Ninja Gaiden Series

[gunswordfist]

"That's actually death you smell." Oh Ryu I just beat Alexei. He was pretty easy...well thanks to all the items I had. I had one small healing thing two grains, a devil whatchamacallit and conveniently enough yet another life of the thousands whogivesadamns.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Almost every boss in this game can be considered easy on Acolyte or Warrior mode, honestly, even the cheap ones. The game was really meant to be played on Mentor difficulty for anyone who knows what they're doing, though.

Anyways, Volf is the next greater fiend you take down, but he's the easiest of all. Oh yeah, I'm guessing that you're still on Chapter 5, but when you get to Chapter 6 you'll fight a certain mid-boss called the drunken skeleton. As a fun fact, keep in mind that Tomonobu Itagaki himself did the motion capture for that boss. Its hilarious when you realize that its him doing it and just why the boss is called the DRUNKEN skeleton, lol.

Oh yeah, BTW, if I haven't already told you, at the end of the Chapter 7 boss fight, hold block immediately after you kill the boss. Trust me, you'll thank me later.

[Rynnec]

Finally decided to get Ninja Gaiden Sigma today, after having played the demo for so long. Fortunately, it didn't really feel like a chore having to go through the first level yet again, mainly because I didn't even have any special techniques to use (the demo gives you everything at the start), and other than having to heal once or twice, I didn't have much trouble.

The third and fourth chapters ramped up the difficulty for me. Chapter 3 because of some cheap deaths (getting thrown of a ledge because some mook got lucky, even though you were at full health really isn't a fun way to die) and a rather annoying boss, and chapter 4 because I was too stupid to notice the Muramasa shop in the clock tower where I can stock up on potions until a few deaths later. Just finished Chapter 4, and I should be heading toward the first Rachel mission.

Loving the game so far, but I don't know if this is just a trait of Sigma, but this game is way to generous in giving out the "Master Ninja" ranking, even if I take over an hour to complete a mission and die a half-dozen times.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Sweet! Someone else besides me, GSF, and Foggle has finally picked up a 3D NG game!

Finally decided to get Ninja Gaiden Sigma today, after having played the demo for so long. Fortunately, it didn't really feel like a chore having to go through the first level yet again, mainly because I didn't even have any special techniques to use (the demo gives you everything at the start), and other than having to heal once or twice, I didn't have much trouble.

I believe the difficulty for NGS on Normal was slightly toned down from NGB. Keep in mind, there weren't any drastic changes, but the bosses were made a little bit easier than before (Murai seems to block much less in Sigma, and Maskado from Chapter 2 seemed to take more damage from being hit). That said the first 2 chapters are generally more for tutorial so they did a good job making those feel more balanced for newcomers, IMO.

The third and fourth chapters ramped up the difficulty for me. Chapter 3 because of some cheap deaths (getting thrown of a ledge because some mook got lucky, even though you were at full health really isn't a fun way to die)

If you're talking about that one moment where you are coming around a corner and that one soldier attacks you and manages to throw you off of the air-ship, that is pretty BS but cheap deaths like that are rare in the game, and you may be glad to know that Chapter 3 is pretty much the only level where you can die from falling off of platforms. The rest of the game doesn't have any bottomless pits that you have to worry about. Its all just being killed by things the good old fashioned way....by getting smacked around a lot!

and a rather annoying boss

Well, I haven't specifically played that boss in Sigma, but Dynamo in NGB is really more of an easy boss fight nuisance once you get his attack pattern down.

and chapter 4 because I was too stupid to notice the Muramasa shop in the clock tower where I can stock up on potions until a few deaths later. Just finished Chapter 4, and I should be heading toward the first Rachel mission.

Heh, I remember my first experience with Tairon. I actually kind of stumbled into Muramasa's shop by accident. I was in the middle of a fight with some soldiers and then just happened to tap X to attack, but that also happened to be the button to open the door which I just happened to be standing next to.

Loving the game so far, but I don't know if this is just a trait of Sigma, but this game is way to generous in giving out the "Master Ninja" ranking, even if I take over an hour to complete a mission and die a half-dozen times.

Sigma made Karma scoring MUCH easier on Normal and Hard mode. Very Hard and Master Ninja are still much stricter, though. In NGB you were really punished for taking too long on levels, and you also got big score detractors for using healing items and Ninpo.

I'm glad that you're enjoying the game, though. If you can, you should try and experiment around with different weapons since part of the fun of the game for me was learning the intricacies of Ryu's arsenal, and what weapons worked best in which areas. The combat from the first game isn't as robust as DMC3 or Bayonetta, but its still got a lot of hidden depth that pays off during the harder sections that come up.

One gripe that I have with Sigma is that it removed most of the puzzles from NGB, which I found to sort of ruin the pacing of the game. I mean, the puzzles were laughably easy for sure, but the point of them being there was that they served as good pace-breakers after intense battles to allow you to relax for a little while before getting into the next heated confrontation. Instead it just replaced those with more enemy encounters, which doesn't really detract from the game too much since they can usually be skipped, but I do find that it makes the pacing feel a bit more uneven, personally. Also the Rachael missions should have been optional, IMO. As you'll soon find out, she's just not much fun to play as.

[gunswordfist]

Almost every boss in this game can be considered easy on Acolyte or Warrior mode, honestly, even the cheap ones. The game was really meant to be played on Mentor difficulty for anyone who knows what they're doing, though.

Anyways, Volf is the next greater fiend you take down, but he's the easiest of all. Oh yeah, I'm guessing that you're still on Chapter 5, but when you get to Chapter 6 you'll fight a certain mid-boss called the drunken skeleton. As a fun fact, keep in mind that Tomonobu Itagaki himself did the motion capture for that boss. Its hilarious when you realize that its him doing it and just why the boss is called the DRUNKEN skeleton, lol.

Oh yeah, BTW, if I haven't already told you, at the end of the Chapter 7 boss fight, hold block immediately after you kill the boss. Trust me, you'll thank me later.

Ah yes, the exploding boss I already heard you talk about years ago.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Oh yeah, one thing that I Sigma took out that I kind of miss from Black is that campy opening narration before the start of the game. It sets up a suitably cheesy tone for the game but also gives it a somewhat epic feeling back-story at the same time.

I'm talking about this opening, to be precise.

[Rynnec]

If you're talking about that one moment where you are coming around a corner and that one soldier attacks you and manages to throw you off of the air-ship, that is pretty BS but cheap deaths like that are rare in the game, and you may be glad to know that Chapter 3 is pretty much the only level where you can die from falling off of platforms. The rest of the game doesn't have any bottomless pits that you have to worry about. Its all just being killed by things the good old fashioned way....by getting smacked around a lot!

That's defintely a relief.

Well, I haven't specifically played that boss in Sigma, but Dynamo in NGB is really more of an easy boss fight nuisance once you get his attack pattern down.

Most of the difficulty came from dodging the thunder blasts from his gun, couldn't really find a good enough method to dodge them. This was the part where I thought that making the wind run home in on the nearest enemy made things a bit more harder than necessary, granted, it does make it easier to use the Flying Swallow so you can interrupt his charge-up.

Sigma made Karma scoring MUCH easier on Normal and Hard mode. Very Hard and Master Ninja are still much stricter, though. In NGB you were really punished for taking too long on levels, and you also got big score detractors for using healing items and Ninpo.

I'm glad that you're enjoying the game, though. If you can, you should try and experiment around with different weapons since part of the fun of the game for me was learning the intricacies of Ryu's arsenal, and what weapons worked best in which areas. The combat from the first game isn't as robust as DMC3 or Bayonetta, but its still got a lot of hidden depth that pays off during the harder sections that come up.

Yup, been experimenting with weapons usually right after I get them, and I've already upgraded the Dragon Sword, Lunar, and the Dragon's Claw & Tiger Fang to the next level. The combat is really fun and intense without ever being to unfair. It's like you're playing a fighting game almost.

One gripe that I have with Sigma is that it removed most of the puzzles from NGB, which I found to sort of ruin the pacing of the game. I mean, the puzzles were laughably easy for sure, but the point of them being there was that they served as good pace-breakers after intense battles to allow you to relax for a little while before getting into the next heated confrontation. Instead it just replaced those with more enemy encounters, which doesn't really detract from the game too much since they can usually be skipped, but I do find that it makes the pacing feel a bit more uneven, personally. Also the Rachael missions should have been optional, IMO. As you'll soon find out, she's just not much fun to play as.

Once, this is done, I'll really have to watch a youtube playthrough of Black to see how really different things are. I'd track down a physical copy of Black myself, but like I said earlier in the thread, none of my Xbox controllers are in particularly good shape.

[Foggle]

The changes between Black and Sigma are mostly negligible, though I'd say Black is probably better overall. Not by a lot or anything, and I'd give both versions of NG 1 the exact same rating, but I think Black is objectively superior since it's closer to Itagaki's original vision.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Most of the difficulty came from dodging the thunder blasts from his gun, couldn't really find a good enough method to dodge them.

If you haven't started doing it yet, you should learn to chain together your rolls and jumps. Doing that is the number one best way to avoid 99% of all projectile-based attacks in this game, especially from bosses. Before I learned to do it I was having a much harder time dodging and maneuvering boss attacks but after I practiced with that method a little bit it became a cinch to dodge most attacks. Of course actually getting in up close to fight bosses head to head is another story, but at least that will take care of dodging any future projectiles.

Yup, been experimenting with weapons usually right after I get them, and I've already upgraded the Dragon Sword, Lunar, and the Dragon's Claw & Tiger Fang to the next level. The combat is really fun and intense without ever being to unfair. It's like you're playing a fighting game almost.

Yeah, NG is typically the hack n' slash game among the lot that gets compared most to fighting games. To be fair, it basically more or less works like a fighting game in a hack n' slash setting with its combat system (sort of like if a Soul Calibur style adventure game was done right, IMO ). With DMC and Bayonetta, they have a more unique combo-heavy feel to them, and with God of War, its just more about being flashy and brutal than learning the intricacies of its combat system. With Ninja Gaiden, I also feel that its enemy design also helps contribute to the fighting game feel since they tend to be more aggressive than in most other action games (though I'm aware you're playing on Normal right now, even in this mode some of the later enemies will start giving you a run for your money, so keep on your toes in preparation for that ).

Once, this is done, I'll really have to watch a youtube playthrough of Black to see how really different things are. I'd track down a physical copy of Black myself, but like I said earlier in the thread, none of my Xbox controllers are in particularly good shape.

Well, it'd take a long time to sit through each game to spot the majorly noticeable differences, but after you finish the game I can highlight some specific changes that I noticed for you and point you out to them just for your knowledge.

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

The changes between Black and Sigma are mostly negligible, though I'd say Black is probably better overall. Not by a lot or anything, and I'd give both versions of NG 1 the exact same rating, but I think Black is objectively superior since it's closer to Itagaki's original vision.

Well, for me its not so much about Itagaki's original vision as it is that I found that some of Sigma's changes were more questionable rather than better. That said its really just subjective, so there is no objectively better version, though of course you know that I prefer Black. Oddly enough, though, it has more to do with what Sigma added than what it changed. It made it so that you have to shake the six-axis controller to get Ninpo to work at full power which I found to be rather annoying (but a minor nuisance at that), and it forced you through the Rachael missions which I found to be pretty boring, personally.

That said, I'm not trying to be a snob here. Its still 95% the same game and its still an amazing game. I just think that Hayashi didn't really do anything to make the core game better. He just added a couple of things that are just....there, rather than anything else. They don't hurt the game (or at least not much), but they don't really help it either. For that its basically the same game with some changes that a hardcore fan like me likes to nitpick, but for everyone else its basically the same great game as NGB.

Now, Sigma 2 on the other hand is a COMPLETELY different story. That one is a complete overhaul from the original XBOX360 version, and I'm talking about FAR more than just the lack of blood and gore. To be fair, I can see how someone would find it subjectively superior to the original version of the game, but absolutely nobody can deny that its pretty much a different game on the whole than the original.

[gunswordfist]

Welp, just hearing about the motion sensoring, Black>>>>>>>>>>>Sigma.

[Foggle]

To be fair, I own Sigma and have beaten it multiple times, and this is the first I've ever heard of the motion control shit...

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

You own Sigma and you aren't aware that shaking the six-axis powers up your Ninpo?

[Foggle]

You own Sigma and you aren't aware that shaking the six-axis powers up your Ninpo?

Yep. I always wondered why Ninpo was so much weaker than in Black, lol...

[Dr. Ensatsu-ken]

Well, either way, its not a big deal because the 1st game didn't have much strategic use for Ninpo aside from using it to become temporarily invincible against hard to avoid boss attacks. That said, I do think the fact that you needed to shake the controller to power it up was more of a nuisance than a harmless new feature.

At any rate, at least THAT is a far better use of the six-axis than the boob-jiggle feature from Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.