Relentlessly difficult, yet still addicting enough to make you keep going.

User Rating: 9 | Ninja Ryuukenden NES
Older gamers that grew up around the NES age can still remember the age when a good deal of Nintendo games were ball-bustingly difficult no matter who the target audience was. Some of the more common games include the Castlevania series and Mega Man series. But most will agree that the Ninja Gaiden trilogy is the most brutal. Ninja Gaiden started out in the arcades as a beat-'em up, but then came over to the NES as a fast paced, adrenalin-pumping side-scroller. The first game is actually slightly easier than its predecessors, but it is by no means any less punishing. Despite this, however, it is still one of the best and most memorable games in the NES library.
The game follows the tale of Ryu Hayabusa, who's on a journey to America to avenge his father's death. It is also there that Ryu learns of an evil plot involving two sacred statues that could bring about the end of the world. So naturally, Ryu is off to save the day. One of the best, and most innovative, features in the game is the introduction of cutscenes. The cutscenes were presented like that of an Anime. Back then it was like nothing people have ever seen. Most were used to just reading text, but then they get to see animated, cinematic-quality cutscenes. These still hold up rather nicely today.

The game is set as a side-scrolling platformer with a heavy emphasis on action. Very rarely will you ever think to stop since enemies are constantly barraging after you. You'll constantly be running, jumping, slashing, and even wall jumping. At the end of each act you'll face off against one of the cool-looking and challenging bosses. This fast-paced action is what helps make this game really addictive to play. The controls in this game remain spot-on throughout. There are a total of 20 levels to go through compiled together into six acts. Aside from your normal attacks you can also pick up secondary weapons like fireballs, shuriken stars, a shield of fire, and a "jump & slash" attack (similar to the screw attack from Metroid) . Each weapon you use consumes Ryu's spiritual strength. You can replenish his spiritual strength by picking up the red and blue spiritual strength items found in breakable objects.

Now it's time to get the most annoying part out of the way. Something that makes this game far more difficult than what it needs to be: Cheap enemy placement. Enemies can be found on the smallest of platforms you need to cross, come in all directions, and constantly knock you back (most likely into a bottomless pit). This is a similar problem found in Castlevania games, but it is a far bigger problem here. You will be seeing the dreaded "game over" screen countless times. However, what saves this game are two things: The fact that the gameplay is just so great and addicting and the fact that you have unlimited continues. If this game didn't have any of them, then it would pretty much be unplayable.

Ninja Gaiden has some of the very best graphics on the NES. A great attention to detail was put into these great looking and well varied environments and characters. Despite the cheap enemy placement the level designs are actually quite good. As mentioned earlier the cutscenes look fantastic. The music is also incredibly memorable and helped to add to fast paced gameplay. The sound effects are also great to hear.

To sum things up:

PROS:
-Superb graphics
-Revolutionary cutscenes
-Great controls
-Excellent music and sound
-Addicting, fast paced gameplay

CONS:
-Cheap enemy placement makes the game more difficult than it needs to be

For those wanting to play this game, be prepared for frustration. Only the most dedicated and hardcore gamers can be able to finish this game. But for those that can get passed its relentless difficulty will find one of the best video game experiences on the NES. Definitely worth a look if you are up to the challenge.