Now Viewing: ninja_gaidenTag type: Copyright Covers images relating to this franchise. Action game franchise starring Hayabusa Ryu and created by Tecmo. Its original Japanese title is Ninja Ryukenden. The franchise began in 1988 with an arcade game and an NES game with the latter being the more famous of the two. The early games were created by Yoshizawa Hideo. The early games were inspired by Super Mario Bros and Castlevania. They were notable for being some of the earliest games to feature anime-esque cutscenes and a more complex storyline compared to most action games of its era. Said story was written by Kato Masato who has also written story lines for other well-known video games like the Chrono series. The game and its sequels were also infamous for their extreme difficulty. The difficulty was the result of Tecmo's design philosophy at the time, the company believed that if a game was too easy, players would quickly throw it away. The games like to throw tricky platforming sections at the player and have enemies attack and ambush the player while they're trying to make a jump. Nevertheless, the games were very popular and acclaimed. There was also an anime OVA produced in 1991. The franchise was revived by Itagaki Tomonobu and Team Ninja (creators of Dead or Alive) in 2004 and the new games, which are considered to be prequels to the NES Ninja Gaiden games and OVA, have become popular in their own right. Ryu keeps his role as the protagonist, but has a different default costume from the old games. The games were now in 3D with a greater emphasis on hack and slash combat and less platforming. Some of Itagaki and Team Ninja's stylistic trademarks also appeared in Ninja Gaiden; female characters who are old enough to have developed breasts have large busts and quite a few female characters are blonde. The new games are also much more violent, especially Ninja Gaiden 2, and the game's numerous battles will often end with the enemies body parts scattered all over the place. In spite of all the changes, the franchise's intense difficulty was left intact. Due to the greater emphasis on combat, most of the difficulty came from the enemies' aggressive combat tactics, often swarming the player and interrupting the player's combos if the player isn't careful, as well as being perfectly capable of blocking attacks, forcing the player to constantly be on their toes during combat. The Xbox games have received rereleases for other consoles: Ninja Gaiden Sigma 1-2 for Playstation 3 and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge for the Wii U that make some changes to the levels, expands on the story a bit, and also includes new sections of the game where the player can play as various female characters in the game whereas the original release only Ryu is playable. The franchise is set in the same universe as the Dead or Alive fighting game franchise; Ryu has been a playable fighter in all Dead or Alive games involving fighting, and Ayane and Kasumi have made appearances in the Xbox Ninja Gaiden games. Sonia from Ninja Gaiden 2, who has been confirmed to be a redesigned Irene Lew has made an appearance in Dead or Alive Dimensions. The Dead or Alive series is set chronologically after the Ninja Gaiden games and the anime OVA. Although the word Gaiden means a side story, Ninja Gaiden is not a side story to any game. The reason for the English title is because Tecmo couldn't come up with a good English translation for Ryukenden and so they just called it Ninja Gaiden because it sounded cool to them. Ryu and Ayane (wearing her default Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 costume) are also playable characters in Musou Orochi 2. The old weapon smith Muramasa also makes a cameo in Dead or Alive 4 as the owner of a vegetable stand in one stage. Momiji and Rachel are playable in Musou Orochi 3. A zombie themed spinoff titled Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is also set to be released. Not much is known at the moment other than Inafune Keiji is collaborating with Team Ninja for this game and the eponymous protagonist is apparently one of the many ninjas Ryu has killed; only he has come back from the dead and is out for revenge. Cast: Introduced in NES games: Ryu_Hayabusa Irene_Lew Robert_T_Sturgeon Jacquio Joe_Hayabusa A_Foster HP_Clancy Ashtar Team Ninja Revival series: Ayane Momiji_(Ninja_Gaiden) Kasumi Rachel Sonia Muramasa Doku Gamov Kureha Marbus Vigoor Murai_(Ninja_Gaiden) Elizebet Genshin Mizuki_Mccloud Related: Dead_or_Alive Crossover: Musou_Orochi_2 Musou_Orochi_iii Fan Work: Dead_Fantasy Other Wiki Information Last updated: 05/10/16 8:50 AM by jojosstand This entry is not locked and you can edit it as you see fit. |
     
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