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Retro Game Club Discussion Thread - 03 - Ninja Gaiden [community]
 

Ninja Gaiden. What can I say about Ninja Gaiden on the NES? The original NG in the arcades (also available on the Virtual Console) was a beat-em-up in the same vein as Final Fight, in which you played as Ryu Hayabusa, a ninja with an arsenal of three different moves and who could only use his sword for a limited time after grabbing a power-up. Awesome, right?

Tecmo didn't seem to think so either. And so when it came time to bring the game to the NES, which had no hope of ever running a decent post, Tecmo decided to instead make a completely new original game, an action platformer instead of a brawler. The game has a strange resemblance to Castlevania: close range weapon, sub-weapons activated by holding up when attacking, having to hit candles or lanterns to find these weapons and ammunition... even the HUD bears a resemblance. But Ninja Gaiden is a much faster-paced game, and its hero is much more agile: he can run, change direction mid-jump, grab on walls and, if you are dexterous enough, climb them.

The game has a reputation for being balls-hard. The "problem" here is that as agile as Ryu is, the enemies are not limited to close-range weapons and some of them, such as birds and bats, are even faster than the hero. Plus, they respawn immediately should you backtrack even a millimeter when you kill them. But victory is nonetheless possible, if only by memorizing the levels as you get pushed into the omnipresent bottomless pits over and over again.

Oh, I almost forgot: the story in this old NES game is actually worth talking about. Ryu is not on a quest to save a princess from some villain, but is trying to elucidate the mystery surrounding his father's death. This story was told through cutscenes which were simply amazing at the time. They were detailed, well directed, and full of intrigue. Negative Worlders, you may just play through this game for the story.

Then again, you probably won't.


Why not add Ninja Gaiden (NES) or perhaps even Ninja Gaiden: Arcade to your collection, and indicate you are currently playing it?


List of Awesome:
X‑pert74 (beat the game overnight!)
ludist210 (beat the game also overnight? What's going on!?)
TriforceBun
Jargon
Guillaume
anon_mastermind
Paleo_Orca
Rebonack
CPA Wei

URL to share (right click and copy)
04/29/11, 08:40    Edited: 10/27/11, 08:06
 
   
 
How's everyone doing?

Haven't had time to play since last week-end, unfortunately, but tonight I should have time to attempt clearing that damn jump again.

Has anyone who's beaten already tried to start on Ninja Gaiden II or something?
05/04/11, 17:22   
Edited: 05/04/11, 17:22
Haven't played in a few days, I'm at 6-2 and eager to press on.
05/04/11, 17:23   
@anon_mastermind

Same with me. I'll find time today though for sure, I just want to make sure I have a solid block of hours so I can try to beat it once and for all.
05/04/11, 17:27   
I've already beaten Ninja Gaiden II. Oddly, it was much easier than the first.
05/04/11, 17:46   
Well that wasn't so bad. On to 6-3
05/04/11, 17:46   
Took down the first form of the Boss unscathed but the next form is a monster.
05/04/11, 18:16   
Bring Fire Wheels and lots of Ninja Power. Remember that anytime you die, you lose half your Ninja Power, so it helps to stock up in 6-3 dying as little as possible.

Ninja Gaiden 2 is slightly easier than the first, but that's like saying getting a root canal is slightly less painful than having bamboo shoots shoved up your fingernails. It's still no walk in the park from what I can remember, but if you can beat 1, you can beat 2.

3 however, is a nightmare. No infinite continues + weird programming glitch where everything does double damage to Ryu?? Sheesh!
05/04/11, 18:29   
Holy shit, I got to the boss again and what looked like a pleasant surprise turns out to be a huge fucking slap in the face. Go to hell, Tecmo.
05/04/11, 18:33   
@Jargon

Let me guess: you no longer had to watch the cutscene... but you didn't regain your health either.
05/04/11, 18:39   
@Guillaume

Yea, and I didnt have to face his first form again. But that's a small price to pay considerring how easy he is to get my health back.
05/04/11, 18:42   
I'll probably start rolling through Ninja Gaiden 2, and maybe beat Ninja Gaiden Arcade.

NG2's hook seems to be the shadow ninja thing (sort of like the Options in Gradius), which is surprisingly tricky to use effectively. For me, at least. It's not a very natural gaming mechanic. But it's pretty cool. The levels with shifting wind - NOT SO COOL.

@TriforceBun
Lack of infinite continues, combined with high difficulty, is just cruel. But many, many NES games featured that deadly combination.
05/04/11, 18:47   
This blows. 6-2 is now a walk in the park for me, but I'm guaranteed to get hit a bit in that last little area in 6-3, meaning I start at a huge disadvantage on the boss. I'm losing motivation here.
05/04/11, 18:57   
Took out the second form with much help from the spincut

On to the final form!
05/04/11, 20:59   
Add my name to the fucking list!

Almost took out the third form on my first try, took him down shortly after.

Now I can sit back and enjoy my "payment"
05/04/11, 21:27   
Alright guys, I finally beat 4-3 and I'm ready to tackle 5-1. Lemme just- *accidentally clicked reset on the home menu screen*

.....


FUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU-

Oh well... time to get back to my original place. ._.
05/05/11, 02:53   
@Paleo_Orca

It won't take as long, I assure you.

Unless you're playing drunk. Are you playing drunk?
05/05/11, 03:03   
It seems like I won't actually get around to playing the game along with you guys...so I'll participate by reviving this Halloween icon!

Easily the scariest thing I ever saw in a NES game.
05/05/11, 03:19   
@Guillaume

Actually, it was much easier this time around. I suppose getting used to the levels after dying so much has made the game easier.

I'm already back at 4-3.
05/05/11, 03:21   
I really hope the Retro Game Club is still around when my NES gets hooked up again..
05/05/11, 03:31   
I'm at 5-3 and enjoying it, generally. It's nice having the VC version so I can put it down and come back to it without having to start over. Though, I'm sure I'm losing some of the experience by not fully mastering every lower level by playing them a zillion times on my way back up.
05/05/11, 04:23   
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