Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven Comments by Tom Bramwell

I loved the idea of Tenchu and bought the original, but didn't like it - the controls just felt too clunky. Am I going to like this one? Or is it 'more of the same but prettier'?

lol, at 'Stealth conclusion'.

Shuriken are illegal in the UK, as are many other types of martial arts weapon. Quite why it's okay to chuck knives at someone but not differently-shaped sharp bits of metal I have no idea...

I got this game three days ago, and been playing it a LOT. I utterly love this game, it really grows on you. Well on me anyway :-)

There is a sense of freedom of approach that's refreshing. Multiple ways to get into areas. Lots of tools and strategies. And I have played the first level over and over again, just to get a perfect score, with the new abilities I got later in the game. Gotta love clinging to a ceiling and dropping in on an unsuspecting villan.

I do have some critisism. The fighting system is hard to master. You have to press R2 to keep facing the enemy, then while pressing that you have to jump around with X, block with O and strike with square. I've made many a mistake pressing the wrong button at the wrong time, thus getting slashed. Also, accidently pressing X while not pressing a direction starts and overhead flip jump, which does NOT jump over a slashing opponent. Can be pretty frustrating. There is also no way to choose which enemy to lock onto, making encounters with multiple enemies pretty impossible to do well. I end up keeping the block button pressed until an enemy does an attack, and I counter.

Then again... this game is not about direct fighting. That's just something for the bosses and for defending yourself or disposing of a single enemy. This game is about making stealth kills, and it does the 'sneak-em-up' part very well indeed.

Another weak point is the invisible borders. Some bushes you can sit in for hiding, some you bump into. I've run for cover in a forest I saw, only to hit an invisible wall stopping me. And.. why the hell can't we drag corpses into hiding?

Still, this is one hell of a game. To me it's a bit of a 'Shinobi meets Metal Gear Solid', but in the way MGS should have been: third person with pure gameplay.

Tips: **POSSIBLE SPOILERS**

I had some trouble with some of the bosses until I discovered that once an opponent is downed, it's really effective to thow a smokebomb at him. He gets up, gets disoriented, and you can slash him again. Repeat :-)

Oh and a handy feature that's not in the manual: you can land in water and fall safely (without sound) by keeping R1 (crouch) pressed.

"Quite why it's okay to chuck knives at someone but not differently-shaped sharp bits of metal I have no idea..."

IANAL but I think it has something to do with the ease with which the feat could be reproduced by a impressionable types. Throwing knives is nigh-on impossible to do properly (unless you live in a circus) wheras throwing stars can just be chucked like anything else and could concievabley be created without much skill/cunning.

That said, i could be talking nadgers. Anyone got a more official reason?

Heh, there's so much *not* in the manual I was quite surprised. No mention of the multiplyaer at all. Nothing on how to unlock the MP maps or anything. Plus, none of the game parameters are configurable for MP games.

But overall the game rocks IMO. It lacks some elements from the first two games (namely my fav feature: keeping your sword sheathed to remain stealthy and having to draw your sword when you get into a fight) but so much else is there. It's a nostalgia game for me, even down the music which they've updated from Tenchu 1.

The controls are a little fiddly but they just take getting used to like anything else. You don't have to hold the shoulder button to attack enemies, it just helps you to keep your facing. The bonus moves you win for stealth kills are pretty useless with the exception of Ninja sight (zoom).

I was very disappointed. The flaws are just too big to ignore, while I would really would've loved to like this game.

Yeah, they're completely legal in many places in Europe. Just not in the UK, 'cos we're still stuck in Victorian times.

I thought that the problem was with the film (and entertainment) censors, as nunchaku and shuriken equiped thugs were removed from a number of films (Bruce Lee in Enter the Dragon comes to mind)-games being classified in a similar fashion. The reasoning was that these 'simple' weapons were too tempting to simple minded thugs (ie skinheads) to use. That said, I think I'd prefer to be attacked by an inexperienced thug using nunchaku or shuriken, rather than the same with a baseball bat or a knife (especially the nunchaku, after he breaks his elbow - they're trickier than they look).

especially the nunchaku, after he breaks his elbow - they're trickier than they look

Back at Uni (many moons ago) a guy who lived next door to us was a complete demon with the nunchaku! You could hardly see them when he got going, they were moving so fast. My own skillz were also fantastic - I hurt my knee! :-)

60Hz mode - no
Widescreen mode - yes

Um, where is the Widescreen mode?

Hm, the review raised my interest, some of the comments confirm my fears though. "instant death" and "replay from start of level" doesn't sound too good really.

nunchaku are pretty cool, they're also very easy to get hold of from marshal arts sport shops. they have some nice light foam covered training ones so you dont hurt yourself as well as the more traditional wood types. me, i went for the telescopic metal ones :) haven't fucked myself up too bad with em yet...

"instant death" and "replay from start of level" doesn't sound too good really.

That was my problem with the first game. Everything was fine if you had time to contemplate your next move and sneaking around was great. But as soon as somebody clocked you and you had to act quickly, the clunky controls and wayward camera completely ruined it for you. And one false move.... restart the level from the beginning. And you lost any of the special items that you took into the level with you the first time, making it even harder on the retry. Absolutely infuriating.

Cheers, that's one less copy sold then. I am a bit choleric sometimes, so I better don't buy it. :-)

Heh heh - whoops! Sorry 'bout that, Activision! :-)

In my opinion this type of censorship smacks of elitism and contempt. Well, *I* can watch the uncut Enter The Dragon without going insane and beating someones head in with a newly purchased nunchaka, but Tom, Dick and Harry can't because they're simple people.

I know what you mean, that's a general problem indeed, but let's be honest: I'd rather see the regulars here play "Gorefest 2003" than, say, the non-registered posters at the wrestling threads if you catch my drift.

If you die and restart, you don't lose your special items like in the first game.

Well, I was forming the "I love Tenchu" club, but after trying the cemetery level for about the 50th time last night, I just can't understand the game. For a game that rewards patience and stealth it defies logic to give you a battle with a bunch of swarming undead b*st*rds when the combat system is more suited to 1 on 1 combat. P*ss poor AI and getting backed into a corner to be burnt and chopped to bits is not much fun... Grrrrrrrr

Actually, my understanding is that nunchaku and shuriken weren't banned because they're easy to use; they were banned because they're easy to make and stunningly easy to injure yourself with, so the censors worried that kids would tie sticks together and beat themselves over the head with them, or manufacture pointy throwing implements and then cut their hands open with them.

Given most kids today, I'm not sure they're wrong :)