Difference between revisions of "Ninja Gaiden"

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==Review==
 
==Review==
{{Video Game Review|5|4|7|6|4|NES}}
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{{Video Game Review|4|4|7|6|4|NES}}
  
 
{{Spoilers}}
 
{{Spoilers}}
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===Bad===
 
===Bad===
* Enemies respawn the moment you leave their spawn point on the map. So, if you have to backup to avoid the enemy, you'll find that you'll have to fight it all over again when you return to where it first spawned, and, the enemies you already defeated will respawn when you backup. This essentially forces the player to always move forward and be especially weary about backtracking, which isn't very fun.
 
 
* The story is especially over-the-top.
 
* The story is especially over-the-top.
 
* Irene starts off as a [[strong female character]], but then becomes a [[damsel in distress]], and ultimately a [[women as reward|reward]] for the player.
 
* Irene starts off as a [[strong female character]], but then becomes a [[damsel in distress]], and ultimately a [[women as reward|reward]] for the player.
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===Ugly===
 
===Ugly===
 
* The knock-back from enemies is especially annoying. A single hit causes you to lose control of Ryu until he touches ground again, however, the maps are purposely designed so that most pits have enemies around them waiting to knock you into them, and most stages are filled with pits. You also don't get a brief moment of invincibility after taking a hit, so, if you're surrounded by enemies, they can quickly drain your life. Because of this, the game punishes you severely for even the most minuscule of mistakes, and this causes it to be far too difficult for most players.
 
* The knock-back from enemies is especially annoying. A single hit causes you to lose control of Ryu until he touches ground again, however, the maps are purposely designed so that most pits have enemies around them waiting to knock you into them, and most stages are filled with pits. You also don't get a brief moment of invincibility after taking a hit, so, if you're surrounded by enemies, they can quickly drain your life. Because of this, the game punishes you severely for even the most minuscule of mistakes, and this causes it to be far too difficult for most players.
 +
* Enemies respawn the moment you leave their spawn point on the map. So, if you have to backup to avoid the enemy, you'll find that you'll have to fight it all over again when you return to where it first spawned, and, the enemies you already defeated will respawn when you backup. For enemies like bats and birds, they often respawn over and over again until you leave the spot where they're spawning. This essentially forces the player to be always moving forward and almost never backtrack, which isn't very fun.
  
 
==Media==
 
==Media==

Revision as of 14:08, 7 August 2020

USA box.

Ninja Gaiden is a ninja-themed platform action game developed and published by Tecmo for the NES on 1988-12-09 and later ported to the PC Engine. It is the second game in the Ninja Gaiden series released only a couple months after the arcade game.

In the game, you play as Ryu Hayabusa, a ninja who is trying to figure out why his father was killed in a duel, but quickly becomes involved in a plot where a man man is trying to revive a demon. The game is known for using large cinematics between action sequences to tell a story, something that was uncommon for the time. The game was unofficially novelized.

Personal

I remember watching my brother and step-brothers playing this game around 1990, I think my brother was borrowing it from a friend. I thought it looked really cool, but I don't think they ever let me play it. I remember them getting to the boss of act 2, but never beating him. A couple years later, a friend of mine had the game, and I played it a little bit, but found it to be too hard. I tried it a couple other times in emulators, but never had the patience for it. After seeing people get further in the game, and seeing how insanely difficult the game becomes in the later levels, I have little desire to punish myself enough to try and beat it.

Status

I don't own this game, and I haven't beaten it.

Review

Video Game Review Icon - Enjoyment.png Video Game Review Icon - Control.png Video Game Review Icon - Appearance.png Video Game Review Icon - Sound.png Video Game Review Icon - Replayability.png
4 4 7 6 4

Best Version: NES

— This section contains spoilers! —

Good

  • The action scenes have good graphics, especially with the backgrounds, and the cut scenes are well drawn.
  • The music, though a little repetitive in several songs, is still above par for the NES at this time, the sound effects are good.
  • The game actually has a story with twists and a climax, far more than most games could claim at this time.
  • The game mechanics make you feel like a ninja. Climbing on the walls, swift sword strikes, energy potions that grant you ninja magic, etc.

Bad

  • The story is especially over-the-top.
  • Irene starts off as a strong female character, but then becomes a damsel in distress, and ultimately a reward for the player.
  • The English translation has multiple typos. I also assume it wasn't translated very well, as it names an ancient Japanese ninja "Shinobi," which is a Japanese word for, "ninja."

Ugly

  • The knock-back from enemies is especially annoying. A single hit causes you to lose control of Ryu until he touches ground again, however, the maps are purposely designed so that most pits have enemies around them waiting to knock you into them, and most stages are filled with pits. You also don't get a brief moment of invincibility after taking a hit, so, if you're surrounded by enemies, they can quickly drain your life. Because of this, the game punishes you severely for even the most minuscule of mistakes, and this causes it to be far too difficult for most players.
  • Enemies respawn the moment you leave their spawn point on the map. So, if you have to backup to avoid the enemy, you'll find that you'll have to fight it all over again when you return to where it first spawned, and, the enemies you already defeated will respawn when you backup. For enemies like bats and birds, they often respawn over and over again until you leave the spot where they're spawning. This essentially forces the player to be always moving forward and almost never backtrack, which isn't very fun.

Media

Box Art

Documentation

Maps

Graphics

Videos

Commercial - USA.
Review - Angry Video Game Nerd.
Longplay - NES Works.
Longplay - PC Engine.
History of speed runs.

Titles

Language Native Transliteration Translation
English (Australian) Shadow Warriors: Ninja Gaiden
English (Europe) Shadow Warriors
English (USA) Ninja Gaiden
Japanese 忍者龍剣伝 Ninja Ryukenden Legend of the Ninja Dragon Sword

Links

Link-MobyGames.png  Link-Wikipedia.png  Link-StrategyWiki.png  Link-GameFAQs.png  64x64px  Link-TCRF.png  Link-TVTropes.png