Tenchu Z - Review
Added June 23rd, 2007 by Serenity Now
Tenchu Z is the eighth title in the Tenchu series. In this installment, the developers have done something exceedingly unique: created a game with virtually no story or purpose. As such, it proves to be one of the worst releases the Xbox 360 has seen. But hey, at least they’re taking chances!
There are approximately fifty missions in the single-player campaign, spanning a mere three scenarios: assassination, rescue, and espionage. As one would imagine, the sheer amount of repetitiveness Tenchu Z embodies throughout its eight or so hour campaign is absolutely galling. Moreover, the create-a-character feature is as cookie-cutter as they come.
The combat system is very hack-‘n’-slash, but there are purchasable attacks and weapons that liven things up a tad. Even so, after an hour you’ll have seen it all and will be sprinting for the off switch. Tenchu Z’s Xbox Live features are moderately enjoyable, but the lag is unbearable and renders the entire online play downright useless. When you do get a smooth connection on a match, you can compete cooperatively in a plethora of prominently generic missions. In fact, as far as I could tell, they’re basically identical to the missions found in the single-player.
The only redeeming factor of Tenchu Z’s gameplay is its stealth kills. While the standard combat system may be totally uninspiring and bland, players can implement some rather brutal kills by sneaking up behind their foes and executing an assault.
Tenchu Z straight-up disappoints with insipid environments and even worse texturing. The enemy design is utterly dreadful, to the point where it appears as if the graphics engine is simply regenerating two or three character designs over and over again. Special effects are essentially nonexistent. Blood, which usually adds a bit of flavor to these types of games, is used in moderation and only adequately portrayed during stealth kills. The audio is revolting in every aspect, from the humdrum soundtrack to the horrid voice-acting.
Summary:
I won’t waste any more time articulating about Tenchu Z. It possesses barebones gameplay, run-of-the-mill visuals, and audio that will have you washing your ears out after extended playing sessions. The single-player campaign doesn’t even contain a full-blown plot. To add to this laundry list of blunders, the multiplayer is a snore-fest and a lag-laden cesspool. In short, avoid Tenchu Z like the plague and never look back.
There are approximately fifty missions in the single-player campaign, spanning a mere three scenarios: assassination, rescue, and espionage. As one would imagine, the sheer amount of repetitiveness Tenchu Z embodies throughout its eight or so hour campaign is absolutely galling. Moreover, the create-a-character feature is as cookie-cutter as they come.
The combat system is very hack-‘n’-slash, but there are purchasable attacks and weapons that liven things up a tad. Even so, after an hour you’ll have seen it all and will be sprinting for the off switch. Tenchu Z’s Xbox Live features are moderately enjoyable, but the lag is unbearable and renders the entire online play downright useless. When you do get a smooth connection on a match, you can compete cooperatively in a plethora of prominently generic missions. In fact, as far as I could tell, they’re basically identical to the missions found in the single-player.
The only redeeming factor of Tenchu Z’s gameplay is its stealth kills. While the standard combat system may be totally uninspiring and bland, players can implement some rather brutal kills by sneaking up behind their foes and executing an assault.
Tenchu Z straight-up disappoints with insipid environments and even worse texturing. The enemy design is utterly dreadful, to the point where it appears as if the graphics engine is simply regenerating two or three character designs over and over again. Special effects are essentially nonexistent. Blood, which usually adds a bit of flavor to these types of games, is used in moderation and only adequately portrayed during stealth kills. The audio is revolting in every aspect, from the humdrum soundtrack to the horrid voice-acting.
Summary:
I won’t waste any more time articulating about Tenchu Z. It possesses barebones gameplay, run-of-the-mill visuals, and audio that will have you washing your ears out after extended playing sessions. The single-player campaign doesn’t even contain a full-blown plot. To add to this laundry list of blunders, the multiplayer is a snore-fest and a lag-laden cesspool. In short, avoid Tenchu Z like the plague and never look back.
