Information AboutNinja Gaiden |
| CATEGORIES ABOUT NINJA GAIDEN | |
| tecmo games | |
''Ninja Gaiden'' (忍者外伝) is a series of Video Game s by Tecmo , featuring the Dragon Ninja , Ryu Hayabusa . The series was originally known as ''Ninja Ryukenden'' (忍者龍剣伝 ''Ninja Ryūkenden'', ''Legend of the Ninja Dragon Sword'') in Japan . The word '' Gaiden '' (pronounced "guy-den") in the English title means ''side-story'' in Japanese . It is speculated that Tecmo simply used ''gaiden'' since it was an easier Japanese word to pronounce than ''ryūkenden'' (ree-oo-ken-den). Reportedly, Tecmo was originally going to use the title, ''Ninja Dragon'', in America, but it was dropped (most likely due to Data East 's Beat 'em Up , '' Bad Dudes '', which was originally titled ''Bad Dudes vs. Dragon Ninja'' in the Arcade ). The original arcade title and the home computer versions of that game were known as ''Shadow Warriors'' in Europe and Australia . The console versions retained the ''Ninja Gaiden'' title. The series gained popularity on the 8-bit Nintendo Family Computer / Nintendo Entertainment System for its tight action-platform gameplay, catchy music and use of cinematic cutscenes that unveiled the plot. The 8-bit trilogy was Enhanced for the 16-bit Super Famicom / Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995 , with a password feature added. It has recently been released as a 3D Action Game on the Xbox , developed by Team Ninja (the makers of '' Dead Or Alive ''). ARCADE GAME The Arcade version of ''Ninja Gaiden'' (released in 1988 in North America and 1989 in Japan ) was a ''Double Dragon''-style beat 'em up, in which the player controls a nameless ninja, as he travels to various regions of America (such as San Francisco , New York and Las Vegas ) to defeat an evil cult. The player has a variety of techniques, such as a flying neck throw and a back-flip. The player can obtain Power-up s by throwing enemies into background objects, such as Street Light s and Dumpster s. The player fights primarily with his bare hands, although a sword can also be used for a limited time as a power-up; he can also use environmental objects as a prop from which he can deliver more powerful kicking attacks. Although the game takes place in different environments, there are primarily only five kinds of enemies, all of which appear in every level (although some levels have extra enemy types). The game is mostly remembered for its infamous Continue Screen (where the player character is tied to the ground while a Circular Saw is moving towards him from above). While the game itself bears little or no connection to the later NES trilogy or Xbox revival, certain aspects of it were carried over to the first NES title. The first Stage in the NES game is a loose adaptation of the first stage in the arcade game and the opening Cutscene in the NES game vaguely resembles the intro in the arcade version. Both games also feature Jason Voorhees look-alikes and the final Boss in the arcade game vaguely resembles Bloody Malth from the NES game. The first and best conversion was for the Commodore Amiga computer, which retained almost everything of the graphical beauty and functionality of the original game, including the two-player option and the intro. The arcade game was later ported to the Atari Lynx , IBM PC and Sega Genesis . The Genesis port is inaccurate and is said to have not been released commercially. Additionally, an emulation of it exists in the Xbox version's update, Ninja Gaiden: Black, as a bonus feature. NES TRILOGY The original '' Ninja Gaiden '', a Platformer , was released in 1988-89. A ninja named Ryu Hayabusa is instructed by his recently-murdered father, Ken ,to go to America and recover the Demon Statues, artifacts with the power to end the world. He eventually ends up in South America battling the Jaquio, the evil mastermind responsible for the attack on Ken Hayabusa. The game introduced many of the series' staples, including the cinematic cutscenes, the boomerang-like Windmill Shuriken and the magical techniques called Ninja Arts (or Ninpo). Like all games in the series, it is noted for its difficulty. To use the ninja arts, users had to collect power-ups. Each move used up a certain number of power-ups. In the ''''', Ryu learns of a new villain named Ashtar. Ryu must rescue Irene Lew, a former CIA agent, from Ashtar and destroy the Dark Sword, a weapon of great power. In the end, Ryu learns that Jaquio has been reborn and is the real mastermind behind Ashtar and the Dark Sword. This game was the first to feature Spirit Clones, invincible copies of Ryu which would mimic his movements and fight by his side. Also introduced was the ability to scale walls without the need to constantly jump upwards. The third game, titled '''', has what some considered to be a rather convoluted and, at times, contradictory story featuring rogue secret agents, genetic engineering and the eponymous warship. The gameplay is largely unchanged and more is unraveled about Foster, the CIA agent who sent Ryu after Jaquio in the first game and his true intentions towards the ninja. This game is often considered to be the most difficult of the original trilogy, as continues are limited this time. It appeared on the Atari Lynx , as well. ''Ninja Gaiden Trilogy'' is a 1995 SNES collection featuring all three games. Few improvements were made, but passwords were included and the cinematic sequences were improved. The graphics were retouched and the soundtrack was updated. The third game was also made more playable with infinite continues and more reasonable damage from enemy attacks. Unfortunately, the ports suffered from slowdown, unresponsive controls and no credits. DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE ORIGINAL RYUKENDEN AND GAIDEN The only major difference occurring between both series is that in the third game, The Ancient Ship of Doom, the Japanese version had a password system very similar to the one occurring in the SNES Trilogy that was removed from the US version. NINJA GAIDEN ON THE XBOX Development "Next-Generation Ninja Gaiden Project" was started in 1999 and originally planned for SEGA Naomi Arcade boards. The game was postponed several times, first for Dreamcast console and later for PlayStation 2 . In 2001 Tecmo announced the exclusiveness for Xbox gaming console. Since then the project was optimized for Microsoft console, being launched in the beginning of 2004 . Two "Hurricane Packs" were released as Downloadable Content over the Xbox Live service. The first made the game even harder and featured various changes to the location of items and enemies, with unlockable costumes available. The second was part of a Master Ninja Tournament, where players competed in a special set of levels to gain the highest "Karma" scores. Plot Released in February 2004 , the Xbox ''Ninja Gaiden'' contains no story elements from the NES trilogy, which essentially makes it a reboot of the Ninja Gaiden "universe". There is however a hint the story of the game is placed before the Ninja Gaiden trilogy. During the end of Chapter 1, Ryu and Murai discuss Ryu's responsibility of looking after his father's sword, the Dragon Sword . Murai asks if Ryu's father is still away, Ryu replies that he is and then explains that his father gave him the sword to look after it while he was away. Since Ryu's father is still presumed to be alive, the possibility of this game being a kind of prequel to the original Ninja Gaiden game trilogy is very likely. The game is also called "Ninja Gaiden" in Japan (rather than using the original Ninja Ryûkenden name). Taking advantage of the advances in video gaming technology, Ninja Gaiden had evolved from a side-scrolling action game to a 3D game with a third-person view on the protagonist. This decision has sparked criticism from many, who say that the camera angles make gameplay irritating and difficult. The game sometimes chooses new camera angles based on the player's movements, but tapping one of the shoulder buttons automatically orients the camera behind the character. The series retained its challenging gameplay and the use of cutscenes to reveal the plot. The story revolves around the Dark Dragon Blade, a sword made from the bones of a Black Dragon. It could absorb any evil from its vicinity and transform its wielder into the devil incarnate. For this reason, it was sealed away and protected by warriors of the Dragon Lineage. Their descendants formed the Hayabusa ninja clan, and Ryu Hayabusa was one of them. Ryu had inherited the Dragon Sword from his father Ken (or in this game, Joe) while the latter was training in the "Sacred Wilderness." However, while Ryu was away from the Hayabusa Village to see his uncle Murai (who had left to form his own ninja clan), the village was attacked by an army of samurai led by a Greater Fiend named Doku. Doku stole the Dark Dragon Blade and killed Ryu when the young ninja confronted him. A cutscene is shown with a falcon flying in looking down on Ryu. The falcon gives its soul to Ryu to allow his revenge on Doku. Later, Ryu was revived and was informed by Murai that Doku came from the Vigoor Empire. Ryu then set out to retrieve the Dark Dragon Blade before it could gather enough power from the hatred and evil surrounding it. Ayane from the Dead Or Alive series makes appearances in the game by helping Ryu. This further ties the two game series together since Ryu also appears in Dead or Alive, and because he knows Ayane's half brother Hayate . In fact, it is believed that this game is set before the events of the first Dead or Alive game. However, there is much proof agaisnt this as well, as the Ryu in Dead or Alive was given the name "Hayabusa" as a title for being an excellent ninja in the Hayabusa school. Ryu in Ninja Gaiden is born with the Hayabusa name, as evidenced by his family's blood line. Game director Tomonobu Itagaki commented in an interview that this story has nothing to do with the original Ninja Gaiden trilogy on NES. However, the Xbox Ninja Gaiden game can easily be seen as a prequel to the Ninja Gaiden trilogy. Nothing in this game makes the trilogy impossible and likewise, nothing that happens in the trilogy makes the Xbox game's story impossible. NINJA GAIDEN BLACK A second edition of the game, titled ''Ninja Gaiden Black'', is currently available in stores. It is essentially a Director's Cut of the original Xbox release of ''Ninja Gaiden''. It features two new difficulty settings (Master Ninja & Ninja Dog), much of the content from both "Hurricane Packs", tweaked enemy placement in the extra difficulties, four new costumes, the original arcade version of '' Ninja Gaiden '', a new mission mode with 50 short missions(including 5 from the previous "Hurricane Packs") involving scenarios not found in the core game itself, one longer and more challenging mission called "Eternal Legend" (unlocked after beating 40 of the missions), and several new in-game cutscenes. Some of the additions to the game are not readily apparent. Many are only available after being unlocked by progressing through the game at various difficulty levels. According to interviews with Tomonobu Itagaki, the Ninja Dog difficulty was added begrudgingly. Itagaki felt that the standard difficulty implemented in the game was reasonable for any casual player if they persevered through the difficult parts. However, due to a strong outcry in disagreement to the difficulty level, he instituted the Ninja Dog mode as a double-edged compromise. The mode is achieved through dying three successive times within the first stage. Upon the third death, the continue screen prompts the player, "Do you choose to abandon the way of the ninja?" If yes is selected, it will ask to confirm the choice twice more, and upon navigating the prompts in agreement, it shows a cutscene involving Ayane (a female ninja of a lower rank) talking down to the player, insulting him/her and telling the player to follow her. The end result of this difficulty change amounts to the player being given decidedly "un-ninja" accessories that enhance their abilities (the first of which is a bright pink sash for the character's wrist), more notes from the player's aid that typically adopt an excessive hand-holding nature and include surplus powerups, and lower prices on the more essential supplies throughout the game's merchant points. OTHER CONSOLES There are also appearances of ''Ninja Gaiden'' on other consoles. and another for the Game Gear . The Master System version is fairly close to the NES games in mechanics (though Ryu can no longer cling to walls, instead he can only bounce from them), but features new characters and scenarios. The Game Gear version, however, was not very close to any of the other versions. It featured a smaller screen size, and the mechanics were changed quite a bit. Tecmo also released a '' ( Natsume ) port. Because of this, it differs slightly from the console versions, but is still fairly faithful. There is also a port of the first NES Ninja Gaiden for the PC Engine (Japanese equivalent of TurboGrafx-16 ), though the game is curiously named after the American name (''Gaiden'' instead of ''Ryukenden''). Other differences include enhanced graphics. There are currently internet rumors regarding a Ninja Gaiden title for the Nintendo DS, but the rumors are completely unsubstantiated at this point. Ninja Gaiden (for the Xbox) is also one of the few backwards compatible games that is playable on the Xbox 360. EXTERNAL LINKS
|
|
|