Ninja Gaiden (NES)Wii)

GameSpot editors' review

• CNET editors' rating: 3.5 stars Very good
  Detailed editors' rating
  Overall score: 7.6 (3.5 stars)

• Reviewed by:
  Alex Navarro
• Reviewed on: 05/16/2007
• Released on: 05/14/2007
• Originally published on GameSpot: Ninja Gaiden (NES)Wii) Review

If, up to this point in time, your only knowledge of the Ninja Gaiden franchise comes from the recent entries on the Xbox, now's your chance to explore the series' roots. For 500 Wii points ($5), you can now download the NES version of Ninja Gaiden, arguably one of the best side-scrollers released during its time. Granted, with that statement comes one notable qualifier: This game will beat you to a pulp. Ninja Gaiden is like the abusive spouse of the NES era. It assaults you time and time again with its punishing difficulty, insidiously placed enemies, and rage-inducing boss fights, and yet you'll keep running back for more. You'll look at its awesome cutscenes and experience its excellent jumping controls and fighting mechanics, and all the pain and suffering you've endured will just start to wash away.

Ninja Gaiden tells the revenge tale of Ryu Hayabusa, ninja extraordinaire. Opening with one of the most fantastic cinematics in gaming history, two ninjas stand in an open field, bathed in the pale moonlight. They furiously run toward each other, leaping into the air, drawing swords in a flash. When they both land, one falls to his death. This was Ken Hayabusa, Ryu's father. Ryu initially sets out to find out what his father was doing and who he was dueling with, but finds himself wrapped up in a delightfully cheesy tale of ancient demons trapped in statues, CIA operatives, and, of course, ninjas. Unlike most NES-era games, the story here actually has something to it. Cutscenes bookend each of the game's six chapters, and these sequences were revolutionary for their time. Sure, they're basically still-frame shots with a couple of frames of scattered animation and scrolling text (with a few translation issues), but at the time, no games did anything like this. And even if they are old and crusty at this point, they're still cool looking. In-game graphics still look decent too, if overly blocky in spots, and the soundtrack ranks with the best music on the NES.

Ninja Gaiden is basically an action platformer. You jump and stab your way around a series of levels, navigating a variety of weird enemies (ninjas, axe murderers, boxers, demon clerics, zombie karate men, football players, and the like), bottomless pits, and walls that can be clung to and leapt off of in one of the early examples of wall jumping in a video game. Along the way, you'll pick up some added ninja abilities and magic, like spinning jump attacks, throwing stars, and fire bursts. You'll also want to snap your controller in half as the game kills you again and again and again.

Continue reading