Page 36 - OSG Presents Classic Gamer Magazine #7

modern
modern

The legendary Ryu Hayabusa far between. To conserve pre-
is finally back to doing what he cious health, players need to
does best, that being a wall- block (by squeezing the left
jumping, star-throwing, sword- shoulder trigger), jump, somer-
slashing, bat-killing, magic- sault, throw projectiles, and use
conjuring überninja. It’s the every part of the environment to
way it should be. By sparing their advantage. This is essen-
Master Ryu from an unfulfilling tial – using walls, rocks, and
life as a Dead or Alive combat- other structures is a must to
ant, Tecmo has resurrected an keep the coordinated attacks of
action series fans have been enemies from turning Ryu into
pining for since the halcyon the ninja equivalent of a fillet o’
days of the NES. Though Ninja fish. Fortunately for action junk-
Gaiden technically debuted in ies, the character moves at a
arcades, it’s the 8-bit trilogy blistering sense of speed. Sorry
that remains (to this day) the Sega, and all apologies to a
best imagining of the franchise. plucky blue hedgehog, but this
Would the dramatic shift to 3D must be the definition of “blast
ultimately kill it? processing.”
Nintendo has proven that While the action unfolds from
as long as you retain the es- a perspective behind Ryu, play-
sence of what made a title or ers can switch to a first-person
series great to begin with, the view at any time to survey their
change in perspective can be surroundings or to use certain
a blessing instead of a curse. projectile weapons. For some
It is a balance companies like By Scott Alan Marriott reason the camera isn’t as con-
Sega, Konami, Midway, and fining as it should be, perhaps
Namco are still struggling to due to the sheer speed at which
achieve, and Tecmo has an even shorter precarious rock formations and scaling the lead character moves. Pressing the
a list of classic properties to experiment narrow ledges while making their way to- jump button has Ryu leaping high into the
with. While the publisher has already us h- ward an enemy dojo that seems lifted air as if springs were on his boots, more
ered Rygar into the modern era with pos i- from Enter the Dragon. The visuals are than making up for the omitted double
tive results, Ninja Gaiden has a much breathtaking, the camera is set at a com- jump. He can also scamper alongside
stronger pedigree. The camera, level de- fortable length behind Ryu’s back, but the walls like Neo or Trinity from The Matrix,
sign, enemies, and control had to be in star of this show is the control, with play- flip off any flat surface and perform a dev-
top form to accommodate the game’s deli- ers able to perform a dizzying array of astating slash, swing from branches, roll
cate mix of combat and agility. moves and counters. along the ground, summon magic, run on
While Rygar had to be encouraging, At first it’s just fun tapping on a button water, swim, and unleash weapon-specific
Ninja Gaiden is a far more ambitious title to slash at enemies, as Ryu ferociously strikes that are sure to turn heads – right
from a control standpoint, and nailing slices and dices anything in his path, but before they topple to the ground.
Ryu’s cat-like reflexes from within a 3D this basic technique will have you lasting There’s also the trademark wall spring
environment would be essential to its suc- all of five seconds as the game pro- jump used to scale narrow passageways,
cess. If you’re going to do it, do it right. gresses. The advance billing on Ninja one of the most satisfying maneuvers ever
Otherwise you risk alienating a loyal fan Gaiden was that it was going to be diffi- designed in a platform game, though it’s
base and sullying a potentially lucrative cult, as self-assured designer Tomonobu sadly not as prevalent as it was in the
franchise in the process. And Tecmo, Itagaki reportedly wanted a game to sat- NES trilogy. This game is all about com-
more specifically Team Ninja, has done it. isfy his hardcore tastes. Of course, it’s not bat, with a smattering of Resident Evil-
Ninja Gaiden could have easily been a like previous titles were a stroll on the type puzzles (insert object B into slot A),
nightmare of close-up camera angles, beach, so this version fits in with what is and a few devious traps to navigate. The
sluggish moves, and confusing objectives, historically a demanding franchise. Those environments (graveyards, underground
but it’s nothing short of a dream for action who feel modern games, with their quick sewers, villages, and more) are exotic and
fans. The 3D gamble has paid off hand- saves, custom difficulty, and frequent feature a mix of ancient architecture, but
somely, adding a number of new twists power-ups have caused old-school skill the 16 levels don’t offer much in the way
that steer the franchise in a new direction. and technique to become atrophied will be of exploration or interaction. Levels are
Interestingly enough, players are pleasantly surprised with the unbridled designed more for forward progress along
thrown right into the frying pan with nary a intens ity Ninja Gaiden dishes at players. delineated routes, though there are plenty
tutorial or practice stage to acclimated Gone are the traditional safety nets of hidden items to increase Ryu’s life me-
them to the controls. The first stage is set found in most recent action games, which ter, add new moves, or to unlock all three
outdoors within a ravine, where players means players must “earn” the right to Ninja Gaiden NES games in emulated
enjoy a brief moment of serenity near a record progress by finding save points, form.
gushing waterfall before leaping across represented by statues, which are few and It won’t be easy, however. The AI is
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