Ninja Gaiden General thread.

...but blocking and dodging aren't the same button. Granted, you can only dodge while pressing the block button and moving the control stick, but this just makes dodging more reliable since your less likely to accidentely dodge while on the offensive. Also, have you chaining your rolls and jumps?

I heard Sigma 2 added a lot of Fake Difficulty to Master Ninja mode though (particularly instant kill grab moves without any warning animations or sounds).

edited 15th May '12 11:34:47 AM by CrimsonFlameKnight

Meh, I only have a PS 3, so It's sigma 2 I'll get.

Along with 3.

Did it? Yikes. When he said same button he meant you use L trigger in both dodging/block, as opposed to say Dante's Inferno where dodging is done with the analog.

I absolutely love how blocking and dodging are set to the same button in Ninja Gaiden. It REALLY helps me with the split-second timing needed. I also love how it's a shoulder button. The fact that Dodge is a Face button in Devil May Cry constantly screws me over.

I didn't realize that master-level sigma 2 had Fake Difficulty. I played through Warrior and Mentor and found them very solid, even, and fair. Granted I breezed through them since Vanilla 2 is so punishingly evilly difficult Sigma 2 was practically a cakewalk. Sigma 2's probably the best game in the series overall though, since it kept the complexity of the series despite the (Understandable) difficulty nerf... Unlike... That game that came out after it. Plus it has awesome co-op. I still prefer Vanilla 2 though, because blood.

Ah no, the contrary! There are instant grab moves indeed, but the cheaper ones have been made slower and easier to anticipate compared to NG2 (notably these f/*$#^ Ninja dogs). Some bosses like Gigadeath have now attacks that a normal human can dodge. And you don't fight more than 4 or 5 enemies at once, so you can see the attacks coming as long as you stay on your toes. And as long as the camera is in a good mood… I totally love Sigma 2's master ninja mode precisely because it was difficult as hell but overall fair, you just have to not make any mistakes.

NG2's MNM is just a neverending Bullet Hell, and is certainly plagued with Fake Difficulty.

edited 16th May '12 4:33:46 AM by Lyendith

Tried out the Ninja Gaiden 3 Demo.

Thoughts?

I actually liked it much more than I thought I would.

The camera doesn't screw around as much, and the finishers done to the enemies are a lot cooler than in the first Ninja Gaiden.

It's not as hard, but It can kick your ass if your not careful. Just like how most hard action games should be.

My as repost my thoughts on the demo.

NG 3's music is a winner for sure,as I have stated many times. Demonchaos if you haven't yet, go listen to the track, 'A Masked Curse.' One of the best themes in the series.

It's better to discover it while fighting the RotM though.

The problem with the demo is that it features almost only the smallest fry. These soldiers are basically the equivalent of brown ninjas in the first game (with a touch of Mook Chivalry maybe), nothing really threatening. Even their guns are for show. The CRS-like enemies are already more… conform to what a Ninja Gaiden mook should be. They have been trained to use a gun for example.

While I was in the flow, I got back to Sigma. I still haven't passed part 4 of Eternal Legend… but I discovered that Kitetsu's Life Drain ability can be pretty damn useful when you have few potions! If you're good enough not to lose more health than you regain, that is…

edited 20th May '12 4:08:36 PM by Lyendith

My biggest gripe with the soldiers is their constant pleading. Goddamn. When I play a Ninja Gaiden game (or any hack'n slash for that matter) I want to fight against enemies who are fully prepared to even sacrifice their own life if it means killing you. What I don't want to fight are a bunch of pansies who crap their pants and constantly beg for their life screaming "I don't wanna die" over and over again. Such weaklings aren't worth killing.

... You DO know that that was the new direction they planned on going for 3, right?

Yes, I know that all too well. And quite frankly, I think it's a downright stupid direction to take the series. Hayashi should've created a new IP if he wanted to explore that shit.

Or, you know, allow the application of nonlethal force at all. The game's gameplay is at complete odds with the intended message. Just like F.E.A.R. is never really scary because you're an unstoppable god of shooting in it, you can't feel for the mooks in Ninja Gaiden because they are all nameless, faceless hordes that spout the exact same five lines of dialogue ad nauseum. What Measure Is a Mook? is an excellent trope to deconstruct, but it can't be done if the only objective you ever have is "Kill absolutely everyone around you."

For that matter, did Hayashi say anything about the after-Ninja Gaiden? I don't think there will be a NG4, and as the posters above said, NG3 seems to contain ideas that could have been good, but simply don't fit the series (well, that I will know better when I play the full game)… and it would be good for Team Ninja to have more than 2 series in their catalogue after 15 years.

edit one week later

I… I beat Eternal Legend. After one full year of miserable failure. Surprisingly, phase 5 is actually easier than phase 4… even Ishtaros is not that hard once you get how she works. Which means I officially completed Ninja Gaiden Sigma at 100%!

…

Well, 99,9%. There is one mission I didn't beat yet. Beating Nicchae and Ishtaros simultaneously with Rachel. They have some guts giving you what is a Hopeless Boss Fight in story mode as a mission…

edited 27th May '12 5:09:46 AM by Lyendith

Aaaaand another Ninja Gaiden announcement. That makes five NG games for this year and the next (Sigma Plus, NG3, Razor's Edge, Yaiba and now that), geez…

http://www.jeuxvideo.com/news/2012/00061427-tgs-2012-ninja-gaiden-sigma-2-plus-sur-vita.htm

Sigma Plus was a pretty pointless port, I suppose it will be the same for Sigma 2 Plus. Except putting back all the gore and fixing the camera there isn't much to add to Sigma 2…

edited 19th Sep '12 12:41:03 PM by Lyendith

At least we'll have a "Definitive" version of the game. Except we won't because it's on the small screen. Eh.

Five games over two years? That's a lot of dead ninjas.

Played through Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.

...Is it just me, or was The Archfiend of the game intentionally made less diffcult then the Vigoor emperor?

edited 29th Jul '13 7:32:38 PM by Demongodofchaos2

I thought the first form was harder than the Emperor's, and I used to think the second was harder until I scythe-cheesed him to death.

I'm playing through Black again and currently doing hard, kind of weird how easy normal in NGB is compared to how normal in NG 2 is. Alma and A. Alma especially were still bricks though. And Doku the second time to a lesser extent. I really want the red scarf costume since it looks so awesome, it's probably my favorite in the franchise. It's the one thing driving me more than any other to beat hard this time.

But yes I love these games(not NG 3)! The combat just flows so well, no other action game flows like it, and Ryu is such a badass, especially in NG 2. It's just craziness what kind of awesomeness you can pull off, and not having it feel forced, the way it's all coming from the player I think is what makes it so rewarding. And no stupid QT Es or crap to mess with the flow(yeah NG 3 you effed up there!) The enemies are some serious cheapos at times but once you overcome them it makes the victory that much sweeter. And Izuna drop...gah such a satisfying move. And nobody pulls it off like Hayabusa. I love these games.

Hmm I realized playing through NGB how much I like the Aquaduct level. The music is among my favorite in the game(interesting choice of instruments), it's a nice change of pace after fighting all the military, pretty fun enemies, The layout is a tad confusing but once you learn it not too bad(lots of backtracking though), and the worms are pretty fun. I even like the moat of Zarkhan(mostly due to the music) as it's a nice pace change from the more intense levels before it and the water sections are easy once you get them down.

In NG 2, the airship and Volf's castle I was really fond of, but my favorite level is definitely a Tempered Grave, even with being the longest in the game. Going back through Murai's fortress, hayabusa village and that cool graveyard with all the swords was pretty badass, and there's so much butt for you to kick there. Not to mention Muramasa's Crowning Moment Of Awesome. The room with all the Resetsus was pretty intense.

I think my favorite weapons are probably the Dabiliharo, the tonfa, the eclipse scythe, the windmill shuriken and the incendiary shuriken in NG 2. I used to really like the Lunar but my last playthroughs it didn't do much for me at all. True Dragon Sword is much better in NG 2 I think, due to how it can triple FS. NGB's TDS feels a tad underwhelming in comparison. Not really big on Blade of the Archfiend, despite many claiming it the best weapon in the game.

Although I like NG 1's soundtrack more overall, NG2's main theme is definitely better,the credits were really nice to watch because of it.

edited 30th Jul '13 1:16:29 AM by Vertigo_High

I almost beat the first NES game a few months ago. Made it to 6-2. But I got so frustrated that I had to quit. Still pretty proud of myself, though.

I never played the old ones actually, but I hear those birds are total cheapness.

Yaiba Z looks awful. I refuse to call it a NG game.

Yaiba Z looks fun to me. Like I said, Blame Keiji Inafune for it, not Yosuke Hayashi.

And Razors edge is pretty damn cool, too.

Razor's Edge is great! Just don't expect me to agree about high difficulties though. I had my fill in Normal mode alone. So many Fake Difficulty, damn....

I blame both of them really, since Team Ninja still has a say of what goes into the game. Don't you blame Dm C on Capcom? Than TN and by extension Hayashi since he's their face should get blame too.

Really, I've lost a lot of respect for Inafune.