Video Gaming Blog

Submitted by Gaming Briefs and Nostalgia Bits

Now, here’s a little bit about how Ninja Gaiden came to be from then till now. It was an interesting series that began in the arcade, but was more notable on home systems as time went by. First, here’s a recording of the first game from late 1988:

That was how it began, with star Ryu Hayabusa tripping to the US to track down and defeat a sinister yakuza operation working there. It was a pretty difficult game in its time, and for some of the best advantages, you can try and hang onto overhead sign posts as you go along.

If you’re curious to know about those six-pointed stars that appear on the rug in the 4th and 6th stage, as well as the first home version below, I think that’s based on a shuri-ken symbol from Japan, which looks very much like the Star of David, doesn’t it? Of course, as you’ll notice when you look more closely, there’s some Japanese designs and ideograms accompanying it. Assuming it’s meant to be the gang’s symbol, let me make clear again that it’s likely based on a six-pointed shuri-ken, and if so, was not meant to be insulting, though I’ve got a feeling they wouldn’t make a game featuring something like that today, because they feel they can’t take the risk of anyone finding the way it’s featured objectionable. But if it’s based on a shuri-ken, that’s one reason why I don’t find it objectionable myself, any more than a hexagram.

However, while it’s not shown in this recording, which was completed on just one credit, the game still does have something disturbing in it: the continuation screen, where Ryu is shown tied to the ground while a buzzsaw threatens to put him to death. That did earn the game some notoriety in its time, probably one of the reasons why the home version is differently designed. I wonder if it’s possible to edit that picture out?

Next up, the home version, made the following year, for the NES Famicom:

When Tecmo built this game, they did it differently from the arcade version. It moves a lot faster too, as you’ll notice, and requires a lot more daredevil stunts than were required in the arcade. You need to do some quasi-diagonal jumping to reach some climbing points really successfully, and quite a bit of it is more 2-D than the arcade version.

Of course, the arcade version has since been made available for play on home systems as well, such as in Ninja Gaiden: Black, where it’s available as a side feature. I’ll try and get to noting that part of the revived series later.

Ryu was on a mission to rescue his father, who’d been taken hostage by the villains in this home version, and developed a love affair with a CIA agent named Irene Lew. I’m certainly glad they had them neck at the end.

Next, here’s the second game, in 2 recordings:

In some ways, this is even better than the first!

Next, here’s the third:

Ryu has been framed for the murder of Irene, and now he must go to clear himself. He’s fortunate to discover that she’s alive and well, and together, they go to bring down the baddies.

Several years after all this, Ryu would become a cast member of Dead or Alive in 1996, and a couple more years after that, Tecmo established a new storyline for Ninja Gaiden when reviving the franchise, where they set it two years before DOA takes place, with Ryu now a ninja on the vengeance trail to avenge the death of his sister when his village is attacked by an enemy gang. The game introduced a new leading lady, Rachel the Fiend Hunter, who’s certainly quite hot. And if you’d like to see what the first 3-D game looks like when edited to look like a movie, here’s the lineup of links to those entries, since the embedding codes were disabled:

Part One.
Part Two.
Part Three.
Part Four.
Part Five.
Part Six.
Part Seven.
Part Eight.
Part Nine.
Part Ten.
Part Eleven.
Part Twelve.
Part Thirteen.

Wow, did this look awesome! But Ryu should’ve taken off his mask and kissed Rachel at the end before leaving, if you ask me.

Now, here’s a recording of Rachel in action in Ninja Gaiden: Sigma:

She uses a powerful weapon alright, but isn’t as fast as Ryu because of that. Nevertheless, she’s still quite an effective fighter, I must say.

Tecmo put out a good revival of the Ninja Gaiden franchise, but there’s one question remaining: is there any chance they might reintroduce Irene Lew from the first games later on? I think it’d be a great idea, as then, there could be a good chance for a menage a trois!

And I guess that concludes this post for now.

Visit 1800blogger to see all of our industry leading blogs.