A port of Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden for Sega Master System was released in 1992 by SEGA. It is a different game from homonym NES game.
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Didn't expect this to be so different from the nes version but it was still great. Climbing around everywhere was cool.
not as fast paced or difficult as the nes version but it's good and different enough to play for sure.
Shoutout to C_F for recommending this game to me a while back. Go give them a follow and a like, they rock.
You know, looking back on it, the Ninja Gaiden series in its 2D era had quite a weird set of releases from its inception all the way to 1995. Of course, there is the original trilogy of games on the NES that most of us know and love, but then there is the original arcade title that the NES Ninja Gaiden was based on, then there was a port of that for the Atari Lynx, and then there was a completely unrelated game made for the Sega Game Gear, and THEN there was Ninja Gaiden Shadow, a rework of Shadow of the Ninja for the Game Boy, AND THEN there was another unrelated game made for the Sega Master System, AND THEN there was the Ninja Gaiden Trilogy for the SNES. Needless to say, it is quite complicated, especially for an outsider, but I have managed to separate and play through each one of these games (not counting that Atari Lynx game, because I love myself too much to play that), except for one particular title. I figured it was about time I got that out of the way, so I finally decided to play through Ninja Gaiden for the Sega Master System.
Going into this, I had no expectations whatsoever. I figured it was just gonna be yet another Ninja Gaiden game with not too many other bells and whistles, with this one only standing out because it was on the Master System. After all, that is what I got from the Game Gear title and Ninja Gaiden Shadow, so it was safe to assume it was gonna be the same for this game. For the most part, I was right in my assumptions, but there were some interesting elements and design choices present here that did make this a bit of an interesting playthrough, and overall I would say that it was a pretty good entry in the series. It definitely doesn’t compare to the main NES trilogy, but as its own thing, it manages to replicate the series’ gameplay pretty well, and it managed to be pretty enjoyable for the time I spent on it.
The story is one you would expect from not just Ninja Gaiden, but any kind of ninja game from this era, where the Dragon Clan is slaughtered in a surprise attack, and the sacred Bushido of the clan is stolen as a result, so it is up to Ryu Hayabusa to jump into action once again to get it back, with the plot being told through plenty of cutscenes seen throughout the game, making the story not as strong as the other entries, but it is still good. The graphics are pretty good, looking like a slightly more enhanced version of the visuals from the NES games, with plenty of color and detail seen all throughout, the music is good, having plenty of good tunes to be heard, but a lot of them do sound very similar, so it isn’t the best music I have heard from one of these games, the control feels pretty much exactly like it does for the NES games, which works really well for a game like this, and the gameplay is very similar to the other titles in the series, except with a little extra added to not make it too repetitive.
The game is a 2D action platformer, where you take control of Ryu Hayabusa, go through a set of seven different stages and a boss, slash your way through many different enemies of varying sizes using either your main sword or even a special attack, gather plenty of additional weapons, health and time items to help you out along your way, and take on plenty of bosses that range from pathetically easy to…. slightly not as easy. Those familiar with the Ninja Gaiden series will be able to jump right into this title, as in many ways, it is just as fun, fast, and difficult as the original, making it pretty fun to play. Although, for those of you thinking this is just another Ninja Gaiden game with nothing new to bring to the table…. yeah, you’re right, but only for the most part.
When playing through this game, you will notice that there are a few things that Ryu can do in this game that he couldn’t do in any of the other games, including jumping off of walls and hanging onto platforms from the underside, which are not only neat little inclusions that do make the platforming more fresh, but they also reflect the design of the game as a whole. Rather than focusing too much on fast-paced reactionary action mixed with platforming, this game more so focuses on the platforming more than anything, with there being plenty of different types of platforming challenges that will test you and your skills, in ways that the NES trilogy hadn’t done before. Sure, the original games had plenty of platforming elements too, but they didn’t have anything quite like what we have here, which does make the game feel more unique when compared to its predecessors, and it was fun to experience this new alteration of the gameplay for the first time.
Although, aside from that, there isn’t much else that can separate this game from all of the other titles so far. It is in many ways just another Ninja Gaiden game, one that manages to hold up the same quality of the NES titles for the most part, but one that doesn’t offer much new for those looking for anything new from the series. Also, since this is a Ninja Gaiden game, it also comes with the many downsides that these games come with, including the hard-as-hell difficulty, which definitely plays a factor in this title, as well as several sections of pure bullshit. Of course, none of these completely ruin the game, but they can be pretty frustrating, especially in some certain situations where it feels like you can’t help but get hit. Also, just as one last little note, those fire enemies from Stage 6 can go lock themselves in a freezer and suffer for all I care, they completely suck.
Overall, despite not enough change to the general formula, along with the difficulty and some enemies being a pain in the ass, Ninja Gaiden on the Sega Master System seems to be the hidden Ninja Gaiden IV that we never got, as it continues giving us the same fast and tough gameplay we love from this series, while doing just enough to where it can stand out from the other games in the series. I would recommend it for those who loved the other Ninja Gaiden games, as well as those who love old-school 2D platformers, because this game will give you plenty to have fun with for how long you will spend on it. Although, with that being said, this is the very last game in the series that uses this traditional format, which we will never see again……. unless Koei Tecmo decides to make a retro-styled revival for this series, but let’s be honest, that will never happen.
Game #479
You know, looking back on it, the Ninja Gaiden series in its 2D era had quite a weird set of releases from its inception all the way to 1995. Of course, there is the original trilogy of games on the NES that most of us know and love, but then there is the original arcade title that the NES Ninja Gaiden was based on, then there was a port of that for the Atari Lynx, and then there was a completely unrelated game made for the Sega Game Gear, and THEN there was Ninja Gaiden Shadow, a rework of Shadow of the Ninja for the Game Boy, AND THEN there was another unrelated game made for the Sega Master System, AND THEN there was the Ninja Gaiden Trilogy for the SNES. Needless to say, it is quite complicated, especially for an outsider, but I have managed to separate and play through each one of these games (not counting that Atari Lynx game, because I love myself too much to play that), except for one particular title. I figured it was about time I got that out of the way, so I finally decided to play through Ninja Gaiden for the Sega Master System.
Going into this, I had no expectations whatsoever. I figured it was just gonna be yet another Ninja Gaiden game with not too many other bells and whistles, with this one only standing out because it was on the Master System. After all, that is what I got from the Game Gear title and Ninja Gaiden Shadow, so it was safe to assume it was gonna be the same for this game. For the most part, I was right in my assumptions, but there were some interesting elements and design choices present here that did make this a bit of an interesting playthrough, and overall I would say that it was a pretty good entry in the series. It definitely doesn’t compare to the main NES trilogy, but as its own thing, it manages to replicate the series’ gameplay pretty well, and it managed to be pretty enjoyable for the time I spent on it.
The story is one you would expect from not just Ninja Gaiden, but any kind of ninja game from this era, where the Dragon Clan is slaughtered in a surprise attack, and the sacred Bushido of the clan is stolen as a result, so it is up to Ryu Hayabusa to jump into action once again to get it back, with the plot being told through plenty of cutscenes seen throughout the game, making the story not as strong as the other entries, but it is still good. The graphics are pretty good, looking like a slightly more enhanced version of the visuals from the NES games, with plenty of color and detail seen all throughout, the music is good, having plenty of good tunes to be heard, but a lot of them do sound very similar, so it isn’t the best music I have heard from one of these games, the control feels pretty much exactly like it does for the NES games, which works really well for a game like this, and the gameplay is very similar to the other titles in the series, except with a little extra added to not make it too repetitive.
The game is a 2D action platformer, where you take control of Ryu Hayabusa, go through a set of seven different stages and a boss, slash your way through many different enemies of varying sizes using either your main sword or even a special attack, gather plenty of additional weapons, health and time items to help you out along your way, and take on plenty of bosses that range from pathetically easy to…. slightly not as easy. Those familiar with the Ninja Gaiden series will be able to jump right into this title, as in many ways, it is just as fun, fast, and difficult as the original, making it pretty fun to play. Although, for those of you thinking this is just another Ninja Gaiden game with nothing new to bring to the table…. yeah, you’re right, but only for the most part.
When playing through this game, you will notice that there are a few things that Ryu can do in this game that he couldn’t do in any of the other games, including jumping off of walls and hanging onto platforms from the underside, which are not only neat little inclusions that do make the platforming more fresh, but they also reflect the design of the game as a whole. Rather than focusing too much on fast-paced reactionary action mixed with platforming, this game more so focuses on the platforming more than anything, with there being plenty of different types of platforming challenges that will test you and your skills, in ways that the NES trilogy hadn’t done before. Sure, the original games had plenty of platforming elements too, but they didn’t have anything quite like what we have here, which does make the game feel more unique when compared to its predecessors, and it was fun to experience this new alteration of the gameplay for the first time.
Although, aside from that, there isn’t much else that can separate this game from all of the other titles so far. It is in many ways just another Ninja Gaiden game, one that manages to hold up the same quality of the NES titles for the most part, but one that doesn’t offer much new for those looking for anything new from the series. Also, since this is a Ninja Gaiden game, it also comes with the many downsides that these games come with, including the hard-as-hell difficulty, which definitely plays a factor in this title, as well as several sections of pure bullshit. Of course, none of these completely ruin the game, but they can be pretty frustrating, especially in some certain situations where it feels like you can’t help but get hit. Also, just as one last little note, those fire enemies from Stage 6 can go lock themselves in a freezer and suffer for all I care, they completely suck.
Overall, despite not enough change to the general formula, along with the difficulty and some enemies being a pain in the ass, Ninja Gaiden on the Sega Master System seems to be the hidden Ninja Gaiden IV that we never got, as it continues giving us the same fast and tough gameplay we love from this series, while doing just enough to where it can stand out from the other games in the series. I would recommend it for those who loved the other Ninja Gaiden games, as well as those who love old-school 2D platformers, because this game will give you plenty to have fun with for how long you will spend on it. Although, with that being said, this is the very last game in the series that uses this traditional format, which we will never see again……. unless Koei Tecmo decides to make a retro-styled revival for this series, but let’s be honest, that will never happen.
Game #479
Okay, so...
I've played Ninja gaiden on game gear, game boy and master system, and also played the PS3 Ninja Gaiden 3 (not razer's edge).
What I'm saying is, if I'm found dead in the street tomorrow, the Ninja Gaiden community most likely put a hit on me for having garbage taste.
I've played Ninja gaiden on game gear, game boy and master system, and also played the PS3 Ninja Gaiden 3 (not razer's edge).
What I'm saying is, if I'm found dead in the street tomorrow, the Ninja Gaiden community most likely put a hit on me for having garbage taste.
Fun game. Very, very easy compared to the NES trilogy, but still worthwhile to play through. I do find it kind of unusual that the prototype version contains a (relatively) full story, while the final game strips nearly all of the story text out, while mangling what's left. It's really a shame, considering how story-driven Ninja Gaiden as a series has been from the beginning. I can say that the cutscenes here can be surprisingly bloody, compared to what was shown on the NES - though the cutscenes themselves end up being kinda bland in comparison to how tightly-paced and constructed the NES trilogy's cutscenes can be. Those are a spectacle to witness.
I do have to say that I would probably like this more if the game were both more difficult, as well as has a more brisk pace going for it. I couldn't help but notice while playing, that there were a lot of enemies that took more than one hit to kill. Considering in the NES trilogy, enemies rarely if ever took more than one hit to kill - that makes those games move at a very fast pace, while the Master System game requires you to move a little slower and more methodically in order to dispatch everyone in your path. Yet, this doesn't quite nail the deliberate precision of a series such as Shinobi, either. This isn't enough to ruin the game by any means, but I do wish the difficulty/design balance could have been managed a bit better.
I do have to say that I would probably like this more if the game were both more difficult, as well as has a more brisk pace going for it. I couldn't help but notice while playing, that there were a lot of enemies that took more than one hit to kill. Considering in the NES trilogy, enemies rarely if ever took more than one hit to kill - that makes those games move at a very fast pace, while the Master System game requires you to move a little slower and more methodically in order to dispatch everyone in your path. Yet, this doesn't quite nail the deliberate precision of a series such as Shinobi, either. This isn't enough to ruin the game by any means, but I do wish the difficulty/design balance could have been managed a bit better.
Rage inducing