#ninja gaiden spotlight

[acquired-stardust]

Game Spotlight #13: Nioh 2: Complete Edition (2020)

Acquired Stardust's first game spotlight of the new year is here! Come along with Ash on a long look into one of the greatest games of the past generation and a little bit of a look into where its influences, and even its overall genre, lie.

As previously discussed, I think Nioh is a title that lives and dies by its comparisons to Dark Souls. Director Fumihiko Yasuda has been transparent in his admission that Nioh was inspired by Dark Souls, and the influence is clear. As a matter of fact I don't think it's a stretch to say that after a decade in development hell it's likely due to the success of Dark Souls that Nioh was able to see the light of day in the first place. Team Ninja cleverly designed the opening hours of Nioh 1 to appeal to fans of the smash hit Souls series with eerie, tense enemy introductions and a slow combat system that eventually gives way to a deep and fast action game by the time the opening hours of the game are up, at which point players coming to Nioh simply for more Dark Souls are lead to one of two conclusions: either 'this isn't Dark Souls and that sucks' or 'this isn't Dark Souls and that's awesome'.

The slow burn of Nioh revealing its identity to the player as not just a mere Soulslike, instead an unmistakable fusion of Blizzard's Diablo and Team Ninja's own previous success Ninja Gaiden, is a satisfying one. Seeing a game go from standing in the shadow of another massive success to one with its own impressive vision and execution all in a single game, within the space of just a few hours, was one of the coolest experiences I've had with a game. It's my pleasure to report that Nioh 2 doubles down on everything that made the first game special, and represents an official divergence from the label of Soulslike into a little-discussed larger genre known as 'masocore'.

"Masocore" is a large umbrella, a broad style of game and design philosophy, with titles that span a variety of genres from precision platformers to action games and everything in between. And while you may not have heard the term before it's not a new phenomenon per se as you're likely more familiar with the saying 'Nintendo hard' that hearkens back to the era of the Nintendo Entertainment System when games were often cryptic and overly punishing in their designs. It is the goal of masocore games to deliver those sorts of punishing and oppressive experiences to players so that the eventual triumph feels all the sweeter. Not every developer has the vision and expertise to deliver on the promise of the genre - not so with Nioh which saw an incredible utilization of the nature of masocore titles to effectively communicate not just its brutal setting but provide a deep sense of immersion to its gameplay. While many developers simply wear the masocore aesthetic as a gimmick, Team Ninja utilized it expertly in the original Nioh title and continues to do so in its sequel.

It's also important to note that while you may not have heard of the masocore term, Nioh series director Fumihiko Yasuda most certainly has and while he has freely admitted the influence Dark Souls had on his project he's never actually called the games Soulslikes - he instead refers to them himself as masocore titles. The label of 'Soulslikes' was inevitably but perhaps unfairly attached to Nioh from the start, but is certainly unwarranted for Nioh 2 which represents a bold step forward in both vision and execution for a series that already shined bright in these areas and a complete divergence from any attempt to bridge the gap between fans of Dark Souls and Nioh, proudly wearing its vision on its sleeve from the start.

Featuring every single mechanic from Nioh 1, an already staggering number of ways to interact with a game of surprising and impressive length, Nioh 2 does indeed double down on all of them. On top of every weapon type from the previous title returning with new and reworked abilities as well as three stances (each with their own movesets attached to them), Nioh 2 adds a whopping four additional melee weapon types along with new ninjutsu and onmyo magic techniques as well as making both of those categories much more viable for use. The Living Weapon and Guardian Spirit mechanics make a return and has seen a significant expansion, replacing its upgraded moveset per weapon with three unique forms with movesets tied to them based on the classification of the currently equipped spirit (that's Brute, Feral and Phantom classes) each with their own Burst Counter unique to each class of guardian spirit. Burst Counters are a new mechanic that allows the player to interrupt big telegraphed enemy attacks (always associated with a red glow) and create an opening for offense, with the counter using a small portion of the new Anima gauge.

The Anima gauge is also used for the game's most impressive and obvious addition to the gameplay formula with Yokai Abilities, which sees enemies have a chance to drop a Soul Core which can be equipped to your Guardian Spirit (for a total of up to three different cores) and allow you to perform an attack based on the particular enemy you obtained the Soul Core from. There is an impressive number of these Soul Cores in the game, with the majority of enemies being able to drop them, and each comes with an array of passive effects (some of which baked in and inherent to the particular enemy type, some of which are randomized) tied to the Soul Core which adds an astounding number of additional opportunities for customization. Just as well there are the new Demon Scrolls, items obtained starting only on the game's first run of New Game Plus (of which there are 5 total difficulties, each with their own escalating recommended levels as well as featuring remixed and new encounters).

Demon Scrolls drop randomly from enemies, similar to Soul Cores, and give the player a repeatable arena-style fight with predetermined enemies that ultimately turns the Scroll into an equippable item with an increasing number of passive bonuses depending on the tier of rarity of the Scroll. These encounters, repeatable, can be utilized to farm Soul Cores and items from specific enemies but also allow the player to reroll one effect from the Scroll upon subsequent completions of the battle.

It isn't only the gameplay systems that have seen an impressive expansion and upgrade that doubles down on the original's vision. Opening in the middle of the Sengoku as opposed to the tail end of it like in Nioh 1, we are treated to a surprising and impressive character creation suite with lots of room to create your own character or even attempt to recreate one from various media before being launched into its significantly more complex story.

Opening with our protagonist having a chance meeting with a young Kinoshita Tokichiro, one of history's least likely success stories and most fascinating people, the base game storyline of Nioh 2 chronicles his meteoric rise through the rigid social strata of the turbulent Sengoku era Japan in a roughly 60 year period before his eventual fall. The story features a higher number of active characters and even deeper ties to real-world history, as well as many instances of toying with history and verging into alt-history in fun ways and culminates in a surprisingly touching way before picking back up in an awesome epilogue and its three DLC episodes.

It is unafraid to throw gamers headfirst into the complex web of events and does not hold the player's hand through the twists and turns of territorial gains and political allegiance swaps, in part because it offers a surprisingly robust encyclopedia that features entries on each and every character in the game that unlocks subsequent lore entries as you advance through the game for those who would like to really study the events of the game which largely mirror actual history. As an aside the game sees my favorite integration of face scanned actors in all of gaming, which often feels like hollow and distracting celebrity cameos to me. The casting of Naoto Takenaka as Tokichiro is a particular stroke of genius in this regard, as the actor has played the historical figure several times previously in live action and his unique voice, sounding less like an overly polished voice actor and more like a person you could actually talk to in the real world, lends a remarkably genuine human element to an otherwise larger than life character.

Nioh 2's encyclopedia also extends to the game's large variety of enemies, again split between human and the demonic Yokai, with the majority of Yokai based on actual Japanese mythology. These Yokai have their own language that is heard and seen through undecipherable subtitles upon picking up a Soul Core, with enough Soul Cores having the benefit of translating the aforementioned subtitles and providing a little more insight into the particular Yokai.

Speaking of the different enemy types and changes to the game, Nioh 2 features a drastically higher ratio of Yokai enemies than the original game and marks another real divergence point in how it feels to play. Yokai, who's ki must be depleted before there are real guaranteed openings to attack them (with said ki only being able to be reduced through risky attacks you shouldn't fully commit to lest you tempt a swift death), are prone to otherwise unpredictable amounts of hyper armor that ignore the hitstun of your attacks. They most certainly require a different mindset and skillset to battle, and the huge increase in Yokai enemies may deter some players but it does offer a lot more opportunity for various elements of the game to shine. Tonfa in particular, which eventually allow for the player to animation cancel significantly more often than other weapons, provide a really engaging sense of interaction against these lethal enemies.

With the increase in Yokai enemies comes an unavoidable fact: Nioh 2 is considerably harder than the first entry on a base level. Enemies are harder to interact with in favorable manners and are faster, often with wider ranging attacks radiuses and trickier animations. Burst Counters and Yokai Abilities added into the mix also highlight the issue of input bloat from the first title that has only gotten worse with the increase in difficulty and overall game speed. While certainly absolutely more challenging and even challenging in meta ways like input bloat I do not consider this a flaw per se - it is merely a mild growing pain in the long journey towards mastery of the game mechanics that is, of course, part and parcel with the masocore genre. You are meant to be challenged and feel like survival, nevermind comfortability, are impossibilities and that feeling of danger helps sell the story, world and their stakes incredibly well. Mastery over the game's overwhelming number of mechanics and potential interactions is a long road but more satisfying than almost any other game I've had the pleasure of experiencing.

Of course, this being The Complete Edition, Nioh 2 does feature three DLC episodes bringing more story content and side missions that explore other fondly regarded periods of Japanese history and further utilize the characteristics of the masocore genre to make a very salient point about history: there is no utopian past from which we have strayed. Frantic soldiers in the Genpei War lament their helplessness, villages burn and their inhabitants are massacred, and discrimination sets people down the path of bloody revenge. While there may indeed be heroes and heroism, life has and always will be a brutal struggle against the harsh realities of nature as well as against our own worst instincts. These expansions to the base game are each as fascinating and satisfying as the base game, and can feel just as meaty with the content included, which is a real testament to the overall vision and its execution.

While much has been made of Nioh's connections to and divergence from the Soulslike label, its connections to Diablo and Team Ninja's previous outing in the 3D Ninja Gaiden games run far deeper. In fact while many of the references made in the first Nioh have been retained (such as cameos from series regular Muramasa with the same design as in those games as well as Nioh's small treasure chests' designs being directly lifted from the Ninja Gaiden games) there are even more that have been included in Nioh 2. The Tsuchigumo ninja, rival clan to Ninja Gaiden's protagonist clan, see a glorious return to gaming complete with their eponymous Yokai making an appearance. Ninja Gaiden 2 (2008) opens with an enemy throwing hatchets at protagonist Ryu Hayabusa and Nioh 2 manages to include the same hatchets as a new usable weapontype complete with a weapon throwing mechanic for them. The masocore genre existed long before Dark Souls became synonymous with it and there was a time Team Ninja was thought of as being the kings of it in the days of a waning scene for Japanese games, perceived as being well into a decline in the aughts.

The rise of the blockbuster shooter in the mid to late 2000s completely changed the discourse around video games for one simple reason: it introduced so many people to gaming that many of the people talking about games now simply weren't around then, and many who were around then were likely too young to be playing much beyond what completely gripped the entire mainstream gaming scene at the time. A million games came and went while the likes of Gears of War, Halo and Call of Duty monopolized our collective playtime and this time in gaming is poorly remembered because of it. One such example of this is the way in which Dark Souls has become quite so synonymous with 'hard games', to the point that even Crash Bandicoot, returning to prominence thanks to a wonderful remaster of the original trilogy, has often been called "the Dark Souls of platformers" despite its entire existence playing out well before Dark Souls was born.

Nioh's bucking of the monopoly From Software's Dark Souls (along with Sekiro and Elden Ring - perhaps spotlights for another time) have on our perception of and conversation around hard games is significant, and its place among the upper echelon of masocore titles is simply undeniable. Bigger and better in almost every conceivable way than its already fantastic and extremely dense predecessor, Nioh 2 is easily able to keep you busy for several hundred hours provided you're willing to give it that much time. It's also developed with multiplayer in mind in a significantly deeper way from enemy attack animations to the push and pull of the Assist Gauge as well as a reliable scaling down of player stats if there are large discrepancies to keep things relatively on the rails, making for a wonderful experience with up to two other players across the vast majority of its missions.

Nioh 2 is unquestionably worth every minute you're willing to put into it, and likely even more no matter how much you've spent on it. The sheer breadth of the experience is almost too much to describe and encapsulate in this spotlight - it needs to be experienced first hand to be truly understood.

A gem hidden among the stones, Nioh 2 is undoubtedly stardust.

--Ash

[narhinafan]

I tried so hard to like sarada and even try not ignored her sharing sakura's personality. But right now in the manga her character is frickin useless and add nothing to the plot. Total Irrelevant character and undeserving of the spotlight. Main side characters like Mitsuki, eida daemon and shikamaru, amado, sumire and konohamaru are getting wasted and ignored for her spotlight and potential. Not only sss ruined sasuke image and whole character building personality but sarada keeps acting and disgrading as being the uchiha.

Sarada haruno suits her better than uchiha.

The thing is I did like Sarada at first in Gaiden and the Boruto movie her personality didn't seem that bad.

When the Boruto manga and anime started they ended up giving her to much of Sakura's personality and it was all the bad parts of it as well.

Then her actual role in the story is just being side lined like Sakura was and when she does get involved things get worse like Boruto losing an eye or that leaf ninja being turned into a tree.

Yeah as an Sarada leaves much to be desired even her clothes move away from the high-collared outfits the clan tend to favour. She would have been so much better if she was more like Sasuke.

[goombasa]

Youtube Recommendation: Summoning Salt

Time for something quick and simple, I think. I might be sprinkling posts like this throughout the year here and there, just using this as an excuse to talk about another creator that I really like.

So, any speedrunners in the audience?

Speedrunners both terrify and intrigue me. Even when watching a middle-of-the-road run, or an old run that is vastly outdated by modern techniques, I am always stunned and mystified by the amount of skill, planning, and tenacity that goes into making them work, the hours and hours put into playing the same game over and over again, stripping it down to its absolute bare essentials and looking for breaks in the chain, openings in the plate, which can be exploited as much as possible.

And as much as I love hearing the technical side of all these things, what I love most is learning about the journey that a game takes to become a heavily played speed game.

If you've had any sort of interest in speed running a game, or the practice or people in general, chances are good you've come across videos made by a Youtuber named Summoning Salt. Summoning Salt's videos revolve entirely around speed running, which makes sense considering Salt himself is a very accomplished speedrunner, holding 1st place in six different categories for Mike Tyson's Punch-Out!! on the NES. This intimate knowledge on the ins and outs on the process of speed running, and his own experience, lends his videos an important touch of professional knowledge.

His output primarily consists of videos covering the history of the speed running community and record for a particular game, and he doesn't just cover the big games either. While yes, he has touched on games like Mike Tyson's Punch Out, Super Mario 64, and the Mario Kart series, but he's also covered games you really wouldn't expect to HAVE a speed running community, like Wii Sports or the Lego Star Wars saga. He's also done videos spotlighting the careers and attempts to beat the records of prominent speedrunners, like Abney317 in Mario Kart 64 or Jimmypoopins in Ninja Gaiden 2, or videos concerning very specific categories within a community. He's done videos on blindfolded Punch-out and Super Mario 64, as well as a video on the Wii Sports Golf game specifically, for example.

And these videos are like potato chips. I can't watch just one, despite the rather impressive length of them. His older videos usually range between fifteen minutes and a half hour, but his recent videos range anywhere from between forty-five minutes to upwards of two hours as he goes into massive detail on the history of a game, going through every discovery for glitches and techniques, and probably most importantly, highlighting every player that helped to push the game forward or challenge the community's status quo, no matter how small of a role they might have played in the grand scheme of things. No detail is too small if it means talking about some interesting aspect of the game.

His videos are also incredibly easy to understand as well, which lends them well to those who aren't really into speedrunning or might be new to the community. he does use language and terms that are intrinsic to speedrunning, but he generally does a good job of explaining what those terms mean in a way that is very accessible. I compare that to videos from mother speedrunning focused channels that are really into the technical side of things, like Bismuth. Bismuth is another great speedrunning channel, but focuses more on explaining, in great detail, the technical aspects of how certain tricks and glitches work. To give you an idea of their breadth of knowledge, their biggest project is an exhaustive 5+ hour long documentary explaining all of the history and technical aspects behind the A-button challenge, where people try to beat Super Mario 64 using as few A-button presses as possible. It's a really interesting watch, at least to me, but due to the technical nature of their videos, Bismuth's stuff is a bit more niche. Summoning Salt's videos are much more simple, and he uses languages and explanations that are pretty easy to understand, often not bothering to go in depth into the technical aspects of what makes certain tricks work beyond what is necessary to understand the idea behind it, or just skip over the technical details entirely if it would slow down the video, which is focused more on the human element of speed running, the drama and high emotion of trying to reach, and keep, a record.

Even if you're an outsider looking in, I would highly recommend checking out Summoning Salt's channel, just for the entertainment value alone. Ultimately, the videos are stories about the people behind the records, who made the community what it became, rather than focusing on the game itself, and I think that's what makes it so fascinating to watch. Here are a few recommended vids that I personally enjoy:

Recommending Videos:

The History of Blindfolded Super Mario 64: At the time of my writing this, this is actually the most recent video on Salt's channel. Not the first ‘blindfolded’ video he's done, but I feel like this one better exemplifies the absolute struggles of playing a well known game without the use of sight AND doing it quickly.

The History of Wii Sports World Records: An excellent example of just how Summoning Salt can take something that, conceptually, shouldn't be that interesting or epic, and through just telling you about the people and just how it started to gain popularity, he gets you to care about something as silly sounding as the world record for marathoning all the games in Wii Sports as fast as possible.

The Quest to Beat Matt Turk: This was the video that got me into Summoning Salt's channel, a story about how a dead speedrun community was given new life as a series of runners came together with the collective goal of trying to beat the individual times of the runner who held the world record in every single fight in Punch Out.

The History of Super Mario Bros 3 100% World Records: This is a good blueprint for how most of Salt's videos tend to play out, and it's for a game that is incredibly well known. This is a quintessential Summoning Salt video and will probably give you a really good idea as to whether or not you'd enjoy his content.

[nintendworld]

Ryu Hayabusa

The Super Ninja

[postgamecontent]

Ninja Gaiden Spotlight: Ninja Gaiden 2 & Ninja Gaiden 3

We’re continuing our look at the Ninja Gaiden series by looking at the remaining two chapters of the celebrated NES trilogy. Tecmo had caught lightning in a bottle, but repeating that task would prove to be tricky. What we ended up with were two slightly different approaches that unfortunately led to a dormant franchise.

Ninja Gaiden 2: The Dark Sword of Chaos

Original Release Date: April 6, 1990 (JPN)

Original Hardware: Nintendo Famicom

Tecmo had scored a serious hit with the first NES Ninja Gaiden game. It was not only well-liked by players and critics, but also sold well beyond expectations. Naturally, that meant that a sequel would be on the way soon. While many NES sequels went in unusual directions or switched up the gameplay entirely, that wouldn't be the case with the follow-up to Ninja Gaiden. Virtually the same team occupying the same roles came together to produce Ninja Gaiden 2: The Dark Sword of Chaos, a slightly bigger and more ambitious take on the mechanics of the first game. With the franchise already well-established, the door was open for Ninja Gaiden 2 to be an even bigger hit than the first game. Nintendo's in-house magazine Nintendo Power had been no slouch when it came to promoting the original game, but they went all-out for the follow-up, dedicating an entire month of the magazine to a strategy guide covering the ins and outs of Tecmo's latest.

It's hard to get concrete sales data from this period of time, but my impression is that Ninja Gaiden 2 sold very well, but not quite as well as Tecmo might have been hoping. I remember picking the game up at nearly half the initial price only a couple of months after its release, which leads me to think that shops were having trouble moving the full amount they had ordered. That said, the game certainly did well enough to keep the franchise rolling, and it wasn't considered a bad sequel or anything like that. Perhaps its worst crime was that it simply didn't do enough to distinguish itself from its predecessor, a game that many players had yet to beat by the sequel's release. It's very likely that a lot of people weren't ready for another installment yet.

Whether a result of Tecmo upping the production budget or the development staff simply having more experience, Ninja Gaiden 2 certainly looks more impressive than the first game. Ninja Gaiden wasn't a bad-looking game by any means, but other than making use of the background trick for the final boss, the game didn't pull out many graphical tricks. The sequel makes use of layers to create all kinds of interesting effects including falling snow, ruins that obscure the action, and dark stages that only light up when lightning strikes. Ryu is more smoothly animated than before, and the few enemies that return from the original look a lot better, too. One of the few new gameplay tricks is also a pretty interesting visual effect, too. Through collecting power-ups, Ryu can get up to two shadow clones following him, copying his actions and dealing damage to enemies. Their sprites constantly flicker, giving them a transparent look, and the mere act of dropping an extra couple of sprites on the screen, particularly ones that would frequently occupy the same horizontal space as Ryu, was gutsy.

Aside from the shadow clones, the main change to the gameplay is that Ryu is now able to scale walls without using a ladder. You still need to be able to pull off the trick of jumping off of a wall and onto a platform above it, but at least you only need to do that at the top instead of using it to inch your way up. This easier method of climbing is put to greatest use during boss fights, which now include far more vertical elements than those in the previous game. On the whole, I would say the boss fights show the greatest improvements when compared game-to-game with the first title. They can still be cheesed badly if you have the right tools, but they tend to take a little more work than just jumping out of the way and slashing. The game once again concludes with a battle against three bosses in a row, but this time, dying will only send you back to the beginning of the sub-stage. As a result, you don't need to be nearly as persistent to pull off a victory in Ninja Gaiden 2. The last stage isn't particularly enjoyable, but it's not nearly as bothersome to run through multiple times as the entire last act of the first Ninja Gaiden was.

Other changes are more subtle. The Windmill Slash has been completely removed from the game, likely due to how overpowered it was. The Invincibility Fire is now a sub-weapon you can use at your discretion, albeit at a steep cost to your magic points. Complementing the Fire Wheel and its ability to strike enemies above you is the Dragon Fire, which fires a blast below you. Ryu now starts with the basic shuriken, so you're never without a sub-weapon of some sort. The magic point system has been changed a little bit, starting you off with a relatively small maximum number of points and allowing you to expand it by collecting scrolls scattered throughout the levels. Extra lives and health potions are more plentiful, and the red ninja magic points pick-up now fills your gauge up to the maximum. As mentioned before, many stages make use of gimmicks such as blowing wind, water currents that pull you along, or icy floors that cause you to slip and slide.

For the most part, though, Ninja Gaiden 2 is business as usual. Ultra-tough, fast-paced, ninja-on-occult-goons violence, as you like it. The dramatic cut-scenes make their return, and while the story on the whole is fairly underwhelming, the style and depth of these intermissions is greater than before. I used to think that Ninja Gaiden 2 was a much easier game than the first one, but after replaying both of them in preparation for these articles, I'm not so sure it's that clean-cut. The final boss section is certainly not as nasty, and there are a lot more extra lives to go around. But Ninja Gaiden 2 likes to come up with all kinds of new ways to suck those lives out of the player, resorting to more gotcha-style deaths than even the first installment. As cool as all of those new graphical effects are, they're sometimes a little too busy for the game's good, obscuring enemies in such a way that the player will suffer fatal strikes from attacks they should have easily spotted.

Ultimately, while it ends up being more unjustly difficult then the original in places, the overall experience feels slightly more manageable. I'm not sure if I like that better or not. Ninja Gaiden 2 certainly appears to have had a lot more thought put into its design, but is somehow less memorable anyway. It probably doesn't help that after a considerable build-up, cool new villain Ashtar ends up being a paper tiger that gets fed to the real villain of the piece. The first half of the game gets a weak pay-off as a result, and the back half is too short and uninspired to get the fire going again. The plot was already starting off with a weaker premise, lacking the emotional arc of Ryu's search for his missing father. Sure, these story bits aren't integral to the gameplay or even particularly well done in the best of cases, but they were a major selling point for these games. Having a weaker plot all-around gave players less incentive to wade through some of the more questionable levels.

Nevertheless, Ninja Gaiden 2 has its moments. The first few levels of the game are particularly punchy.  The opening stage takes Ryu across the city rooftops and down onto a street, expressing the expanded verticality of the game quite nicely. The first boss is easy, behaving very similarly to the first boss of the original game, but with a charging attack that might take you off-guard. The aim here is likely to teach the player how to use their shadow clones to strike an enemy while keeping Ryu in a safer spot, and it works well in that regard. After a cut-scene that introduces the ultimately forgettable Robert, Ryu takes to the top of a moving train that eventually leads to an exciting climb up a mountain while snowy winds blow in multiple directions. The second boss forces you to use Ryu's agility and climbing abilities in ways that the original game's bosses barely required.  The next couple of levels after that eschew the gimmicks in favor of some solid platforming that is unfortunately hindered by some of the snazzy background effects. This culminates in a battle with Ashtar, after which the game limps along somewhat tiredly towards its conclusion.

I really dig the shadow clones, but I can also see why this ended up being the only game to use them. In the right hands, they make most of the bosses and difficult enemies absolutely trivial. Ninja Gaiden 2's bosses use more complicated patterns and demand more of the player all around, but due to the power of the shadow clones, they're far less threatening than the lumbering damage-sponges of the first game. The other thing I noticed is that the level designers put a lot more thought into how the player could use their sub-weapons beyond the immediate situation. There's an especially clever set-up in the fifth act that has four item globes arranged in such a way that you can only initially reach the first of the bunch. It gives you the weapon you need to hit the second, which gives you the weapon needed to hit the third, and so on. It's easy to miss things like this due to the generally frantic pace of the game. I would have liked to have seen what this team might have done given a few more games to play with, because it sure seems like they were starting to think a little more deeply about what Ninja Gaiden could be.

Unfortunately, they would only get one more crack at things with this series. That means that for whatever flaws the game possesses, Ninja Gaiden 2 has a lot of value as one of only two games to build off of the first game's excellent structure. It's the safer of the two sequels by far, and thus it's no surprise that it's generally more well-liked than the next game in the series. That the game is somewhat weaker overall than the first doesn't diminish its status as one of the better action games of the 8-bit era, one that has held up fairly well over the two and a half decades since its release. As with the first game, Ninja Gaiden 2 is available on every iteration of Nintendo's Virtual Console service, making it relatively simple to get your hands on a copy through official channels.

Ninja Gaiden 3: The Ancient Ship of Doom

Original Release Date: June 21, 1991 (JPN)

Original Hardware: Nintendo Famicom

Ninja Gaiden 3 was an ill-advised game in many ways. With the director of the previous two games, Hideo Yoshizawa, stepping into a producer role at Tecmo, the reins were handed to Masato Kato. Kato's contributions to the first two games were hardly insignificant, and I can certainly appreciate his desire to move the series in a new direction for a variety of reasons, but it probably wasn't the time or place to push things as far Ninja Gaiden 3 did. One of the biggest issues with the game had nothing to do with Kato, at least not directly. One of the ways Kato wanted to move in a new direction with Ninja Gaiden 3 was to make it more accessible to players in general, which meant toning down the difficulty of the legendarily tough series. Unfortunately, Tecmo was under the impression that American gamers liked that aspect of the games, and to tell the truth, I don't think they were wrong about that. Thus, some significant changes were made to the US version of the third game, and that led to two very different experiences.

Let's first go over the changes that both versions have in common. While the first two games were about a ninja battling occult forces, the third game veers hard into sci-fi. Demons and Eldritch horrors are replaced with robots and genetic experiments, with the levels themselves moving away from the organic and into the mechanic. The fundamental physics behind Ryu's movements have been altered. He's a little slower in the air and can move a touch farther horizontally at the cost of some of his vertical range. It's immediately noticeable if you play the games consecutively. Ryu has a couple of new tricks in his basic arsenal. He can now climb hand-over-hand across certain ceilings and rails, and is now able to easily jump up onto a surface from the walls below it.

The shadow clones from Ninja Gaiden 2 are gone, but Ryu gets a couple of new power-ups in their place. A new sub-weapon fires shots directly above and below the ninja, which couples nicely with his new climbing skills. Ryu can also get a power-up for his sword that will last until he loses a life. It extends the range of the basic attack, making it easier to hit enemies from a safe distance. Oh, and it also makes Ryu's sword swing look like Strider Hiryu's famous slicing technique. It's so useful that it's hard to imagine beating some of the stages and bosses without it. Luckily, the developers almost always place one in areas just before the boss battles, so you should be able to get your hands on it when it's needed. The basic shuriken sub-weapon has been removed, with the boomerang shuriken taking its place as Ryu's default sub-weapon. Finally, the Dragon Fire sub-weapon has been granted a wider spread, allowing you to carve out a bigger path below you than you could by default in the second game.

This is as good a place as any to talk about where the Japanese and North American versions of the game diverge. While the Japanese Ninja Gaiden 3 is a far gentler game than its predecessors, the changes made to the American version finally push the series across any reasonable line of frustration. It's remarkable how a few little alterations can do so much damage, but that's the case here. First of all, enemies in the North American version of the game deal double the damage to Ryu with their attacks. This is particularly nasty when it comes to bosses, many of whom could already carve out respectable chunks of Ryu's life bar with their blows. Second, there are fewer special weapons around in general, and their locations have been moved to make them harder to get at. But the worst change, and the one that I think really kills the game, is that the North American version gives the player a limited amount of continues with which to clear the game. After your fifth continue is spent, you'll have to start back at the beginning of the game if you get another game over.

In our modern age where even Nintendo includes save states in game re-releases, that's not the biggest problem in the world, but at the time, I think it really hurt the game. The Ninja Gaiden games were already hard enough, but getting kicked back to the start was like the kidney punch of the first game's final boss sequence, times ten. My friends and I were pretty big fans of the series at the time, and I don't know that any of us actually bothered to see Ninja Gaiden through to the end. Most of us didn't even bother playing halfway. I suppose this is the double-edged sword of trying to fight the rental market. It's great if the game is too hard to finish on a single rental, but it's not great if a single rental is enough to convince a group of kids that even playing the game is futile, either. I think most players could have tolerated, perhaps even celebrated, the other changes if it weren't for this needlessly cruel move.

It's unfortunate that a poor decision like that has come to color Ninja Gaiden 3's place in history, because apart from that, it's a pretty neat game. The developers really had the hang of the hardware by this point, so Ninja Gaiden 3 is able to show off all sorts of cool tricks like parallax scrolling, vertical scrolling, and larger enemy sprites. The story is more interesting than the one in the second game, albeit considerably more "out there". Its first twist is pretty obvious given that the game is set before Ninja Gaiden 2, meaning that certain dead characters can't stay that way, but the second big twist is fairly well-done as these things go. It takes a while to get used to the new physics, and it never feels as good as the first two games in that regard, but it's not that bad once you get the hang of things.

One change that I neglected to mention might go unnoticed by many players, but it represents a major shift in how the game plays. Enemies no longer respawn at all, so you're free to backtrack at your leisure to take a fight to a safer place. Well, almost. The timer in Ninja Gaiden 3 is stricter than in previous games, so while the lack of respawns technically allow you to take your time, you really shouldn't. As it is, there are acts where it's nigh-impossible to finish within the time limit, forcing you to sacrifice a hard-won life to get a fresh timer. Even with that issue in mind, it's nice to know that you only have to beat an annoying bird-like enemy once. While you'll still likely get knocked into pits plenty of times during the course of the game, it happens a little less frequently here than it did in the last two games.

The gimmick stages that characterized the second game are few and far between in the third game. There's a level that takes place on a desert stage complete with quicksand, and a bio-organic level that sees you constantly sinking through the terrain, but other than that, there are few elements that will disrupt Ryu's movement. Instead, the game likes to make use of gimmicks in the boss rooms. The aforementioned sinking floors are present for one encounter, while another battle has you facing off against twins, only one of whom can be hurt. Thanks to the extra damage they deal in the North American version, the bosses can be pretty tense affairs. From a purely mechanical standpoint, the final boss battle in Ninja Gaiden 3 is the best one of all of the NES Ninja Gaiden games, with fun yet predictable patterns to learn and overcome. It's too bad that few players are likely to put up with the game long enough to reach it.

Funnily enough, I can't say Tecmo was entirely wrong to adjust the difficulty. I think the limited continues were a bad idea, and the extra damage probably could have used a more nuanced approach than simply doubling everything. But the Japanese version of Ninja Gaiden 3 feels a little too toothless compared to the rest of the series. While the overseas release overshot the optimal difficulty by a little bit, the Japanese release undershot it by a lot. The sword power-up is so common that it might as well be Ryu's default attack, the bosses go down so quickly that you'll never need to worry much about their patterns, and nearly every really challenging platforming section is preceded by an Invincible Fire weapon pick-up. Without the high level of difficulty the series is usually known for, the game loses much of its personality. It's fun, but ultimately forgettable.

In either form, it was a sad way to see the series go out. With the end of the NES's life in sight, this wasn't a good time to release flawed 8-bit efforts like Ninja Gaiden 3. The game was received badly by critics and players alike and sold poorly enough that Tecmo decided to stick a fork in the whole affair. It would have been amazing to see what a Super NES Ninja Gaiden would have looked like, but the closest we would get would be a mediocre collection of the NES games with few improvements. By all appearances, parts of the Ninja Gaiden team ended up working on a couple of sports games at Tecmo, but as a team, they seem to have dispersed after this game's release. Ryu Hayabusa's story, on the other hand, was far from over.

Previous: Ninja Gaiden (Arcade) & Ninja Gaiden (NES)

Next: Ninja Gaiden Shadow & Shadow of the Ninja

If you enjoyed reading this article and can’t wait to get more, consider subscribing to the Post Game Content Patreon. Just $1/month gets you early access to articles like this one, along with my undying thanks.

[wetwareproblem]

From mentioning the technical aspect of fighting games, I'm guessing you're not a big player of really fast paced action games like Bayonetta, the 3D Ninja Gaidens, DMC, MGRising, etc? At least not on the highest difficulties? Or is my guess completely off base once you switch from pvp to single player?

It's a whole different thing in single-player - AIs, no matter how good, have recognizable rhythms that I don't get from human opponents, and there's far less feeling of being judged.

We can do fast-paced action; we can do a certain degree of technical skill in terms of remembering and making use of various button combinations. Doing high levels of both of those while trying to predict a human opponent and manage spotlight stress is just too much. (Arkham games our beloved; they're rhythm games disguised as beat-em-ups with zero competitive element)

As a general rule, we'll take a game at its default difficulty to start; once we've got a good feel for its rhythms and playstyle, we turn it up to the point where it presents a challenge without overwhelming.

[recentanimenews]

Tubi Adds In This Corner of the World, Liz and the Blue Bird, and More

Screenshot via Eleven Arts

  Tubi continues to grow its anime offerings, following the recent deal inked with Toei Animation to add episodes of shows like One Piece and Dr. Slump. The latest has Fox's free streaming service teaming up with Shout! Factory to stream a handful of acclaimed titles, including In This Corner of the World, Millennium Actress, Liz and the Blue Bird, Penguin Highway, and more. 

    The free additions will be available both subbed and dubbed starting April 8. In This Corner of the World will join the Tubi lineup in 2022. Here's an overview of everything that's on the way:

  Millennium Actress

Winner of Tokyo Anime Award and nominated for multiple Annie awards, this gorgeous new restoration is what many believe to be Satoshi Kon's (Perfect Blue, Paprika) greatest work. When the legendary Ginei Studios shuts down, filmmaker Genya Tachibana and his assistant are tasked with interviewing its reclusive star, Chiyoko Fujiwara, who had retired from the spotlight 30 years prior. As Chiyoko recounts her career, Genya and his crew are literally pulled into her memories where they witness her chance encounter with a mysterious man on the run from the police. Despite never knowing his name or his face, Chiyoko relentlessly pursues that man in a seamless blend of reality and memory that only Satoshi Kon could deliver. The film also garnered the Grand Prize in the Japan Agency of Cultural Affairs Media Arts Festival.

  Liz and the Blue Bird

Directed by Naoko Yamada, students and best friends Mizore Yoroizuka and Nozomi Kasaki prepare to play a complex musical duet, "Liz and the Blue Bird," for oboe and flute. Though they play beautifully together and have been friends since childhood, Mizore and Nozomi find that with graduation looming and the duet proving difficult, their friendship begins to buckle under the pressure. Interspersed with their story is the fantasy tale of Liz, drawn like a storybook, contrasting with the crisp realism of the school. These two distinct styles weave with stirring music to tell an intimate coming-of-age story. The film was nominated for Best Film at the Crunchyroll Awards.

  Maquia: When the Promised Flower Blooms

Though only 15, Maquia knows she will live for centuries without aging past adolescence. She belongs to the Iorph, a clan of ageless beings just like her. Maquia's elders warn her not to fall in love with anyone outside their realm. But fate pushes Maquia out into the mortal world one night when an invading territory separates her from the clan. There she discovers an orphaned baby, Arial, and takes him in as her own child. From this point, Maquia will suffer extreme heartbreak in the name of motherhood, as she watches Arial grow and seeks to reconnect with her lost Iorph friends, all torn apart by the cruel world of Mesate.

  Penguin Highway

Budding genius Aoyama is only in the 4th grade, but already lives his life like a scientist. When penguins start appearing in his sleepy suburb, hundreds of miles from the sea, Aoyama vows to solve the mystery. When he discovers that the arrival of the penguins is somehow related to a mysterious young woman from his dentist’s office, they team up for an unforgettable summer adventure! The film was nominated for Best Animated Film at the Japanese Academy Awards.

  The Wonderland

On the day before her birthday, young Akane meets the mysterious alchemist Hippocrates who brings her through a basement and into a fantastical world full of magic and color. Though things seem peaceful on the surface, he reveals this world is in danger and as the destined Goddess of the Green Wind, it is Akane's responsibility to bring back the rain and save this world from the terror known as Zan Gu. Joining Akane on her journey is Pipo, an alchemist in training, and her adventurous Aunt Chii. The only problem? Akane just wants to go home. The film is directed by Keiichi Hara.

  Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Welcome To The Kitauji High School Concert Band

Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – May The Melody Reach You

Sound! Euphonium: The Movie – Our Promise: A Brand New Day

Based on the manga and television series, the Sound! Euphonium movies follow Kumiko, a young girl at Kitauji High School who plays euphonium in her school’s orchestra. Follow the band on their mission to reach Nationals while juggling romance and adolescence.

  Haikara-San: Here Comes Miss Modern Parts 1 & 2

Adapted from Waki Yamato's popular manga, Kazuhiro Furuhashi’s Haikara-San is a heartfelt, and sometimes comical, tale of love surviving through the perils of war and separation.

  Donten: Laughing Under the Clouds Gaiden

One Year After the Battle, The Tragedy of Fuuma Ninja Tribe, and Conspiracy of the Military

It's been a year since brothers and shrine guardians, Tenka, Soramaru, and Chutaro, have defeated the legendary giant snake that threatened to destroy humanity. However, their lives are thrown into upheaval when they discover a plot to revive the evil serpent.

  In This Corner of the World

Based on the award-winning manga by Fumiyo Kouno and brought to life by acclaimed filmmaker Sunao Katabuchi (Mai Mai Miracle) and producer Taro Maki, In This Corner of The World tells the emotional story of Suzu, a young girl from Hiroshima, who's just become a bride in the nearby city of Kure during World War II. Living with her husband's family, Suzu has to adjust to her new life, which is made especially difficult by regular air raids. But life must go on, and Suzu — through the help of her new family and neighbors — begins to discover the joys of everyday life in Kure. Much is gained in Kure, but with war, many things cherished are also lost. In This Corner of The World is brought to life, in stunning animation, by acclaimed filmmaker Sunao Katabuchi (Mai Mai Miracle) and producer Taro Maki. The film was also nominated for Best Film at the Annie awards, among several other wins and nominations.

  Source: Press release

    -------

Joseph Luster is the Games and Web editor at Otaku USA Magazine. You can read his comics at subhumanzoids. Follow him on Twitter @Moldilox.

By: Joseph Luster

[sparda3g]

Kimetsu no Yaiba Chapter 172 Review

It was great to see the introduction of the Pillars again, now in anime form. For anime viewers, they are interested to see their depth and personality. For us, we are praying that those faces will return alive and well. We already lost Shinobu; let’s not lose anyone anymore. Unfortunately, the recent development is filled with death flags and Kokushibo, now in his possibly (and hopefully) final form, will make sure at least one will die. This chapter did not ease my fear, but the cliffhanger has a sign of hope; even if it results to sacrifice.

The chapter’s cover once again tells a story in the same setting with the same two characters, Tokito and Genya. I like the fact Genya is now the one helping Tokito. It parallels to the last chapter’s cover, only the role has been reversed. It creates a tender moment of comradery; assisting to get back to the fight. It’s worth noting that Genya taped up Tokito’s right hand with his sword. It’s the only way for him to grip tightly, so that’s smart thinking. After the tenderness, it’s all fear factor challenge.

The last chapter stunned me with the sudden attack that took Himejima and Sanemi by surprise, thanks to Kokushibo’s abs. Joking aside, I thought taking slashes were bad enough, but there’s one more thing. Sanemi’s two fingers were cut off. It actually stunned me since the series carefully makes these sorts of damages crucial as any other. Usually, you’ll see a series treating a moment of losing a limb as minor or whatever, but here, it’s like real-life; it’s damn scary.

What’s even scarier is that Sanemi was going to lose far more and much more fatal if it wasn’t for Himejima’s chain to lessen the damage. I suppose this means it was a close call, but even then, he still lost something, let alone taking a beating. It becomes a lot more worrisome when Sanemi begins to lose confidence in his ability. On one hand, it’s nice of him to be concerned with Himejima’s safety. He’s really not the dirt-bag that the anime reminded me again. On the other hand, his shaky confidence makes me believe he will pull a sacrifice to aid everyone. In other words, his death flag is far above everyone else’s.

I have speculated before that maybe other Pillars could join in to assist, mainly Giyu and Tanjiro. Sure enough, so does one of the sisters of Ubuyashiki Family as she wants to send them. However, Kiriya declines; confident that those Pillars are enough and will win. It is reassuring that they have a chance to win, but it’s terrifying as well. While not exactly guaranteed, the opportunity for backup is gone; the fans are to believe that there will be no more addition. With this current situation, the possibility of (at least) one death is critical.

The action engage and as far as one-sided goes, it’s pretty tensed. Normally, this would have been the usual pattern of one has the upper-hand, so enter the next form, but since Kokushibo has been the dominant force from the get-go, I was absorbed by the intensity. Not to mention, the chance of death has me convinced to be afraid; be very afraid. Although he is clearly overpowered, the Pillars have to be completely evasive, which changes the flow in a good way. It gets you on the edge of your seat. Himjima does well to evade; Sanemi, however, does not.

As if his death flag wasn’t high enough, the intensity of Kokushibo’s barrage of Moon Breathing, which by the way pretty damn cool, builds the moment of Sanemi’s demise. There’s so much to cringe out of fear; Sanemi’s decline in agility only makes it worse. At one point, it looked like he dodged the Waning Moon-swaths, but the pattern of its attack is so random, it eventually catches him. This is some kind of Ninja Gaiden non-sense. If you never played that game, good. It’s hard as hell.

The tension rises as Sanemi slowly enters his death bed. I have to say, it’s somewhat crushing to read Himejima’s cry for him. They had a rough start, but they couldn’t be any friendlier today. I also have to say, the artwork of the action sequence is great, mainly on all Moon Breathing Forms. It’s a barrage of moons coming at you with a ridiculous pattern or lack of. The single page of Drilling Slashes left me on the edge of my seat.

Normally, I would think, “He won’t die here,” and while it can be seen as such, my mind wasn’t processing that. That’s how invested I am in this fight that distracted my thought process. That’s a good thing. Fortunately, he does get rescued in time, by Tokito no less. What a huge sigh of relief. I would have liked for Genya to save him, but there’s something else in store, so it’s fine. One way or another, a save is a save.

With Genya, he’s struggling with fear and his confidence is slipping. I don’t know if it was intentional, but within the same chapter, the brothers have confidence issues. Blood is thicker than water. It’s hard to be upset with him since he was quickly defeated and nearly got killed in seconds. That would kill all motivations and confidences. He wants to help, but he despise himself for being weak. Leave it to Tanjiro to give a friend an inspiring advice.

I like how the advice encourage the weak that is backed up with its past moments. It’s a great reflection of the underdog’s tale; a theme that has been carried faithfully throughout the journey. To be specific, Tanjiro’s battle with Upper Moon 6; one in which left me with an astonishing rewarding feeling. It’s believable to me, so it can translate well to Genya. The idea is, the weak has its own perk and that is the element of surprise. The weak may be ignored, but their enemy won’t see it coming. It is true when they don’t expect much, let alone being cocky. This awakens Genya to not only go for it but consume the sword. It’s a huge gamble and very concerning; but, I am thrilled to see him to shine next time.

This was a solid chapter with solid artwork. The battle is brewing up for a climatic end and that highly likely includes death. Sanemi’s life had me shaken, but fortunately, he survived. Even so, his death flag remains the highest. Genya’s spotlight is next, assumingly so, based on the cliffhanger and his reaction that suggest a power-up. I hope it is good enough to land a hit on Kokushibo, the man who is barely touched by anything. Will this increased power do the trick or not? Anything is possible, and that’s where the hype is at.

[acquired-stardust]

Game Spotlight #12: Nioh: Complete Edition (2017)

Acquired Stardust's latest game spotlight is here! Join Ash as she takes a look at the most recent game featured on the blog so far in 2017's Nioh: Complete Edition! Often misunderstood and mislabeled, let's examine the game and see some of what makes it such a standout title. As usual from an Ash piece there's a long read ahead, so buckle up!

Larsa and I are big fans of Koei-Tecmo's work and are naturally huge history nerds, with two subjects that we love being frequent settings for the company's games. Hearing that they were finally releasing a new IP that was set in a familiar period for the company and its fans definitely had us interested. Rising from the ashes of a decade-plus stint in development hell, Koei-Tecmo's Nioh began development before the two companies had even merged. Starting all the way back in 2004 Koei sought to develop a game apparently based on an unproduced Akira Kurosawa script which meandered through several incarnations before ultimately being handed off to Tecmo's Team Ninja and entering real development in 2014. The resulting project caught gamers by surprise in its evolution of the portfolio of a company often labeled as releasing 'the same game every time' by those largely outside of the fandom. Although it stuck to familiar territory of flagship franchise Samurai Warriors in its setting of late-Sengoku era japan, the tone and gameplay had changed drastically from what had been traditional Koei-Tecmo territory. Gone was the romanticized heroics and melodrama, and KO counts that could be racked up well into a thousand enemies by playable characters that were essentially superheroes. In its place was a dark, ominous, sinister tone that was decidedly more grounded. Although character design remains impressively strong as is tradition for the company, Nioh features a less anime aesthetic than the company is known for for the most part with fairly realisitic depictions of its historical cast. Just as well the game veers significantly into appropriately bloodsoaked horror territory given its setting of turbulent late-Sengoku Japan, a stark contrast from the bloodless battles of Warriors games.

Alongside this tonal shift was a shift in its gameplay. Warriors games are something of a comfort food - they are relatively simple and easy, often described as 'button mashers'. It's true enough that they tend to allow you to coast through them doing just that, though there is a depth to the combat systems that often goes unexplored. Nioh's gameplay mechanics complement its horror very well and have taken a shift towards a style that emphasizes its reframing of the Sengoku. Players are able to select two weapons from an array of seven melee weapons as well as two weapons from an array of three ranged weapons as they take control of William Adams and take their first steps into Japan in 1600.

Gameplay is, at first, a slow and deliberate experience. Attacks are able to inflict fatal damage in just two or three hits, so attention and patience are not only rewarded but demanded on a base level. Players quickly learn the value in blocking and dodging enemy attacks which often come in combos of multiple blows as well as from range. Managing William's stamina meter, in this game referred to as the ki meter, is also important and more involved than one might expect with the 'ki pulse' mechanic in which the player is able to restore a portion of their meter immediately which enables further attacks and dodges with less downtime. Enemies are a wide array of human and demonic yokai who must be fought differently both as individuals (as in, for example, what weapon each may have) as well as a species with the universal stamina ki system functioning differently between human and yokai enemies.

If any of this is sounding familiar to you, you're not alone: Nioh is often referred to as a 'Soulslike', a genre of games that take deep inspiration from From Software's Dark Souls series which itself has roots in From Software's earlier King's Field series. Nioh often lives and dies by this comparison and most players come into it with a lot of preconceived notions of what exactly 'Soulslike' is and either fall in love with the differences or can't get over them and put the game down. That being said, there are indeed differences and despite its similarities Nioh is not a simple Dark Souls clone.

Nioh is most certainly a result of Dark Souls' success, and that much is indisputable. Dark Souls is responsible for reminding the world just how much it really liked cryptic, tense, unforgivingly difficult experiences so much so that even updated ports of things like the 2017 Crash Bandicoot N. Sane Trilogy was discovered by a generation of gamers and labeled "the Dark Souls of platformers" for its difficulty. In many ways after years of obscurity From Software has fundamentally changed the way we look at and talk about video games as a whole, with even games released well before their Souls series being compared to it.

Although Nioh owes its exit from development hell into the hands of gamers to Dark Souls insofar as its tone and difficulty being inspired by it, Nioh actually owes much to two games that are compared to it far less: Koei-Tecmo's similarly brutally difficult series of Ninja Gaiden games and Blizzard's Diablo. Combat is significantly deeper than Dark Souls' even from the jump with each of the seven melee weapons each having three different stances players can switch between on the fly, each with their own strong and weak attacks and combos. As players explore the RPG mechanics (also a Soulslike staple) they also discover a long list of abilities to unlock for each of the game's seven melee weapons that add new abilities and moves to the combos. The result is a game that almost feels significantly more like 2008's Ninja Gaiden 2 on the Xbox 360 than Dark Souls, with fast paced and tense action that results in either bloody dismemberment for your enemies or a swift death for the player.

Just as well there are also several classifications of armor with many different individual pieces within those classifications, some of which can give the player a bonus when assembled together as a set. Alongside this are countless different weapons within the ten total offensive weapon categories, with gear (all of which have their own levels of quality and stats) frequently being dropped by enemies upon their defeat. Needless to say the loot aspect of the game, itself not entirely unfamiliar for Souslike games, is significantly expanded upon in Nioh especially postgame to the point it much more closely resembles classic PC release Diablo 2.

There are a staggering number of ways to play the game as in addition to all of the gear, weapons, builds and stances there are ninjutsu and magic skills, items and 30 different spirits the player can equip with various different effects, all of which can be summoned as part of Living Weapon mode which sees William manifest the spirit into his weapon for a brief powerup that allows him to devastate enemies. Just as well there is a vast array of clans the player can join, all historical powerful factions of Japan's Sengoku which provide different bonuses and is one layer of the game's multiplayer component. This variety is served well through the base game's brutal difficulty as well as its three DLC scenarios and its equally staggering three additional difficulty levels of new game plus.

Aforementioned multiplayer component comes in multiple forms. Players leave graves where they die which can be summoned as fightable AI-controlled revenant that can drop their gear and glory, a currency used to trade for items or character models of Nioh's vast array of characters that the player can transform into, replacing William in normal gameplay outside of cutscenes. Glory also contributes to the faction wars - a race between the White and Red factions to see who can earn the most in intervals with the winning side awarded discounts in glory-accepting transactions. Players can also face each other in direct player-versus-player combat, and are even able to tackle the entire game together cooperatively.

You might've noticed that the player character I mentioned earlier, William Adams, is most certainly not a Japanese name. And that's because he isn't (duh!). William is a relatively obscure historical figure who was one of the first non-missionary westerners in Japan as well as one of the few and earliest western samurai. William is an Englishman chasing alchemist Edward Kelley across the pacific ocean to reclaim William's personal guardian spirit, stolen in an encounter with Kelley in the game's opening stage. After his search takes him to Japan William finds his familiar tangled web of influence and power between England and Spain has become all the more complex with the addition of Japan's own political turmoil of the late Sengoku period.

Through the course of the game William finds himself eventually aligned with the Tokugawa forces by way of Hanzo Hattori, a bilingual ninja in service of Ieyasu Tokugawa. Nioh's campaign and DLC takes the player through several highlights of the late Sengoku period which are the game's absolute highlights. Although featuring a wide variety of stages set in varying locales such as cave systems, shipwrecks and ruined temples, it is these recreations of historical battles that the game truly shines with. The base game's recreation of the Battle of Sekigahara is one of my favorite parts of any video game for its melding of historical accuracy and dark fantasy elements. For us history nerds there is nothing quite like the haze of that morning's battle and the show-don't-tell approach much of the game takes with its environmental storytelling. One way this is achieved is through the largely unsubtitled gameplay segments (though the cutscenes do feature subtitles), with NPCs uttering Japanese phrases to William who naturally does not understand them. It's a fun little thing that helps convey the fish out of water elements of the story and rewards players who can speak the Japanese language (of which I am one). Another small moment is in the aformentioned Battle of Sekigahara where a small band of men clad in Kobayakawa-clan emblems charge up the battlefield without stopping to tell the player who they are or explain that the momentum of the skirmish has definitively swung in the direction of the Tokugawa forces. It's a small but memorable moment rewarding big history nerds like myself and Larsa that have memorized much of the intricate tumult of the Sengoku that has stuck with me well into my 200-something hours spent with the game in its various levels of difficulty and gear grind.

The trend of the game's highlights being the recreations of historical battles is never more apparent than in its DLC scenarios Dragon of the North, Defiant Honor and Bloodshed's End which follow the post-Sengoku struggles against the Date clan as well as the winter and summer sieges of Osaka respectively. Winter's Osaka siege stands out as perhaps the best depiction of war in a video game with the level design and gameplay elements lending itself extremely well to portraying the sheer horror that must've entailed battle in the Sengoku with exhausted enemies surprising each other with their presence in the stage's tight trench corridors before engaging in quick and bloody battles to the death. Defiant Honor's Winter siege of Osaka culminates in a battle against legendary samurai Yukimura Sanada in another particularly memorable moment, featuring a more grounded design than his Samurai Warriors counterpart (although his armor is based on his real historical suit which was also featured as an alternate costume in Samurai Warriors 1), Yukimura wields his iconic traditonal Japanese jumonji spear as featured in Samurai Warriors and even has a few moves reminiscent of his moveset as a playable character in that franchise.

On the subject of further historical matters Nioh furthers the trend Koei kickstarted by reexamining Mitsunari Ishida with his moral fiber and his place in history, featuring a touching moment with retainer Sakon Shima monologuing about him. Nioh was also the first popular modern media, to my knowledge, to feature the obscure historical figure Yasuke, a black samurai associated with legendary daimyo Nobunaga Oda who was recently featured in his own Netflix anime. It was, sadly, also the beginning of Koei-Tecmo's slightly understandable but disappointing nonetheless deemphasizing of historical figure Ranmaru Mori, a popular and enduring cultural icon also featured and beloved in Koei's own Samurai Warriors games.

The game works very well on the level of a slowly paced Soulslike or a more action oriented Ninja Gaiden style action game depending on the build and play style of the player, which is a great testament to its strong gameplay and level design. Just as well the game becomes significantly less hostile with another player in coop, and is a very satisfying exercise in teamwork. Larsa and I decided to play the base game in its initial difficulty level solo before teaming up to take on subsequent difficulty levels, and we can vouch for the fact that it makes an excellent game for gamer couples especially since the nature of coop allows the player duo to help take the load off of each other. It is as excellent an exercise in teamwork as it is a bonding experience thanks to the tense nature of its gameplay.

Nioh also introduces new mechanics consistently through its entire run even into the final difficulty level of new game plus where there is a whole new tier of gear with its own additional abilities which is a very impressive feat. For as much good as there is to say there is a big asterisk which may deter players as health recovery items are a finite resource not indefinitely restored unlike in Dark Souls, and players must conserve and find more lest they wind up with only limited guaranteed healing. This can gate lesser skilled players out of progress without hope of making it through the game without a lot of practice or getting help from a friend. Another small complaint is the minimap which is a featureless circle in the top right corner of the screen that only provides very minimal information to the player without having an ability such as 'kodama sense' attached to their gear, which displays hidden collectables scattered through stages that provide bonuses such as ultimately 25% more experience or a 5% increase in drops to weapons or armor as a green dot on the minimap.

Nioh indeed has much to gush about, and in many ways it represents the maturation of Tecmo-Koei's library of games. A fun alt history romp through the Sengoku that the company is very familiar with coupled with a fresh coat of paint in its action-horror dark fantasy elements that hearkens back to a little-remembered in today's zeitgeist game in Ninja Gaiden as well as megahit Diablo, the old meets the new in so many satisfying ways making Nioh a joy to have 100%ed (taking roughly 100 hours to have unlocked all achievements). It may owe its existence as a finished product to Dark Souls, but it is far less of a Soulslike than you may have heard or expect and has so much to offer on its own and as an extension of some of the gameplay featured in Ninja Gaiden. It is a joy to play on its own or with a friend/loved one and rewards your time spent with it considerably even far later into the experience than one might expect.

Nioh is immediately available via Steam and the Playstation Store on PC, PS4 and PS5.

A gem hidden among the stones, Nioh is undoubtedly stardust.

-- Ash

[narhinafan]

Boruto flopping does makes sense tbh sp basically copied every scenes of sns and narusaku which is parallels with biased hope for shipping and nothing else! None of the characters got development rather than creating unneccassary fillers arcs and anime canons.

Sarada is a uchiha yet she is freaking embarrasing the entire time. Jealous of boruto and wanna be hokage just for fame and no other reason behind it🤦‍♀️ Naruto 24/7 yelling I'm gonna become hokage" have his reason and past which make sense but her dream is freakin fame clout chaser and mitsuki is being used as sai which is totally sad and sumire is not even in anime the half time and manga her presence matter more than sarada right now and if borusumi endgame then there gonna be protest like she didn't appear once shit💀 Sp is ruining the show!

The worse fact I totally hate about sarada is that she had no flashback or sad backstory just got bland normal ass who is my daddy finding arc? And even boruto story got changed in prophecy arc& love it that he is not just brat who wants his dad attention, finally a main goal but kawaki,sumire,mitsuki are the character they should focus more because of their sad past and all we are getting her salad getting her sharingans!

Can't wait to see how they gonna change and destroy prophecy arc to make her speech like hinata in front of kawaki and just her yelling crying and all characters got nothing but less panels and cut scenes as compared to manga😅 and also don't forget sp forcing kawasumi☠ and I'm already saying this that even her 3 tomoe arc gonna be centered and the reason of awakening will be boruto☠

Yeah like some of the canon anime only arcs are really good cause they have a proper story behind them and planned out cause the author of the manga was heavily involved. Later though you can clearly tell the difference between the fillers and proper eps, what makes it worse is cause they are fillers the story gets pulled down so much cause they are so bias that they do things that make no sense.

Sarada does have a reason to be Hokage it is cause of Naruto helping her family during Gaiden, but feels like she doesn't properly get what it means. She just found someone to look up and is copying Naruto there are several times were she doesn't show the usual will of fire and team spirit, but does a 108 after hearing Naruto's opinion. Like with Kawaki she hated him at first, but after seeing Naruto she switched to being all supportive cause she is the future Hokage.

Yeah Mitsuki got some spotlight in the filler arc, but still doesn't feel he is meeting his full potential when he is clearly one of the best next gen characters. Same with Sumire like she was shown to be match for veteran adult ninja, but she gets majorly nerfed later in the anime. Like skill wise she should be above Sarada with only Boruto and Mitsuki being equal in their ages group. Since Sumire was trained by a former root and lived to exact revenge on the village till recently. Even with Nue being weakened she should be able to do so much more, but she's been weakened to match the level of the rest of the genin.

Yeah SP forcing Kawaki and Sumire is just ruining the feeling the manga gave. Like Sumire showed actual concern when she overheard that Boruto almost died, but they removed to have it seem as she was visiting not that she was only there due to being Amado's assistant.

[theultimateegghead-blog]

Noble or Nefarious, some of gaming’s greatest Ninja warriors!

Ninja’s. the warriors of shadow. They lurk in the darkness before striking. Often armed with powers considered magical, or weapons that require great skill. These Ninja are no longer in the shadows, as they are taking the spotlight. As a rule for this list, no Ninja that originate from anime will be on this list, so namely, no Naruto characters. (Also, for anyone who does not know… Kunoichi means female ninja, keep that in mind.)

Ryu Hayabusa (Ninja Gaiden) One of gaming’s most legendary Ninja. Ryu Hayabusa has gone on several death defining journeys. He has saved the world from men and demons alike. Armed with a wide assortment of weapons and ninjutsu, Ryu dispatches his foes with no mercy. Ryu does not fear death, nor does he hesitate in striking down his foes. In the ninja gaiden series, Ryu fight hundreds of brutal opponents, he utilizes acrobatics and masterful swordplay. In the Dead or Alive series, he relies on skillful hand to hand combat. When not in combat, Ryu is a Curio shop owner and is the love interest of a female American agent. Ryu has appeared in various other games either as a guest character or a cameo as well.

Joe Musashi (SHINOBI) Sega’s response to Ryu Hayabusa. Joe Musashi is one of the main characters of the SHINOBI series. A ninja from the Oboro clan. Joe is half American half Japanese and is quite the skilled warrior. Proficient at ninjutsu and shuriken throwing, Joe has fought evil since his early twenties. Joe is a righteous man who strives for world peace and has clashed with the evil terrorist syndicate Zeed on several occasions. He would eventually become the head of his clan and would continue defending the world from evil.

Scorpion & Sub Zero (Mortal Kombat) Scorpion and Sub-Zero, one of the most iconic rivalries in video games. The Sub-Zero we all know and love is the brother of the original Sub-Zero. Scorpion is a wrath obsessed with revenge and can rarely see past his own anger. Sub zero can control ice and can use it to freeze opponents solid while in battle. Sub-Zero is calm and calculated and is the leader of his own people. He tries his best to be a good leader but is not afraid to bust some heads while doing so. Scorpion is a fallen soul that was given a second chance to enact revenge. While the target of his revenge is Noob Sabot, he tends to target the current Sub-Zero. Scorpion is adept in his knife throwing and has decent manipulation over fire. Scorpion is undead and very angry, rarely listens to reason and tends to be the one who stats fights. In some cases, the two put aside their differences and work together, when that happens they become near unstoppable.

Grey Fox (Metal Gear Solid) Frank Jaeger, also known as Grey Fox is a mercenary turned vengeance fueled cybernetic ninja. Frank made an appearance in the first Metal Gear title as the infiltrator of outer haven, he was captured and rescued by Snake. He would disappear after the supposed Death of Big Boss. In Metal Gear 2 he reappears, this time as Snake’s enemy. Having sided with the real Big Boss, Fox tries to drive Snake away several times but ultimately fails. The two engage in a fist fight and Fox loses and supposedly dies. Later, in Metal Gear Solid, Fox returns in his famous cyborg ninja garb. A man obsessed with fighting Snake once more, he is a rogue card in the Shadow Moses incident. He eventually turns to Snake’s side and dies in the games finale. His death would carry a legacy that plays a large role in MGS4. As a cyborg ninja, Fox can render himself invisible and deflect bullets with his sword. He strongly prefers fighting hand to hand.

Kat and Ana (WarioWare) Not every Ninja is a shadowy warrior that leaves behind a trail of bodies. Kat and Ana are two young ninja in training. Their name is a pun on the word Katana. When they are not in school they are training to become professional ninja, but usually something silly happens in the process. Their microgames in the wario ware series vary from game to game, covering themes such as nature, ninjas and everyday life. They also appear as an assist trophy in the smash series.

Ibuki (Street Fighter) A young Kunoichi in training from the street fighter series. Despite her training, Ibuki acts like a normal teenage girl. She is not to fond of her training and finds it bothersome but takes it seriously nonetheless. She tends to sneak off and skip her duties to do her own thing. She desires to meet cool and handsome guys and will often judge her foes based on the way the look, act and dress. At some point she fights an immortal hermit named Oro, and even though she lost, it was considered her final test and she was granted a pass. She then went to university for ninjas.

Kaede (Onimusha) A ninja assassin who would dive headfirst into combat regardless of the risk. At some point in the past she was sent by an unknown benefactor to assassinate a mane named Samanosuke Akechi. She instead became his ally and eventual lover. The two would travel together over the next couple years. She plays a role in several Onimusha games, usually aiding her lover or searching for him when he went missing. Eventually she would fall in combat at the hands of Gargant. After her death, she is still remembered fondly by her widowed lover.

Rikimaru (Tenchu) A young master class Ninja assassin. Raised and trained by the man who killed his parents, Rikimaru was turned into a deadly warrior since an early age. Stoic and ever so serious, Rikimaru is loyal to Lord Gohda. He has helped quell rebellions and has fought off rival ninja clans to ensure Lord Gohda’s protection. A detached man, Rikimaru is very rarely influenced by emotions. He is skilled in many forms of combat and swordsmanship and is the current head of his clan.

Yuffie Kisaragi (Final Fantasy VII) A teenage kunoichi thief who desires to restore her homeland of Wutai. She is one of the secret characters of FFVII and makes her debut by trying to steal Cloud’s materia. A spunky, emotional girl, Yuffie can act quite childish at times. She tends to get on her allie’s nerves but can be a skilled comrade in battle. Yuffie fights with a giant shuriken. As the series goes on, Yuffie grows up and matures a bit but still has an immature demeanor at times. She also appears in Kingdom Hearts as one of Sora’s first allies.

Strider Hiryu (Strider) A master spy and an active Strider agent. Hiryu’s name, nationality and age are all top secret. The most info on him other than his appearance is that he was born in 2030. Hiryu is extremely skilled and collected in combat, often considered to be the top Strider agent to date. Being able to dodge bullets and defeat tons of enemies without showing fatigued, Hiryu is often the one who is left standing. Eventually the other Striders are whipped out, and he is the sole survivor. While he could easily flee, he chooses to fight. It is this bravery and tenacity to survive that make him an excellent Ninja.

Izuna (Legend of the Unemployed Ninja) A 16-year-old kunoichi who is down on her luck. Izuna and her clan were kicked out of their castle because their leader thought Ninja were obsolete. Stubborn and somewhat clumsy, she winds up accidently offending the gods and must go on a quest to set things right. Surprisingly enough, she is a gifted individual that can allow gods to leave their shrines and support her. While not the most skilled ninja on this list, she is a kunoichi nonetheless.

Shadow Man (Mega Man) A ninja robot master who originated from Mega Man 3. A skilled martial artist hwo loves to sneak up on people, Shadow man is surprisingly impulsive. He has a variety of attacks, such as creating a clone or using a smokescreen in battle. His weapon is the shadow blade and he is weak to the incredibly useful top kick. He reappears in several other games as well which further his ninja skills. Shadow man is possibly alien in origin as well.

Wonder White (Wonderful 101) A superhero and a ninja in training. Wonder White, known by his real name Momoe Byakkoin and his other super name, the claws of calamity, is one of the heroes of Wonderful 101. Armed with special weapons passed down from generation to generation, White is a speed oriented fighter. A man who enjoys long entrances and spouting philosophy, he can be somewhat of a nuisance. While calm and cooperative, Wonder White is very talkative… Not very fitting for a ninja.

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Sorry this one took a while. I was sick for the past day or so and typing just wasn’t going to happen. This list took me a while to write as well but hey! Its done! Thanks for reading, next time we will either look at some factory levels, or… If we reach 30 followers (we are at 29!!!) I will start my 5 part follower appreciation special! See you next time!

[forkidsjust]

Manhunt 2 cheat codes wii

Mazes of Fate DS (Neko Entertainment) 25th July 2008.Crazy Labyrinth (DTP/Eidos) 25th July 2008.Margots Word Brain (ZOO) 18th July 2008.International Athletics (Ghostlight) 18th July 2008.Déco Tendances(Neko Entertainment) 18th July 2008.Brico Utile (Neko Entertainment) 18th July 2008.Rythmn & Notes (505 Games) 18th July 2008.Guitar Hero: On Tour (Limited Edition Buindle) (Activision) 18th July 2008.Super Speed Machines (Ghostlight) 4th July 2008.Road to Vegas (Ghostlight) 4th July 2008.Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Time / Pokémon Mystery Dungeon: Explorers of Darkness (Nintendo) 4th July 2008.Mahjong-Eine Reise um die Welt (dtp young entertainment) 4th July 2008.Cory in the House (Disney Interactive Studios) 4th July 2008.Bakushow(Rising Star Games) 4th July 2008.Asterix Brain Trainer (ATARI) June-October 2008.Sid Meier´s Civilization Revolution (2K Games) June 2008.Shining Star Super Starcade (ZOO) 27th June 2008.Journey to the Centre of the Earth (THQ) 27th June 2008.FINAL FANTASY TACTICS® ADVANCE 2: Grimoire of the Rift (SquareEnix) 27th June 2008.Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword (Ubisoft) 26th June 2008.World of Goo (RTL Playtainment) Q3 2008.Wild Earth: African Safari (Majesco/Codemaster) September 2008.Family Trainer (Namco Bandai) September 2008 (EU).Wario Land: The Shake Dimension (Nintendo) 26th September 2008.Counter Force (505 Games) 26th September 2008.Star Wars: The Force Unleashed (LucasArts/Activision) 19th September 2008.Sim City Creator (EA) 19th September 2008.Bratz: Girls Really Rock ! (THQ) 19th September 2008.Pipe Manja (Empire Interactive/ Kochmedia) 14th September 2008.TNA impact (Midway Games) 5th September 2008.Space Chimps (Brash Entertainment) August-October 2008.Carnival Games: Mini Golf (2K Play) August 2008.Brave: A Warrior's Tale (SouthPeak Games) August 2008.The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor (Vivendi Games) 29th August 2008.Soul Calibur Legends (Namco Bandai/Ubisoft) 28th August 2008.Runaway The Dream of the Turtle (Focus Home Interactive) 28th August 2008.Tiger Woods PGA Tour 09 (EA) 26th August 2008.Clever Kids: Pirates (Ghostlight) 22nd August 2008.Clever Kids: Farmyard Fun (Ghostlight) 22nd August 2008.Calvin Tucker´s Redneck Jamboree (ZOO) 22nd August 2008.BROTHERS IN ARMS: ROAD TO HILL 30 (Ubisoft) 14th August 2008.BROTHERS IN ARMS : EARN IN BLOOD (Ubisoft) 14th August 2008.Legend of Sayuki (505 Games) 8th August 2008.Table Football (505 Games) 31st July 2008.Super Swing Golf (Rising Star Games) 25th July 2008.CID The Dummy (Oxygen Games) 25th July 2008.Margot´s Word Brain (ZOO) 18th July 2008.Baroque (Rising Star Games) 18th July 2008.Cocoto Kart Racer (Neko Entertainment) 11th July 2008.Pool Party (SouthPeak Games) 4th July 2008.Hannah Montana: Spotlight World Tour (Disney Interactive Studios) June-Sep 2008.Radio Helicopter (505 Games) 27th June 2008.Kung Fu Panda (Activision) 27th June 2008.Guitar Hero Aerosmith Bundle Pack on Wii (Activision) 27th June 2008.Wacky Races - Crash and Dash (Eidos) 27th June 2008.Okami is already out - but any errors and typos are Nintendo's own!): (Please bear in mind that some appear slightly out of date - e.g. Just five months after its sequel came out. This one isn't being done by Treasure, however instead it's courtesy of Good-feel, which is headed up by former Konami personnel according to sources close to Google.Įlsewhere on Nintendo's big old list, in the DS area, is Make 10: A Journey of Numbers - also for 26th September - and, at long last, Phoenix Wright Ace Attorney: Trials and Tribulations on 3rd October. Not the most exciting news ever, then, but previous Wario platform games have been pretty good, and the last one, Wario World on the GameCube by Treasure, was popular with us. So what's Wario Land: The Shake Dimension? According to details unearthed this month and a scanned leaflet, it's a 2D platformer where you hold the Wiimote like a regular controller and shake it to perform certain functions. ( Update, 4.42pm: We've now been told that there's no current date for Europe despite Nintendo's listing.) The news comes courtesy of a monstrous pile of dates from the Nintendo UK press office, which also pegs the upcoming Brothers In Arms Wii game, Double Time, as 14th August.Īlso on the list for August is Manhunt 2 from Rockstar, although the publisher has yet to get back to us about that at the time of writing. Nintendo has announced that Wario Land: The Shake Dimension will be released for Wii on 26th September in Europe.

[jamesbyerj]

Nioh: The Complete Edition goes free today on the Epic Games Store, two more coming next week

Both the Complete Editions of Nioh and Nioh 2 are on the Epic Games Store starting today, with the former going free for a week. Yes, both of Team Ninja’s incredible Souls-likes have made it onto the storefront today. Epic has, at times, dropped surprise free games before. And both Nioh games, with the first free to claim on the service, is a nice surprise indeed. Nioh joins Sheltered, which was already scheduled to be given away today. A lot changed for Team Ninja with the release of Nioh in 2017. The Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive developer hadn’t published a major, breakthrough game in some time. Nioh, a Souls-like set in 1600s Japan, brought the developer back to the spotlight. Based very loosely on the story of William Adams, who became one of the first Western samurai, its narrative followed William as he hacked and slashed through waves of yōkai (Japanese demons).   Did I say very loosely? Because other than borrowing the name, I don’t believe the real ... Published first at Nioh: The Complete Edition goes free today on the Epic Games Store, two more coming next week

[indiehangover]

Spotlight: The Messenger

#indiegame Spotlight: @messengergame by #indiedev @sabotageqc

At E3 2018, we got some hands on time with Devolver Digital and Sabotage’s upcoming retro inspired action platformer, The Messenger, and it looks like its shaping up to be a worthwhile experience.

Heavily inspired by Ninja Gaiden, The Messengertakes place in a feudal Japan like setting and will have players take on the role of a ninja who must deliver an important scroll to his village to help…

[postgamecontent]

Ninja Gaiden Spotlight: Ninja Gaiden (Arcade) & Ninja Gaiden (NES)

Ninja Gaiden is a strange franchise for a number of reasons. Although most people are familiar with the name through the NES games or the later Xbox-born revival, Ninja Gaiden got its start in the arcades. Curiously, although Tecmo is a Japanese company, Ninja Gaiden (Arcade) was first released in North America. While the series technically began with the arcade game, however, it didn't really hit the radar of most players until the first NES game, also titled Ninja Gaiden. In this article, we'll be taking a look at both of those games.

Ninja Gaiden (Arcade)

Original Release Date: October 1988 (NA)

Original Hardware: JAMMA PCB

Ninjas were a hot-ticket item in the 1980s, and just about everyone around the world knew it. Once renowned for their ability to stay out of sight and stick to the shadows, ninjas were suddenly showing up in all kinds of wild places. One popular sub-genre of the ninja boom was the American ninja. Sometimes these would literally be American characters who somehow became ninjas, as seen in the astonishingly long-running American Ninja series of films. Other works of fiction simply placed groups of ninjas in American locations, typically as antagonists, as in Daredevil or the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles. But if there was one other kind of theme that North Americans were in love with during the 1980s, it was the fish-out-of-water story. Just imagine the laughs you can get from putting a stranger in a land that seems mundane to us but positively bizarre from the character's point of view. Or don't imagine and just watch Crocodile Dundee. I won't judge you.

The funny thing is, not all of these stories came out of the minds of American creators. As infatuated as Westerners were with Japanese culture in the 1980s, Japanese were equally head-over-heels with the United States. Thus, we have Ninja Gaiden, a game that somehow started a successful franchise in spite of its main redeeming trait being just how stupid it is. Initially released in North America in 1988, it's a side-scrolling beat-em-up in the style of Double Dragon. One or two players guide their ninja character through stages based on major American tourist traps, dodging traffic in New York City, jumping across the neon-lit signboards of Vegas, and kicking Jason Voorhees look-alikes into the Grand Canyon. The story goes that your ninja heroes have been hired to take down an evil, sword-wielding descendant of Nostradamus named... Bladedamus. No, I'm not kidding.

As these kinds of games go, Ninja Gaiden is not a very good one. It's stingy and quite difficult, and although you have an assortment of moves at your disposal, the only truly effective one is a leaping throw. There are some interesting gimmicks woven into the gameplay, such as the button on the top of the stick that allows you to grab onto overhead handholds and so on. You can also run up and flip off of walls, and if you happen to have the sword power-up at the time, you can launch a deadly attack by doing that. In general, there's quite a bit more jumping and platforming than you would usually see in a belt-scrolling brawler. Many of the fundamental rules of the genre weren't etched in stone by this point, so you tended to see a lot of experimental titles like this.

If Ninja Gaiden has any real merit, it can be found in the sheer amount of bizarre nods to Americana it contains. The game carelessly skirts the legal line with its parodies and homages, most notably in its inclusion of the pro wrestling tag-team Legion of Doom as recurring bosses. Every time they appear, they’re accompanied by a barely-disguised copy of Black Sabbath’s Iron Man, which was their ring entrance music at the time. The Legion of Doom were regularly wrestling in Japan at the time, so it’s not too hard to see how the inspiration struck the development team. At the same time, it caused some problems when the game was re-released on the Wii Virtual Console. The music had to be replaced to avoid legal issues. Some of the graphics were altered as well, for mostly similar reasons.

That Virtual Console port represents one of the few times the arcade version of Ninja Gaiden came to a home console. It was ported to a number of home computers in Europe under the title Shadow Warriors, and had a handheld port to the Atari Lynx. It was also included as an unlockable bonus game in Ninja Gaiden Black on the Xbox. It’s not hard to get your hands on this game if you really want to, but outside of its historical importance, I’m not sure what you would get out of it. I suppose we can thank Ninja Gaiden for introducing us to Ryu Hayabusa, but he was coming one way or another anyway.

Ninja Gaiden (NES)

Original Release Date: December 9, 1988 (JPN)

Original Hardware: Nintendo Entertainment System

The NES version of Ninja Gaiden was developed alongside the arcade version, and although it shares a name and some promotional artwork, it’s a very different game. While it seems like both games came out of the same basic idea of a Japanese ninja in America, the NES version quickly ditches the garish Americana. Only the first level and its boss encounter show any signs of the American setting, and Ryu’s journey takes him around the world by the end of it all. The arcade game was chasing after the hot side-scrolling beat-em-up genre, but on consoles the platformer genre was much more popular. There was also no real need to shake down players for quarters, so the development team could take a marginally gentler approach to the difficulty. Well, they could have, anyway. 

To be fair, Ninja Gaiden does pull its punches early on. After watching a very cool opening cinema showing Ryu’s father falling in a dramatic duel, the player is tossed into the game’s first level. It’s pretty much a straight horizontal shot to the end of the level, with a few obstacles and enemies placed in the way to teach the player the basic mechanics. At first, the player isn’t required to do any climbing, and every enemy comes at Ryu slowly from the right side of the screen. About halfway through, it turns up the heat a little, with speedy enemies approaching from the rear and structures that the player is forced to climb in order to proceed. It’s extremely likely the player will take a few hits along the way, which will teach them how Ryu flies back when he takes damage. Almost every item you can encounter in the game makes an appearance in the first stage, too. This is as much of a tutorial as the game is willing to give you.

The first boss is also quite the softy. He slowly marches toward the player, stopping every so often to swing a couple of times with his machete. He’s short enough to jump over, and his weapon has a shorter reach than Ryu’s Dragon Sword. If you happen to get too close, ducking will put you underneath his swing. It’s almost impossible to lose to him unless you really haven’t come to grips with the basics of controlling Ryu. After beating the boss, you’re treated to another dramatic cinema scene, setting the pace for the game to come. 

Cut-scenes like these were a rarity at the time, and although the story is completely absurd, having it depicted with such detail grants it a much bigger impact than the equally silly stories of other games of the time. This emphasis on dramatic camera angles and moody settings makes a bit more sense when you find out that Ninja Gaiden was among the first video games worked on by a young Masato Kato, who would go on to work on the scenarios of games like Chrono Trigger, Final Fantasy 7, and Final Fantasy 11. A superb soundtrack by Keiji Yamagishi and Ryuichi Nitta accentuates the ever-changing atmosphere that the game builds from level to level. Like many of the best soundtracks of the era, the music sets the beat for the player’s actions throughout the game. Most of the background music has a frantic quality to it that has you on the edge of your seat the whole time.

The second act starts off similarly to the first, having the player make their way out of a prison along a largely horizontal layout. The main difference here is that there are some small vertical elements and the odd bottomless pit. It’s possible that you might be knocked to your death if you play carelessly, but quite unlikely. Coming out of the prison into the fresh air, the game starts to show its true face for the first time. The ratio of safe footing to pits begins to tilt against the player. There are quite a few small ledges patrolled by enemies that lob projectiles at the player, requiring careful timing to avoid being knocked back to where you started from, or worse, into a pit. The only act of mercy on the game’s part is in how it spreads out the power-ups and sub-weapons in this stage. You’re usually given the most helpful possible item for the situation at hand, and furnished with plenty of magic points to use them with. Thanks to that, most players should be able to make their way through this act. The boss is quite similar to that of the first stage, albeit taller and with a longer reach. This requires a better stick-and-move strategy, but if you’ve made it this far, you shouldn’t have too many problems. 

An infamous enemy makes its first appearance in the third act of the game. To observers, it’s merely a bird, but to veterans of the 8-bit era, it’s a symbol of a thousand missed jumps and aggravating deaths. Its speedy, erratic movements can make it hard to take down quickly, and it’s almost always placed in positions where it can cause the most suffering. Where there is a tiny ledge surrounded by bottomless pits, there is the bird. Where there is a tricky jump, there is the bird. Where there is a seemingly safe, wide stretch of land, there are two birds. The combinations of enemies and significantly more dangerous layouts make the third act a real stepping-up point in terms of difficulty. By comparison, the boss is a bit of a relief. It jumps in a predictable pattern from one side of the screen to the other, occasionally firing a volley of bullets as it takes off. It’s a different challenge from the first two bosses, but once you pick up its pattern, it’s not too tough to take down.

In my experience, the fourth act is a make-or-break point for a lot of players. The first couple of stages aren’t too much harder than what you’ve already been through, though the ledges are smaller and patrolled by more dangerous mixes of enemies. Bats are especially annoying with their lazy parabolic movements, and it’s almost impossible in places to actually take them out permanently since their spawn point appears mid-air. You’ll also have to start dealing with speedy ninjas that drop seemingly out of nowhere. It’s the third stage of the act where business really picks up. If you haven’t learned the ins and outs of Ryu’s capabilities by this point, you’re going to get bounced around like a little pinball. Power-ups are place in trickier places, and magic points to power your weapon attacks aren’t nearly as plentiful. 

The boss of this act, Kelbeross, has the most random patterns we’ve seen from a boss enemy yet. He takes the form of a pair of dogs that leap around the room firing deadly balls of energy at regular intervals. Unlike the previous three boss rooms, this one has a couple of columns placed in it. They can be used as perches for Ryu, but it seems like they’re really there to make Kelbeross’s leaps harder to predict. One of the pair falls quite quickly, but the other one will put up a fairly good fight. You not only need to predict where his leaps will take him, but also keep an eye out for his shots. A good sub-weapon can make a huge difference here, provided you have the magic points to use it. Kelbeross isn’t quite as tough as the stage that precedes him, but he is the first boss to show any real teeth. 

Get past that boss, and you’re onto the fifth act. For the most part, there’s nothing here you haven’t already seen, but if you don’t hate birds by now, you will. One of the favorite tricks of the designers in this act is to throw a bird out as you’re leaping to a ladder. If you don’t react with precision, you’ll almost certainly get sucker-punched. This act also contains one of the first real moments of cruelty in Ninja Gaiden. There’s a section where you need to carefully drop and stick to the wall in order to jump to a lower platform. This is tricky enough on its own, but the game also tosses out a bird here just to mess with you. If you can get through there, the rest of the act isn’t too bad, but that is a sign of the game’s changed intent towards the player. The line is to be drawn here, and not much farther. The act culminates in an oddly anti-climactic battle against a character named Bloody Malth. He can call down lightning, and the very act of the battle taking place on a rooftop makes things much more dramatic. He’s also the first boss to get a cut-scene before the fight, giving this fight a personal touch the others lacked. He goes down easily enough if you get in close, crouch, and slash like a madman, though.

Up to this point, Ninja Gaiden is a tough game, but largely a fair one. The NES had a lot of extremely difficult games, but not many of those games were as highly-regarded as Ninja Gaiden. I firmly believe it’s because this game gives the player enough rope early on to really get into the game and its mechanics. You’re so invested by the time it gets truly vicious that you want to see it through anyway. Even with that determination, very few players see Ninja Gaiden through to its close, and the sixth act is almost certainly why. There’s a lot to break down here, but let’s start with a programming bug that the developers liked enough to keep in. Usually in this game, if you lose a life, you’ll start back at the beginning of the current section. You’ll lose a little progress, but nothing major. And so it goes in the sixth act, until you reach the final boss gauntlet. If you die there, the game sends you all the way back to where you fought Bloody Malth. It’s a long, draining road to make the first time. Every trip after that feels like it’s asking for another little piece of your soul.

The sixth act is really, really hard. Ninjas with jetpacks fly by, lobbing shuriken at all sorts of angles. Speedy little leapers scoot around, jumping erratically. Birds, bats, enemies with projectiles, leaping ninjas, and every other thing the game can muster is thrown at you in increasingly hard-to-manage combinations. The Whirlwind Slash weapon helps a lot here, but it chews through magic points far faster than you’ll earn them. Almost every second of the climb sees you assaulted from multiple directions, and bottomless pits are everywhere. It’s all very unpleasant. And it’s nothing compared to the last set of bosses waiting at the end.

Now, as we’ve established, if you die at the final boss, you’ll be kicked all the way back to the first section of the sixth act. One small bone the game tosses you is that any bosses you beat stay dead, at least until you have to continue. The first boss of three has a tough-to-read pattern, and he commandeers much of the chamber in which you fight him. Making things tougher is that he is not your actual target. If you have the right sub-weapon, things go a little faster here, but it’s still pretty tricky. If you beat him, you get the usual end-of-stage roll where your remaining magic points and life points are added to your score, leaving you with a fresh life bar and zero magic points. This is bad, because you’re immediately thrown into a fight with the big boss Jaquio. He’s easy enough if you have the fire sub-weapon and a stock of magic, but unless you die and crawl all the way back here after beating the first boss, you won’t even have a single magic point to your name.

If your timing is good, you might be able to move between his shots and get your licks in. It’s easier to take the cheap way out, though. If you time it just right, you can get Jaquio to knock you outside of the screen boundaries near the top of the screen, giving you a convenient perch from which you can attack and dodge. Short of taking the loss and coming back with a proverbial ninja magic bazooka, this is the only method by which I’ve ever been able to beat Jaquio. I guess I should just be happy I can still beat him at all. Take him down, and the end-of-stage rigmarole happens again, once again ensuring that you won’t have any magic points for the next fight.

Yes, it’s not over yet. You now have to fight the demon statue itself in its true form. This is a large, impressive-looking boss that uses the trick of having the enemy be a background layer. There are three targets on his body, and unless you foolishly collide with the statue itself, you really only need to worry about the predictable energy bursts it rains down on you. Slice up its heart, and you’ll finally get the ending you so richly deserve. Individually, none of the three final bosses are all that bad, but the gauntlet combined with the added restrictions placed on you make it really hard to persevere. The ending is awesome, at least. I don’t know what I would have done if I had fought my way through all of that only to get a simple congratulations.

Even with the nasty difficulty spikes and cruel change of rules at the end of the game, Ninja Gaiden is an amazing game. There are a number of reasons for that. The controls are tight, Ryu’s moveset provides the player with a lot of fun options, and the large amount of sub-weapons gives you an opportunity to form your own style. The presentation is outstanding, and the story at least makes an effort. The way the game eases you in so that you’re invested in overcoming the more difficult hurdles is also quite the clever trick. I imagine most people give up anyway, but the amount of nastiness the average player is likely to put up with before reaching that point is surely the mark of some sort of achievement.

Difficulty balancing is an issue the Ninja Gaiden series would always struggle with across its many forms. While the first game doesn’t quite nail it thanks to the final boss gauntlet, I think this is as close as any of its developers would get to a satisfying level of challenge until the Xbox revival. But I’ll explore that more when I talk about the other two games in the NES trilogy next time around.

Next: Ninja Gaiden 2 & Ninja Gaiden 3

Previous: Introduction

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