Mini Ninjas - Nintendo Wii

Don't let the kiddie reviews fool you, this game is fun for all ages. Although I wouldn't suggest this game for the hard core gamer looking for a big challenge. I bought this game knowing it would be more of a laid back game that I might enjoy. I also love anything to do with ninjas, so what did I have to lose. This game actually surprised me because it was even better then I had expected. First of all what struck me was the graphics. Okay I know graphics don't make a game but it sure does make it even more pleasant to play. The detail and the realism of the environment was really drawn well and very pleasant to my eyes. The only thing I noticed, it didn't seem like there was much animation for trees and grass like if the wind were blowing through them. But everything was like looking at a beautifully put together work of art, so missing animations weren't really that noticeable. The next thing was the controls which aren't hard to learn at all, and your character moves very fluently with the nunchuk. When you come up on some things to interact with, a mini explanation pops up and shows you the button and Wii remote motion you need to use. Like for instance when you come up to a fruit tree it will show a mini explanation on how to shake the tree to get the fruit, or when you come to a part of a cliff it will tell you how to scale it or how to get across. Some explanations don't come up after the first area, but if you forget you have the option of pushing the 1 button on your remote to explain what to do again. The game play I really liked. The game has big beautiful areas which you will want to fully explore to find all the hidden treasures. Also there is a lot of check points saves along the way to save everything you pick up in between. I loved the main character Hiro spirit ability to enter any animal along the way. Like you can spirit into a bear and attack the enemy with it. Most animals don't have attacks like the bear but are pretty funny to play. At one point I spirited into a cat which was so hilarious because it would meow, and when I pressed one of the buttons on the remote it would go into a mad hissy fit which gave me a chuckle. A raccoon I spirited into had a similar effect except with it's own unique raccoon noise. This brings me to the next point to talk about, the audio and the music. The audio was very pleasant to my ears. The sword slashing, breaking of wooden barrels, to the sound of the waterfalls, and the unique animal noises, everything in the environmental audio was very well done. The character voices sounded great, which basically was made up of Japanese speakers speaking fluent english with a hint of there native tongue. However there did seem to be one small flaw in the character voices. When they were talking about something that went along with the story it seemed like sentences would sometimes pause or begin at the wrong time, like it was hurriedly read off a piece of paper. This didn't make me like the game any less. I liked the ninja masters voice the best, because he sounded like an authentic Japanese story teller. The music in this game went right along with the environment and sounded great. The replay value of this game is there in a big way too. If you go through an area and find that you are still missing some things after you beat the area, you have the option of going back through these beautiful areas at any time with everything you already collected, to try and find what you missed. All in all I am really enjoying this game. If you are a ninja fan and don't mind a game that's a little more on the easy side get this game. This game is also kid friendly with no blood and gore just some good clean fun. For me everything was 5 stars despite some very little flaws. And for the price it can't be beat.

This is an excellent, not gory, combat/adventure game for the Wii. It is really excellent, except for one nit pick around the controls being a bit hard for some of the stuff.The art direction and feel is a perfectly realized stylization of a cartoon Ninja feel, with a lot of very faithful touches to create a Japanese Samurai feel to it. It shows as a labor of love that it must have been. It is hard not to love what you see here.Characters, including enemies, do not die but get changed into animals, and a big part of your mission as you go is to free animals caged by the bad guys. This is quite appealing when all the games your 6-year seems to want are shoot 'em ups with quite a bit more violence than you prefer.That being said, despite being cute, its really quite solid mix of action, minor puzzles, and combat strategy. The exploration is somewhat open, and although clearly funneling you through the level you have some range to explore at times, but not too much - which is nice (too much would be bad for the young ones, as it would feel repetitious and boring).My one complaint, is that all the options on spells and ingredients for mixing, and various pick-ups make for a lot to take in, and the control system extended beyond the basic combat is a bit clunky. For that, my youngster tends not to use, and even when a spell would make things easier, just slugs it out rather than master the other stuff unless necessary.Definitely a must pick-up for the Wii.

This game is really fun to play (coming from a new Wii gamer). You get to play different characters with different talents and run around forests fighting adorable little samurai warriors that make the cutest battle noises. The gameplay itself is fun and not too difficult (though figuring out how to get certain places or kill the bosses can be tricky). I enjoyed finding the new spells to cast and looking around for flowers to make potions.The only downside is that it's a single player game. It would be really fun to be able to play with another person. But I highly recommend it!

My seventeen year old daughter has been a fan of video games for a long time, but they are definitely not her whole life. For the holidays, she asked for a game that would keep her entertained without being ridiculously gory or boring. She thinks storylines are very important in video games. I bought her Mini Ninjas and she loves it. Her friends would come over and they would switch off, taking turns. I learned how to play as well! The graphics are adorable, the storyline is sweet and engaging, and the gameplay is action-filled enough to be entertaining. Great game for anyone!

We HAD to have this game and it is a huge disappointment. My 9 year old got really frustrated with it. I has bad graphics, hard to understand purpose and lots of "talking". Definitely not worth the money, spend your money on a better game.

This is one of the more disappointing games we've purchased for the Wii.My son literally played it one time and never picked it up again. Pass on thisno mater what the price.