Ninja based game

[Chalacachaca]

I recently started playing Way of the Ninja on the PS2 again, and I was looking for more games like this. Not games like Metal Gear or Assassin's Creed, I'm looking for ninja stealth action. I already played Tenchu and I'm not looking for Ninja Gaiden (he's a ninja I know, but the opposite of stealthy), does anyone know of games like that? the less fantasy like it's the more I'll enjoy it, I mean Tenchu was great but I kinda bet bored of fighting demons and the undead.

 

[Kopikatsu]

When you say 'Ninja based' and 'Ninja stealth action', do you mean you want ACTUAL ninjas, or you just want the gameplay to be stealth/assassinate-y, like ninjas are?

I'm assuming you want ninja, but I want to make sure.

 

[Cridhe]

You could play DAO with a group of rogues.

 

[NinjaDeathSlap]

I know you said you're not looking for Assassins Creed... while they might not technically be Ninjas it is probably the best/most accurate 'Ninja' game out there right now.

 

[emeraldrafael]

if you have a DS, you can pick up Izuna: Legend of the Unemployed Ninja and Izuna 2: The Unemployed Ninja Returns

 

[Flailing Escapist]

One of the earlier Splinter Cells. He's not a "ninja" but he's super stealthy

 

[Particulate]

I recently started playing Way of the Ninja on the PS2 again, and I was looking for more games like this. Not games like Metal Gear or Assassin's Creed, I'm looking for ninja stealth action. I already played Tenchu and I'm not looking for Ninja Gaiden (he's a ninja I know, but the opposite of stealthy), does anyone know of games like that? the less fantasy like it's the more I'll enjoy it, I mean Tenchu was great but I kinda bet bored of fighting demons and the undead.

Well there's an issue with making a realistic ninja game. And the issue is that there's very few hard and fast records of ninja training, what they did, or how exactly they were equipped. Sure archaeologists have found things like throwing stars, blow guns, knives disguised within bamboo rods, and all manner of other archaic forms of shanking people but there's still a staggering amount of grey area and issues which are in dispute. As a developer you don't want to make a semi-historical game only to have someone pop up and say "No, you're making stuff up". That's why Assassin's Creed 2 employed an entire platoon of cultural and religious experts so that they would get it right.

Not only that but a realistic ninja game would have a difficulty curve like a brick wall. Because what's a good way to not make noise? Wear light clothing and things that don't rattle around. That generally makes armor out of the question which means that when you get stabbed you're going to bleed like a pig.

the Thief series got it right, Hitman also does a good job. But it's hard to make a game set in a rather well documented historical period about a group that had very sketchy mentioning in the official records that were actually preserved over the years.

 

[Chalacachaca]

Kopikatsu: Actual ninja, but not Naruto ninja.

Flailing Escapist: The only Splinter Cell I haven't played it's Conviction and the ones of the PSP, I highly enjoyed Chaos Theory. Anyway, thanks for the suggestion.

Particulate: Although it would be great to see a ninja game as realistic as ARMA or Operation Flashpoint, I know it wouldn't have a mayor marketing group. I mean seriously, who here has played Way of the Ninja, or actually brought it? and that's a stealth-ACTION game, it's not realistic, but still it's enjoyable.
And well, when I say realistic, I mean in the way that almost every ninja game it's about killing demons and having supernatural abilities. I'm not saying Assassin's Creed it's realistic, but it's far more realistic than say, Shinobi (although, they're not the same genre)or Tenchu (The many deaths of Onikage and Rikimaru).
And of course, if we're going to talk about historical accuracy, a ninja should look like a peasant (or a "shady" peasant) and instead of a sword, he would be carrying farming tools to do his killing, since it's hard to imagine a peasant having enough money to be around using shurikens and swords.
Someday I'll try Thief, since it's been cited as one of the most difficult stealth games, but not now since I know it has monsters and some other stuff I wouldn't be enjoying now.

Thanks for the info everyone.

 

[Ordinaryundone]

Honestly, as others have said Assassin's Creed is probably the closest thing out there to a "real" ninja game, minus the actual ninjas. Splinter Cell and Batman: Arkham Asylum might also scratch your itch for stealthy gameplay. Batman even has gadgets and kung fu!

 

[thenamelessloser]

Honestly, as others have said Assassin's Creed is probably the closest thing out there to a "real" ninja game, minus the actual ninjas. Splinter Cell and Batman: Arkham Asylum might also scratch your itch for stealthy gameplay. Batman even has gadgets and kung fu!

Batman may as well be a freakin ninja with his planning, stealth, and martial arts abilities.The only things is that he doesn't kill... At least in the Animated Series I think he had some ninja training and in one episode fought an evil ninja.

On topic: sorry I got nothing to add. All I really know of are the Tenchu and Assasins's Creed games. The Deus Ex games have some stealth action but you're not really a ninja and I doubt they are what you're looking for. Thief games are interesting stealth games but they take place in a Europeon steam punk medieval setting.

 

[Pedro The Hutt]

The better entries of the Tenchu franchise come to mind. Beyond that there haven't been many ninja-stab'em-ups.

 

[BigDeadMushy]

the Thief series or No-one Lives Forever

 

[GrizzlerBorno]

I know you said you're not looking for Assassins Creed... while they might not technically be Ninjas it is probably the best/most accurate 'Ninja' game out there right now.

Assassin's Creed Brotherhood to be precise. I'm playing it right now, and a good two-thirds of the missions are full-on stealth missions, where you can't even be detected. If you are, BAM, insta-fail. And I, for one, like it this way. It's waaaay better than AC2, which never punished you for bungling up and being an absolute FAIL of an assassin.....