Tenchu used to be great...
Stealth should play a huge part in Tenchu Z, but it's easy to avoid your enemies because the AI is so poor. Within a couple of seconds of being spotted I just had to walk around a corner and keep my back to the wall and the guard would totally lose interest. I don't remember the AI being this bad in previous titles? Perhaps my memory is playing tricks on me, but didn't they used to chase and pursue you on foot? The fact that the enemies patrol the same routes over and over again makes it easy to watch for behavioral patterns and then move exactly when the time is right. In this next-gen Tenchu game I would have liked to have seen them move away from these patrol routes, which would have made the gameplay more unpredictable; as is stands you can read the AI like a book.
The atmosphere which was captured so expertly in previous Tenchu games has disappeared into the ether and what we've been left with is a game that looks like it won't do anything to enhance the reputation of the Tenchu series, only damage it. Tenchu Z has only one feature which may save it from being totally slated when it arrives at the end of the month, and that's co-op mode. Gamers will be able to battle it out in 4 player co-op mode, which should allow for some decent team tactics, but I don't hold much hope. Did I mention that it looks crappy?
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