It may not sound like it at first, but Ninja Gaiden for the NES is the perfect title to get an anime redo. The game was one of the first to really use cut-scenes to tell a story within what was otherwise a general action platformer. This update is certainly stylish and adds the right amount of new while keeping the iconic shots from the original still in there. It would be neat to see the entire game’s story remade this way. If it has been, pass the info along below.
If you haven’t picked up Call of Duty 4 yet, then it may actually be in your best interest to continue waiting. Word is that Activision will release a Game of the Year edition sometime in April. The special edition will feature new packaging as well as the ability to download the new map pack for free.
So far the special edition of the game has only been confirmed for the Xbox 360, though it would seem likely a PS3 version would be released, too. The whole idea of special editions of console games seemed entirely foreign just a few years ago. That all has changed as more games get the special edition treatment such as Ninja Gaiden and Devil May Cry 3. (more…)
This original artwork of Ryu from Ninja Gaiden is incredibly fun and good for just a “doodle.” That’s the word that the creator, Gary Harrod, uses so no disrespect meant. It’s made from a mix of oils and paints, but the neatest part is how perfectly it captures that line between cartoon and comic. It’s one of the more impressive “doodles” out there. Click on the image for a full sized version.
In The Great Games column we look back at titles that have defined video games over the years and earned a special place in the history of the medium.
Sixteen years passed between the original Ninja Gaiden’s release on the NES in 1988 and the franchise relaunch on the Xbox in 2004. In those 16 years a lot of things changed in gaming, including the passage of three console generations and the arrival of 3D graphics as the norm. The one thing that did not change is Ninja Gaiden’s name standing for hardcore action.
Younger gamers may not be able to fully appreciate the way the gaming market used to work. Games arrived with little or no fanfare and were seemingly dumped onto the market. Yes, there were advertisements in magazines, but hardly the full media blitzes gamers are so used to today for even the most modest of releases. Amidst all this, a little game called Ninja Gaiden found a market. It probably didn’t hurt that it was very loosely based off a semi-popular arcade game (best remembered today for its Jason Voorhees look-a-like villains). (more…)
Making a bad game may be unforgivable to some, but even worse is making a good game that suffers from the following five design sins. Whether it be an action or adventure game, the following five design flaws can cripple what was potentially a classic.
The Sisyphus Syndrome
Doing the same thing over and over again makes Jack a dull boy.
Killing all the bad guys in a room is certainly fun the first, second, and even tenth time. However, somewhere around about the fiftieth time one has to start to question if there might be something more than just kill, rise and repeat. Even stylish fighters such as Ninja Gaiden fall into the same mundane pattern of doing the same thing over and over again. Sure, occasional boss battles break it up, but short of making a game entirely of boss battles (Shadow of the Colossus) there must be a better way.
One thought would be to change up the approach for different areas. This isn’t a call for more half-hearted mini-games, though. Instead, developers should look to successful games that got the occasional diversion right. Crash Bandicoot’s running to the camera levels. Beyond Good & Evil’s city escape level. Such changes in approach don’t have to be revolutionary, but something new would be nice now and then. (more…)
Ninjas are cool. They’re even cooler if you’re a self-referential hipster living your better days on the Internet. How things become “trendy” on the Internet is not the focus here, but suffice it to say the Chuck Norris games are likely not far off. Ninjas have been a huge part of the gaming environment for decades and with good reason. They make both great heroes and great villains. They can also be adapted into a variety of gameplay styles. Below is a look at some of the more memorable incarnation of the ninja in video games, with a look toward the future and where gaming ninjas might be headed next.
The Adventurer - Ninja Gaiden (NES)
While not the first incarnation of the ninja in gaming form, Ninja Gaiden for the arcade and NES are two of the most famous. Plus, they encapsulate the same style that previous titles such as The Last Ninja employed. Ninjas began as adventurers. In Ninja Gaiden you must guide Ryu through several stages around the world as he tries to avenge the death of his father. Along the way he meets a variety of characters who try to help him; though in the end most betray him.
It’s important that most will betray Ryu in the end. While Ryu is personally played up as a respectable character, the ninjas generally are not. Oddly, the actually heroic samurai are rarely featured in games (with the Samurai Warriors series being an exception). This idea that the ninja is alone, even among friends, is carried on throughout the history of the gaming ninja. (more…)
Super Mario Brothers
It would be hard to make a list of the most influential games, anywhere, and not included Super Mario Bros. It isn’t that the game exactly did things that no one had ever seen before (though it did do those), it’s that it them altogether. The game features a certain level of cohesiveness rarely seen in games up to this point, and rarely seen since in many ways.
The levels were structured, but in a way that made sense. Drop into a pipe and you’re in an underground world, trying to get back to another pipe to get above ground. As you will note, every 2D Mario game since has borrowed this very basic seeming mechanic, but one that game the games a sense of “world” long before Mario had his own World.
Perhaps most intriguing about the game’s influence is how many games still try to copy it to this day, twenty plus years after its release. Consider that New Super Mario Bros. (DS) is most influenced by the original and World, despite most fans claim of the superiority of the third chapter. (more…)
Loading ...