In the days of feudal Japan, the ninja warriors were prized for their stealth, cunning and mastery of martial arts. You have to wonder what it would be like if ninjas still roamed the streets today. Perhaps that kind of inquisitiveness prompted Konami to publish their latest side-scrolling action game, Ninja Five-0.

Classic 2D Action

Marrying the classic action of Sega's Shinobi with the grappling-hook antics of Bionic Commando, Ninja Five-0 offers 2D ninja action at its finest. Players assume the role of Joe Osugi, a ninja cop given the task of ridding the world of terrorist oppression.

While the premise may sound a bit off the wall, the in-game action is right on target. Joe's ninja background allows him to throw an infinite amount of shurikens, attack at short range with his katana (sword) and unleash powerful ninja magic techniques after building up enough chakra (spiritual energy). Joe also wields a versatile grappling hook that allows him to reach any visible ledge or ceiling.

Hostage Rescues

Most video game heroes need only worry about eliminating hostiles while saving their own hides. As ninja cop Joe Osugi, you are also responsible for saving the lives of hostages being used as human shields. You must carefully take down the terrorist captor to avoid hitting the hostage. Lose a hostage and it's game over for you.

Each mission has Joe traveling to terrorist hot-spots across the globe. Settings are strongly reminiscent of the Die Hard movie trilogy, as Joe engages the enemy in office buildings, an airplane, giant warehouses and more. While most of the terrorists are your dime-a-dozen machine-gun-toting palookas, you'll also have to take care of evil ninjas and mystical monsters.