Is Ninja Gaiden still the best hack n slash action game ever?

My favorite thing was when I was done with Master Ninja, to put the game back down to "Path of the little bitch" and fucking unleash on those wimpy ninjas with the tonfas. That bone cracking sound basically never got old. That shit was my therapy lol

@jg4xchamp: @ConanTheStoner: the nunchuks have always seemed like a waste of time... You guys use them ever?

They can be fun, I'd rather use the flails in Ninja Gaiden 2 though. But some of the combos you can do with the nunchucks in NGB are straight fire, Ryu gives them the business of end of his boots always feels so satisfying.

@jg4xchamp:

Exactly bro, every Tonfa hit has such a satisfying impact. And the combo potential is absurd. Probably not the most practical choice for a lot of encounters on Master Ninja, but still just so damn fun.

@TheEroica:

Yeah, Nunchucks are kinda useless once you get the Flails. They do good damage in the early game since you still have a slim arsenal of low level weapons at that point, but they lose their usefulness shortly after... at least this is true of NG and NGB. In NGS I think you get your weapons and upgrades earlier, which kinda defeats the purpose of the Nunchucks altogether.

I know some peeps used to use them in tandem with the Armlet of Potency because it would increase kick and throw damage which are big parts of the Nunchuck game plan. But at the end of the day, you're still better off with just about any other weapon. Nunchucks are better suited for combo exhibition tbh.

@ConanTheStoner: yeah I got the nunchuks last. I started using them trying them out in some scrapes, but I kinda thought they were lame by comparison... I was wondering if there was more to it than that.

@TheEroica:

Yeah, they're just a random pick up on the streets of Tairon early on. I think you can go straight to them once you enter the city, but it's been a while. But yeah if you got them later then they're just worthless lol.

Have you leveled the wooden sword up yet?

@ConanTheStoner: nope... Haven't even bought it. Haha. I figured it was like cigarettes in MGS.

@TheEroica:

Yeah I think most people ignore it lol. I didn't mess with it on my first few runs of the game, but one day I decided to just see what happens. You keep pouring funds into it and nothing happens until you get it to its final level. Then BAM, most overpowered weapon in the game lol.

I think so, especially NG2 (360 version).

Correct me if I'm wrong, there is one thing that was innovative in NG2 : the dismembering. I don't see any games that has this feature, it was so cool.

It's definitely one of the most challenging series out there, that's for sure. Challenging in a good way though.

@ConanTheStoner: gonna spend all xmas vaca powering that mofo up.

Yes.

@getyeryayasout:

Yeah dude it's ridiculous. I actually don't like it much because it can be too good lol. Kinda like a mix between the Dragon Sword and the Diablorolkhokerwoik (whatever the **** that big sword is called). Crazy shit though. Still was a cool addition to the game, locking such a powerful weapon behind something that looked like a total POS.

What I didn't know until years later is that its power actually scales higher as your health gets lower. I saw a video of a dude beating the last boss on Master Ninja mode in like 5 hits lol. It only worked that way because dude was on his last magic pixel of health.

Maybe this is common knowledge, but it blew my mind lol.

@dy1lan123:

Yes yes ninja gaiden series best hack n slash ever.

Got my copy of Sigma through yesterday. Man I forgot how how good this game is, brought back a lot of memories. I still think bayonetta beats it in gameplay but It's a close battle and Ninja Gaiden had it best in lots of other categories. Anyway, thanks OP, if you didn't make this thread I would have forgotten to get this game.

@Jshoelace: happy to reignite the light brother. Happy Holidays!

Well said.

It's one of very few games in the genre that is good. So yeah, probably.

@ConanTheStoner: regarding the wooden sword. I honestly thought that was just for extra difficulty in the game, I don't think I've ever used it. Gonna have to now though. Smoke bomb too, why haven't I used those yet? Tomorrow nights the night..

Only ever played a demo for NG Black and NG2, gonna have to actually play them soon I guess.

But it's going to be tough for them to out shine games like Bayonetta, DMC3, and God of War 1-3.

Devil May Cry is the best action series. I still do enjoy Ninja Gaiden.

Yeah, some people do use the un-leveled wood sword like that, as a self imposed challenge. I think Bigalski did a plain wood sword no-hurt run on Master Ninja difficulty once lol. But that dudes a fucking monster.

But yeah, I never got use out of smoke bombs either.

You'd be surprised man, many would argue that the uphill battle is in the other direction. That NGB is still the gold standard to beat.

Bayo and DMC both have some top end games though and you may come away still preferring them.

God of War really isn't part of the conversation though lol. There's a significant gulf between that series and the top games of the genre.

The improved version: