2 Jan, 2009
When last I posted I was admiring Team Ninja’s take on Times Square and fighting horrible mutant dogs that always break through my blocks and knock the once-badass Ryu all around the concrete. Hayabusa’s blocking isn’t the only thing this game broke as my heart followed closely behind. How did the epic Ninja Gaiden that I played through three times end up with a sequel so lackluster, so over-the-top, and yet so unimpressive?
14 May, 2008
When last I wrote about the game I was still plodding through the opening chapters. Now, having seen it through I can say without a doubt that there’s no finer action game on the DS and that anyone hoping to compare should bow with respect and shamelessly copy this game.
As I expected there aren’t any other weapons besides the upgradeable dragon sword, some explosive arrows, and a handful of ninpo magic attacks, but the gameplay remained mostly solid and rewarding throughout. The difficulty didn’t ramp up too much but the game starts throwing more and more enemies at you, along with environmental hazards, which leads to plenty of cheap jabs to your health bar. It didn’t lead to many outright deaths, and it’s really just a nagging complaint, but it definitely made me feel very un-ninja-y.
The boss battles also leave a lot for a master ninja to desire. With a few end-of-game exceptions they don’t feel as epic as the console versions and the attack patterns come slow and easy to avoid. Not even the final showdown felt as harrowing as the original game’s battle against Alma, which is a moment of horror that is forever ingrained in my mind. In Dragon Sword her evil Fiend sisters feel about as scary as being confronted by a Renaissance Festival player who dresses up and pretends it really is 1459.
Ryu’s lightning fast attacks may also contribute to how easy the whole adventure is. With few misinterpretations by the touch screen it’s easy to stay airborne while slicing and dashing through a dozen enemies, landing with just enough time to charge up your even-more-powerful Essence attack. Should you get in a jam you can almost always rely on your ninpo magic to level the field and even conjure up a spell that refills your health.
I’m sure the game is much more challenging on the next difficulty setting but I’m not the sort to trudge back through a game just to make it harder. Nor am I the type to play through all difficulty settings just to find hidden items, which is the only way to collect all of those pesky wooden amulets. The reward? You can rewatch the cutscenes, see character bios, and read diary entries. The diaries are entertaining, especially for the villains, but definitely not worth that kind of commitment.
The magic’s still here. Team Ninja has once again retooled their original 2004 adventure and I’ve once again trounced my way through it, living the rockstar ninja lifestyle and loving every bit of it. Now can we please get on with Ninja Gaiden 2 and another four years of remakes and updates?
11 Apr, 2008
In its current 3D form Ninja Gaiden has been around since 2004 and has seen no less than three iterations with minor enhancements and additions, all of which I’ve played and enjoyed. Team Ninja wove some real magic into those games that hooks unsuspecting players with its difficulty and rewards them for their perseverance. So it’s only fitting that before they finally release a sequel we must persevere through one last adventure with Hayabusa and the remnants of the Dark Dragon Blade Incident.
Yes, the story is set after the events of Ninja Gaiden/Black/Sigma but at this early stage in the game I’ve already plodded back and forth through Hayabusa Village and most recently arrived at the doorsteps of one very familiar Monastery. Not that I’m complaining; seeing familiar places and enemies makes me smirk in that Smash Bros. Brawl sorta way and this is by far the most original game since Ryu’s Xbox debut. Of course, I haven’t seen too much originality just yet outside of the striking visual design of the game.
Essentially this is Resident Gaiden with familiar (but simplified) Ninja Gaiden gameplay set on top of pre-rendered backgrounds a la the old Resident Evil games. It’s also played by holding the DS vertically like a book and for a game that uses only one button during combat (to block) things work just as smoothly as on the consoles. The trade off is that Ryu doesn’t have nearly as many attacks and as best I can tell, only one weapon. It’s to be expected; there are only so many ways you can slide your stylus across an enemy and so very little space on the cartridge to pack in more weapon animations.
The handheld limitations don’t stop the action from being blindingly fast, however, and I was quickly leaping skyward, tossing shurikens at distant archers and then smashing down on enemies below. The portable format does effect some aspects of the game as returning after a long break sometimes left me clueless as to what to do next. Where most DS games have an objective screen or a recap of what you’ve already done, Dragon Sword simply loads up quick and tosses you back into the fray.
It’s also important to remember that the touch screen isn’t the only bit of DS hardware you’ll be using. It’s been a while since a game has forced me to use the microphone and at one point I was stumped. Once I figured it out I backtracked and found a hidden item, one of 45 Wooden Amulets tucked away throughout the game. Oh good, more collecting! I don’t suppose the original Ninja Gaiden is unlockable on the DS.
So far I’m impressed and happy with Dragon Sword. It’s another retread of Ryu’s 3D Ninja Gaiden adventure but the portable format and unique gameplay are keeping my hands sore and my DS battery drained.
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