Ninja Gaiden

[Jason_Cruiser]

(Only somewhat relevant thread I could find)

Tomonobu Itagaki has passed away at age 58

Post from his Facebook.
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Itagaki's Facebook

RIP Legend you know he's got shades on in heaven.

That's ruined by day. RIP to a legend. It's sad that we're at this point where so many of the early industry legends are dying. You sometimes forget how old some of these games are.

 

[Vic Viper T301]

I saw someone say RIP Itagaki and assumed they were just joking about the recent NG games without his involvement. Shocked that he actually died, so young and I didn't know he had health issues. RIP, one of the greats.

 

[FieldPiece]

RIP. Touch some big jiggly angel tiddies in Heaven you based oatmeal cookie.

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[Jonah Hill poster]

The fact that he was able to revive Ninja Gaiden for the OG Xbox while also being the director for the Dead or Alive franchise is just something that I don’t think we’ll ever see replicated again. He’s probably one of the last shining examples of the golden age of gaming from the 90’s and 00’s.

Either way, Godspeed Tomonobu Itagaki.

 

[Gravityqueen4life]

 

[Big Brown Schlub]

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He was just such a complete turboautist with a clear god complex and thought he was bigger than he actually was... which also made him so great. In his final message he mentioned that he always stuck to his beliefs and principles and he's actually one of the few people in any field, not just game development, who can legitimately make a claim like that. Of course, with a personality like that he's made a lot of missteps but Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2 are legitimately some of the best action games ever made.

 

[Jason_Cruiser]

Ninja gaiden 4 came out a few days ago. Critics have given it a good score. Has anyone here played it yet.

 

[Nigger Cattle]

Ninja gaiden 4 came out a few days ago. Critics have given it a good score. Has anyone here played it yet.

Here i was looking for someone who has played it. The videos i watched made the combat seem fun, so i don't know really what some reviewers are complaining about. Some people were also upset that Platinum Games was making the game, but Platinum has made plenty of good games. lol

 

[Spit bucket]

Ninja gaiden 4 came out a few days ago. Critics have given it a good score. Has anyone here played it yet.

Here i was looking for someone who has played it. The videos i watched made the combat seem fun, so i don't know really what some reviewers are complaining about. Some people were also upset that Platinum Games was making the game, but Platinum has made plenty of good games. lol

I wouldn't call myself a expert on Ninja Gaiden but I do love Team Ninja. The only thing I had experience with Platinum Games is Neir Automata and it was....eh ok. Everything I've see leading up to 4's release made me less and less want to buy it, from the level design to Ryu not being the main character. The constant glazing this is getting on Twiter is making me kinda flabbergasted. I gave it a shot for a bit. I think I don't like Platinum Games. Yakumo feels like he has no weight to him. Levels are generic as fuck. Got to chapter 3 and don't wanna continue it.
If you like Platinum Games you might get more mileage out of it. As a game it's fine but for a Ninja Gaiden game? This ain't it chief.

here's some gameplay from me on chapter 1 on hard. take that for what you will.

 

[Nigger Cattle]

I wouldn't call myself a expert on Ninja Gaiden but I do love Team Ninja. The only thing I had experience with Platinum Games is Neir Automata and it was....eh ok. Everything I've see leading up to 4's release made me less and less want to buy it, from the level design to Ryu not being the main character. The constant glazing this is getting on Twiter is making me kinda flabbergasted. I gave it a shot for a bit. I think I don't like Platinum Games. Yakumo feels like he has no weight to him. Levels are generic as fuck. Got to chapter 3 and don't wanna continue it.
If you like Platinum Games you might get more mileage out of it. As a game it's fine but for a Ninja Gaiden game? This ain't it chief.

here's some gameplay from me on chapter 1 on hard. take that for what you will.


Ninja Gaiden 4 1st attempt - Made with Clipchamp.mp4

Fuck, the game looks REALLY fun. It does look like they didn't try to replicate what people liked in 2 with the dozens of enemies on screen all the time, but Itagaki-Sama is with the japanese gods now.
I mean, the NG fanbase is insane at times, i don't know if you're a regular guy or if you're the type of crazy person that hates anything released after the original NG2, but i think the game looks fun, so idk. I pre-ordered it but still waiting for it to arrive, i was thinking of finishing NG3 before playing 4 but i think it would be too much hack n' slash in a short amount of time, so maybe i'll go back and play NG3 some other time.

 

[Spit bucket]

I mean, the NG fanbase is insane at times, i don't know if you're a regular guy or if you're the type of crazy person that hates anything released after the original NG2, but i think the game looks fun, so idk.

Nah, I'm not someone like Farnham the Drunk who bitches and moans about any single change to Ninja Gaiden after the release of the sacred cow OG2. ( Underwater fighting and the worm boss can fuck off, sorry Itagaki ) NG2 Black and NG3RE are my faves. The game is fun, but it's that 'tism in me go " eh, kinda don't gel with this one" . It's Platinum Gaiden. If you like Platinum Games you'd love it.

 

[Smaug's Smokey Hole 2]

I've played some of NG4 and it seems good so far. Combat is fast paced and slick and I appreciate the Bayonetta-like training mode for different moves because I'm 20 years slower/dumber than I was when playing the first game. Maybe it gets worse/tedious later on or have some really annoying sections, idk, but so far I'm having a good time.

 

[Nigger Cattle]

I couldn't resist and started playing NG3:RE before my copy of NG4 arrived.
I must say, i think NG3:RE is harder on normal than NG Sigma 2. It's certainly a product of the time, NG1 and 2 were made to try to push Xbox hardware in Japan (and failed because no japanese man will choose an american company over a japanese one) so they were still trying to appeal more to japanese players, unlike NG3 which was made to "appeal to the west".
NG3 really looks like a shitty action game, it even does some of the tropes from the late 2000's, like the "Cool guys don't look at explosions" meme:

For some reason Ryu went from fighting other ninjas and demons to fighting helicopters and dinosaurs, it's hilarious. I think people hated the original NG3 because they rushed that shit to meet deadline, but if they had waited and released NG3 with all the improvements made in Razor's Edge, it would probably be better received. It's still not as compeling as 1 and 2, but it can be challenging and fun.

 

[FieldPiece]

I'm on I think chapter 11 of NG4. Here's my thoughts on it so far.
Positives
-Yakumo is super fun to play as and different enough from Ryu to make it so you actually do need to play the game differently than you did as Ryu in previous games
-Bosses are for the most part actually good. No absurdly annoying ones like most of the bosses in any version of 2
-Music actually stands out for once, I think I only remember 2 tracks from the 3D games before 4
-Level design is less linear than 2 and 3, sadly still not as good as NGB
-Even with limited amounts of weapons the blood raven form and weapon switching pick up some of the slack. Still sad diabhilaro, tonfas, scythe, and claws are not in the game as standalone weapons
-For having an entirely new arsenal sans Ryus sword all the new additions are really fun
-The 'Platinum' elements I was worried about actually work in a way that is fitting to NG. They aren't just "Perfect dodge gets you free damage" and instead you actually need to take the opportunity to capitalize on the perfect dodge/block/parry and choose which option you want to use
-The quality doesn't dive off a cliff in the second half so far like it does in NG2
-Maybe I'm missing something but it doesn't seem nearly as UT spam encouraging as 2 was
-Best camera in the series

Mehs
-The story
-The voice acting

Negatives
-low weapon count and the pace at which weapons are unlocked is very slow
-The unlock system seems kinda halfassed, I miss just upgrading the weapon and getting 4-8 new moves for it instead of buying moves individually
-Ryu is barely in it
-I'm not sure the purpose of Gourdys other than side quests, I haven't seen any crystal skulls which is sad

 

[Croaking Spider]

I'm on I think chapter 11 of NG4. Here's my thoughts on it so far.

Pretty much how I feel about it. The game feels slightly quicker than the other NG games, but movement is fluid and it seems like enemies are slightly less cheap. Yakumo definitely feels like a PlatinumGames character in his design. It kind of sucks that Ryu got the Dante in DMC4 treatment and I really miss the claws and kasurigama. Overall still a really fun hack and slash that actually feels like a video game. The story is kind of meh, but I don't play NG for the story. I play for the titties, the gore, and the ninjas. The gore and blood spray could use a bit more volume, but there's still plenty of titties and ninjas.

 

[FieldPiece]

Beat NG4. The Ryu boss fight is kino as hell. It's always a sign of good combat design when you can have what is basically a moveset you are extensively familiar with be a boss and it still be challenging, the fact they do this twice is really neat. The game definitely has flaws but the lows are nowhere near the lows of the worst parts of NG2 or 3. I don't know if the highs are as high though. First impressions I'd say
NGB>NG2=NG4>>NG3RE>>>>>>>Sigma shit>>>>>>>>>NG3>>>>>Hot sauce on my balls>>>>>>>>Yaiba

 

[UnknownUser]

Hey! Yaiba wasn't that bad, it had heart. Game just needed a little bit more polish and presentation. It's was a fun idea to play as an evil psychopath Ninja. It gave Ryu alot of respect too, making him a extremely challenging boss in the mid game.

 

[FieldPiece]

Hey! Yaiba wasn't that bad, it had heart. Game just needed a little bit more polish and presentation. It's was a fun idea to play as an evil psychopath Ninja. It gave Ryu alot of respect too, making him a extremely challenging boss in the mid game.

I've never played Yaiba, I just wanted to make a "hot sauce and my balls" joke.

I looked up the director of NG4 and apparently all he had directed before was a fucking Neptunia game and MGS3 remake.