Yea going for long combos in Ninja Gaiden is a waste of time if score means anything to you.
In one fight, sure, it’s not much, but over the course of the game when you are doing a karma run it all adds up; not to mention that was not the only factor taken into account in the karma system. Regardless, Itagaki always thought it was important there were combos and not just dispatch enemies quickly.
NG DS still the best one, sure it doesn’t have the depth of the console titles or the difficulty and precision requirements of the NES titles, but it’s the most fun one to me. Stylus sword combat is amazing and I’m still pissed the 3DS sequel was canceled.
The combo system/scoring really isn’t that important to karma runs, more what the combos do, but that applies more to Gaiden 2/Razor’s Edge
Black/Sigma scoring it’s all about Timed Encounters, Izuna Drop, Flying Swallow and UTs.
Dragon Sword and some good old Dabi UT spamming are the primary scoring musts if you doing karma runs.
Gaiden 2/Sigma 2 doesn’t have Timed Encounters, so the system is completely broken anyways, allowing you to de-limb every enemy on screen then level 1 Kusarigama UT your way to the top…well, probably first 1000 players on NG2 boards are all cheaters…but that’s how you get the max.
IF Gaiden 2 had a Timed Encounter system, de-limbing and Obliteration techniques would be the highest scoring method, since UTing in groups will hit enemies and not kill them, and you’d lose the Instant Kill bonus. The combos matter a bit more if you wanna play this way, but more weighed to combos that cause de-limbs, which is still kinda restricted to certain combos.
Razor’s Edge would have had the most legit scoring system if TN had at least removed the Scarab glitch in the PS3/360 versions(it was present in the Wii-U version 6 months earlier too). Mathematically, Steel on Bone wins out for sheer scoring, but the weapons have a much wider range of de-limb techniques(pretty much any combo ending in YY attacks will do the trick) and while you can dance around waiting for enemies to do redhand attacks you can SOB, you’re sacrificing time since de-limbed enemies will more aggressively red hand attack.
I hope they follow Razor’s system, but even things out so Obliteration or SOB are both 1000 point bonuses on kill so you can play with more variety without sacrificing points because of specific finishes being necessary.
Also hope they keep Razor’s Edge UT/Ninpo/Health system though, don’t miss the item menu jumping at all
Is it back to being about a ninja in a purple outfit saying “what the…”? If not, pass.
Taste cancer, see sig.
It felt like Ninja Gaiden 2.5
Yoshi AV with the name “Smashbro29”
Kill yoself as a gift to me for Christmas.
The .5 implies there was still some progression made. 
Wow. Someone prefers NG on the DS over the console versions? Laughable. Razor’s Edge would be better if not for the damn health system and the removal of the shops. This makes the game pretty difficult when doing Tests of Valor but you have one life bar to clear everything with. It’s possible to beat the ToV on Ultimate Ninja. I’ve seen it, but I don’t like RE enough to get that good.
NG on the NES were some of my introductory games back in the day and I only played the first new-gen Gaiden on the original X-Box (pre-black) and absolutely loved it.
Been putting off the rest cuz I didn’t know if I wanted Sigma versions on PS3 (haven’t had one til more recently) or just jump into NG2 on 360. At least I did right in waiting for this Razor’s Edge edition for 3 to come out.
It wasn’t until recently I realized I may have been playing these type of games wrong (just mash attack) after seeing some DMC4 combo videos and playing through it again recently. Although I did thoroughly enjoy my time facing the difficulty of NG1 just feeling like a badass super-ninja just fuckin. shit. up. …with a real legit threat of also getting wrecked by the common enemy hoards; I DO still wanna try it out again with my new development in skill and appreciation of depth these days.
Gonna say the God of War series (haven’t tried out 3 but I’m about ready to shut the door on the series) just doesn’t have nearly the same room for challenge and pace in combat for a good action game. DMC 1 & 2 I don’t think have the defense and depth for fast pace action. Dunno how to compare DMC 3 & 4’s focus on style compares to NG’s challenge but these two series are special to me and the news reinvigorates my interest in the genre.
BRB lookin for some Hayabusa / Dante art now… no homo.
Man DMC1 is fuckin fantastic…i dunno what you mean about it lackin defense and depth.
Glad your getting into the genre. Not enough people into it. You should def pick up NGII and also look into Bayonetta.
What’s laughable is how proud you are of your mentally stunted growth. NGDS stylus combat is tons of fun to me.
Never played DS, but I heard some amazing things about it.
Idk maybe my memory fails me or I had further to go to unlock stuff, but after replaying it a while back with new save data (I hate starting over if I don’t have to), I don’t think there was any side dodges or evasion moves other than jumping.
On the subject of NG music (still haven’t played 2 or 3), I absolutely love the NES music over new ones but did like Alma Awakened and Emperor.
First time experiencing this battle was amazing
DMC1 had rolls, jumps and IIRC Deflecting.
there are tons of fine tunes in ng1
the ice caverns (aka freeze up)
the underground skeleton fight (aka revival of the dead)
the airballon (aka military strength)
and so on and so on
Well I’ll chalk it up to my memory fail, I just remember thinking to myself control seemed outdated or something.
Cameras a bit outdated and if you played DMC3/4 first then DMC1 may come off as limited but it still has all the basic stuff the later games built on top of, and it still offers the most intense and visceral combat in the series imo. Also has the best art and mood direction imo. It’s the only one that manages to make the back tracking not feel like back tracking at all, and has a super creepy mood that just intensifies as you get further and further into the game. I miss that thick mood in the later games.
i am probably in the minority here but i liked dmc1 more than dmc3.
dunt keel me plz!
from a nostalgic POV, yes i do agree.
those cold November and December nights of 2001, curled up next to the fireplace getting bucc in DMC1 on the olde Sansui CRT.