Quick Time Events… those little moments in time during a game in which you’re asked to input a series of button presses, according to an on-screen indicator, in order to perform a required in-game action and progress further in the game.

Quick Time Events… they’ve been in use in some form or another since the early days of gaming, from Dragon’s Lair and Road Blaster in the mid-eighties, to Parappa the Rapper and Shenmue in the late nineties, all the way to present day gaming with the likes of God of War, Resident Evil 4 and 5, music rhythm games, Heavenly Sword, Uncharted… and Ninja Blade.

Quick Time Events… some people love them, some people hate them, and some people think they’re OK. Your feelings on the matter, though, will be directly proportional to whether or not you’ll be interested in Ninja Blade, a third-person, action-adventure slash ‘em up by developers From Software and Microsoft. Created in the image of Ninja Gaiden, but struggling to match that series’ intricate combat system, Ninja Blade still manages to inject a good story into some enjoyable action encounters, but provides more Quick Time Events (QTEs) than you’ll ever care to participate in.

Continue reading El33tonline’s review of Ninja Blade for the Xbox 360.