Ninja Gaiden is way hard

[Gryndyl]

We've only had our x-box about a month and I just picked up Ninja Gaiden wednesday night.

My one emoti review:  :shock:

Think I had to reload about 30 times on the 1st boss, 20 on the 2nd and 3rd. This game is brutal. I shudder to imagine what's coming up on the later "harder" levels.

My thumbs have been red and swollen all day from the long evening I spent last night fighting the chapter 3 boss.

Fun and very pretty graphics though

[Purge]

actually, the bosses get easier, although the average enemies get way harder.

Want a quick way to make a lot of money in the game? I've got a "cheat" as it were... (developed myself).

There's a point at which you're in the sewers, and there's a tunnel you fall down (just before the first electrical worm). It looks like a chimney and it's filled with ~10 bats.

Now, this exploits 3 different elements.

1) charged up combos (using the floating essence) increases the multiplier on the essence found (and ensures it's all yellow essence).

2) Bats respawn when you've gone far enough away.

3) Damage taken from bats does not interrupt your charge.

Equip normal shuriken and vigooran flail.

So what you do is fall to the bottom of the chimney, and run away from the bats till you get to the clearing.

Turn around and head back to the bottom of the chimney, and throw 2 shuriken (one at a time, don't throw more than 2). Two bats die, and you can max your essence charge. Now charge up, and wait until all the bats from the chimney swarm above you... there should be 10 at a time, but you won't see all of them at once. I suggest waiting until you've been hit 4 times. (STILL HOLDING CHARGE). Now, unleash. BOOM! x9 combo and big essence. You could pick it up, OR throw one shuriken and hold down charge again (pulling the big essence and the little one to get a full combo hit. You get 3 sets of bats, and then head out to the clearing, and repeat the whole process over. In under 45 min I was able to max out my essence twice and buy all items / upgrades, including the wooden sword.

[Gryndyl]

good tip I've got a sword upgrade available but can't afford it becuase I blew all ogf my money on health.

Is there a savepoint anywhere in chapter 4 other than the starting point?!?

[Mystic95Z]

Yup its too damn hard. I usually end up pissed off after playing it for a while....

[Calvin]

I thought it was crazy hard, laughably linear, and one of the most overrated games of the year.

[Gryndyl]

yeah, chapter 4 is pissing me off. No health other than what you can afford to buy, no save point other than where you start, and respawning enemies on the path to and from the save point :x

[olaf]

It is a hard game, especially at first.

What frustrated me more than anything, and eventually lead to me shelving it, were the stupidly placed save points.

olaf

[The Rocketman]

Hang in there! We've all been there, at that point where the game seems too much work, and nothing works...

And then, suddenly, it starts 'clicking'... For me it did around chapter 4. I restarted my game then, and breezed through the earlier levels after that.

This is one of those precious few games, that once you're in the zone, you become Ryu Hayabusa. The Dragon Sword becomes an extension of your will, you will block, counter, roll, wall jump and perform every combo there is in the blink of an eye!

And really, not to brag or anything (because I rarely get ninja master-scores anyways), but you won't find it hard at all anymore after playing the hurricane packs.

Hints I can give you: Learn the dragon sword, learn wall and jump attacks, block and roll, use counter-techniques!, and try defeating normal enemies without losing any health. This can and MUST be done, so you can save your precious elixirs for bosses.

And yes, level 4 has a horrible save point progress. I was equally frustrated the first time I played that level. Just hang in there!

[Roguetad]

I enjoyed the game (for the most part), but the number of reloads I had over the course of the entire game was staggering.  It reminded me of games during the late 80s and early 90s that were very unforgiving.  The difficulty of the bosses seems to vary by individual, but there were several that caused me to reload 15-30 times (1st fight with pink demon chick, 2 worm things, helicopter, stupid tower "boss").  For the ones I listed, I had to actually walk away from the game because I wanted to throw the cd out into the street.  

It is a cool game, but a lower difficulty option would've been appreciated.  When I completed it, I remember thinking "Yes!  I did it!  Finally.  I'm never playing that f**king game again!"

It's a hard mofo, and if your twitch arcade skills have atrophied since the late 80s and early 90s (as well as your patience), it's not going to be a fun experience.  

Don't neglect the flails, they are mighty helpful against faster foes (like the black ninjas, ghost fish, and the undead hordes).  Towards the end you can rack up a ton of essence by using a flail just outside a zone gate against ghost fish.  You end up racking up insane amounts of combos, which make your essence totals go through the roof.  Very important for making sure you're stocked to the max with potions.  In fact, you really need to basically farm for essence in order to keep a full stock of potions.  You definitely dont want to roll into a boss fight (some levels have multiple boss fights!!) with a limited supply of potions.  

There are 2 platformer jumping puzzles (one near the end that's timed) that are...frustrating, to put it nicely.  The timed one in the end had me spewing forth obscenities at the screen as I reloaded it over and over.  
 
Oh and don't get me started about the weird-ass ending.  Dude, take the girl, don't jump into the rainbow.

[Beer Goggles]

Oh and don't get me started about the weird-ass ending.  Dude, take the girl, don't jump into the rainbow.

 :lol: