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Nintendo game - Ninja Gaiden 1

The Nintendo world was abuzz when Ninja Gaiden by Tecmo was released in 1988. Gaming magazines covered Ninja Gaiden extensively before its widespread release in North America and claimed it was a solid contender for Game of the Year. When the public finally got a hold of it, players found it incredibly cutting-edge in both originality and mechanics. Ninja Gaiden was simply a notch higher than any other NES release that year and won the praises of players and critics alike.

The game begins with gloomy music and a cinematic cutscene featuring two ninja engaged in battle. We later find out that one of the ninja is the protagonist Ryu Hayabusa's father. Seemingly killed in the duel, he orders Ryu to take the mystical Dragon Sword, a katana passed down from generations in the Hayabusa clan, and seek out a certain Walter Smith in America. The game then follows a complex mystery plot involving surprise, betrayal, and love. What makes the game unique is the animation cutscenes in between levels. This was a fairly unique concept at the time and was especially helpful in creating the atmosphere of suspense in the game. The cutscenes serve to further the story and let players experience the thrill of participating in Ryu's fate, as opposed to the more visceral gameplay of Contra which involves nothing more than killing everything in sight and packing home after the work is done. Ninja Gaiden is different by weaving an intriguing narrative in the action sequence, thus making it extremely engaging.

The game is an action-platformer involving the ninja Ryu Hayabusa running in side-scroller fashion, jumping over obstacles, and killing enemies he encounters. The primary weapon is the Dragon Sword which slashes most enemies to bits in just one hit. Additional offensive weapons - shurikens, windmill shurikens, fire wheels, and a jump-and slash technique - can be obtained throughout the levels but require ammunition called Spiritual Power in order to activate. Spiritual Power can also be obtained by destroying various obstacles throughout the game. Ninja Gaiden features the unique "wall jumping" function that allows Ryu to stick to walls and leapfrog from one vertical surface to another with every press of the jump button. This unique aspect can later be found in the game Batman for the NES by Sunsoft. It's a strange mechanic that requires a little getting used to for new players, but it adds to the unique ninja feel of the game and is necessary in order to proceed to later levels.

The graphics are fine and the soundtrack is excellent. The cutscenes are simply fantastic, and the storyline and levels all add up to create one spectacular experience. The only criticism was the insane difficulty of Ninja Gaiden NES which can be frustrating at times. However, it is not impossible to beat the game, and the ending cinematic is known for being one of the best video game endings of all time. Playing Ninja Gaiden is definitely worth it.

More than two decades later, the series still continues to produce sequels for modern consoles, the latest being Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 for the Playstation 3. If you want to experience the original for yourself, playing Ninja Gaiden online or downloading Ninja Gaiden roms will let you see what all the fuss is about. You'll know it when you play it.

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