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RTTP: Ninja Gaiden Black

Newboi

Member
Greatest Action Game of All Time!

I don't believe I've replayed any games more than I have Resident Evil 4 or Ninja Gaiden Black.

I would absolutely love to see a Steam and console release of a Ninja Gaiden collection with NG:Black, NG2 and NG3:RE. It would be great not only to have the collection, but to be able to choose the Sigma version or non Sigma version of each NG1&2.

Edit: Alma may be a tough fight, but I still think fighting TWO of your Doppelgangers at once in Master Ninja mode was insanely difficult. Besides the infinite ninpo and shurikens, the doppelgangers showed you how amazingly equipped Ryu truly is for tackling the challenges of the game.
 

Demoskinos

Member
Never cared for this game much. You're actively penalized for not Izuna Drop/Flying Swallow/UT-ing everything, and the tank and harrier battles are hell. Ghost fish. Double penis boss. Poor camera.

You can get by in Devil May Cry/Bayonetta by mashing out a basic combo, but at least you're penalized for it.

Black still looks the business in 16:9/480p60 though on Xbox through component. I hope I'm missing some kind of depth, because I've always wanted to like this game.

There are enemies that have direct hard counters to things like flying swallow. At least on higher difficulties. Even moves like izuna drop can be easily countered due to the hefty recovery time. Those moves can be abused for their I frames but you still have to know when to use them. Spamming them will still get you in trouble.
 
Still play this game regularly, and only recently finally got around to beating Mission Mode. The payoff after spending nearly an hour on Eternal Legend is certainly elating.

It still plays so damn well over a decade later, and it along with NGII show how very few other games attempt to go for this style of combat compared to DMC or other similarly stylish games. saying whether a game is all about defense or offence is to sort of miss the point with this series, as it's about efficiency. Your block and defensive roll work well to get you through the game comfortably the first time. Then as you go higher and higher, you have to step up and starting being more offensive, hit enemies out of their attacks and break their guard with various techniques. And then you take all that you've learned and acquired skill wise and apply that to Karma Runs and other additional self made challenges to push yourself even further. The last game I played where I felt this transition from safe, defensive moves to full offensive tactics worked and was intended by design was in Demon's Souls. Especially with the items that boost your attack power when at low health, not unlike that of the Unlabored Flawlessness. You go from a fragile character to a fucking glass cannon and it's beautiful.

One of these days hopefully I'll be able to undertake a Master Ninja run. Getting through Very Hard on Black and Sigma both was quite an ordeal, and when I tried MN on Sigma I couldn't even get to the save point after an hour.

Too bad current Team Ninja will never understand what made 1 and 2 so excellent mechanically and build on that framework in a meaningful way. Though I'm willing for them to prove me wrong.
 

MMaRsu

Banned
Was Itagaki so integral to the development of the first two games? I didnt follow their development closely but NGB is def one of my favorite action games of all times.

I never even played 3.. So what happened with Team Ninja that they cant capture the magic of ngb anymore?
 

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
Was Itagaki so integral to the development of the first two games? I didnt follow their development closely but NGB is def one of my favorite action games of all times.

I never even played 3.. So what happened with Team Ninja that they cant capture the magic of ngb anymore?

Yea it was all Itagaki. You don't even need to go so far as 3, just look at the Sigmas.
 

MMaRsu

Banned
Yea it was all Itagaki. You don't even need to go so far as 3, just look at the Sigmas.

Heh never even played any of the sigma games I believe ^_^

Itagaki da boss

tomonobu-itagaki-11.jpg
 

Nere

Member
I'm not saying you're wrong, but I don't believe you. I did that Doku fight and I guess I wasn't paying attention cuz I didn't notice any special message or unlock.

Story wise there is no change for defeating Doku in chapter 2 of Ninja Gaiden Sigma, the story campaign progresses the same as whether you win or lose. However it will unlock the next difficulty early, without beating the game. For example, if a player defeats chapter 2 Doku on Hard difficulty, it will unlock Very Hard difficulty without the need to beat the entire game on Hard first.

http://ninjagaiden.wikia.com/wiki/Doku

It is true I am not lying to you.
 

Sinatar

Official GAF Bottom Feeder
I played Sigma first through Master Ninja then went onto do Black through Master Ninja and it was a more comfortable time since I had played Sigma previously. They are 95% the same game.

You very obviously didn't play both of them if you think they are 95% the same game.

Literally every enemy encounter in Sigma is different. It uses the same maps, but that's it.
 
I'm not saying you're wrong, but I don't believe you. I did that Doku fight and I guess I wasn't paying attention cuz I didn't notice any special message or unlock.

He's telling the truth. I personally unlocked Very Hard on my first play through Sigma through the Doku fight.
 
I shift depending on how I'm feeling, the general approach to normal is a little too lax on your skills but it keeps me nice and relaxed. Defense is more about knowing when to attack, it's about playing the timing and spacing game while knowing the cool downs of various moves, which Black excells at while making sure you can't abuse the system. Of course, you can't turtle absolutely, you'll eventually get thrown or guard broken and I forgot to mention the changes to enemy design and how almost everything carries counters. So black really hits that Nice middle ground where you have to face your foes with confidence but you have to be really wise and swift with your moves which only gets further emphasized as you up the difficulty level.

Yeah, its just that i've never played NGB on normal, having a save file of the regular NB, so i was all "wut?", given that starting on the second level you'll meet enemies that really wont take long before they decide to get all touchy-feely with your guard.

tbh, the higher the difficulty goes, the more the player will have to chain UT's and izuna drops, i guess.
 

StMeph

Member
Ninja Gaiden: Black and Ninja Gaiden 2 were some of the best action titles ever. NG 2 was among my top 5 games last gen.

If it ever gets added to Xbox One BC I'll play through it again.
 

Sub_Level

wants to fuck an Asian grill.
You very obviously didn't play both of them if you think they are 95% the same game.

Literally every enemy encounter in Sigma is different. It uses the same maps, but that's it.

The majority of the encounters are the exact same. Sigma added a few new ones like the motorcycle battle outside the bar.

Some item locations are different. And it doesn't always use the same maps, a couple of those were changed. In the airship, the cargo bay near you're starting point is now totally empty and big, since there's a new Fiend Challenge there. One of the doors in the city are not present. And in the underground of the temple before the first Alma fight, one of the two rooms you need to hit the lever for the tentacle boss rematch was completely different in Sigma. I recall a small change to the Fire/Ice chapter as well, namely the Fire part of that level. Beyond that, the ghost fish maze was the same. The rest of the airship was the same. The village in chapter 2 was the same minus the Sigma addition at the very end. The first level was the same. The military base, I don't remember but there was a small change I believe. The sewer (aqueducts) were the same. The underwater chapter after the sewer I remember being better in Sigma, and part of that I think was because a small portion of the map was cut out. And of course the whole ending tower was the same.

edit: oh and the pyramid after awakened alma was severely shortened in Sigma. Not the same map at all.

No they're not lmfao

They are. For sure. I played both extensively back in the day.
 

Shifty

Member
Actually my favourite game of all time. Some day I aspire to conquer it on Master Ninja.

Some of the later doppelganger fights are goddamn brutal though.
 

GeekyDad

Member
It took brass balls to make a game like NG(B). Only game I can think of that tests you as to your worthiness before allowing you to play the game proper. I mean, if you could beat the first part of the game and first boss, you were pretty much ready. Took 18 playthroughs before I could put that game away. I was hooked for a good, long while. Funny enough, it wasn't until Demon's Souls that I was that hooked again on a game.
 
I'm questioning that after trying 'Devil's Third'. Exactly what the hell did I play?!

I think that was caught in development Hell mainly because THQ went under. I have heard great things about the multiplayer though. Speaking of which, I wonder if the PC version will ever get an English release?
 

stn

Member
...Do I buy NGB on the 360? I've beaten the game a billion times and its one of my favorites ever. I even have the OG XBox, its just not hooked up due to space constraints.
 

Gen X

Trust no one. Eat steaks.
I never did play Black but I did have the Hurricane pack back in the day. This has remained in my top 3 GOAT list since release (the others being Shenmue 2 and MGS3) and certainly wouldn't complain if there was a remastered version released.
 
Game is the goat.

giphy.gif
...I never bothered to do that...a
Love this game to death...

...but fuck Alma.

Alma is the worst.

Is this game BC on the Xbone? Is NG2? I want to replay black and never got around to play 2.

I never had too much trouble with Alma. Granted, I only ever played on Normal, and I only every played the OG and Sigma, never Black (I know, right?). The boss that gives me the most trouble is Ghost Doku. Well, actually the second Alma fight gave me more trouble than the first.
 

so1337

Member
I'm also playing this right now. The main reason being that I want to finally make it past Alma.

It's so good. There's no other game that feels like this.
Yea it was all Itagaki. You don't even need to go so far as 3, just look at the Sigmas.
It's clear that Team Ninja isn't quite the same without Itagaki. It's also clear that Itagaki can't get shit done without Team Ninja.

So no, it wasn't all Itagaki.
 

E92 M3

Member
It's an amazing game, but the environments soured me a bit. Wish it took place in feudal Japan. Didn't like the industrial stuff at all.
 

Dereck

Member
It's an amazing game, but the environments soured me a bit. Wish it took place in feudal Japan. Didn't like the industrial stuff at all.
Yeah

Wish the entire game just stayed in the first couple of areas.

The first couple of areas in Ninja Gaiden is the most ninja thing ever until they put you on a fucking blimp.
 
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