This rift, however, belongs to a much more important game: Nightshade.  If the name doesn't ring a bell, then maybe Kunoichi will.  Still lost?  Don't feel bad – Nightshade is the American version of Kunoichi, the semi-sequel to Sega's awesome remake of Shinobi.  (Kunoichi means "female shinobi").  The levels aren't rehashed from the previous game, but its new star and similar gameplay mechanics do not qualify as the next chapter in the Shinobi series.  However, history tells us that side-stories and semi-sequels are sometimes the best games of all.  (Resident Evil CODE: Veronica is probably the most popular of any game I could give as an example.)

With a kunoichi in place of a shinobi, Nightshade looks flashier, sexier, and all the more appealing to everyone who bought Tomb Raider just so they could look at Lara Croft.  Hibana is a well-designed character, but it's her sleek and seamless moves that'll really impress fans of the series.  Players can still run on walls, perform double jumps, and execute awesome Tate combos (in which you strike four or more enemies in succession, killing all of them simultaneously).  In terms of controls, this is nothing short of being the Shinobi sequel (or even a semi-sequel) that the fans were hoping for.

One of Hibana's most fun moves is a dive kick.  After jumping into the air you can dive towards enemies with a fierce kick attack.  Because of the game's structure, which is designed to add an extra jump move every time you attack an opponent, players could potentially jump from enemy to enemy, unleashing dive kicks or other attacks, and never hit the floor.

The first level is really intense.  You expect to find yourself hopping across building tops or exploring a dark and abandoned subway (those come later), but instead you're placed on top of a moving fighter jet.  It's flying through a busy city, and there are other jets and various types of enemies just waiting to take you out.  Surprisingly, this stage isn't very hard, even on the harder difficulty settings.  I can't complain here though – the level is fast, fun, and one of the more unique experiences I've had with a game.  The appeal has more to do with the aesthetics and the camera angle, which changes frequently to enhance the mood, but it still deserves praise.  It reminded me of the old arcade games in which your only goal was to shoot the enemy and stare at all the pretty colors.

If you've played any of those arcade games, you know that they were fun for about thirty minutes.  After that you got bored, stopped playing, and wondered where all your quarters went.  Nightshade suffers in a similar way.  There are some really cool levels, like the fighter jet one I described, and even the more stagnant stages are entertaining.  But the game consists of nothing more than hunting down enemies and killing them.  There are several ways to do this, and that's the one thing that keeps this game alive.  Ninja stars, power-ups, basic combos, Tate combos and aerial attacks are just some of the ways you can abolish the enemy in this game.

The problem is, of course, that after you've killed a group of enemies in every conceivable way, a new batch of enemies appears, ready to strike.

Bogging the game down with useless puzzles would have been crazy.  That's not the kind of game this should be.  It wouldn't have been smart to give players hardly any battles either.  What I've found with repetitious games like this is that the key to success is having a multitude of goals.  Why is my only goal to beat the game?  I could try to play as efficiently as possible to increase my rank at the end of each stage, but that's only worth doing in a game that is highly addictive, not highly repetitive.  A better goal might have been a complex growth system in which the player gains money and EXP for defeating enemies in the most efficient way possible.  Your character would become stronger and faster with time, and you'd be able to buy additional weapons and attack moves with the money you've earned.  Devil May Cry used a system like this to keep the game from becoming a bore.  (It had puzzles, too, but as I said before I really don't want them in a game like this.)

If this game were graded on the controls alone it would easily get a 9 out of 10.  Sega has done a remarkable job of cramming so many complex moves and camera angles into an easy-to-master control system.  This is what makes the game fun to play, even when it starts to get repetitive.  Knowing this, and knowing how much you liked or disliked Shinobi, think long and hard before deciding if Nightshade is right for you.  It's a better-than-average weekend rental, and if you love Shinobi's gameplay style, you'll have some fun playing through this semi-sequel.

Gameplay: 7.5
Nightshade is somewhere between Shinobi 1.5 and a full-fledged Shinobi sequel.  Nightshade has all of the Shinobi gameplay elements you grew to love two years ago.  It also has new moves, a better camera targeting system (better meaning improved – it's still not perfect, and will likely drive you nuts from time to time), and more enemies to kill than you could ever desire.  If you really love to slice and dice, by all means add Nightshade to your Easter wish list (or your Valentine's Day wish list if you have a significant other who really loves you).

Graphics: 7.9
Pretty colors, fast frame rate, detailed skyscrapers.  There's not much more worth mentioning.  This is an attractive game, but it's certainly not the best PlayStation 2 can do.

Sound: 7

Difficulty: Hard
Surprised?  You shouldn't be.  There are times when you'll be running happily from wall to wall, only to die at the hands of an out-of-reach robot.  That's just one example.  I could list them all, but then I might as well right a whole other review.  Lucky for us, there's a super-easy beginner's mode.  Use it if you're unfamiliar with the series or would like to play through the game very quickly.

Concept: 7
Aside from some cool levels and an awesome array of moves (most of which were in the previous game), Nightshade isn't that big of a step above Shinobi.

Overall: 7.5
Nightshade might not offer the freshest experience, but there are few repetitious games on the market that I'd rather spend my time with.  It's the kind of game that I'd play a few times a week, finish it, forget about it, and go back to it in a year.  Most repetitive games are forgotten the day they go back to Blockbuster.  You might not want Nightshade to go back to Blockbuster though.  I wish it were a value-priced game – then I could recommend it to everyone.  At this time though I suggest that you proceed with caution.  It's worth checking out, but only the most obsessed Shinobi fans will consider it a must-buy.