AngelCityOutlaw Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 Okay so I just finished kicking Ninja Gaiden 1's (the reboot series) ass. It kicked mine many many more times over, but that's beside the point. All I need now is "Dragon Sword" for DS and I will have defeated all of them. Is Dragon Sword good? It's on Amazon and I think I want it, I hear it's good, but I want opinions from people who don't review games for a living. I loved Shinobi on PS2, it's why I got one. There was an under-the-radar sequel called Nightshade. Never played it, but should I? I also loved the crap out of Metal Gear Rising and the first Devil May Cry, though I never beat the latter. I tried a demo for the reboot once and it seemed good. Definitive edition for PS4 is (sold)out in my town, but should I drop the $40 on it when I find a copy? Seems like a good deal or should I wait for a price drop? Basically, what are the best & most punishing but fair action games and Ninja themed action games ever that everyone should play in your opinion and why? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eino Keskitalo Posted March 18, 2015 Share Posted March 18, 2015 I have Dragon Sword for DS. I played Ninja Gaiden Sigma (alternating with a friend) and definitely dug it, but the touch screen controls didn't quite grab me I think.. though I didn't give it much time, so I'll put it next on my play list, give it another chance and let you know. By all means it wasn't horrible and felt similar enough to NGS. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted March 19, 2015 Author Share Posted March 19, 2015 I have Dragon Sword for DS. I played Ninja Gaiden Sigma (alternating with a friend) and definitely dug it, but the touch screen controls didn't quite grab me I think.. though I didn't give it much time, so I'll put it next on my play list, give it another chance and let you know. By all means it wasn't horrible and felt similar enough to NGS. Thanks! Also, Sigma on hard difficulty...damn. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Eino Keskitalo Posted March 19, 2015 Share Posted March 19, 2015 NINJA DOG.. that's what we were, apparently. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dj Mokram Posted March 20, 2015 Share Posted March 20, 2015 Devil May Cry 3 You can skip the second one, but DMC3 is an absolute must-play if you enjoy challenging action games. Not a ninja game per-se, but it was made by the team responsible for MGR Revengeance, back in the days. Strider 2014 While not equaling the original, the 2014 reboot of Strider is a solid action game with a steep difficulty curve if you're into that kind of thing. It's a solid mix of action and exploration with some challenging platforming/combat mixed in, and some truly intense moments. Mark of the Ninja If you enjoy a bit of stealth, with no less gruesome ninja action, then I wholeheartedly recommend Klei's Mark of the Ninja. It will test both your wits and reflexes, while providing a decent challenge and make you feel like a proper ninja. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted March 21, 2015 Author Share Posted March 21, 2015 Devil May Cry 3 You can skip the second one, but DMC3 is an absolute must-play if you enjoy challenging action games. Not a ninja game per-se, but it was made by the team responsible for MGR Revengeance, back in the days. Tried DMC3 back when it came out, but didn't make it very far - will have to give it another shot. Speaking of, I picked up DmC Definitive Edition today. Freakin' awesome game. I love the seamless switching between weapons, the game looks and sounds amazing and I dare say this is some of the best level design I've seen...anywhere. Strider 2014 While not equaling the original, the 2014 reboot of Strider is a solid action game with a steep difficulty curve if you're into that kind of thing. It's a solid mix of action and exploration with some challenging platforming/combat mixed in, and some truly intense moments. Man, how did I forget Strider? The remake was the first PS4 game I bought, actually. I never played the NES original, but yeah, I liked the remake and beat it on a few different difficulties. We need moar metroidvanias! Mark of the Ninja If you enjoy a bit of stealth, with no less gruesome ninja action, then I wholeheartedly recommend Klei's Mark of the Ninja. It will test both your wits and reflexes, while providing a decent challenge and make you feel like a proper ninja. Never heard of this one! I shall definitely check this out. Thanks for the great suggestions and pictures! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graycascade Posted March 21, 2015 Share Posted March 21, 2015 Do the Batman: Arkham games count? Because I thought those were fantastic. I have never before really felt like the Batman. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 Do the Batman: Arkham games count? Because I thought those were fantastic.I have never before really felt like the Batman. I suppose not in the exact context I created the thread with - like the sort of Devil May Cry type of action game, but they are categorized as action games so they count. That's an interesting point. I guess the Devil May Cry, Ninja Gaiden, Metal Gear Rising etc. style is kind of its own thing - I'm not really sure what you'd call it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lazygecko Posted March 22, 2015 Share Posted March 22, 2015 You know, with how stealth games have gotten more mainstream in recent years, it makes me wonder why we never see any ninja games that are faithful to the actual idea of a ninja rather than just balls to the wall hardcore action. I'd imagine a kind of game like Thief/Dishonored which promotes patience and careful planning, and the pacing of the action would be more like Hotline Miami. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted March 22, 2015 Author Share Posted March 22, 2015 You know, with how stealth games have gotten more mainstream in recent years, it makes me wonder why we never see any ninja games that are faithful to the actual idea of a ninja rather than just balls to the wall hardcore action. If they were faithful to the idea of a ninja, the protagonist's backstory would be you were plucked from the lowest of the low class and trained in the art of sabotage and disguise from a young age. You'd spend most of the game dressed as a commoner such as a farmer or member of the enemy ranks so that you might eavesdrop, set stuff on fire and every now and then maybe kill someone important with something sharp. It's like in Metal Gear Solid, it wouldn't be as fun if they told you the truth. Even if you did manage to sneak into some military base like in MGSV, the second they thought someone who wasn't supposed to be there was on the premises, the entire base would be locked down and you'd have no escape - game over. It's just not as fun to infiltrate the enemy's ranks apparently. It's more fun to play hide and seek and shoot people and most gamers only seem to really care about the latter. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Charizard6 Posted March 24, 2015 Share Posted March 24, 2015 It's like in Metal Gear Solid, it wouldn't be as fun if they told you the truth. Even if you did manage to sneak into some military base like in MGSV, the second they thought someone who wasn't supposed to be there was on the premises, the entire base would be locked down and you'd have no escape - game over. It's just not as fun to infiltrate the enemy's ranks apparently. It's more fun to play hide and seek and shoot people and most gamers only seem to really care about the latter. At least in the 3DS version of the third Metal Gear, the locking down does happen. Of course, if you kill everyone in the vicinity there's only so much they could do from keeping you from fleeing considering you're among the bush instead of the urban jungle. Stealth is also a necessity for rescue missions and on harder difficulties you only get a dart gun with limited ammo, meaning you have to hide or you'll die. Drops are down, enemies are up in health and AI awareness. And there's more traps. There's simply too much danger otherwise to blitz. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MindWanderer Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 For a romanticized but less action-y ninja game, I loved the Tenchu series. I haven't seen a series where acrobatic stealth was done better. Moving in 3D is a whole other feel from Metal Gear games. I think of DmC as "combo-based action." God of War, Bayonetta, and Castlevania: Lament of Innocence (haven't played any other 3D Castlevania games) would be other games in that sub-genre. Batman: Arkham is kind of borderline, the combo system is almost on rails unless you go for really high variety bonuses. I haven't played the new Ninja Gaiden games (one is on my shelf), but I understand those are similar; Metal Gear Rising seemed similar as well from the demo I played. Similar 2-D games I've played are Guacamelee and Shank. I've only played the older Dynasty Warriors games (2 and 3), but they were moving in this sort of direction. Not sure where those are at now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoeTaKa Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 Speaking of, I picked up DmC Definitive Edition today. Freakin' awesome game. I love the seamless switching between weapons, the game looks and sounds amazing and I dare say this is some of the best level design I've seen...anywhere. It baffles me when anyone says this. DmC's level design is pretty standard and boring, it's just overly dressed up with gimmicks. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted March 25, 2015 Author Share Posted March 25, 2015 It baffles me when anyone says this. DmC's level design is pretty standard and boring, it's just overly dressed up with gimmicks. So what would you call "good" level design in an action game, exactly? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RoeTaKa Posted March 25, 2015 Share Posted March 25, 2015 So what would you call "good" level design in an action game, exactly? I'm pretty biased in that I think DmC is a terrible Devil May Cry sequel but an above average game in its own right. I barely remember any of the levels in it besides some of the warping that happens. Action games should have some well thought out locations or great set pieces...the only place I really remember is the night club and even that was pretty straight forward. Usually action games are saved by the combat and the boss fights but those weren't great either, the colour coded enemies were more frustrating than adding another gameplay element and the boss fights were complete pushovers. DMC2 falls into this area as well, that game felt pretty bland throughout but at least it was tougher. I couldn't tell you which of the two I liked better. It depends what you're into I suppose. I remember Metal Gear Rising came out around the same time and I thought that was far superior in every way even though it was shorter but even that game didn't really have great levels in it - they served their purpose pretty well. It was completely saved by a great combat engine, the cut mechanic and decent boss fights. I like both DMC1 and 3 a lot for having one large location that you become familiar with, I think Ninja Gaiden did that too but it's been a long time since I played that. Also God of War 3 kind of did that, I remember that being fairly decent throughout and I'm not really a God of War fan. I'd recommend Castlevania: Lords of Shadow if you don't think about it as Castlevania too much. The combat is pretty good and you learn moves and abilities like any of these games, I really enjoyed it and it is quite a big game. If you count Demon's souls and Dark Souls in this thread they are both amazing action RPGs with great level design too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted April 1, 2015 Author Share Posted April 1, 2015 If you count Demon's souls and Dark Souls in this thread they are both amazing action RPGs with great level design too. I never understood people's hard-ons for the souls games. The world looks like Tolkien as imagined by an emo kid circa 2007 and I've yet to meet one person who can explain what the game is even about. I'm not convinced there is a story. I recently gave Bloodborne a shot, because it looked faster and the world is way more inspired. It's definitely taken more than a few pages from Dracula. That being said, it's still the epitome of over-rated. I'm convinced that if I slapped two colors of paint on a piece of plywood, I'd have more fun waiting to see which one dried first than the skull-numbing monotony of Bloodborne and the Souls games. By the 20th time of re-spawning in Central Yharnam I could actually feel myself age. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted April 4, 2015 Author Share Posted April 4, 2015 K so I kinda recant my statement about Bloodborne. I gave it another whirl and after you beat Father Gascoigne the game actually gets pretty decent. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Garpocalypse Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 If you are into Ninja games then you need to play the Tenchu series. All of them. Well not the Ubisoft published one. And Certainly not SEGA's Tenchu Z. Avoid those. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted April 5, 2015 Author Share Posted April 5, 2015 If you are into Ninja games then you need to play the Tenchu series. All of them. Well not the Ubisoft published one. And Certainly not SEGA's Tenchu Z. Avoid those. I notice games that have "Z" in the title like that are usually terrible. Ninja Gaiden Z certainly being one of them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LuketheXjesse Posted April 5, 2015 Share Posted April 5, 2015 i'm sad nobody's mentioned . the north american version leaves the "again" out of the title for the record. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AngelCityOutlaw Posted April 12, 2015 Author Share Posted April 12, 2015 i'm sad nobody's mentioned . the north american version leaves the "again" out of the title for the record. Was never a fan of the whole "beat em' up" genre, but seems like a worthy mention indeed. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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