Modern Ninja Gaiden - where to jump in?

[marurun]

The parallax in NG on PCE is a bit janky, but the character control is still good, if slightly different from the NES version. Still a good game.

[Melek-Ric]

Play NG Black (Xbox) and NG II (Xbox 360). They are how Itagaki wanted the games to be. IMO, NG II is the greatest action game ever made. So fun and satisfying.

[dunpeal2064]

Play NG Black (Xbox) and NG II (Xbox 360). They are how Itagaki wanted the games to be. IMO, NG II is the greatest action game ever made. So fun and satisfying.

This quote is delicious.

I beat Sigma 2 last year and had a blast. But I took a deep dive into reading about the differences and they basically sound like two densely different games on a behind the scenes mechanical level, so I bought NG2 to check out someday.

I can't wait to see what you think of 360 NG2. Seeing how highly you regard Black, I think you will really enjoy yourself. Imo, it is an unparalleled gaming experience.

[LensOfTruth]

I'm glad there's some discussion on Ninja Gaiden. I was about to start Black on oXbox.

I don't know how to put this, but how do I play Ninja Gaiden Black well?


It sounds weird, but hear me out -- I never thought I played the Devil May Cry games right. I finished 1 and 3, but I only played basically well. You know, no amazing combos or anything. I remember playing Ninja Gaiden on a friend's Xbox a long time ago, and the first boss seemed pretty brutal. I barely got through it, using a healing item or two along the way. Are there certain pointers I should know? Like, "learn this/that combo" or something like that?

[Xeogred]

I'm glad there's some discussion on Ninja Gaiden. I was about to start Black on oXbox.

I don't know how to put this, but how do I play Ninja Gaiden Black well?


It sounds weird, but hear me out -- I never thought I played the Devil May Cry games right. I finished 1 and 3, but I only played basically well. You know, no amazing combos or anything. I remember playing Ninja Gaiden on a friend's Xbox a long time ago, and the first boss seemed pretty brutal. I barely got through it, using a healing item or two along the way. Are there certain pointers I should know? Like, "learn this/that combo" or something like that?

Man, I wish I could help. But yeah this is just very player skill based stuff. You will want to study the movesets as best as you can and try to get some good combos down. Namely the Inazuma Drop, is top notch and does some splash damage I think. Also make sure to really take your time in the levels to try and find hidden secret areas or tucked away chests. This game has a lot of that stuff, and the tiniest bit of items or gold can go a long way.

The spirit absorption mechanic can be a double edged sword. If you take out a lot of enemies and then absorb orbs, especially health and or magic orbs, then land huge combos on other powerful enemies, you will usually get even better orbs and money in return. The more I replayed this game the more I got better at managing this and was able to upgrade my weapons a lot and buy tons of stuff super early on. But of course... if you absorb the orbs and miss or get knocked down, it was all for nothing. Scary stuff.

If you can finish DMC1 and DMC3 I am sure you can conquer this one. It's pretty long and brutal though. Find two or so weapons you like best and stick with those. I really like the big Cloud Strife-esque black sword in this one, it's really good if you can use it well. Pretty fast for a big sword, does huge damage, lots of splash/range damage, and dismembers enemies quickly. The Lunar Staff in Black is really fun as well. I love using the dual katanas in all of these games, but realistically it seems better to just stick with the more powerful solo Dragon Sword to me.

At least you can block in Ninja Gaiden! Also make sure to keep moving. I love doing the Dragon Sword "dash" attack from an in air position after jumping, that usually sends you stabbing through an enemy. Could way to get out of a crowd and such.

[Kuruwin]

What eases up with the ninja gaiden is that you get opportunities to grind currency (the place outside the bar is good place to do it)so you don't have to master the game to be able to beat it but it's not like you can really cheese through it either. It's a tough game but i'm never been good with combos and yet i still manage to get through it.

Getting good at using the flying dash strike will get you far.

[dunpeal2064]

Its tough to give pointers on NGB (Though Xeogred did a great job), because the approach you take will vastly depend on what you are aiming for in the game, very similarly to DMC or Bayonetta. If you are just aiming for a clear, the approach will be very different then if you are wanting to work your way up to good scores on Master Ninja mode.

The simplest advice I can think to give is: Approach it like a 1v1 fighter. Learn your moveset, learn enemy movesets, figure out when and where your riskier setups are worth the reward. Unlike DMC, you can't cancel out of any attack, so you'll want to know when you have the space to commit to a slower animation. Now, its not a 1v1 fighter, and you still have to take into account crowd control and such, but I think a lot of the philosophy is shared.

Also, don't feel pressured to play in a way you don't want! I've seen people hate Bayonetta because they refuse to get a silver or lower trophy on their first run, or never want to use healing items or grind currency. Though these games look Modern, I think they maintain a retro approach of rewarding multiple playthroughs as you greater learn the depth of the game.

Report back and let us know how you are doing with it! Always love hearing someone talk about this game.

[Flake]

I definitely will. It's kind of crazy how many massive entries in gaming can be completely missed by a gamer for years and years.

[Kuruwin]

Too many games man, too many games. Never going to beat that backlog.

[BoneSnapDeez]

What's with all this modern day discussion?!

Best place to start? The three NES games (you can skip that very first game in the series, the beat 'em up, really, unless you're looking for an excuse to fire up the ol' Lynx).