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[Scalpel Knight]

WTF this game is awesome. I got this and Crisis Core on the same day and my focus is slowly shifting towards Dragon Sword, though I know it's not too long so I'll start back Crisis Core soon. Seriously, the controls work so well - I'm amazed at what you can pull off and if you do the wrong move then it's pretty much your fault. It's a shitload of fun and works really well. Too bad I'm getting the blues from the reused Ninja Gaiden/Ninja Gaiden Sigma environments and music. It seems kind of cheap to me, especially since I've played it on both the Xbox and PS3 - I guess I'm just tired of seeing some of these same assets.

 

[Victrix]

Soooo a friend came by last night, and he had NGDS with him. While he was playing Twilight Princess, I figured I'd check it out.

... a few hours later, and I was done

A few brief impressions.

The animations, art, and overall visuals of the game are amazing. I'm not even remotely a fan of 3d on the DS, but this game looks great. The animations are nice, the backgrounds are wonderful, and the cool 2d between mission cutscenes look fantastic.

The music is *amazing*. If you swapped between the Xbox version of some of these songs and the DS version, with headphones on, I'd probably have a hard time telling them apart. Sound effects and positional audio (!) are equally impressive with headphones on.

So technically, the game is a feat.

Controls are very solid. I detest stylus controls, but this game is tight. There were only a few occasions where I'd get accidental command inputs, the rest of the time, I could combo, knock up, ranged attack, jump, double jump, flying swallow, izuna drop, roll, dodge, counter, whatever, all at will. Given that you could string those together easily (even air-bow!), you can actually perform some pretty cool combos, and the way the enemies are thrown at you (RELENTLESS waves), you get plenty of opportunity to string together big beatdowns.

Storyline is pure shit. I read somewhere that this game bridges NG1 and 2. Whatever. It's a retarded throwaway retcon Ryu And His Shitty Kid Friends storyline. Worse, 9/10ths of the game is literally revisting areas and bosses from the original NG. What's really baffling is that they're all redone in the cool art style that NGDS uses, and there are a few new areas (that look wonderful!), so it's not like they couldn't have done something else with the game.

If there was such a thing as a DS rental, this would be it. Worth checking out just to see how nice it looks and sounds. And though the gameplay is basic, it's still surprisingly satisfying.

Oh, and in-game microphone usage can fuck right off to the same pit of hell as Sixaxis motion minigames and Wii waggling as an A button substitute.

 

[Bebpo]

How do you beat the last boss? I actually broke my stylus because I got so pissed off fighting him over and over.

The hit detection when he is on the ground and is firing his big green laser seems fucking broken. No matter which way I keep rolling I get hit 3/4 times. And then when I finally got all his life away once he did some grab thing out of nowhere that took away MY ENTIRE LIFEBAR. Fucking bullshit.

 

[a Master Ninja]

I actually broke my stylus because I got so pissed off fighting him over and over.

First controllers, now styluses. What is it about NG? :lol

Edit: Almost like the last boss in DMC4, the final hit is about timing. You have to dodge roll the chomp. If you fail, the fight is over.

 

[Victrix]

First controllers, now styluses. What is it about NG? :lol

:lol :lol :lol

For the breath weapons while he's in the air, time your dodge to the SOUND of his attack, not the visual. Even though it has a huge omgosh impact on the ground, it won't actually hit you unless the main part of the strike connects, and if you time your roll on the audio cue, you should avoid it every time. Just don't roll yourself to the edge and get stuck.

When he's on the ground, you can expect to eat a few hand swipes, they're hard to dodge. I also had inconsistent results with his ground breath. I had to do the fight three times, and on the second, I ate nearly every one. Hurrr. You can always use healing ninpo if necessary. I think dodging it by rolling one direction and then the other works best, as long as you have ground clearance.

As for the last bite, when he's about dead, he'll collapse and just wait. Come at him from an off angle, then quickly roll away when he tries to bite, slash and finish it.

 

[reggieandTFE]

I thought you all said this was too easy. The

Spoiler

transparent blue ghost samurai boss, Duko or Yujo I think

is kicking the shit out of me.

Any tips? Honestly he has a move that lifts me up in the air and takes away half my power bar. Spamming the air attack moves don't seem to work either as they don't interrupt his combo.

 

[Oni Link 666]

I just finished it a little while ago. I thought it was pretty good. I think they could have made a much better game if they just used the buttons and let you hold the DS in the normal way. While I think the stylus controls worked well, they kind of limit the amount of moves and the control you have over your moves. All that scratching on the screen is a far cry from the console version's gameplay. They did do a great getting in as much stuff as they did with those controls though.

Also, fuck spikes and fire. :lol Those parts really pissed me off. The controls just aren't precise enough to put in stuff like that.

For the last boss I only dodged his last attack which I think you have to. I just ran from side to side to avoid the fireballs and nukes. Then I ran to the right, shot some arrows, ran back to the left to avoid the green beam, and then ran back to the right to do the same thing.

For Doku I did a lot of rolling backwards to avoid his impaling move. Then I think I moved in with the diving swallow.

 

[NotWii]

man this game is tedious...

 

[A Link to the Past]

What a great game.

Just wish I had a 360, so I could get the others.

 

[Creamium]

I had to bump this thread. Just played through the first 10 chapters in one sitting, couldn't stop playing. This game is incredible. The touch screen only controls work pretty much perfectly, only issues I've had so far was when I had to dodge spikes in one of the early levels. Apart from that, no problems. Even though the game is very easy (on normal at least), I find the combat to be satisfying and some of the optional enemy wave rooms are good to train yourself

This is the ideal appetizer because now I can't wait to play NGB and later II on 360.

What I truly don't understand is how this thread only got to 6 (!) friggin pages. Not even a large part of GAF bought this. Fucking sad. There needs to be a 'why haven't you bought and played NG DS?' thread

 

[RBH]

I'm on Chapter 5 right now and enjoying the game so far.

It's really satisfying to unleash a ninpo attack on a boss.

 

[Creamium]

yay, some action in here!

yeah ninpo's are fun, the hurricane one is my favorite

I beat it just now (5 hours final time). Only boss that gave me trouble was the

Spoiler

female demon at the end of chapter 11

. Kicked my ass pretty bad until I found out that circle roll + slashes after her ray attack = win. Beat everything after that in one try

Then continued until chapter 3 on Head Ninja, fucking love this game

I don't see how people could complain about the length of the game. I love games like this: you can finish it one day, it's a rush and you immediately want go back in for more.

 

[crispyben]

Dear Ninja Masters, I need your help: how exactly do I perform an Izuna Drop?

Should I point an enemy with the stylus, slide it down, then up without leaving the touch screen, then up a second time after leaving the touch screen and going back to my lowest position?

It seems like a very cool move, but I can't perform it reliably. Thanks for your help!

 

[Llyranor]

IIRC, slide down (starting from the top of the enemy), let go of the screen very briefly, then slide up twice (starting from the bottom) while letting go of the screen briefly in-between. It all occurs pretty quickly.

 

[crispyben]

IIRC, slide down (starting from the top of the enemy), let go of the screen very briefly, then slide up twice (starting from the bottom) while letting go of the screen briefly in-between. It all occurs pretty quickly.

Thanks for taking the time to answer.

 

[stuminus3]

This game is superb, it's a shame it's not getting the attention it deserves. Compare this thread to the official Ninja Gaiden II one...

Maybe it's because it's not "the real deal", it doesn't play quite the same as the Xbox Ninja Gaiden games... but honestly, it would suck if it did. Dragon Sword is the perfect handheld action game. Makes good use not only of the stylus but of the fact that it's a portable game. Much better than trying to shoe-horn a home console game onto the system.

Anyone got any tips for the

Spoiler

Counter Attack

move? I've tried and tried but just can't get it... all Ryu ever does is roll away. Not that the move seems all that necessary, but it'd be nice to master it.

 

[Baconbitz]

I have the game and I am playing on easy but, I can't kill that fucking Dragon for the life of me.

 

[Llyranor]

I love NGDS. The good thing about it is that it focuses mainly on combat, with platforming being very minimal. It fits the DS really really well, and the combat is pretty satisfying (if a tad too easy, though I haven't gone through the harder modes yet).

As much as I'm loving NG2 right (which is, a lot), I can't help but be on guard for some upcoming platforming/camera/ranged annoyance (now at chapter 3).

 

[Haeleos]

I find it ass backwards that NGDS had a better camera than NG2.

 

[Creamium]

I have the game and I am playing on easy but, I can't kill that fucking Dragon for the life of me.

You're trying to get the extra difficulty setting right? I couldn't do that either. What sucks is that if you want to retry, you have to reset the DS and load the savepoint again to give it another go. That dragon is a bitch, especially because his wing smash hurts even if you block it.

I let it slip, had beaten the game 2 times by then.

Is Momiji mode basically Master Ninja or is it even harder? Has anyone unlocked it to begin with?

It fits the DS really really well, and the combat is pretty satisfying (if a tad too easy, though I haven't gone through the harder modes yet)..

You should try Head Ninja. It's the perfect setting. You need to dodge and block to get through some of the longer encounters and the enemies actually punish you if you aren't paying attention. Yet it still isn't too hard, the perfect difficulty. Should've been available from the get-go.

 

[Morgenstern]

I have the game and I am playing on easy but, I can't kill that fucking Dragon for the life of me.

Are you referring to the first battle with Momiji? If so, and if you haven't beaten the game yet, you won't beat the dragon due to it being invincible. Otherwise, just don't stay too far away from it, whenever you attack, only go for two or three slashes, then get ready to dodge.

 

[stuminus3]

I find it ass backwards that NGDS had a better camera than NG2.

Yes and no.

The fixed camera is great and all, but NGDS highlights what may be considered "wrong" with it. In some of the more panoramic areas you can be battling way off in the background, scratching away at ninjas only a few pixels tall. Kind of irritating.

Wouldn't be such a problem on a big TV screen using a regular controller, I'm sure, but part of the appeal of the home console Ninja Gaiden games I think is that the combat is "right in your face", where it's nice and visceral.

 

[Baconbitz]

Are you referring to the first battle with Momiji? If so, and if you haven't beaten the game yet, you won't beat the dragon due to it being invincible. Otherwise, just don't stay too far away from it, whenever you attack, only go for two or three slashes, then get ready to dodge.

No, the first big boss battle after momji has died.

 

[Jazzem]

Just played the demo of this from the Nintendo Channel (EU) and had an absolute blast, can't wait to pick it up!

 

[Creamium]

Just played the demo of this from the Nintendo Channel (EU) and had an absolute blast, can't wait to pick it up!

Oh yeah I forgot, the game is getting its Euro release in two weeks. That should bring at least a little life to this thread again... Pick it up folks.

 

[bathala]

OMG!
got my DS and this is the 1st game I played. the controls are AWESOME!!

i'm not done with game, but i want sequel already.
But, Itagaki gone from Tecmo. No more Gaiden for DS [am_sad_face]

 

[crispyben]

I picked this up because I was curious and because most people were singing the game's praise, but I can't get into it. I'm at chapter 4 I think, but I don't feel pulled... Could this be because of my screen protector? I know it's a strange question, but I can no longer find US Hori ones and had to switch to JP Hori ones, and the feeling & aspect is definitely different... Since the stylus movements are so important and the characters so tiny on screen, it could explain why I'm not sucked in.

 

[Larsen B]

Just played the demo of this from the Nintendo Channel (EU) and had an absolute blast, can't wait to pick it up!

Same here. I was not expecting a demo to be on the Nintendo Channel and was definitely not expecting the game to be as fun as it was. I'll be picking it up ASAP.

 

[WarpToken.com]

I beat this game the other day. It was good and everything, but I felt like I was playing it out of obligation just to see what would happen or what I could unlock....or just to finish it. I didn't feel like I really wanted to play it.

Like others have said. Kind of tedious....and way too easy.

 

[∀ Narayan]

OMG!
got my DS and this is the 1st game I played. the controls are AWESOME!!

i'm not done with game, but i want sequel already.
But, Itagaki gone from Tecmo. No more Gaiden for DS [am_sad_face]

Hayashi directed this, I think? Not Itagaki.

 

[Creamium]

Like others have said. Kind of tedious....and way too easy.

Like I said before, play it on Head Ninja, a mode that should've been available from the start. It's the mode where the enemies actually damage you if you're not careful

 

[Wizpig]

Bought it today, PAL version, fucking finally!
I thought i could aswell bump this thread

 

[Llyranor]

Good pick. It's an excellent title.

 

[Wizpig]

Good pick. It's an excellent title.

Awesome; i'm going to try it in minutes; to be honest i already had 3 DS games to play, but i was so hyped for this, i couldn't resist.

Hope it's not too hard, the Nintendo Channel demo was easy

 

[Llyranor]

The default difficulty shouldn't be too much of a challenge, though some of the later bosses did manage to kill me a bunch of times. You unlock harder difficulties afterwards if that's your cup of tea.

 

[Dash Kappei]

Wow.
I had zilch interest in the game, tried the demo up on Nintendo Channel yesterday and man I was wrong!
Never thought I would say this either but the gfx are fucking amazing, especially the animations and the whole smoothness of the action (at least for the little I've seen beating the -short- demo).

Picking it up asap!
See Miyamoto? Demos ARE good for you&co.

 

[Wizpig]

I bought this AND Picross DS thanks to the demos.

Anyway, i got two questions [first one is a spoiler about Chapter 1]

First: if you actually

Spoiler

beat the first boss with Momiji instead of dying, what's the prize you get?

Second: How do you do the "Slash up - down - up" move?
I can't do it, i slash as said but it just will do the "up-down" move.

 

[Llyranor]

Spoiler

You unlock a new game mode where you play as the female ninja. This can ONLY be done at the harder difficulty you unlock after finishing the game, NOT via the default diff.

As for the move, are you referring to the Inuza Drop? I thought it was down-up-up. In any case, they need to be individual strokes, so make sure the stylus is lifted from the screen in-between (even if only for a split-second).

 

[Wizpig]

Hmm, if you pause the game there's a scroll that says you can perform the Izuna move, the game also says -> Up Down Up but it doesn't work.
I might have seen that attack by doing Right Up Up, is it an attack where Ryu actually grabs the enemy and smashes it into the ground?

Also, the game told me that you can perform a powerful technique by slashing a lot of times and then, only then, releasing the stylus... but i can't seem to make that one work :S
Every time a chapter ends there's this voice about how many of these "supreme techinques" you made, but i always make 0

 

[Creamium]

That's the UT (ultimate technique). It's simple: just scratch on one spot furiously, Ryu should charge up. Note: like in the real NG games, the move charges instantly when there's yellow essence floating around, so that's something to keep in mind when you want to clear a room quickly.

And yes izuna drop is a ground smash. Make sure to make seperate slashes on the screen, i.e, lift up your stylus after each slash. It's paramount to make good use of the izuna drop since it instant kills any normal sized enemy.

 

[espionage]

thought this game was excellent, but had to stop playing it after 5 hours when i noticed that the UTs were causing me to scratch my screen. If only there were a less abrasive way to charge up the UTs, I would have actually beaten it!

 

[Wizpig]

That's the UT (ultimate technique). It's simple: just scratch on one spot furiously, Ryu should charge up. Note: like in the real NG games, the move charges instantly when there's yellow essence floating around, so that's something to keep in mind when you want to clear a room quickly.

And yes izuna drop is a ground smash. Make sure to make seperate slashes on the screen, i.e, lift up your stylus after each slash. It's paramount to make good use of the izuna drop since it instant kills any normal sized enemy.

Thanks for the explanations.
My problem with the UT is that if i scratch on one spot, well, Ryu actually moves to that spot and nothing charges up.
I'll try that again later though

 

[Creamium]

it's really easy once you get the hang of it. just practice in an empty room. Note that you can scratch at any point of the screen, you don't have to scratch on ryu himself.

 

[sennin]

I'm also fooling around with this together with NG2, and this is fast over shadowing NG2. At least it has its basics right, no freaking fatal bugs are here to crush my appreciation of fast ninja action. The touchscreen controls are ace, I have no problems doing all the classic moves with it. This is a golden title for the DS, despite the fact that I've revisited the same places from NG1 presented in gorgeous 2D artwork. Currently at chapter 3 or so...

 

[Captain_Spanky]

Just got this game after finally falling back in to the arms of the Ninja Gaiden franchise.

Sigma was the first game I got for my PS3. I sold it in a rage. Then rebought it. Then sold it in a rage. I want to buy it again now.

I got Sigma 2 recently, which I'm loving and saw Dragon Sword for just over a fiver on ***********. SOLD!

An excellent game, very smooth and fun stylus control.

But after several years with Ninja Gaiden I know how women in abusive relationships feel.