Game Debate #78: Ninja Gaiden

[Reed Rothchild | 9,520]

[Gloves | 11,776]

s'aight.

[Code Monkey | 2,006]

One of the greatest soundtracks on the NES and responsible for influencing Sabotage to make one of the greatest games on the Switch.

[Sumez | 2,941]

Are you kidding, Ninja Gaiden is one of the best classic action games ever created. It almost hurts not giving it 10/10, but I do feel 9/10 is apt if only because of the tiny handful of unique gems I'd award the full 10.

Ninja Gaiden is not only a stellar representative of a subgenre that mostly disappeared with the NES, I'm sure I've gone into details about this before, so let's just stick to the moniker a wise man once gave it: "Compact action man run 2 the right killing motherfuckers".

But it is also a perfect example of how to design an action game in general. The short but quick precision of the blade is immensely satisfying, especially when you nail kills mid-air. The controls are both responsive and sufficiently limiting. And everything that's not a boss dies in one hit - no bloated difficulty through resilient enemies here, just pure skill. The situations you are placed in easily reach a Castlevania-like puzzle level of problem solving, where the problem is the same every time you play the game, so you can (and basically need to) essentially memorize the way through the entire game, but snappy execution remains a key factor.

The only real issue you could possibly have with the game is its unique enemy spawning mechanic. Instead of enemies respawning some distance from the visible screen like a Mega Man game, they will both spawn and despawn directly at the edge, actually a few pixels inside the visible area. This mechanic feels very unintuitive to a lot of people, and as a result they feel the game comes across janky or even downright buggy, often bemoaning its "unfair" difficulty.
It's too bad the game presents itself that way, because this spawning mechanic also creates an incredibly enjoyable dynamic where retreating even a tiny bit will also mean doubling up on the pressure put on you, because you have to immediately deal with what you thought you were just running from.
This really supports the gameplay's super aggressive and forward moving nature, which I think greatly benefits this style of game, so it's too bad that it rubs some people the wrong way. You really need to see through its "unrealistic" nature, and treat it as a game mechanic like any other. Once you understand it, the enemy spawning mechanics can also be utilized in your favor.

 

The 2004 reboot is alright I guess.

[RH | 4,903]

I had to give it a 9. I didn't get to give this one a try until about 5 years ago. I enjoyed it but my daughter fell in love with "that ninja game" and it's her go-to NES game, so that makes it a 9 in my book.

I never played the remake but I'd be interested.

Edited December 3, 2021 by RH

[Bearcat-Doug | 5,104]

I was close to giving it a 10, but I ended up going 9/10. The spin slash power up almost makes the game too easy since it even takes out the bosses in one hit, but you can avoid picking it up to maintain the difficulty. I've never played the 2004 version, but I'd check it out.

[G-type | 2,480]

I have played Ninja Gaiden, just don't remember it and I don't think I got far enough into it to give it a fair score.

[twiztor | 850]

This is a great game. The pacing, action, and soundtrack are all superb. 

What  @Sumezmentioned about the spawning is absolutely correct. It is a mechanic that can be utilized, positively or negatively, and affect your view of the game. For me, it is so counter-intuitive that i can't score the game any higher than 8. 

[T-Pac | 7,534]

Strategic action-platformers are the floss, and it doesn't get much better than Ninja Gaiden.

And if any Ninja Gaiden fans here haven't tried VICE: Project Doom, you should give it a go. It's a blatant ripoff, but in a good way.

-CasualCart

 

[Kguillemette | 1,544]

6/10. It's a fine game, but never grabbed me well enough to want to put the work in of getting better at it. I guess you can say I'm a bigger fan of stomping enemies than slashing at them.

[DefaultGen | 5,401]

10/10. It was already one if my favorite NES games then while making an unrelated Youtube video one day I realized how simple the level design elements are (no moving/falling platforms, conveyor belts, falling obstables, doors, etc.). It’s 100% just great level design and enemy placement which makes me appreciate it even more. If I had a knock against it, most bosses are ridiculously easy, but it’s a kind of a breather at the end of a level like Adventure Island!

NG is also among my favorite Xbox games. I went 9/10. So fast and smooth, I don’t even know what 3D games I’d played before this that compared. Definitely a game that contributed to my continuing frustration that console games often run at 30fps because it looks and plays so nice. I’m guessing the camera doesn’t hold up well.

Edited December 3, 2021 by DefaultGen

[mbd39 | 2,020]

I gave NES Ninja Gaiden a 10 and 2004 Ninja Gaiden an 8

 

[elprincipe | 142]

10/10. Getting good enough to blow through even later levels while slicing enemies to bits and bouncing off walls just feels so good whenever I have the pleasure of playing NG. Definitely one of the best around from any era.

Never played the 2004 version yet, although someday I'm sure I will.

[Californication | 1,477]

Never seen a game described as "Good enough to blow..." What's on the other end of your ratings scale?

[DefaultGen | 5,401]

14 hours ago, Californication said:

Never seen a game described as "Good enough to blow..." What's on the other end of your ratings scale?

1/10 games suck. 5/10s is when they've gone from suck to blow.

[Nintegageo | 582]

8 just due to when you die to the last boss, otherwise prolly a 9.

2004 I think I played when it was relevant though was ages so put never played. Can we have a don't remember option or no? ^_^

[NostalgicMachine | 233]

9/10 easily for the OG Ninja Gaiden. I still can't beat the final boss loop. I've never played 2004 NG!

[docile tapeworm | 4,198]

I accidentally voted for NG 2004 I’ve never played it. I thought i was voting for ng2 

[mbd39 | 2,020]

9 hours ago, docile tapeworm said:

I accidentally voted for NG 2004 I’ve never played it. I thought i was voting for ng2 

 

You should try NG 2004. It's great.

[Webhead123 | 675]

1988 game:

Fantastic game. If you didn't grow up in the 80's, you probably don't quite appreciate what ninjas meant to us at the time. Everything was ninjas and ninjas were everything.

Even though it was (and still is) as hard as fossilized dino turds, there was something so appealing and satisfying about playing this game. The graphics, sound and control just felt so delightful. I've still not properly beaten it, thanks to the insane decision of the final boss loop but I'm determined to do it one day. It's a game that's fun even just to play a few stages in, without trying for completion. 9/10

2004 game:

Also a great game and also as tough as a sandpaper toothbrush. The slight tweaks made to the "Black" revision is where the game finally clicked for me and I'm proud to say that it's one I pushed all the way through to completion. What an incredibly satisfying feeling when I finally beat this one into submission. 8/10

[DoctorEncore | 3,691]

7/10 for me. I always thought it was really cool, but I've never attempted any real run at it. I wish you could slash while running.

I never played the reboot, but I hear it's great.