From GameSpot’s preview of Ninja Gaiden Black, the re-release of the uber-hard Xbox game:
If all of the above difficulties prove too overwhelming for you, Black will also offer a special, easier “ninja dog” difficulty. The mode will be accessible in much the same way that Devil May Cry 3’s easier settings are accessible–you’ll get the option to select it if you die a certain amount of times on the first stage. Once that happens, you’ll be able to opt for ninja dog. The only catch is, since this is a Team Ninja game, the difficulty isn’t quite the free ride you might think. A mildly humiliating cinematic with Ayane dissing on you is followed up with a running gag in this mode.
Once you return to the game after the cinematic, you’ll gain an accessory, the band of power, which you’ll be able to equip. The good news is that the wristband will enhance your melee attacks. However, the bad news is that it’s an oh-so-cute shade of bright purple and looks more than a little out of place on a badass ninja. As you progress, you’ll gain other bands, which sound as though they’ll run through a rainbow of humiliating colors (which seems like a more than ample excuse to grow a pair and get better at the game). From the sound of it, the enemy artificial intelligence hasn’t been tuned down in the ninja dog mode. Hayabusa is just a little more powerful, so you’re still going to have to do some work.
Is it really necessary to insult people who don’t want to play an otherwise extremely difficult game? I consider myself a super hardcore gamer, but I skipped NG because everyone told me how difficult it was, and frankly? I didn’t think it sounded all that fun. I think I’ll skip this release too.
NG is a rental. It’s quite fun to watch it move, but battles, particularly boss battles, are just the same old NES-era routine of defending yourself while memorizing the enemy’s patterns and learning when to make your move.
This would be somewhat entertaining for the old-school gamer except you throw in the new-school twist of 3D arenas, and it starts to become needlessly difficult. The second notable battle in the game is a couple enemies on horseback that have a variety of ways to come at you and attack you. It’s hard enough to learn their pattern without having to swivel the 3D camera around and around like the cameraman is on crack to see what’s happening.
I disagree. Ninja Gaiden is a challenging game but in the best way possible. It is difficult but never unfair. Sections early on in the game that seem impossible at first are a cakewalk if you play over them again after having made it through several levels. Your improvement while playing the game is one of the many things I really enjoyed about it (and I have little patience for most single player games). The controls are super tight, responsive, and the combat system is really really satisfying. It is probably my favorite game from last year over Metroid Prime 2 and Half Life 2.
If you want to talk about a game that is needlessly unfair, hard in a cheap way, and NOT fun, let’s talk about Devil May Cry 3. :)
PS – Itakagi is a riot. Sample quote: “That’s right. In other words, there are some people who want to beat the game, even if it means being reduced to the level of a dog; people who are not afraid to shame themselves to accomplish their goals. Sometimes in life, that type of style is necessary. Anyone who can think like that can still be a real man. The Ninja Dog difficulty setting is for men like that. So don’t give up too easily!”
http://www.1up.com/do/feature?pager.offset=1&cId=3140456
http://interviews.teamxbox.com/xbox/1170/Tomonobu-Itagaki-The-Bad-Question-Interview/p1/