Mark of the Ninja - Klei Entertainment - X360/PC

[pxib]

A cartoon side-scroller about using swords to kill people with guns. Basically a flashy update of the 2D Metal Gear stealther.

Fun ninja tools deal with thugs and electronic security, and the game rewards either successfully eliminating, confusing, or avoiding them. Gameplay and interface provide an enormous amount of flexibility with minimalist controls, rarely feeling forced or awkward. Level and mission design squeeze all the variety they can out of the premise and tempt both exploration and replay with sprawling maps and mission-specific challenges.

Six or seven hours just to get through the game, and however much more you want to spend improving your scores... then all the fun of watching over shoulders as your friends learn how to play. Easily worth the $15.

[Kail]

Yeah, just getting in to this and it seems really solidly done.

I gotta admit, I thought it sounded kinda stupid at first.  I mean, at this point, ninjas are only slightly less played out than zombies.  Plus, a 2D side scrolling stealth game sounds like a stupid idea; what are you going to do when you meet a guard, Mario over him?  But this game seems really polished so far.  Everything fits together really well, and there's been a lot of effort to remove that element of uncertainty that a lot of stealth games run in to (will the guard notice if I do this, how long will he stay distracted for, etc.).  It's a very methodical game, almost more like a puzzle platformer than an action game.

[pxib]

I also want to mention it is supremely satisfying to successfully Mario over a guard.

[pxib]

Also it's $5.00 on Steam until March 4th, 2013.

[Mosesandstick]

I thought Mark of the Ninja was one of the best games I've ever played. You can't really go wrong at that price.

[apocrypha]

Picked it up today, very stylish, loving it. Worth £4, no question.