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Ninja Gaiden Black still the best action game

Other games just seem lazy compared to the amount of unique areas, enemies, and bosses in Ninja Gaiden Black - and there isnt much padding. So much content. So much win. I love Rising and all but it feels very meek in comparison. NGII had some nice variety as well.
 
I'm wondering if it was Microsoft or Tecmo who rushed ninja gaiden 2 out. Has the team ever openly commented on the technical and gameplay flaws with the game?

Another year and it could have been spectacular.
 
Didn't figure out that you could do that until fighting the tank in the train yard. I was amazed, and at the same time baffled that I was missing out on so much.

Ninja Dog opinion. You have to spend a lot of time with this game too really like it or have fun with it. The first time through, it's too tense and high strung. Any enemy can kill you if you screw up, well not kill you but take a huge bite out of the life bar. I got to chapter 10? But there is still a ton of frustrating sections where sometimes I would just get beaten mercilessly. Making the whole thing difficult to enjoy. Other action games are way more approachable.


Anyone who played the MGR knows that shit is lame.


As a former ninja dog that levelled up, I would not hold the series in such high regard if I didn't spend hours in the infinite spawning room on the first level (the one with the trapdoor) jumping in and out that room to continuously restart the fight (and farm essence) taught me so much about the game. As far as I'm concerned, it was the best training mode/tutorial that I've played in these games.

If I had just played through I think I would of given up at the first dragon fiend fight by the monestary.
 
As a former ninja dog that levelled up, I would not hold the series in such high regard if I didn't spend hours in the infinite spawning room on the first level (the one with the trapdoor) jumping in and out that room to continuously restart the fight (and farm essence) taught me so much about the game. As far as I'm concerned, it was the best training mode/tutorial that I've played in these games.

If I had just played through I think I would of given up at the first dragon fiend fight by the monestary.

The first time I played, I farmed that essence hard in that trapdoor until I almost maxed out my heal items. lols
 
You know, I legitimately liked Enslaved. I thought it was a good game, with an interesting premise and beautiful art direction. However, there is no way in hell I could even stick it in the same class as some of these heavy hitters. Not to mention it's not really a pure action game, I'd consider it more action adventure.
 
The first time I played, I farmed that essence hard in that trapdoor until I almost maxed out my heal items. lols

That and the respawning military ninjas in the corridor opposite the shop in vigoor meant I had fully upgraded lunar and DS by the 4th level (it took hours though). It took me ages to feel confident enough in my abilities not to cheese the the game like that.
 
While I agree Ninja Gaiden (Black) is fantastic and really damn great, I think Bayonetta is the best action game ever produced.

God of War is sitting in the chair next to me just shaking his head.

God of War is busy yelling incoherently at the chair.
 
That and the respawning military ninjas in the corridor opposite the shop in vigoor meant I had fully upgraded lunar and DS by the 4th level (it took hours though). It took me ages to feel confident enough in my abilities not to cheese the the game like that.

yeah, i was so scared to proceed to other areas. Even on normal usually when I got hit, it was usually a combo - so it wasn't just one hit but multiple hits and my healthy went bye bye. But when asked about choosing the path of the Ninja Dog, FUCK NO

What's the best way to play this game now?

Personally? They are all different beasts, play all of them and enjoy them. Every single game (DMC1/3, NGB/2, Bayo, Godhand, etc) all bring something different, they epitomize what the action genre is
 
I bought this game for the first time last week and though the disc looks flawless it freezes on my 360 during the opening FMV. Sucks. Idk what to do about it.
 
it's one of my favorite games of all times. Everything is top: gameplay, graphics, level design.
I still think it's better than ng2. it's more reasoned, but still quite fast.
Definitely in my top 5 along dmc1, god hand and bayonetta.
 
GAF I'm disappoint
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It's fun and I've actually compared zan-datsu's general idea to Tates (you heal yourself by damaging your enemies efficiently and in timely fasion) in another forum but Shinobi has a paper-thin combo moveset.
I m not a big fan of having too much move set and combos to be honest I prefer shinobi like (to an extend NG) games whit limited but effective moveset
 
Add another vote for NGB/NGS.

I've personally never played NGB/NG2, only the Sigma counterparts (on both PS3 an the Vita).

In fact, I think I've played more Ninja Gaiden then any other game series this gen.

I never played DmC past DmC2 (what a terrible game) and Bayonetta wasn't really my cup of tea (not the action - the combat was incredible - the game itself just rubbed me the wrong way for reasons I really can't explain).

I have yet to pick up MGR but will once I get the time to.
 
I'm wondering if it was Microsoft or Tecmo who rushed ninja gaiden 2 out. Has the team ever openly commented on the technical and gameplay flaws with the game?

Probably a mix of Itagaki wanting to bail the hell out and Microsoft wanting a big game out for the summer (to compete with MGS4?). The original Ninja Gaiden was delayed over and over, so I think Itagaki could have gotten more time for NG2 if he really wanted it.


On the other hand, maybe delaying NG2 would've made them reconsider the constant barrage of explosions, and that would result in an inferior game. :>
 
They are action games. Fighting games also have single player story modes, and there are also multiplayer action games. Anarchy Reigns and Spikeout are not fighting games, they're multiplayer action games. Trying to pigeonhole everything into a "fighting" genre is silly and does disservice to the range of players who enjoy them.

Didn't mean to do a disservice to anybody- I'm happy to accept stuff like Powerstone, Smash Bros., Gundam Extreme Vs., etc. as fighting games, and if Ninja Gaiden had some kind of multiplayer dueling mode, I think that would count as one too. I think you're drawing a false distinction here- what's your definition of a fighting game and your definition of an action game? I personally feel both fall under the same general umbrella (and often attract similar types of players). One tends to focus more on multiplayer and the other on singleplayer, but like you pointed out, that alone isn't the be all end all in differentiating the two.
 
Probably a mix of Itagaki wanting to bail the hell out and Microsoft wanting a big game out for the summer (to compete with MGS4?). The original Ninja Gaiden was delayed over and over, so I think Itagaki could have gotten more time for NG2 if he really wanted it.


On the other hand, maybe delaying NG2 would've made them reconsider the constant barrage of explosions, and that would result in an inferior game. :>

I thought he had no choice but to leave as soon as possible which resulted in the game being released in its unoptimised state.
 
NGB is definitely my favorite. I love dmc3 and enjoyed Bayo, but NGB on Master Ninja is slick.
 
Opinions on the best action game: the thread

I'm at least thankful most of these games were different from each other, even in the sense of sequels. NGB, DMC3, Bayo and Vanquish all fulfill different things for me honestly, which makes me love the action genre so much.

NGB is a good game.. but MGR has it beat by far.

WHO ARE THESE PEOPLE? I just don't get how you can be a fan of true action games and have a crazy idea like this. I really felt like I was playing a different game than most.

Rising is above those games for me for a few different reasons. For one thing, no finisher has ever felt as varied and satisfying as Zandatsu. I've seen enemies fall and die in so many different ways Blade Mode, and I know may not have even scratched the surface. Taking their power from crushing their spine...just feels swell.

The blocking/parrying feels great to me in Rising, almost perfect. How I'm made to confront everyone, and yet have the option to sneak around several of them varies it for me.

The last big thing for me is the non-gameplay related elements. Bosses altogether are great for me. Fighting them, their themes, taking their weapons after (L'etranger is an awesome mesh of bo staff and nunchaku, something I've always dreamed of). Alternate costumes are the best of any action game I can remember (Gray Fox, suit, mariachi, etc.).

When I go back to the other games, I might change my mind in what's the best game. MGR will be my favorite for the time being.
 
I have no problems with MGR, DMC or Bayo's cameras, only Ninja Gaiden's is the one that goes bananas.

Anyway I have the most fun with MGR, so I'm going to go with that.

You must be joking about DMC series camera? It has the shittiest camera of all action games. There are places you can't even move the camera around, otehr times you are running and the camera automatically changes on you.

I've been playing MGR and it's quite shitty also.

Bayo is good but not better than NG.

At least with NG you can control it in all areas of the game. Stop fooling yourself.
 
This thread is tempting me to break out my old copy of NGB.

I preferred NG2 due to mechanics(and spiked tonfas), but NGB is definitely a more polished game.
 
Nothing will match the feeling in NG2 of slashing the shit out of enemies with body parts flying all over the place, in the air, and then landing charged straight into obliteration. Then when there's nothing but corpses left, Ryu wipes off the blood and moves on.
 

You must be joking about DMC series camera? It has the shittiest camera of all action games. There are places you can't even move the camera around, otehr times you are running and the camera automatically changes on you.

I've been playing MGR and it's quite shitty also.

Bayo is good but not better than NG.

At least with NG you can control it in all areas of the game. Stop fooling yourself.

I've never had a problem with the camera in DMC. Stop projecting your deficiencies. It's not like the camera randomly changes. It's done on cue by your position on the screen. Something for which you can plan.
 
Nothing will match the feeling in NG2 of slashing the shit out of enemies with body parts flying all over the place, in the air, and then landing charged straight into obliteration. Then when there's nothing but corpses left, Ryu wipes off the blood and moves on.
Yessss that is another thing I liked about NG2, it was a visual gorefeast. A lot of people complained about the slowmode staircase (any NG- veteran remembers this) in NG2, but I found it to be one of the more fun moments in the game, since you could go nuts with UT's on that part (UT with Kusarigama was my favorite) and just leave a delightful mess behind you.
 
My fast gut ranking of many of the big games in the genre would be like this:

NG2 (I think)
NGB
MGR
DMC
God Hand (the wildcard)
Bayonetta
DMC4
DmC
DMC3

But I need to revisit some of these.
 
I've never had a problem with the camera in DMC. Stop projecting your deficiencies. It's not like the camera randomly changes. It's done on cue by your position on the screen. Something for which you can plan.

Of course you never had any problems with camera. You are just one of those guys who ignore the problem and pretend its not there and its people like you the company will listen to and not bother to fix their shitty problems. But yeah keep praising shitty stuff.

The camera is shit whether you want to believe it or not.

And I laugh at your *stop projecting your deficiencies" comment. That's why I have 1000 on DMC Collection and 1000 on DMC 4. The camera is shitty but its just the only thing bad about the games.
 
One other thing good about NGB, although I don't really care for it. The variety in the environmental settings: Hayabusa village, defiled village, airplane, city, undergrounds, water level, water temple/pathways, fire, ice, monastery, volcano, etc
 
Of course you never had any problems with camera. You are just one of those guys who ignore the problem and pretend its not there and its people like you the company will listen to and not bother to fix their shitty problems. But yeah keep praising shitty stuff.

The camera is shit whether you want to believe it or not.

And I laugh at your *stop projecting your deficiencies" comment. That's why I have 1000 on DMC Collection and 1000 on DMC 4. The camera is shitty but its just the only thing bad about the games.

My comment was more aimed at you saying "stop fooling yourself."
That is you projecting.
 
no

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Try Enslaved. It's got one of the deepest, most intricate combat systems in the genre. There are some really impressive videos out there with some insane combos. The only downside is that the platforming can be very, very tricky at times.
Didn't someone make this exact same post in a thread just like this a few months ago and instantly got shitted on?
 
I like NGB, NG2, DMC3, MGR and Bayonetta. I rank them on how I feel on a daily base. Seriously very hard for me to say which is the best. I got around 200h in black. I play it a lot, still the others are fun as hell, too. Man I don't know. Let's just say they are all great and pleases every taste out there.
 

You must be joking about DMC series camera? It has the shittiest camera of all action games. There are places you can't even move the camera around, otehr times you are running and the camera automatically changes on you.

.

I shouldn't be in this thread 'cause I'm too much of a fanboi for NGB and spent way too much playing action games, but...

In DMC(3/4) enemies can't attack you if they're off-screen. In the Bloody Palace you can just move the camera so only one enemy can be sewn, parry his ass and repeat.

--
Since I'm a huge bigot for action games I was giving Bayonetta to play from my brother. I did enjoy the combat a lot and I fit nicely in between having deliberate movement (NGB) and fancy combo mechanics (DMC) -- I still prefer NGB, but that's just for aesthetics really.

NG2 was the one I played most (because it's mission mode took forever to complete on Path of the Master Ninja), and it's a very different game to NGB. It was mostly about invincibility frames and knowing which weapon had the highest probability of cutting a limb of each enemy.

Sigma 2 is horrible, but Sigma (1) is okay. It's not really too different from NGB, outside of having stupid AI at times.

All in all, I like NGB mostly because it's combat is deliberate. It really punishes you on Very Hard and onwards for "spamming" and defending is encouraged, as is spacing. I'd say it's the closest to a full 3D fighting game (next to Shenmue haha, but for different reasons).

There are many games which fit nicely into preferring NGB over the others. PSO is a "deliberate" aRPG as is Demon's Souls.

It's cool because my first name is Izuna.
 
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