Ninja Gaiden (Xbox)
From Ninja Gaiden Wiki
| Ninja Gaiden | |
|---|---|
 European box cover art | |
| Developer | Team Ninja |
| Publisher | Tecmo (Sigma) Eidos Interactive |
| Designer | Tomonobu Itagaki (Sigma) Yosuke Hayashi |
| Picture format | 480i, 480p, 720p on Xbox 360 (Sigma) 480i, 480p, 720p, 1080i, 1080p |
| Platform | Xbox (Sigma) PlayStation 3 |
| Release date | NA March 2, 2004; JP March 11, 2004; EU May 14, 2004 (Black) NA September 20, 2005; JP September 29, 2005; EU October 21, 2005 (Sigma) JP June 14, 2007; NA July 3, 2007; EU July 6; 2007, AUS July 13, 2007 |
| Genre | Action-Adventure |
| Mode | Single player |
| Rating | ESRB: M, Pan European Game Information |
| Media | DVD-ROM (Sigma) Blu-ray Disc |
| Input methods | Standard Xbox Controller (Sigma) Sixaxis |
Ninja Gaiden is an action-adventure game for the orignal Xbox video game console. Team Ninja developed the game for five years before Tecmo released it in 2004. It breaks away from the older Ninja Gaiden series for the Nintendo Entertainment System, starting off a whole new story and universe. It has received much critical acclaim, with several publications proclaiming it one of the best and most difficult video games ever made, inducting it into their Halls of Fame.
Ninja Gaiden marked the first foray into the third-person, three-dimensional action-adventure market for the Ninja Gaiden series. Taking place in Japan and the fictional country of Vigoor, the game follows the ninja, Ryu Hayabusa as he fights hordes of enemies in a variety of environments to retrieve the stolen Dark Dragon Blade. Microsoft held an online tournament for it shortly after its release. The qualifiers played over Xbox Live established record-breaking participation, and culminated in the finalists having their showdown at the Tokyo Game Show 2004.
The game mechanics of Ninja Gaiden have gradually evolved through downloadable contents and two re-releases, Ninja Gaiden Black for the Xbox in 2005, and Ninja Gaiden Sigma for the PlayStation 3 in 2007. Its saga is continued in Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword on the Nintendo DS, and further on in Ninja Gaiden II on the Xbox 360.
Contents |
[edit] Gameplay
difficult.
[edit] Combat system
soooooper advanced.
[edit] Plot and setting
Ninja Gaiden takes place in the same fictional setting as Tecmo's fighting game series Dead or Alive and features characters from the fighting game. Its game world comprises fictional locations in Japan and the fictional Vigoor Empire in Asia. For the Japanese locations, the ninja fortress and the Hayabusa village are designed with Heian period architecture set in the mountains. The art style of the Vigoor Empire blends a variety of real world cultural influences. The city of Tairon comprises of European structures, and has Arabic letterings on several of its gates. The monastery bears the looks of Gothic architecture with its large spacious hall, and multiple levels of windows and archways. The hidden underground level carries the influence of ancient Egypt with its sand-colored round pillars and cat-headed statues, whereas an Aztecan-styled pyramid is located before a labyrinth. The hodgepodge of cultures in Ninja Gaiden is a result of Itagaki's desire to throw in everything that he wanted to create.
[edit] Characters
cool ninjas and girls who hardly wear anything. and the occasionally monster/demon
[edit] Story
The story of Ninja Gaiden takes place two years before the first Dead or Alive game, and is mainly delivered through cut scenes at the start and end of each chapter. The player starts taking control of Ryu to invade the Shadow clan ninja fortress and visit its clan leader, Murai, who is also Ryu's uncle. During the visit, the female ninja Ayane delivers news of a raid on the Hayabusa village through a cut scene. Ryu fights his way back to his village, and encounters Doku who has taken the Dark Dragon Blade and killed Kureha, the Hayabusa shrine maiden. The first part of the story ends with a cut scene of Doku cutting down Ryu with the Blade. The scene ends with a falcon, the Hayabusa's spiritual animal, watching over Ryu's fallen body.
The story continues with the falcon bringing back Ryu to life offscreen. Ryu prepares for his quest at the ninja fortress where Murai tells him the raiding party was from the Vigoor Empire. Ryu stows aboard a Zeppelin to begin his vengeance on the leaders of the Vigoor Empire. Ayane performs as a guide throughout the game, informing the player of the next objective and tips to handle situations. Ryu fights through the streets of Tairon, cutting down those who stand in his way. Most of the characters encountered are enemies, with no other interaction option except to fight. However, the swordsmith, Muramasa provides a shop for the player to purchase and upgrade items, and dispenses back-stories, quests, and hints; he tells Ryu to locate the Dragon Eye jewel back at the Hayabusa village to upgrade the Dragon Sword to its full potential. The Fiend Hunter, Rachel, offers expositions and serves as the occasional damsel in distress.
The player faces several bosses in Ryu's rampage through Tairon. Most of them are giant non-human fiends, and the humanoid bosses include the three Greater Fiends. Ryu first defeats Greater Fiend Alma in a battle which wrecks the city. However, the two sisters' fate are entwined with Lord of the Greater Fiends Doku, and he captures Rachel to sacrifice her. Ryu rescues Rachel, and destroys Doku's spirit in a showdown in a labyrinth. Doku, however, casts the blood curse on Ryu with his last breath. Ryu battles through the palace to lift the curse. He kills the Holy Vigoor Emperor's guardian, the last Greater Fiend Marbus; and enters the gates to the Emperor's personal realm. The player has to clear two successive boss fights to destroy the Emperor. The realm starts to collapse with the Emperor's death, and the player has to navigate Ryu up a series of ledges to escape.
Ryu loses his grip on the recovered Dark Dragon Blade in his escape, and it lands at the feet of the Dark Disciple who has been shadowing Ryu throughout the story. The Disciple picks up the Blade and unmasks himself as Murai. He admits to planning the entire scheme to restore the Blade's evil power with souls harnessed from Ryu's quest of vengeance. Ryu overcomes the dark power enhanced Murai in the final boss fight. In the last cut scene, he shatters the Dark Dragon Blade with the True Dragon Sword; and after stating "it's over...", turns himself into a falcon and flies back to the Hayabusa village. Ryu places the Dragon Eye back on Kureha's tombstone before disappearing into the night. The story of Ninja Gaiden continues on in Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword, and further on in Ninja Gaiden II, after that the retroactive story is then continued by the NES series: Ninja Gaiden, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos and Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom.[1][2][3] [4]
