Ninja Gaiden: The Next "System Seller..."

[The Buzz]

Now that I've had more than a few minutes to play the demo I am truely blown away! Ninja Gaiden is one amazing game. It's so smooth...Soul Calibur smooth. The speed and moves of Ninja Gaiden will "wow" you. The blood fills the screen ala "Beserk:Guts Rage" (for you fans of the "Beserk" games) Whatever delays NG is getting has nothing to do with tweeking the graphics or gameplay...that would be next to impossible. There is a slight "learning" curve to the controls...more so for using the "view" than the actual gameplay.

NG will make many of those people that were this way or that way about Xbox take a real hard look at this console once again. NG's an instant classic...it IS a "System Seller." I realize this type of game doesn't appeal to everyone but for fans or even gamers with only "slight" interest...for now (like me a few months ago)...this game "rocks" and is one of the few games that does live up to the "hype."

Geez...I sound like a GC "fanboy" raving about Zelda or Mario...DAMN! Not that there's anything WRONG with that...

Oh...I played the Tenchu demo too and it was ok...I was a huge fan of the original (I still have it) and this one shows a lot of promise...just a little tough to get into after NG.

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

How long did the demo last?

I have a feeling some game stores have the demo, but I'm going to try to not play it, so I will not spoil anything.

["The Game"Evolution]

Now that I've had more than a few minutes to play the demo I am truely blown away! Ninja Gaiden is one amazing game. It's so smooth...Soul Calibur smooth. The speed and moves of Ninja Gaiden will "wow" you. The blood fills the screen ala "Beserk:Guts Rage" (for you fans of the "Beserk" games) Whatever delays NG is getting has nothing to do with tweeking the graphics or gameplay...that would be next to impossible. There is a slight "learning" curve to the controls...more so for using the "view" than the actual gameplay.

NG will make many of those people that were this way or that way about Xbox take a real hard look at this console once again. NG's an instant classic...it IS a "System Seller." I realize this type of game doesn't appeal to everyone but for fans or even gamers with only "slight" interest...for now (like me a few months ago)...this game "rocks" and is one of the few games that does live up to the "hype."

Geez...I sound like a GC "fanboy" raving about Zelda or Mario...DAMN! Not that there's anything WRONG with that...

Oh...I played the Tenchu demo too and it was ok...I was a huge fan of the original (I still have it) and this one shows a lot of promise...just a little tough to get into after NG.

Not too many people remembers that Sega Dreamcast classic(Bezerker:Guts Rage) I used to own that too.Good game.I loved it when he got pissed off and his eyes and skin turned red while hes slashing his enemies into hamburger with that big ass sword in a fit of rage.(Plus kudos for the unlimited ammo for the crossbow on his hand)

The part of the game that I hated the most was when you're trying to get out of that castle towards the end while the whole place is coming down over your head.(Not to mention things coming out of the side of the wall)One good hit and its game over.That was a bunch of BULL!!!

Anyway back to Ninja Gaiden.I cant wait to play this demo.The hell with waiting to play this I want to play this thing now!! I plan to go out today and see if I can find the OXM with the demo of it.

If the demo got you all tingly Buzz I cant wait to see what the real version will be like.Ahhh....I cant wait.I agree Ninja Gaiden appears to be the next big system seller for the Xbox.I mean the thought of a killer app like this is good enough,but throw in all three chapters to the NES classic to boot it gets no better than that.Plus not to mention Tenchu III is also coming out on the Xbox in March as well.It gets no better than that.Ninja Gaiden looks to be the next big system seller.

[The Buzz]

How long did the demo last?

I have a feeling some game stores have the demo, but I'm going to try to not play it, so I will not spoil anything.

I played it a good twenty to twenty five minutes each time through. I played it through to the "ninja master" at the end of the demo...(I think it was the end)...twice. He KICKED my sorry ass good both times!

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

I played it a good twenty to twenty five minutes each time through. I played it through to the "ninja master" at the end of the demo...(I think it was the end)...twice. He KICKED my sorry ass good both times!

I think I have seen the Ninja Master on a few jpegs. Just think, if that's the first boss of the game, then we're in for one hell of a treat when the other bosses are fought.



I remember Beserk: Gut's Rage. That game was hard. I never finished that thing, either.

[Nissian X]

Not too many people remembers that Sega Dreamcast classic(Bezerker:Guts Rage) I used to own that too.Good game.I loved it when he got pissed off and his eyes and skin turned red while hes slashing his enemies into hamburger with that big ass sword in a fit of rage.(Plus kudos for the unlimited ammo for the crossbow on his hand)

The part of the game that I hated the most was when you're trying to get out of that castle towards the end while the whole place is coming down over your head.(Not to mention things coming out of the side of the wall)One good hit and its game over.That was a bunch of BULL!!!

Anyway back to Ninja Gaiden.I cant wait to play this demo.The hell with waiting to play this I want to play this thing now!! I plan to go out today and see if I can find the OXM with the demo of it.

If the demo got you all tingly Buzz I cant wait to see what the real version will be like.Ahhh....I cant wait.I agree Ninja Gaiden appears to be the next big system seller for the Xbox.I mean the thought of a killer app like this is good enough,but throw in all three chapters to the NES classic to boot it gets no better than that.Plus not to mention Tenchu III is also coming out on the Xbox in March as well.It gets no better than that.Ninja Gaiden looks to be the next big system seller.

Just so we're clear, NG is coming out in March, right? anyone know what day?

[Glockstar]

Just so we're clear, NG is coming out in March, right? anyone know what day?

Barring anymore certification hiccups, March 11.

["The Game"Evolution]

Just so we're clear, NG is coming out in March, right? anyone know what day?

(fingers crossed) Cant wait to receive that phone call"Yes,this is Gamestop we have your copy of Ninja Gaiden here."(ZOOOOOOMMMMMMM, out the door! SLAM!)

And here is a little more incentive from Gamespot on why this game will be a system seller:

Ninja Gaiden Hands-On Impressions

The final version of Ninja Gaiden landed in our eager hands this morning, and after a few minutes with Team Ninja's highly anticipated follow-up to the classic arcade and NES action games of yore, we're duly impressed by the aesthetic and mechanical feats that director Tomonobu Itagaki and crew have managed to pull off. Though it bears much further exploration, Ninja Gaiden has so far given us more slashing, more high-flying acrobatics, and more blood--lots more of exactly what you'd want in a ninja action game.

After a relatively brief CG preamble, Ninja Gaiden puts you in control of Ryu and lets you get acclimated to the controls in a canyon area before you breach and explore a ninja compound. Even in this first basic area, the extreme elegance of the game's control scheme is apparent. Ryu can run along or straight up walls, wall-jump gracefully to greater heights, and swing from extended poles to cross gaps. Sure, all of this sounds par for a ninja action game, but stop and consider that doing these moves requires virtually no input on your part. If you want to run up a wall, you do just that--jump at the wall and move forward--and Ryu will do the rest. The game streamlines your ninja acrobatics to the point that, once you've got a feel for the movement controls and mechanics, you'll be able to get where you're going with lots of panache and little effort.

Once you get inside the ninja fortress, you'll get your first taste of Ninja Gaiden's exceptionally bloody combat, which has the same sort of hands-off feel as the movement. That's not to say that you won't feel like you're playing the game; every button press definitely has a directly corresponding move on the screen. But as you slash your way through the groups of ninja enemies, you'll find yourself performing astounding feats without a clear idea of how you did them. Mechanically, the game is pretty simple. You've got a light and hard melee attack and a projectile attack, and you can jump, block, and roll. The action is extremely frenetic; once you encounter a group of enemies you'll have no chance to get your bearings before they move in on you. So if you end up desperately flailing on the buttons in your first encounter, as we did, you may be pleasantly surprised at how nimbly and stylishly Ryu can dispatch his foes. Tap a few buttons, watch him throw a flurry of shurikens from the air before deftly slicing off an opponent's head, and wonder exactly how you made your character do such cool moves.

There seem to be a fair number of adventure game elements in Ninja Gaiden as well, which is a mechanical aspect in stark contrast to the straight-ahead, side-scrolling action games of the NES days. At one point, we had to find a jaw piece to insert into a samurai statue in order to make the statue unclasp its hand and release a needed key. You'll find a number of disposable items scattered around the game as well that will restore some of your health, extend your overall health capacity, or bring you back from the dead. Finally, though the game is effectively divided into levels, with boss characters and score tallies, there seems to be a good amount of backtracking through previous areas in a rather nonlinear fashion. Whether the game continues like this or simply has us move from one new area to the next remains to be seen.

It may go without saying if you've seen previous screenshots or movies, but Ninja Gaiden is an absolutely beautiful game--perhaps one of the best-looking on the Xbox. Though the environments we've seen so far--including the canyon, ninja fortress, and a village--have been sparsely detailed, they've got an extremely cohesive design and a lot of subtle texture. The character models are also among the most solidly crafted we've seen in any game, and Ryu's animation is really a sight to behold when he's pulling off his high-flying ninja tricks.

We've just barely scratched the surface of Ninja Gaiden, and already the game has us pretty well floored. There seems to be a lot more to the game than what we've described here, as there are slots in the game's menu screen for new melee and projectile weapons (and already we've gotten a bow and arrow to replace our shurikens), as well as a "ninpo" section that contains new special, mystical attack techniques that you'll acquire. We're excited by what we've seen of this extremely stylish action game so far, and we'll bring you more on it very soon. Ninja Gaiden is scheduled for release on the Xbox in the first week of March.

By Brad Shoemaker, GameSpot [POSTED: 02/20/04 04:50 PM]

[joquito]

I played the demo about 15 times yesterday, while at a friends house. The boss is tough. Its so fluid and pretty. I can't wait to see it on my HDTV. To me, it was like a fusion of Otogi and Prince of Persia. When it arrives at stores, run, don't walk.

[The Buzz]

(fingers crossed) Cant wait to receive that phone call"Yes,this is Gamestop we have your copy of Ninja Gaiden here."(ZOOOOOOMMMMMMM, out the door! SLAM!)

And here is a little more incentive from Gamespot on why this game will be a system seller:

Ninja Gaiden Hands-On Impressions

The final version of Ninja Gaiden landed in our eager hands this morning, and after a few minutes with Team Ninja's highly anticipated follow-up to the classic arcade and NES action games of yore, we're duly impressed by the aesthetic and mechanical feats that director Tomonobu Itagaki and crew have managed to pull off. Though it bears much further exploration, Ninja Gaiden has so far given us more slashing, more high-flying acrobatics, and more blood--lots more of exactly what you'd want in a ninja action game.

After a relatively brief CG preamble, Ninja Gaiden puts you in control of Ryu and lets you get acclimated to the controls in a canyon area before you breach and explore a ninja compound. Even in this first basic area, the extreme elegance of the game's control scheme is apparent. Ryu can run along or straight up walls, wall-jump gracefully to greater heights, and swing from extended poles to cross gaps. Sure, all of this sounds par for a ninja action game, but stop and consider that doing these moves requires virtually no input on your part. If you want to run up a wall, you do just that--jump at the wall and move forward--and Ryu will do the rest. The game streamlines your ninja acrobatics to the point that, once you've got a feel for the movement controls and mechanics, you'll be able to get where you're going with lots of panache and little effort.

Once you get inside the ninja fortress, you'll get your first taste of Ninja Gaiden's exceptionally bloody combat, which has the same sort of hands-off feel as the movement. That's not to say that you won't feel like you're playing the game; every button press definitely has a directly corresponding move on the screen. But as you slash your way through the groups of ninja enemies, you'll find yourself performing astounding feats without a clear idea of how you did them. Mechanically, the game is pretty simple. You've got a light and hard melee attack and a projectile attack, and you can jump, block, and roll. The action is extremely frenetic; once you encounter a group of enemies you'll have no chance to get your bearings before they move in on you. So if you end up desperately flailing on the buttons in your first encounter, as we did, you may be pleasantly surprised at how nimbly and stylishly Ryu can dispatch his foes. Tap a few buttons, watch him throw a flurry of shurikens from the air before deftly slicing off an opponent's head, and wonder exactly how you made your character do such cool moves.

There seem to be a fair number of adventure game elements in Ninja Gaiden as well, which is a mechanical aspect in stark contrast to the straight-ahead, side-scrolling action games of the NES days. At one point, we had to find a jaw piece to insert into a samurai statue in order to make the statue unclasp its hand and release a needed key. You'll find a number of disposable items scattered around the game as well that will restore some of your health, extend your overall health capacity, or bring you back from the dead. Finally, though the game is effectively divided into levels, with boss characters and score tallies, there seems to be a good amount of backtracking through previous areas in a rather nonlinear fashion. Whether the game continues like this or simply has us move from one new area to the next remains to be seen.

It may go without saying if you've seen previous screenshots or movies, but Ninja Gaiden is an absolutely beautiful game--perhaps one of the best-looking on the Xbox. Though the environments we've seen so far--including the canyon, ninja fortress, and a village--have been sparsely detailed, they've got an extremely cohesive design and a lot of subtle texture. The character models are also among the most solidly crafted we've seen in any game, and Ryu's animation is really a sight to behold when he's pulling off his high-flying ninja tricks.

We've just barely scratched the surface of Ninja Gaiden, and already the game has us pretty well floored. There seems to be a lot more to the game than what we've described here, as there are slots in the game's menu screen for new melee and projectile weapons (and already we've gotten a bow and arrow to replace our shurikens), as well as a "ninpo" section that contains new special, mystical attack techniques that you'll acquire. We're excited by what we've seen of this extremely stylish action game so far, and we'll bring you more on it very soon. Ninja Gaiden is scheduled for release on the Xbox in the first week of March.

By Brad Shoemaker, GameSpot [POSTED: 02/20/04 04:50 PM]

Sounds like he reviewed the OXM Demo to me. What he said in his review is basically how I feel about what I experienced. The release of this game can't come soon enough.

To take my mind off NG I've been passing my time with a few other Xbox titles I've owned for a while but never played...the latest of which is a wonderful little "surprise" called Metal Arms:Glitch in the system. Perhaps you've heard of it? It starts out a little slow but man does it get fun! Highly recommended. It's got more than a little bit of a Halo feel to it...hard to explain...

NG will sell a TON and move some hardware too boot!

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Just so we're clear, NG is coming out in March, right? anyone know what day?

EB Games shows a 3/02/2004 ship date. Unfortunately, that's not set in stone.

[Tappy_Tibbons]

I'm renting first. Sorry, but Japanese games just aren't worth jumping into anymore.

[Deathstroke]

Unless you're hyping them up on this board, right Tappy. <--- question mark left out cause this is a rhetorical question.

[trebor]

Is there even any sneaking or stealth objectives in this game? All I've seen of it is the ninja fighting demons and monsters, and sorry, but it just seems really lame - but with good graphics.

Why a ninja? I would think a ninja game would have stealth and assasinations and such - not the same tired "kill all the monsters" gameplay. Sneaking through guarded castles, assasinating emperors, smoke filled bombs, backstabbing, ninjitsu, etc. - that is what I would want in a ninja game.

Not some Legend of Zelda wannabe that is for the "mature" crowd.

[The Buzz]

Is there even any sneaking or stealth objectives in this game? All I've seen of it is the ninja fighting demons and monsters, and sorry, but it just seems really lame - but with good graphics.

Why a ninja? I would think a ninja game would have stealth and assasinations and such - not the same tired "kill all the monsters" gameplay. Sneaking through guarded castles, assasinating emperors, smoke filled bombs, backstabbing, ninjitsu, etc. - that is what I would want in a ninja game.

Not some Legend of Zelda wannabe that is for the "mature" crowd.

It's an ACTION game Treb's...with a little puzzle solving sprinkled in...kinda like a DMC on steroiods. If you liked DMC you'll LOVE NG! If you want stealth see Tenchu...if you want to slice and dice see NG.

[Daman_He_Hate_Me]

Boss battles, dinosaur size demons and dragons, puzzles.....hmmmm sounds like a new Japanese action game. I'm happy for the XBOX and for XBOX players, but i'll pass on this game. I'll rent it and probably get half-way through it in one night. I guess my imagination isn't broad enough to imagine a ninja fighting 50 feet dragons with swords and shurikens. And I find it odd that there is no stealth involved in a Ninja game. I guess he looks cool though, and that's all that matters, aside from the franchise name. I wonder if this will move some units in Japan, along with DOA Ultimate Online? I don't want to be a wet blanket though, I hope this game kicks mucho arse for the XBOX, hope you guys enjoy it.

[trebor]

It's an ACTION game Treb's...with a little puzzle solving sprinkled in...kinda like a DMC on steroiods. If you liked DMC you'll LOVE NG! If you want stealth see Tenchu...if you want to slice and dice see NG.

Sounds to me like a Legend of Zelda wannabe for the "mature" crowd. But with added blood and gore so the teenieboppers don't think they are playing a "kitty" game. :rolleyes:

[Rogue Bounty Hunter]

Sounds to me like a Legend of Zelda wannabe for the "mature" crowd. But with added blood and gore so the teenieboppers don't think they are playing a "kitty" game. :rolleyes:


If you have played any of the older Ninja Gaiden titles, you will see why there is a ninja as the main character of this action game. If not, then I will just tell you: he's been a ninja since the first game appeared on NES, and it's been about action from day one.

It's definitely not a Zelda wannabe and it's not trying to be.

[Thrower, WCG-Fanboy Flame]

The story and the monsters are just window dressing this is a straight up arcade action game. It's something that we rarely see and a game that takes skill to play I like how the game slowly pushes you along it's not about being a Ninja or fighting demons it's about honing your gaming skills it's kinda like Contra (PS2) and viewtiful joe (GC) a straight up arcade romp.

It's seems like Team Ninja tried so hard to be cool that it ended up being corny at some points but the game plays great.