| Ninja Gaiden...two words burned into your memory if you were a
gamer of the eighties. It was an institution on th NES, and a
classic arcade beat-em-up. But many don't realize that the arcade
game and the NES franchise were two completely different games.
They bore little resemblence to each other. While the NES Ninja
Gaiden was a side-scrolling adventure, with a deep storyline. The
arcade game was a more traditional, Final Fight-type game. With
heavy emphasis on action. And it's the arcade game that made it's
way to the Lynx. In fact, this might be the *only* place you can
play arcade NG outside of an actual arcade. And if you've never
played it your missing out. Cuz once again the Lynx handles arcade
action beautifully.
GRAPHICS: Graphics on a portable shouldn't be this good. The
Lynx works overtime here, producing graphics faithful to the
arcade. Everything moves smoothly and the colors are vibrant. The
frame rate is a little on the choppy side, but nothing offensively
bad. And the still-pictures between each level are little bland.
***3/4
SOUNDS: This is some of the best stuff you'll hear from any
Lynx game. It's probably the most *complete* soundtrack on any
Lynx game. There are distinct tunes for every level. Each boss has
a theme. And all the usually POWS and POPS of one-on-one fighting
are here in spades. ****1/2
CONTROL: There's more to do in Ninja Gaiden than any other
beat-em-up on the Lynx. You have a standard punch, punch, kick
combo. Plus, you can backflip off walls, bodyslam thugs, and even
hack your way through enemy ninjas with katanas! ****
REPLAY: As much as you can expect from this type of game. Like
most beat-em-ups, once you beat the game your drive to replay
greatly diminishes. But NG has a way of drawing you back. The
levels are diverse and FUN. Each one has it's own enemies and
challenges. Plus, in order to beat the game, your looking at about
15 minutes of continous gameplay. So beating this sucker will take
some disipline. ***
Ninja Gaiden in widely accepted by Lynx owners as the best
beat-em-up available. And there's little doubt why. Fun gameplay,
great sound and graphics add up to a solid game. And unlike some
*cough, Batman, cough* the level of difficulty is just right. So
if your in the mood for action, you can't go wrong with Ninja
Gaiden.
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