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Ninja Gaiden is a series of video games by developer / publisher Tecmo, featuring the dragon ninja Ryu Hayabusa. The game is called Ninja Ryukenden in Japan and Shadow Warriors in Europe.
The series gained popularity on the 8-bit Nintendo Family Computer/Nintendo Entertainment System for its tight action-platform gameplay, catchy music and use of cinematic cutscenes that unveiled the plot. The 8-bit trilogy was enhanced for the 16-bit Super Famicom/Super Nintendo Entertainment System in 1995. It has recently been released as a 3D action game on the Xbox, developed by Team Ninja (the makers of Dead or Alive).
NES Trilogy
The original Ninja Gaiden was released in 1988-89. A ninja named Ryu Hayabusa is instructed by his recently-murdered father Ken to go to America and recover the Demon Statues, artifacts with the power to end the world. He eventually ends up in South America battling the Jacquio, the evil mastermind responsible for the attack on Ken Hayabusa.
The game introduced many of the series' staples, including the cinematic cut-scenes, the Windmill Sjuriken, the magical techniques called Ninja Arts, and the ability to scale walls. Like all games in the series, it is noted for its difficulty.
In the sequel, Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, Ryu learns that the Jacquio was working for a villain named Ashtar. Ryu must rescue Irene Lew, a former CIA agent, from Ashtar and retrieve the Dark Sword, a weapon of great power.
This game was the first to feature Spirit Clones, invincible copies of Ryu which would mimic his movements and fight by his side.
The third game, subtitled Ancient Ship of Doom, has a rather convoluted and at times contradictory story featuring rogue secret agents, genetic engineering, and the eponymous warship. The gameplay is largely unchanged and we get to know more about Foster, the CIA agent who sent Ryu after Jaquio in the first game, and his true intentions towards the ninja. This game is often considered to be the more difficult of the original trilogy because there are only five continues.
Ninja Gaiden on the Xbox
Released in 2004, the Xbox Ninja Gaiden could be seen as a prequel to the NES trilogy, containing no story elements from those games. Taking advantage of the advances in video gaming technology, Ninja Gaiden had evolved from a side-scrolling action game to a 3D game with a third-person view on the protaganist. This decision has sparked criticism from many, who say that the camera angles make gameplay irritating and difficult. The game sometimes chooses new camera angles based on the player's movements, but tapping one of the shoulder buttons automatically orients the camera behind the character. The series retained its challenging gameplay and the use of cutscenes to reveal the plot.
The story revolves around the Dark Dragon Blade, a sword made from the bones of a Black Dragon. It could absorb any evil from its vicinity and transform its wielder into the devil incarnate. For this reason, it was sealed away and protected by warriors of the Dragon Lineage. Their descendants formed the Hayabusa ninja clan, and Ryu Hayabusa was one of them. Ryu had inherited the Dragon Sword from his father Ken while the latter was training in the "Sacred Wilderness".
However, while Ryu was away from the Hayabusa Village to see his uncle Murai (who had left to form his own ninja clan), the village was attacked by an army of samurai led by a Greater Fiend named Doku. Doku stole the Dark Dragon Blade and nearly killed Ryu when the young ninja confronted him. Later, Ryu recovered from his injuries and was informed by Murai that Doku came from the Vigoor Empire. Ryu then set out to retrieve the Dark Dragon Blade before it could gather enough power from the hatred and evil surrounding it.
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