[DS] Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword - stylus-based head removal!

slash000

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Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword Thread!



Description:

Uncover all the mysteries of Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword as you fight enemy ninjas and battle various fiends while taking on the role of Master Ninja, Ryu Hayabusa, in an all new storyline for the Nintendo DS.

Innovative DS Stylus Functionality: Smoothly maneuver and fight through levels with the intuitive operaton of the DS stylus. Hold the DS with one hand like a book to assist in the operation of the stylus which allows players to view a wider range of scenes. Cast Ninpo (Ninja Magic) by Letter Input Using the DS Stylus, draw various letters to quickly execute numerous types of Ninnpo.

Experience Team NINJA's first original action game for the Nintendo DS.

Ninja Gaiden DS is Itagaki and Team Ninja's first DS action game.

Best known for the console iterations of Ninja Gaiden, Itagaki was determined to bring hardcore action gaming to the DS. After being impressed by Nintendo's decision to present a new kind of handheld experience, Itagaki was excited to try putting his creative skills to the test in order to utilize the touch screen and dual screen capabilities of the Nintendo DS. After months of speculation and rumors of a naughty touch-based Dead or Alive DS game, Itagaki finally revealed that Ninja Gaiden would be the game coming to the system by him and his team.



Why Ninja Gaiden?

Because :

Itagaki wrote:

"I think that since the DS is a very unique computing device, when I originally announced the title, I had expected and hoped that people would be bringing out very game-like games, games that utilize that interface. But what we've found is that a lot of games are out there that are almost like applications, things that aren't using the full extent of what the DS is capable as gaming hardware."

He went on to say:

Itagaki wrote:

"It would be against my philosophy to dumb it down just to make it easy. Games should be challenging, that's what makes them fun. You have to keep that element of forcing the player to go up against the game, and lose, but get better, so that they can conquer it. There are ways that you can do that, but make it more approachable."

Screenshots























Various reviews:

Play Magazine
It's so beautiful--so far superior visually to anything on the DS--that it's the kind of game that makes it worth buying the system for. [Apr 2008, p.68]

1UP
The swordplay feels so fast, fun, and addictive that you'll unfortunately feel tempted to breeze through Ryu's adventure in record time.

GameTrailers
Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword proves to have a sharp edge with good tech and smooth pacing. It also manages to turn the stylus into an effective ninja weapon, making it play like no other game on Nintendo’s little dual screen.

IGN
Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword kicks a whole lot of butt on the Nintendo DS. Visually, the game's a stunner, and the action is intense and almost non-stop.

GamePro
As a standalone DS game, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword is an amazing adventure almost at the level of "Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass". [Apr 2008, p.79]

So, the game ships today, and should be available tomorrow, unless you're lucky and somehow got it today!

I've been highly anticipating this game for a long time, and I'll be getting it ASAP tomorrow - then I'll post my impressions as I play!



Everyone who loves action games should get this. This is a high-quality action game that was developed by a top notch developer. Rarely do we EVER get handheld games with this kind of production value and attention - most of the time big franchises are contracted out to third parties, and given small budgets, resulting often in fairly mediocre shadows of the franchise games.

But this is different. Here we have a whole team of great console action game developers and their director coming up with a game designed and developed from the ground up specifically for the NDS and its special features.


This should be good.


Who else is getting it? Who else is excited?



**** Disclaimer -- I have have no idea if there is stylus-based decapitation in this game. :P

King Riptor

I have yet to see this game in action. It does look promising however.

bloodatonement

I played the demo. It's fun, but the controls feel random.

slash000

bloodattonment wrote: »

I played the demo. It's fun, but the controls feel random.

I'm not sure you can really get a good feel, progressively, for how the controls function from just a demo.

I thinking that playing the game, and learning how it controls over the course of the levels, will result in teaching you how to properly do moves and control them and Hayabusa more effectively.

Lunker

Oh, Ninja Gaiden DS. You picked a bad time to come out, since I can't afford you. I expect a grand fusion of Phantom Hourglass and Trauma Center, so this will become mine at some point. Is this retailing at $30 or $35?

slash000

Lunker wrote: »

Oh, Ninja Gaiden DS. You picked a bad time to come out, since I can't afford you. I expect a grand fusion of Phantom Hourglass and Trauma Center, so this will become mine at some point. Is this retailing at $30 or $35?

$35

But worth every penny.


Of pure awesome ninja action.

Xagarath

Dammit.
Too many DS games to buy.
I hear this one is short, so it will have to wait a little.

unknownsome1

I am definitely going to pick up a copy of this game. It looks really good and I'm sure it's worth the price.

Geod

I have it pre-ordered, shall get it tomorrow after work!

Eight Rooks

The controls are not random. They are awesome.

I'm still not good enough to do much of anything other than whittle the bosses down, and they're also frustratingly easy - at the same time, there's still a feeling of achievement in taking them out skillfully, no matter if you're talking under a minute rather than three. They look really good though. The boss at the end of the temple stage was particularly intimidating.

I'm still glad I picked it up on import, though, even if it was more than I could really afford and I can't give the game the time it deserves. Oh, well. Makes it last a little longer, I guess.

slash000

Xagarath wrote: »

Dammit.
Too many DS games to buy.
I hear this one is short, so it will have to wait a little.

It's not any shorter than your typical DS action game.

And not much shorter than a typical Ninja Gaiden game or Devil May Cry game.

Malkor

Looks good, I need more $$$.

slash000

Eight Rooks wrote: »

The controls are not random. They are awesome.

I'm still not good enough to do much of anything other than whittle the bosses down, and they're also frustratingly easy - at the same time, there's still a feeling of achievement in taking them out skillfully, no matter if you're talking under a minute rather than three. They look really good though. The boss at the end of the temple stage was particularly intimidating.

I'm still glad I picked it up on import, though, even if it was more than I could really afford and I can't give the game the time it deserves. Oh, well. Makes it last a little longer, I guess.

Incidentally, japanese devs like Capcom and iirc even Team Ninja typically make the Japanese versions of their action games a little easier than the western versions of them....

I don't know if that's the case with this game, though.

UncleSporky

I don't understand all the praise about it being a "visual stunner, the best on the DS" in the OP. Sure it's pretty, but that's because the backgrounds are prerendered (right? For the most part?). I know, I know, it's such a minor point, especially on the DS...but nothing has ever supplanted Square-Enix in my mind.

But anyway. I will buy this and I will love it and hate it at the same time.

EDIT: Well maybe not totally prerendered but the textures have a lot of extra detail built-in, it's not all geometry. I think Dragon Quest Monsters and Crystal Chronicles did better.

slash000

UncleSporky wrote: »

I don't understand all the praise about it being a "visual stunner, the best on the DS" in the OP. Sure it's pretty, but that's because the backgrounds are prerendered (right? For the most part?). I know, I know, it's such a minor point, especially on the DS...but nothing has ever supplanted Square-Enix in my mind.

But anyway. I will buy this and I will love it and hate it at the same time.

As far as graphically, it definitely looks good in videos, and is probably more impressive when you play it. Some backgrounds are prerendered and some are not. But I think the articles are also referring to the artistic direction as well, maybe. And the fact that it runs at a solid smooth framerate

Right now I think the most impressive looking games on the DS are Prime Hunters and Nanostray 2 and maybe the S-E rpgs or maybe Phourglass. Once I get this game tomorrow I'll be able to say for sure.



Whatever the case, the game looks like a ton of fun, and I'm glad for a good graphics engine, but I'm more excited about the gameplay.

Nitsuj82

I think I'll ride my bike over to Target to grab this when they open tomorrow. I'm currently catching up and playing my way through FF3, which is decidedly the snoozefest everyone told me it would be.

Sueve

I don't get the vertical screen thing... do you play with just the stylus?

Nitsuj82

Sueve wrote: »

I don't get the vertical screen thing... do you play with just the stylus?

Yes. But you hold the DS sideways.

slash000

Sueve wrote: »

I don't get the vertical screen thing... do you play with just the stylus?

You hold the DS book-style, as made famous by Brain Age, also seen in such games as Planet Puzzle League, Hotel Dusk, Konami Arcade Classics, Meteos: Disney, and others.

It's actually an incredibly comfortable way to hold the system if you're playing vertical stylus-controlled games.


And yes, you play Ninja Gaiden DS with just the stylus.

Sueve

be sure to tell us how it plays

Eight Rooks

The backgrounds are largely pre-rendered - what I've seen so far, anyway. Some bits and pieces of geometry for doors, movable furniture, so on. They are pretty, but yes, the reviews have been going a little over the top - I don't particularly worship NG for the art direction and the backgrounds are very obviously flat pictures.

Visually, the impact comes from - well, tired old cliche, but it really does look gorgeous in motion. The only other DS game I've seen so far with 3D animation this good is Soma Bringer. Unsurprisingly, Ryu's not quite up to the consoles but Team Ninja have done an amazing job on getting as much of that same feel in as they possibly can. I seem to remember reading it's managing a constant 60FPS - not that I'm that bothered but it's certainly incredible to watch. I'll say it again, I'm still not tired of pulling off Izuna drops. Does not get old, or at least it hasn't so far.

And the controls are very, very easy to pick up. I do have one caveat now - they get a lot more fiddly when the action's very far from the camera. >_< But it's still doable.

Man of the Waves

I preordered this online, so hopefully it will come tomorrow, along with the preorder swag.

Eight Rooks

Oh, and to be pedantic you don't just play with the stylus. Start or Select accesses the menu (see inventory, select ninpo), though you don't really need it. Checkpoints auto-save and you can change ninpo when you activate one - the little icon in the top left might say fire or lightning or whatever, but you can select another one before you start drawing the symbol. Plus pressing any other face button (might be the shoulders too, I don't remember right now) makes you block. I haven't really needed to do it, though, and Ryu seems to auto-block a lot of enemies' basic attacks anyway.

Waka Laka

The only thing that I'm worried about is that most reviews have said its a little on the easy side. Looks incredible though.

Rhesus Positive

God dammit, I can't afford this game

Fireflash

Waka Laka wrote: »

The only thing that I'm worried about is that most reviews have said its a little on the easy side. Looks incredible though.

Did they mention higher difficulty modes? I don't mind my first playthrough being a bit on the easy side if there's some hard/very hard mode that can fuck me in the ass.

muninn

Fireflash wrote: »

Waka Laka wrote: »

The only thing that I'm worried about is that most reviews have said its a little on the easy side. Looks incredible though.

Did they mention higher difficulty modes? I don't mind my first playthrough being a bit on the easy side if there's some hard/very hard mode that can fuck me in the ass.

Well, the game IS pretty easy. at least when compared to previous installments of the series (and this is coming from a guy who couldnt beat the 1st boss in the x-box version). Once you beat the game once, you unlock hard mode.

Also, this game is friggin' amazing.

LCDXX

I'm a Ninja Gaiden whore. As such, this game is incredible. I just wish Hard Mode was available from the beginning.

It should be mentioned, too, that this is a straight-up sequel to Ninja Gaiden/NGB/NG:Sigma - and seeing a lot of the environments meticulously recreated here on the DS is most excellent (ie, the village layout is nearly identical despite being a series of 2D backdrops). Also, the plot is a great continuation - AND it serves to setup the events of NG2 on Xbox 360 (<3).

One thing the many of the reviews point out and it can't be stressed enough: you aren't going to experience gameplay like this anywhere else. The use of the DS touch screen is just crazy fun. At first you start swiping/scribbling all over the place, but after a bit you realize there's an intuitive and responsive combo system.

Like any NG game before it, I can't praise it enough. It's fucking great.

Fireflash

All these positive comments are really tempting me. I think I have to buy this.

slash000

Just got home with the game! About to pop it in! Excited is me!

slash000

Awesome! I just played through about 20 minutes of it; it's fantastic so far. The controls are spot-on. I think if anyone had issue with controls, it's because for a lot of moves - jumps, slashes, certain things - you're supposed to lift the stylus up after the slash-like maneuvers on the touchscreen. So far, really, I haven't had a single issue with control, I think it's fantastic, and I love how its implemented on the DS.

The blocking is reserved to 'any button on the DS' - meaning you can block by pressing anything on th Dpad, which is right under your thumb if you're holding the DS book style. So it's a good placement. Some stuff is auto-blocked, but I suspect that autoblocking is removed once you play Hard mode.



Since someone asked before --

Graphics.

Why are they considered so good? Well, couple of reasons.

First, yes, most of the level areas are pre-rendered. But there's more to it that screenshots can't present. Not only are the backgrounds gorgeous, but many of them have animated sections to them. So while there may be a lake in the background, there is animated ripples to the water. Secondly, when you are moving through the areas, the screen will pan and rotate and zoom to follow your character, which kind of gives it a more believable feel. Furthermore, during combat, the camera will often zoom in on certain special moves, for kind of a cinematic effect.

Next, the reason the graphics are so good is because the character models are excellent. The enemies and player models are not only well modelled and well-detailed, but they also have good texturing on them, which makes them look great when the characters are close or far from the 'camera.' Secondly, every model so far is animated very, very well for a portable game.

Next, the boss battles take place entirely in 3D, and they look great. The 'arenas' look nice and are nicely textured, and the large bosses are fanastically modelled and animated as well. The character models of course always look good, and usually you can appreciate it more during these sequences, as the camera usually sticks behind you during boss battles.

Lastly, the cutscenes. These are done using 2D artwork, but the scenes and sprites are 'animated' to a degree with constant changes to the images and effects. Kind of like Elite Beat Agents style 'animated' cutscenes, but not so hectic. Some of the art is 'anime'-esque but it's well drawn, colored, and detailed, and it looks good; as opposed to generic.


So I guess you might say that technically speaking, the graphics aren't the most impressive; but given the nature of the system and hardware, the graphics are very good to look at.


Also, the music and sound effects are great too. While no dialogue is spoken, character reactions are sometimes accentuated with voiced sound effects.


There was a little reference to the classic Ninja Gaiden trilogy in there, too -- when starting the 'second stage,' or chapter, it played the little "Act" jingle from the NES trilogy. Did the Xbox versions of the game ever do that? It was a nice surprise.

HadjiQuest

The only place near me that had this was Walmart, but I grabbed it, and it is fantastic. I haven't enjoyed a game this much in almost a year (aside from Charles Barkley: Shut Up and Jam: Gaiden).

Man of the Waves

The animations and 3d are nicely done as are the backdrops. I especially like the attention to detail employed to make the village look exactly like the preceding games.

At first, I thought the pictures used for the dialogue and cutscenes were underwhelming, but not after seeing the cutscene at the beginning of chapter 4.

Obaba unveiling Momiji was creepy!

The cutscenes are somewhat like comic panels with a bit of sound added, which works pretty well.

Normal mode is a good deal easier than in the earlier versions, but hopefully that is rectified in the later difficulties. New saves overwrite old ones, so there isn't a way to go back and get better rankings, at least not that I can tell.

Ranking is based on time, enemies killed, ultimate technique usage and karma.


So far, it's a very enjoyable game and an inspired use of the DS hardware.

Kelor

slash000 wrote: »

And yes, you play Ninja Gaiden DS with just the stylus.

Does anyone know if it supports left handers? If I'm holding it like a book I'll be covering up the top screen while I'm using the stylus.

Man of the Waves

Yes, there is an option to switch the handedness of the game.

powersurge

So I'm a couple of levels in and this is pure awesome. Controls are really well done and a lot of fun. And is it just me or is the level intro music the same as the original NES game? Sounds familiar.

OtakuD00D

While Itagaki has the right idea in regards to the difficulty and not dumbing it down, he's still a total douche.

Fucking black ninjas. ....Game looks pretty though.

Geod

I'll also chime in about how awesome the game is. Played for a few hours last night, which prevented me from playing Brawl, and it's a great game. Great control, graphics, everything. Particularly the control I'm really impressed with. I'm loving playing it, it's quite amazing a feat when you think of it.

And also like everyone else, I'll say it's a tad on the easy side. Hopefully I'll have time to play it on a harder difficulty later on.

slash000

oh, side note; it's controlled MOSTLY but not entirely with stylus, as pressing any button or dpad is Block and pressing start or select brings up the inventory screen.

Neither of these makes the controls difficult though, as the dpad rests right below your thumb when you hold the DS book style

slash000

Short but interesting Kotaku article about NG:_DS and the producer's comments:

I had a chance to sit down with Team Ninja's Yosuke Hayashi, producer of Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, in New York earlier this week, where he had flown to help launch the portable title in the U.S.

Hayashi spent much of the day sitting at a table near the front doors of the Nintendo World Store quietly talking to patiently waiting fans through a translator, posing for pictures and signing autographs.

It was, he said, the first chance he had to talk to the public about the game, a game he feels people were waiting to come out.

"The fact that people lined up at the store today to purchase the game, that feels good," he said.

Hayashi said the project started out not as a way to get Ninja Gaiden onto the DS, but as a way to create an innovative action game for the portable.

"Internally we saw the project as starting to develop a brand new action game for the DS," he said. "We wanted it to be better than the current games that are out there. We had the DS in front of us and we thought about what we could do we do with it; the fact that you can use the stylus to do the slicing and moving around. Then we found the perfect match which was to bring the world of Ninja Gaiden to the DS."

"It wasn't really like we had huge concerns about trying to bring everything that was accomplished in Ninja Gaiden to a handheld. It was more like this is a brand new title we are going to build taking advantage of the DS features."

Initially Team Ninja had their concerns, the Ninja Gaiden franchise had already appeared on the much more powerful next-gen systems and they weren't sure if people were going to think that the DS version would live up to the name.

"There was a lot of talk about how well that would translate onto the handheld," he said. "But after the release a lot of people have commented that it still has the soul of Ninja Gaiden the series. So far it's been very well received."

Hayashi said the time spent working on the game convinced him that the team should do more on the DS and perhaps on the Wii.

"As for a specific follow for a sequel to Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword there is no plans to a DS 2 or anything that has a continuation from Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword story, however having been able to work on developing a title for the DS this time around I've seen a lot of exciting opportunities and I myself am more excited that I now see the DS being a handheld or console that I can work on and develop a better game perhaps in the future," he said. "When the DS first came out for awhile it was very popular but I couldn't get a grip on what titles were going to really show off the hardware in terms of its capabilities. I do feel that Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword has been able to move in that direction. Hopefully this title will lead to some examples of how to create some even more exciting action games. So in that sense I would like to work on something in the future for the DS."

"Wii is also the same way," he said. "I see a huge amount of potential in the hardware and I am personally very into it and pretty excited about what can be possible on the Wii. I'm hoping I can come up with something for the Wii from our team."

http://kotaku.com/373373/team-ninja-thinking-of-more-ds-wii-games

HadjiQuest

The boss in chapter 10 is rocking me.

The golden lobster-like one with an assload of claws.

Any suggestions? Beyond just spamming him over and over until I win?