(4/23/2014 - 4/29/2014) Game of the Week: Ninja Spirit

[Phase]

Haha!  Sorry man!  Every true Turbo fan has done that at some point.

yeah a couldn't believe it though, havent reset on accident for a while now

So true... I've cursed the controller reset many a time, but for rage quitting i wouldn't trade it for the world.

yeah I rage quit though all the time so then when you get pissed after say.. a low rage life loss, some times you do it out of habbit and then your like damn I wanted to keep playing  (this isn't as bad as the accident reset though that is just a punch to the gut)

Happened to me while playing Ninja Warriors.

sorry to bring back painful memories (..pictures you having a vivid black and white flashback)

[HailingTheThings]

Happened to me while playing Ninja Warriors.

sorry to bring back painful memories (..pictures you having a vivid black and white flashback)

Cute, very cute. I need to put in some time with Ninja Spirit soon, was gonna try tonight, but feeling like shitty mcshitterton over here, coming down with something again. Possibly tomorrow I can play it if I hop myself up on cold meds err something, would make the game feel scary. Ahhhh!!! lol

[Phase]

Just beat the game for the first time here   gonna go for a 1cc tomorrow. man I almost accidentally reset again switching weapons with select and wanting to pause.
Ending had some text that goes too quick and I couldn't read it fast enough

[csgx1]

Just beat the game for the first time here   gonna go for a 1cc tomorrow. man I almost accidentally reset again switching weapons with select and wanting to pause.
Ending had some text that goes too quick and I couldn't read it fast enough

This review shows a screen shot of the ending text:
http://www.thebrothersduomazov.com/2009/02/ninja-spirit.html


I did a 1cc, PCE mode for the first time.  Also did a play through on Arcade mode for the first time as well.  Arcade mode is really difficult.  Actually quite surprised how difficult it is since I died a lot on areas/enemies that were a breeze on PCE mode.  I lost count of how many times I continued. As a arcade/coin-op, this game is a quarter muncher.  Also never realized there's a slightly different ending for Arcade mode. 

A high score for this game is probably not a good measure for skill since most enemies respawn infinitely and there's no time limit. 

[esteban]

Cgsx1: Indeed, high scores are meaningless in Ninja Spirit because you can rubber-band the controller at certain points, walk away and max out the score.

I did this back in the day for an EGM/GamePro/whatever contest back in the day.

I can 1cc PCE mode, but I usually make clumsy/stupid mistakes in Arcade mode that make 1cc elusive.

However, it's really a matter of knowing when to advance slowly VS. aggressively rushing through...some segments are actually easier when you power through them (I know because I have tried trudging slowly through the entire game...)

 The game is so much more fun when you're aggressive and rushing, and, generally, you actually have leeway to be a *bit* reckless due to the forgiving jump/float/attack/power-up mechanics. This is why I love NS so much, it's actually quite forgiving in many respects. As if the designers knew that it felt great (fun!) to sprint-n-slash. Yes, I proclaim a new genre: sprint-n-slash.

[Punch]

I hate the endless falling part. Hate.

[Black Tiger]

I hate the endless falling part. Hate.

Protip: Hold Left.

[csgx1]

Cgsx1: Indeed, high scores are meaningless in Ninja Spirit because you can rubber-band the controller at certain points, walk away and max out the score.

I did this back in the day for an EGM/GamePro/whatever contest back in the day.

I can 1cc PCE mode, but I usually make clumsy/stupid mistakes in Arcade mode that make 1cc elusive.

However, it's really a matter of knowing when to advance slowly VS. aggressively rushing through...some segments are actually easier when you power through them (I know because I have tried trudging slowly through the entire game...)

 The game is so much more fun when you're aggressive and rushing, and, generally, you actually have leeway to be a *bit* reckless due to the forgiving jump/float/attack/power-up mechanics. This is why I love NS so much, it's actually quite forgiving in many respects. As if the designers knew that it felt great (fun!) to sprint-n-slash. Yes, I proclaim a new genre: sprint-n-slash.

Nice; 'sprint-n-slash' is a fitting term/genre for Ninja Spirit.  

Good tip.  I too found that being more aggressive and just pushing forward really makes it easier to get through some areas.  Also, (kind of like Gradius) dying and losing all power ups makes certain areas are a lot more difficult.

I did another play through on Arcade mode and it wasn't any easier than the first time.  Maybe I just suck at this game but I died and continued countless times again.  1cc Arcade mode seems impossible for me. The 4th stage and last stage & boss is where I probably die the most.  The guys with samurai swords (Mr. Ryuichi from manual) are super tough, agile and relentless.  Also being more aggressive on the last stage at the gas emitting cave seems to get me killed faster. 

Now I see why they added the PC Engine mode since the Arcade seems really difficult and kind of frustrating at times.  If anyone can 1cc or come close to a 1cc run on Arcade mode, then you must be a grand master at games with unbelievable skills. 

Any differences in the Japanese PC Engine version?

[roflmao]

Ninja Spirit is one of my desert island games.  Even though it's ridiculously short, I'm always left happy when I finish it. 

Here's a playthrough I posted to Youtube awhile back:

It's a playlist - each level is it's own video.

I'm off to go play it again.

[lukester]

Such an awesome game. That last stage with the secret spot in the ninja pit is ridiculous though.

One of the PCE's best.

[fragmare]

NINJA SPIRIT is a 10 out of f*cking 10!

This is my favorite US TG-16 HuCard game and my favorite ninja themed platform sidescroller game across ALL systems.  Even more so than the Ninja Gaiden trilogy on the NES, if that tells you how i feel about it.  The TG16 version is amazingly close to being arcade perfect (albeit with some flicker and slowdown in spots).  The TG16 version's music might actually be BETTER than the arcade, depending on your tastes.  It's just a really badass game, imo. 

Irem, apparently, just didn't give a shit about hardware limitations.  They were going to make their home ports arcade accurate or gtfo.  They did something similar with R-Type.

[Black Tiger]

NINJA SPIRIT is a 10 out of f*cking 10!

This is my favorite US TG-16 HuCard game and my favorite ninja themed platform sidescroller game across ALL systems.  Even more so than the Ninja Gaiden trilogy on the NES, if that tells you how i feel about it.  The TG16 version is amazingly close to being arcade perfect (albeit with some flicker and slowdown in spots).  The TG16 version's music might actually be BETTER than the arcade, depending on your tastes.  It's just a really badass game, imo. 

Irem, apparently, just didn't give a shit about hardware limitations.  They were going to make their home ports arcade accurate or gtfo.  They did something similar with R-Type.

I think that the PCE Ninja Spirit has much better music than the arcade and it is a beautiful and great fun game. But it and most of Irem's own ports aren't nearly as arcade faithful as so many other arcade to PCE ports, such as R-Type which was done by Hudson, as they tend to redraw and cut a lot of the graphics.

[termis]

Definitely one of the must-own titles on the system.  It blows away all other ninja games fo' sure - and that's a category chock-full of excellent games in its own...