If you remember the fun of eighties classic Bionic Commando, where you swung across platforms via an extendible bionic arm, then you may enjoy a new game I spotted on Newgrounds, a fun little platform hopper called Ninja+.
There isn’t a whole lot of story in Ninja+–you run around and jump on platforms gathering gold coins as you go. You’ll be able to throw unlimited kunai (those small ninja daggers that may or may not be attached to a chain, in case you don’t watch Naruto around the clock) and you’ll be able to swing on a line.
The idea is fun, but I found I had a tough time with some of the controls. Hopping from platform to platform was as fun as advertised, but switching to the space bar to throw kunai was a difficult move for me. In retrospect, I almost wish that the grappling hook had been weaponized instead, completely leaving out the kunai and thereby eliminating the problem, but that’s just me.
But people who like their action games fast and agile will definitely find plenty to love in Ninja+.
Many games on the original Nintendo were far more difficult and frustrating than the games we have today, but without a doubt the Ninja Gaiden series were some of the most difficult games on the system. With a storyline far more epic than most games of its time it’s surprising that it took so long to see another title. Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox was the most challenging yet completable games that many ever played. Even though boss battles and puzzles could be epically frustrating the game kept you coming back for another try.
One of Ryu’s newest adventures in his quest to protect the world from the forces of evil took him to Nintendo’s handheld. With such an impressive pedigree how does the DS title stand up? Pretty well actually, though the challenge is significantly diminished. The choice to use the DS in the book format works quite well, with status information and the map being on the left hand screen and the actual gameplay taking place on the touch screen. Everything is done as you might expect with the stylus: slashing, jumping, etc. and it’s all very simple but fun.
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