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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Cinematics on your NES! Really., May 12, 2003
Now with the understatement of the decade, let's look at this title in more depth. The original Ninja Gaiden is still one of the best titles available on the NES. Games of this era were generally quite hard, since sheer difficulty was generally the main way a developer created replay value. That said, this game is as hard--perhaps harder at times--as Ghosts n' Goblins, making it arguably one of the toughest games out there. Unlike Gn'G, though, this difficulty is due to the tightly patterned design of the levels and enemy attacks that must be faced rather than randomness or poor programming.For such a small program (256K,) this title does a highly recommendable job with the graphics. Stylish, very well orchestrated and designed cutscenes make the most of tight restrictions; the title screen is quite impressive for the NES as it leads right into the cutscene as a good movie might. Most levels are packed with layered scrolling backgrounds giving a great sense of depth, though this isn't evident from playing the first level (a rather odd version of late 1980s America, complete with biker guys wielding clubs and gun-toting punk rockers). It is easy to see how some might consider this a Castlevania ripoff--coming slightly more than two years after the original 1986 Famicom Disk System version of that game, this one has a sidescrolling perspective, special weapons work in a similar way and, most importantly, are often found inside lanterns! It is a very shallow comparison, however. Ninja Gaiden has you leaping all about the place with stunning speed--you grasp walls and bounce off street signs to get to high places, and the general emphasis is on getting There, wherever that might be, instead of beating whatever is in your way to bits. Sound is actually quite good. Across the board there are a couple outstanding tunes, and you won't be getting any headaches soon from this game's music. This game (even more than most 16 bit titles) has a sense of scale and depth that few others even begin to compete with. Ninja Gaiden moves you across the world on a quest of such scale that it's hard to put a finger on it--demons, the CIA, and traditional Japanese virtue all have their place here.
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3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
AWESOME game, one of the reasons why the NES is great!, May 11, 2003
For those of you that are "new gamers" and don't remember this series, this first game was one of the defining entries in the NES system and one of the reasons why the NES is considered one of the greatest systems ever. You play the role of Ryu Hayabusa, a ninja, and battle your way through levels and eventually must take the two demon stones away from Jaquio, the main bad guy. The graphics were ok, but what made the game different were the animated cut scenes inbetween the "acts" (a.k.a. stages). I don't know if this was the first game to use them, but because of this game, many games thereafter did. The gameplay and controls are for the most part awesome. Let me tell you, though, THIS GAME IS HARD. Time and time again, I have stated that the old NES games (at least the ones from 1985-1990) were made to [beat you]. This game is one of the reasons why. There's no spoonfeeding here; it takes a lot of patience and effort to defeat this game. Overall, this is a CLASSIC. Simply fantastic. While the passwords in the Ninja Gaiden Trilogy (...) provided a relief for the game, it's still nothing in comparison to playing the original NES version... no passwords. Fun and difficult, the way a game was meant to be.
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1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Think Castlevania--With Ninjas., April 2, 2008
Fun:5.0 out of 5 stars
When Ninja Gaiden hit the NES in 1989, gamers everywhere experienced a severe case of Deja Vu. It was as though they had seen this somewhere before. Well, it turns out they had. It wasn't but a few years earlier another soon to be legendary action/platformer franchise--Castlevania--was making gamer's "top ten" lists across the globe. Of course, Ninjas have nothing to do with Dracula, so how can people even begin to compare the two? Well, it's not such a surprising claim, especially when the games are put side by side.
Turn on the power, press start, and you're Simon Belmont/Ryu Hayabusa (Castlevania/NG respectively) armed with only his trusty whip/sword. In every area, a variety of subweapons is available, each powered by items found in the breakable objects strewn about the stage. Both games allow a single sub-weapon to be equipped at any time, with the weapon changing whenever a new one is found. The screen layouts are reflections of one another, with an "enemy" health gauge right below the player's at the top of the screen. On top of it all, the controls are identical (with the exception of the wall climb in NG), not to mention both games are incredibly difficult.
Still, the differences between the two are significant enough for NG to have it's own unique shine. Without a doubt, NG is a MUCH faster game. Unlike Castlevania's Simon Belmont who limps through each section of Dracula's castle like he twisted his ankle at the gate, NG would never work at such a sluggish pace. NG's Ryu is swift, agile, and fluid in all his movements and animation--a refreshing change from the Castlevania series.
Another difference worth noting is the cutscenes. NG is one of the first games to have what is such a common feature today. Again, unlike Castlevania (which didn't have much of a story early on), each level is followed by a short cutscene unveiling a few details about Ryu's quest. The story itself decent enough, but I personally never paid too much heed to it. Still, it's an interesting feature seeing as most games of the era had their stories printed in the instruction manuals or on the back cover of the box. NG broke the mold by allowing gamers everywhere with lost manuals/boxes to understand why the hell they're doing whatever they're doing.
Unfortunately, this doesn't help much. Ryu spends 99% of the game fighting random enemies that have no relevance to the story. You'll fight boxers, knife tossers dressed like the Fonz, dudes in camouflage sporting machine guns, guys with racing helmets and clubs, jet-pack ninjas (my personal favorite), and those freakin' hawks which are arguably more frustrating than Castlevania's infamous Medusa heads. This doesn't take away from the enjoyment, but it's moderately confusing, and you'll catch yourself saying, "What the heck was that?" pretty often. Compare the enemy randomness to that of the first NES Ninja Turtles game. Yes, it's that strange.
The boss fights range from easy to moderately difficult to impossible. As with most NES games, it's simply a matter of figuring out the pattern and getting the timing down. You can actually use the "ninja swirl" sub-weapon to take each boss out in a single blow (sometimes two), but making it to the end of any stage with that item typically requires a near photographic knowledge of the level and the skills to make it there. Oh, did I mention that every boss erupts into a massive explosion when beaten? Awesome--just awesome.
But let's cut to the basics. Here are the pros and cons that every gamer should know about this game:
Pros:
-This game will make you want to buy a sword and don some ninja garb. It truly gives the feel of being a ninja, at least as much as any NES game can.
-It's hard as hell, but makes up for it with it's fun factor and incredible soundtrack.
-With sharp, solid, responsive controls, it's like the game's watching your muscle movements to predict what you'll do next.
-Most enemies take only one hit to kill, which is as awesome as the sound they make when they explode--yes, explode--upon the blade of your sword.
-The level varieties are interesting, the game play is excellent, and the graphics are pretty decent (though they sometimes seem a little bleached).
-It's a thinking-person's game and requires lightning quick reflexes.
-It's ridiculously addictive.
Cons:
-When enemies hit, not only do they do a lot of damage, but odds are you'll be flung off a cliff more than once (see: Castlevania).
-Sometimes you'll have difficulty making simple jumps and getting to certain ledges, especially since enemies love to camp out on those already difficult to reach platforms.
-Enemies respawn so rapidly and relentlessly you'll be cursing at the screen by the end of the second stage.
-Those hawks are EVERYWHERE!
-Wall climbs can be a bit tricky (fortunately this is remedied in NGII). Still, the added challenge can be fun, especially when mastered.
Despite its flaws, NG gets 5s all around. So what if it's a Castlevania's younger brother? It's still an incredible experience. As difficult and frustrating as it is, it's fun and addictive. Pick it up if you have the chance or buy it on the Virtual Console for Wii. It's definitely worth it.
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