TazzyBoyIsHere

#20. Ninja Gaiden (1988)
Total Points: 16
List Appearances: 13
First-Place Votes: 0
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Write-up provided by tazzyboyishere
I didn't like Ninja Gaiden back when I initially played it over a decade ago, but returning to it recently was a fun experience. I remember hating the game for it's crushing difficulty, but it really doesn't get that way until 6-2 and everything after. The first five acts are some solidly designed platforming with fun, reflex-driven combat spliced in. 6-2 is certainly problematic in it's design, and the final boss is a bit too confusing to figure out at first, making the punishment of returning to 6-1 after losing your lives at any phase feel a bit much. Still, it's more fair than most games of the era, since you don't get kicked to the beginning of the game at any point (aside from losing in the first act, though it's pretty easy).

It's also the first action game, to my knowledge, to try its hand at complex storytelling. It's a fairly dull and cheesy story but the prospect was cool at the time I'm sure. There is some excellent talent on display with the use of detailed spritework to create a unique cinematography, which feels surreal to see on a system like the NES. Cutscenes can also be mercifully be skipped, so there's no excuse for any game to not allow for unskippable cutscenes after 1988.