After finally making it to chapter four (woohoo!), I've really grown to love Ninja Gaiden. It's hard as I don't know what, but at the same time it's rewarding. While playing it, I asked myself what makes this game good. Here's some observations:
- In essence, the game seems to be a weapons-based 3D fighting game (like DOA) on a macroscopic scale. The intimacy (and intricacy) of the combat system would be pretty intense on a one-on-one level, but since Team Ninja has you battling multiple enemies at once. Granted, it's a bit more simple, but given the intelligence of the enemy and the number of opponents, it's quite daunting. You have to be thinking of many things at once to get a grip on this game. That's why for me, I have to be in a particular mindset to play this game.
- While the combat takes precedent, TN also incorporates facile level design and a tremendous control scheme. Ryu literally moves on a dime. In fact, sometimes I feel that it's too sensitive, but honestly it has to be in order for the game to be fun. A problem I find though is in Ryu's acrobatics: I am a bit frustrated that TN didn't allow Ryu to grab ledges with more regularity (a la prince of persia). There were many times when I was able to get him to run up a wall high enough to grab a ledge, but he wouldn't do it. Couple that with the sensitive control scheme, and sometimes you have a confusing jumping scenario. This can be ameliorated with practice, but still...
- The story is mediocre, but who cares? The intensity of the combat simply bowls over this aspect.
I think this game is a positive step towards a revival of difficult games. During the early days, videogames were hard because the challenge was basically the driving selling point these days; graphics were incredibly spartan back then. Today, graphics are a viable selling point for games. I don't think this is necessarily bad, but it does cause stagnation in creativity. Games like Ninja Gaiden show a new way to re-introduce difficulty in mainstream games: Much like 2D shooters, you reward the player's skill with a visual treat. And, there is a tangible satisfaction in mastering the controls of the game.
I just got DMC3, but I'm waiting to play that when I get back to school. I think we might be heading towards an interesting period in gaming.
