Shinobi

NINJA

(PS2; Sega; Mature) Dust off those throwing stars: You're Hotsuma, a ninja whose sword slices, dices, and sucks the soul out of the enemies who murdered his clan. Time your sword slashes just right and you'll perform a tate -- presumably Japanese for fricassee -- which turns a group of foes into a pile of body parts. Gore notwithstanding, Hotsuma moves with grace and elegance (check out his undulating red sash that darts and dances with every step), but Shinobi ultimately devolves into the same hack-and-slash tedium seen in the old Sega Genesis games that inspired it.