to test a wide variety of skills, or to simply entertain those with short attention spans, and it succeeds at both.
80 Yahoo! Games
Super-serious types who regularly dust their Ninja Scroll collections might have problems with its goofy, irreverent tone, but pure gamers will find a lot of pure fun.
75 GameSpot
A short but well-crafted third-person action game with a surprising variety of gameplay.
75 Deeko
The solid game mechanics and brilliant level designs make for a relatively good time, though the overall linear track that the game takes tends to drag the experience down a bit.
75 GameSpy
The longevity factor makes it a rental for even vaguely experienced players. On the other hand, as a young player's introduction to gaming, I-Ninja is nearly the perfect tool.
75 TotalGames.net
It's always sad to see a good game be slowly dragged down by visuals and sound. This could have been great but a collection of small faults makes this yet another fairly average title.
70 1UP
The controls hold up better than in most platformers, the levels are well-designed, and your character has a good repertoire of attacks. There's a lot of variety, too.
68 Electronic Gaming Monthly
I love what this game offers - classic 3D platforming with a supercool mini-ninja dude. The problem is, I-Ninja doesn't offer a whole heckuva lot of it. You can blast through the entire game in a few sessions. [Dec 2003, p.192]
60 eToychest
Merely an average action platformer. There are some bright points, such as an abundance of moves, and some interesting levels, but this is overshadowed by bland presentation and disjoined gameplay.
60 Nintendorks
I would call I-Ninja a beginner action platformer, something excellent for a young niece or nephew. It is a really easy game, all things considered, even though there were a few times when I cursed the thing.
54 GameCube Europe
This game has a huge lifespan, as I eventually found it such a pain to play I couldn’t play for more than 15 minutes max a day.

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