Ninja Crusaders (NES)

[Sumez | 2,995]

The staff isn't cheesing, the staff is how the game is meant to play.  It's a risk vs. reward system. The sword is even more damaging, but harder to use.
If people stick to shurikens and the chain for most of the game, I guess that's a good explanation for why so many people aren't able to enjoy it much.

[Gloves | 11,840]

The best ninja game on the NES is clearly Little Ninja Brothers, don't kid yourselves.

[Richardhead | 2,825]

The best ninja game on the NES is clearly Kid Niki, don't kid yourselves.

[Gloves | 11,840]

7 minutes ago, Richardhead said:

 

The best ninja game on the NES is clearly Kid Niki, don't kid yourselves.

Says the guy who's STILL decorated like it's Christmas. *roll eyes*

[Austin | 4]

On 12/24/2020 at 2:12 PM, mbd39 said:

I played this on emulator, reached the last stage, and gave up. I remember the game getting hard near the end. This is another one I should give another chance on real hardware someday.

 

You giving up on a NES game makes the prospect of me trying it much more intriguing. I'll have to fire it up soon..

[mbd39 | 2,030]

45 minutes ago, Austin said:

You giving up on a NES game makes the prospect of me trying it much more intriguing. I'll have to fire it up soon..

I didn't know about the transformation ability. Apparently that would have made it a lot easier.

 

 

 

 

[Austin | 4]

On 12/29/2020 at 10:50 AM, mbd39 said:

I didn't know about the transformation ability. Apparently that would have made it a lot easier.

All right, so I fired it up last night and finished it. Yes and no, to that statement. The transformations are kind of useless for the chain whip and throwing star, at least on the later levels. If you can get to the last level with the sword, then yeah, I can see that being the case, since it lets you turn into the dragon which is OP. I did not.

Game is alright. Not great, but not bad. Second form of the last boss has an odd pattern that took me a while to figure out.

[mbd39 | 2,030]

22 minutes ago, Austin said:

All right, so I fired it up last night and finished it. Yes and no, to that statement. The transformations are kind of useless for the chain whip and throwing star, at least on the later levels. If you can get to the last level with the sword, then yeah, I can see that being the case, since it lets you turn into the dragon which is OP. I did not.

Game is alright. Not great, but not bad. Second form of the last boss has an odd pattern that took me a while to figure out.

Hey Austin, lately I've been playing Double Dragon 3 and I'm stuck at the final boss.

I think DD3 has the most blah enemies and level designs in the series. It's mostly fighting the same generic baddies over and over. They didn't even bring back Abobo. It's still fun for DD fans but a step down from the first two.

 

[Austin | 4]

8 minutes ago, mbd39 said:

Hey Austin, lately I've been playing Double Dragon 3 and I'm stuck at the final boss.

I think DD3 has the most blah enemies and level designs in the series. It's mostly fighting the same generic baddies over and over. They didn't even bring back Abobo. It's still fun for DD fans but a step down from the first two.

 

Yeah, it can be enjoyable but I agree completely, it pales in gameplay compared to the first two. Parts of the last stage aside, it's basically one long corridor after another and enemies just appear and funnel towards wherever you are, rather than being placed in the levels deliberately. It ends up being very lackluster overall in the "level design" department. Oh, and screw the final boss.

[mbd39 | 2,030]

16 minutes ago, Austin said:

Yeah, it can be enjoyable but I agree completely, it pales in gameplay compared to the first two. Parts of the last stage aside, it's basically one long corridor after another and enemies just appear and funnel towards wherever you are, rather than being placed in the levels deliberately. It ends up being very lackluster overall in the "level design" department. Oh, and screw the final boss.

Oh yeah another gripe about this game is the stupid and pointless double tap dash. I've accidentally ran off the platforms at the start of the Egypt stage way too many times.

 

[nerdynebraskan | 356]

On 12/24/2020 at 1:22 PM, Bearcat-Doug said:

@nerdynebraskan beat it for the NES completions thread. Maybe he can weigh in with some tips.

This one definitely took me a while to learn.

As has been mentioned elsewhere in the thread, this one is more fun and memorable if you have a partner to play 2P coop with. Then it plays more like a cross between Ninja Gaiden and Contra.

As far as the weapon options go, I'm a big fan of the katana. I grab one as soon as I can and never let go of it. (I think there's one floating way up in the sky in the first or second level, where you have to shapeshift into the bird to reach it.) It does make some of the levels harder, since the hitbox is pretty small and some of those enemies are so annoying. But it is just too powerful to ignore; it kills just about every common enemy in the game in one hit, and bosses are slain in 2-5 hits.

The hardest part of the game is the last level, since there's so many enemies spazzing across the screen or spamming projectiles. I really had to memorize not only the position and behavior of every enemy, but also my exact position when I make my move on each enemy.

I've never been able to beat the final boss straight-up. As soon as I enter the final fight, it's time to shapeshift! With the katana, your animal form is an invincible dragon. (It sort of gives the game a cinematic feel, almost like Liu Kang transforming into a dragon to defeat Shao Khan at the end of Mortal Kombat: Annihilation.) The katana-to-dragon shapeshift has to be used carefully: you'll revert back to shurikens at the beginning of the next screen. So it's not like you can use it to march with impunity across the last stage, because you won't have the power once you enter the final boss. Yes, I made that mistake once.

[8bitsupremacy | 208]

I don't remember this game being that hard.  I beat it my first time playing it without even realizing you could morph into an animal.  It was fun, but yeah not very memorable overall.

[Webhead123 | 687]

6 hours ago, 8bitsupremacy said:

I don't remember this game being that hard.  I beat it my first time playing it without even realizing you could morph into an animal.  It was fun, but yeah not very memorable overall.

Honestly, the game isn't very hard until the final couple of areas. I got all the way to 5-1 before I learned that you could transform. Really, it's just 5-2 that you have to completely memorize if you want to get through and the final boss' 2nd form is infuriating...until you realize how to exploit his asymmetrical pattern and then he becomes pretty easy.

Edited January 2, 2021 by Webhead123