Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos
Nintendo Entertainment System
I always thought the first Ninja Gaiden was the shit. Good graphics, clever level designs, fun bosses, challenging gameplay. The thing that set it apart from other games, however, was its amazing story line. I had played games for fun before, but never for their story. Ryu's quest to avenge his father and stop a demon from taking over the world may seem a little basic now - but for the late 1980's it was far more advanced than anything ever seen before on a video game console.
Judging by how well received the first game was, a sequel was a no-brainer. This game was at the top of my wish list, and I got it for Christmas or a birthday or something. I immediately went to work and conquered the game in no time flat.
The game was not as challenging as the original, however. The original was known for its crushing difficulty. While this one does have some tough, chuck your controller at the wall moments, it can be beaten in an hour or so if you're any good at it. In fact, just now I beat the game. I hadn't picked it up in Lord knows how many years, but it all came back to me in no time.
For those unfamiliar with the concept, Ninja Gaiden is a side scrolling series where you star as a - you guessed it - ninja named Ryu. In this game, the forces of evil are stirring. Your girlfriend Irene, who you met in the first game, has been taken. It is up to you to rescue her from the mysterious Jaquio and his army of terror. Jaquio is in possession of the Dark Sword of Chaos, and is planning to use its mystical power to take over the world. But he needs Irene's life force to be able to accomplish this task.
The plot for this game is not as good as it was in the original game. The first game had a lot of twists and turns and detours, but this one is very straightforward. Find the bad guy, rescue your woman, and kill everyone who stands in your way.
Typically you move from left to right on the screen. Your basic attack is slashing with your sword. As you progress, you gain special attacks. You can shoot fireballs, launch ninja stars, even spawn a clone of yourself that follows in your footsteps and deals damage just as you would yourself. The clone power up was not in the first game, but it is a welcome addition to the game in my opinion. Those things saved me more times than I care to admit.
In addition to being a very challenging platforming game, Ninja Gaiden 2 also throws at you a constant onslaught of enemies. It seems like everywhere you turn, something is coming at you. It is a constant battle to fight off your attackers from every angle and make it to the end of each stage.
As mentioned, the platforming itself is very challenging. You must jump from ledge to ledge at various times in the game. Mess up the timing of your jump by a heartbeat, and you can fall and die at any moment. Whenever you get hit by an enemy, it flings you backwards. Expect to die many times by getting knocked into a pit, either mid jump or when you are just running along. The game is mercilessly cruel in this aspect.
The game is similar in play style to the original, but they made some improvements that I think would have made the first game even more awesome had they been included from the very beginning. In the original game, climbing walls was a real chore. When you jump into a wall, you cling on to it. But you can't go up or down. You would have to jump away from the wall and then quick come back. Basically, you would have to slowly and meticulously inch your way up a wall. Which gets tiring after a while. In this game, when you cling on to a wall, you can just climb it up and down with no worries. Like the clone power up I mentioned earlier, this is a welcome addition to this game.
The game also throws a few more extra wrinkles at you. There is a level where the wind blows back and forth, and you must time your jump accordingly. There is a stage that is very dark, and you can not see a lot of what lies ahead of you. You must wait for lightning to flash and illuminate your path. Go forward a bit, and wait for more lightning. There is also a stage with running water that acts as a conveyor belt of sorts, and of course, your typical slippery ice stage. All of these are new wrinkles to the game which helps set it apart from the first title and give it an identity of its own.
This is really a great game. Despite all the improvements it has made over the original, however, I still prefer the first game. This game is fun while it lasts, but it is very short. It is a bit easy too. Sure, as I mentioned, there are some tough parts that will make you want to chuck your controller through the screen. But if you practice through trial and error, memorize the patterns of the enemies and the locations of the items, it quickly becomes apparent that the game is not quite as difficult as you'd originally thought.
Also, the story line is a bit lackluster. I know it doesn't matter much how good the story is in old NES games, but Ninja Gaiden is different. The story line was a big draw in the first game and part of what made it such an instant classic. Here, it falls a bit short. There is also something missing, some hidden charm that the first game had that I can't quite place my finger on. I just beat this game, and I will probably not pick it up to play it again for another 10 or 15 years. The original game I could pick up and play any time.
Despite these shortcomings, I still think it is a solid game. The makers of the game didn't just sit on their laurels and churn out a sequel that is a virtual clone to the original. No. They made lots of changes and improvements. It may not quite measure up to the original, but few games do. Ninja Gaiden II is a classic in its own right.
Overall:
A-
No comments:
Post a Comment