Ninja Gaiden
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| Whether you say gay-den or guy-den, it still sounds like a place you'd find a sausage party. |
Today, in the US, Arcades are few and far between. In Japan, it has never been "uncool" to dig video games. The arcades there will live forever. I, like Japan, decided long ago that I thought video games were cool and I've never cared if people thought I wasn't for playing them. Arcade Archives is a new mini-NerdPostXclusive spotlighting specific Arcade Games. This is the first one of these. Dig it.
In its current configuration, Ninja Gaiden is a much more difficult and complicated game than its sleazy, smokey, Arcade ancestor…
Everyone who had the 8-Bit NES, here in the US, is familiar with this fast-paced 1-player, side-scroller. It was a fantastic cartridge. Very re-playable. It was considered revolutionary in 1987 because it was one of the first games released for home console, in the US, that had cinematic cut-scenes. However, the 2-player co-op beat 'em up version from the Arcade was far superior. Tecmo (Tecmo/Koei, today.) was responsible for many arcade hits. Rygar, Wild Fang (aka Tecmo Knight), Silkworm, and Tecmo Bowl, among the most notable of these. Ninja Gaiden Arcade had so much more to offer in the way of both graphics and gameplay than it's NES counterpart. For one, it was a more 3D environment. They added a button to the top of the joystick that would allow you to grab and climb around to advance. You could also use the "grab" button to pick up enemies while flipping and throw them through all kinds of interactive objects in the environment. Electric signs, phone booths, big-ass popcorn stands. It's fun.
The multi-player simultaneous co-op is my favorite platform. From Double Dragon, to Rampage, up to the ultimate 4-player version of TMNT. It turns the game into a party. A party with purpose. To fight on. Fighting games are great for this too. All games have their place within the Arcade Family. I just find it more fun to work together against a common enemy.
(Look for more Arcade Archives, plus the 8-Bit Crypt, and Tomb of the 16-Bit Xclusives all coming soon.)
MAME on, Ninjas.
-2013 Wielgorecki
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