Ninja Gaiden | The Completionist

[@solidskullz5736]

Now this is a classic. One of the hardest games I’ve ever played but it’s fun. Plus you can’t go wrong with ninjas, ninjas are and will always be cool

[@rajasnagpurkar]

Growing up I always thought swords were cooler than guns and I still do. Check out the usagi yojimbo comic if you like samurai westerns. Also cyber shadow feels so good with a good dpad/ 8bitdo pro controller

[@wu-kong1892]

Word

[@Zak-bv4qm]

Ninja Gaiden 3 tho? The bad one

[@PatTheNESpunk]

Classic NES game. Difficult AF. One of my all-time favs!

[@JuriHanFan7]

Pat u, Ian & frank are so awesome!

[@nebwachamp]

Only anime (sequence) I ever watched with curiosity.

[@RoodyOh]

Pat, since you're well educated in retro games, can you tell Jirard about the SNES game Terranigma? Seems he doesn't know it and people, especially Americans need to learn about its complicated background, its awesome story and how awesome the game itself is, not to mention the everlasting soundtrack. The more people make a video about this hidden gem, the more awareness it will get and the more likely Square Enix will finally decide to bring it back (if they can, like I said, complicated situation and back story)

[@Silvergun_Raven]

@@RoodyOh I don't see what the problem would be, since Square Enix (Enix) owns those games (Soul Blazer, Illusion of Gaia, Terranigma) and since ActRaiser got revived (hate the engine they used), I can see the same possible happening with the aforementioned.

[@RoodyOh]

​@@Silvergun_Raven If ActRaiser wouldn't have gotten that "remake" there would be nothing which would indicate that there's still hope left for it to come back, since those games never rereleased and I mean almost every classic got one at some point. Even some reporters asked off and on Square Enix what happened to the infamous Soul Blazer trilogy and if there's a chance we'll see something in the future They didn't want to give a statement to it, which seems pretty weird. So many people tend to believe that there are still some issues with licensing or the previous dev company named Quinted and this company doesn't exist anymore for more than a decade, furthermore nobody knows where the head chief or his assistant went nor their contacts, they disappeared with no traces left. Even after the music and graphics designer tried to bring awareness back to the game with petitions last years no one bat an eye. I've never seen a more mysterious case in gaming history. And that's just sad, ten times what happened to the Mana series.

[@GmodPlusWoW]

Always great to hear from ProtonJon. A most excellent dude, and a glitch-ninja like no other.

[@crispcat]

When this was new, we rushed to get through the game to see the cutscenes. First game that really made me love the story. Plus the play control was super tight.

[@Sentay0]

It's so nostalgic to hear about Protonjon helping other people, he was always a righteous dude.

[@jameslawrenson1208]

He's the best Waluigi!

[@JPBrooksLive]

I've checked many of the difficult games off of my list in my adult life: Ninja Turtles, Contra, Castlevania, Super Ghouls and Ghosts.... But my Beard-man.... This game is still kicking my ass, or, more specifically, the last couple of levels and the bosses.

[@hovadeuce6571]

Them damn birds are ruining my chances of finishing the last level.

[@AccessDEANied]

one of those games where the speedrun strats make it easier than playing it normally. still love it either way

[@TheCyanideSmoker]

Me and old friend in my younger years did the first 'Ninja Gaiden' over a weekend, a straight 48 hours of pizza, Jolt cola, and trading the controller. Damn, getting old. But also trials, tribulation, caffeine limits... all learned

[@zidarose]

One of my favorite NES games. Took a LOT of effort to get through it on my own, but loved every minute of it

[@EdinMike]

As someone in their mid 30s… I grew up on the Master System version of Ninja Gaiden. Could probably beat it with my eyes closed now. The NES version I tackled during Covid lock down… And it was as good as I was promised it was….

[@MerkhVision]

There was a Master System version of this game?? I had no idea! In what ways is it different?

[@CaptainKrby]

Shout outs to Kim and Isaac! Fantastic script writing

[@ReddCinema]

Love the videos, keep it up! ❤

[@ToshisGarden]

8 more titles in New Game+. You can do this, Jirard! That was a great video! I’ve played this a million times by myself, so I’ll try co-oping this with a friend now thanks to you and Jon!

[@BlackKoiRecords]

Growing up, this was one of the greatest video game moments in my life, SEEING CUTSCENES IN GAMES!

[@tr33ck]

I remember revisiting Ninja Gaiden after The Messenger became my favorite videogame and I was surprised how much more I liked it although it made me think that a remake with The Messenger's gameplay would be a gift from the gods

[@BattleToads4ever]

I think a deathless run should be considered "completing" this game. That goes for a lot of the NES era classics. It took me many runs but when I finally did it, I really did feel like I had completed the game. I don't care much about the score but some would say a max out would be technically completing the game. I say time is more important in this case, I figure any sub 20 min deathless run puts you on the completionist level. I wish the game had a bonus scene for such a thing, kind of like Metrroid had. Then it would be perfect, Oh well, just the ramblings of an old man. I still liked the video and your still the man.

[@shoken4421]

Ninja gaiden on nes is hard as balls . If you beat this on nes your a legend. Nice one jirard

[@jat4651]

*you're

[@ToshisGarden]

Finally, the episode I’ve been waiting for!! Hopefully one day we can see Jirard complete Ninja Gaiden Black! I feel he might enjoy that journey! Now, to watch this episode!!

[@_NoDrinkTheBleach]

As a kid, I never got past the Bloody Malth boss fight. I don't know that I was ever more crestfallen as a young gamer as when I first died at that battle, and was sent all the way back to the beginning of 5-3. I have since beaten the game and it absolutely holds a special place in my gaming heart. I have a poster of the 4-1 temple cutscene on my wall. I didn't truly feel like a failure until I started seeing speed runs of it a decade ago. That said, I've been watching Arcus run it off and on for months and that never gets old.

[@bet0v966]

Those dang eagles & that one enemy on that one specific platform in Stage 6-2, I still see them in my nightmares

[@travistorline812]

Love both of the Bowser profile pics in the top left! Maybe not as good as my Carby profile pic, but still pretty great :D

[@Memelord2020]

Thank you, Proton Jon, for showing Jirard the way.

[@trueblade444]

I would love to see Jirard do all these games along with the modern ones. Ninja Gaiden on xbox was what introduced me to action games. The beard looks super fresh!

[@zeroattentiongaming820]

The modern games bring up a big question though, which versions? Ninja Gaiden, Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden Sigma have some pretty substantial differences. Ninja Gaiden 2 and Sigma 2 are very different takes on the same experience, with very different difficulty and balancing. All offer quite a different experience with none being bad. 3 is the only easy choice as Razor's Edge is hands down better than the vanilla version.

[@Nem_FFXIV]

Having just completed Ninja Gaiden Sigma, from the master collection, I would love to see you do more ninja gaiden games. They are brutal though!

[@vgsquirrel]

Quite possibly my favorite NES game! Super satisfying once you finally beat it. Glad you love it Jirard! Also please put Ryu Hayabusa in the next Smash Bros.

[@DaveVoyles]

That soundtrack is BANGING

[@TheCreepypro]

really cool to see you complete an nes classic once again and props to our boy proton jon for helping you out like a true bro he is truly the man long live couch co-op whether someone is there with you or not

[@nove254]

You gotta use the fan and thumbs training for these games. #AVGN

[@TitaniaBird]

I dunno how ProtonJon got that letter to you, Jirard, but seeing as how he's got at least one magic-wielding space princess on his side, I imagine there's some kind of sorcery involved. Just be glad it wasn't five times larger than any piece of paper has the right to be.

[@wigwagwook6883]

What is the space princess reference too? Only ever heard Space Jesus yell at the crowd "raise your finger up for that Space Princes you are looking for!"

[@s.p.d.magentaranger1822]

@@wigwagwook6883 Just look up RosaJon. It's a....bit of a long story.

[@gamezrox1809]

Kim and Isaac did a great job!

[@gravityjedi]

Thank you for sharing the secret of that co op feature for single player games

[@BossUpReviews]

You have now reached legend status my friend

[@donlapham1265]

Stage 4-2: Eat that cottage cheese eat that cottage cheese! If you know, you know.

[@phireborn]

You are an inspiration to us old school gamers. I love your videos. Thank you Jirard, and please keep up the good work.

[@Pensive_Scarlet]

"Jack" is actually a pretty good choice of nickname for "Jaquio". It's actually pronounced "Ja Ki Ou". ;D

[@hdrgb]

dude I was playing this game on the Famicom and I can't tell you how many times I threw the controller out of frustration. This game is beyond bonkers. You have to be PERFECT to finish it and my 35+ year old gaming skillz are far too n00b for this.

[@jdangernoiz5861]

I got a hand me down NES when i was 6 in '89. This was 1 of my 20 games. I would go from dying in the first level to finishing the game at age 16. Ninja Gaiden and the other "classic greats" will always hold a special place for me.

[@FATE522]

At first as a kid I thought Ninja Gaiden was the first of its kind for the original Xbox. As I grew older I learned about versions like this.

[@jeremiah1293]

I’ve never gelled with this difficulty of game, but this video does make me want to go play the newer ninja gaiden games now

[@theoaremevano3227]

I absolutely love the first modern Ninja Gaiden. It's still my top experience for 3D action combat. :)

[@MerkhVision]

Using save states at least for infinite restarts from checkpoints makes the difficultly a lot more tolerable and less frustrating!

[@bobjones8838]

Jirard lookin like that one bad guy from the first iron man movie

[@BJGvideos]

Ryu Hayabusa would be fun in Smash Bros. He's the last major holdout from the NES days and the typifier of "Nintendo Hard".

[@attackofthetheeyecreatures3472]

Honestly, watching Arcus helped me beat this infuriating game. He also taught me how to Speedrun a burrito.

[@HeyItsRicardo]

You should bring back Frog In A Car T-shirts and the pins + a Crab In A Cab pin.

[@KennyMcCormic0]

"Enjoy the show" First I must consult with the Elder Gods!

[@lthc_hiryu]

For all the mentions of Jon, I'm surprised he didn't appear in this episode.

[@MythicMachina]

Jon's been pretty stacked scedule wise pretty recently. Also, he got sick recently as well. Probably just couldn't line it up in time.

[@retrogamerfan123]

This game litterly trained me to be a video game god back in the day

[@TJDious]

You and me both brother.

[@Tonyt3Tiger]

The intro is fantastic! John are you in here?!

[@theconsolekiller7113]

Great review. One thing that makes all 3 games more managable is that killing any of the 3 final boss forms is permanent, even if you continue. The first game does have a cheap penalty where it sends you way back, but after a while you get used to getting back there. They all have unlimited continues except the third game, which I found the hardest by far to complete. Not only the limited continues but you take more damage and checkpoints are much less frequent. NG 1 is the easiest of the 3. Still a tough game but it wasnt too bad for me until I got to that second form of the final boss. That was a roadblock for me for a while. Once I used save states to practice that form until I had it down, I was able to get back there and beat it without any sub weapons. Not too bad, but worth putting in time to practice that middle form or any other forms that give issues. Atleast they permanently die once defeated. It took me a while to get into a rhythym with dodging the second form's fireballs so just give it time and keep practicing and you should be able to get back there and finish off the game. The third form is not too bad to beat and the first is very easy. NG1 is a good starting point difficulty wise. The second one raises the difficulty a little more with some environmental hazards and then the third game is quite a bit harder than both with the limited continues and increased gameplay difficulty. Atleast in NG3 enemies dont respawn once killed. The japanese versions of these games are all easier if you want much easier versions to play through as well. The japanese NG3 has unlimited continues , which I think the US version should have had like the other 2 games. I posted up a no damage tutorial of NG 3 here: kzbin.info/www/bejne/d3m2Zq2krsqgfq8 That was a refined tutorial using save states before each section to show how to do each section with no damage. The legit run of the game is posted up too. There are a few 1 up farming spots to make the game slightly less painful that I show in the vid. I also have less refined tutorials of the other 2 games up on the channel.

[@miamimagicians]

I also believe that ninja Gaiden is the first trilogy of games with cinematic cut scenes all connecting to each other. It tells a hugely long story.

[@Heretic1373]

Had no idea the Nintendo online titles had co-op. That's fantastic.

[@Pizza21002]

sometime you might not like something until you see it through the eyes of a friend/loved one

[@miguellozano308]

If you hate birds, ProtonJohn and JadenAnimations would come after you! Lol awesome episode sir

[@coreymyers5321]

I still love that intro.

[@SuperNardful]

Ahhh Ninja Gaiden.. Thank you for covering such a classic!

[@bruhat_patra]

My cousin broke our controller when we are small because of those damn BIRDS!

[@WillyV089]

Watching Brett and Alex struggle with the online is why they don't advertise it. It doesn't work more often than it does.

[@PikaLink91]

Take a shot every time Jirard says the word "friend", which also just reminds me how lonely I am.

[@JuriHanFan7]

Just finished this video and I really enjoyed it! I never beat any of the US versions of any ninja gaidens, I have beaten the Japanese version of Ninja Gaiden III. I'm a new subscriber!

[@quentinparhiala9415]

Ninja Gaiden is a classic video NES game and it's diffucult and it's one of my favorite video games and thank you for reviewing this game again Jirard

[@Revz8bit]

Doing a replay of The Messenger, this really hits home 😀

[@acidfruitloops]

I just can't bring myself to get through the messenger. Stuck on this lava level I'm assuming near the end-ish. Haven't touched it in months.

[@gweebara]

I would love for you to do "tecmo's Deception" a rare old Innovative game that has been lost two-time and isn't spoken about enough for its innovative play style. Please if you can resurrect this GEM 💎

[@gweebara]

@Guys look 👇🅥 wtf is this spam trash?

[@vinnevince]

holy cow, your hair changes your look so dramatically. I love the new look!

[@randysavage2672]

Couch co op is a underrated experience

[@TheWcasey]

Ah Ninja Gaiden one of the first to inspire so many new entry's and innovations.

[@mysteri0usbr0adcast53]

Shoutout to system shock 2 music at the beginning

[@pixelgoat7317]

It'd be funny if cutscene Ryu/Jirard shouted,"Just a girl! Get out of here!!"

[@gex8683]

All Is missing Is your Sonic Ears and It'd be perfect for the Blue Wind!

[@raheelsiddiq1057]

This game and Shinobi for arcade. Had a blast playing as ninja.

[@Mankey619]

One of the things I liked about the NES Ninja Gaiden game is definitely the cutscenes. Sure it’s not as good as most modern games to this day,but back then it was awesome. The gameplay itself looks fun and enjoyable to play,but one thing that separates the fun is the intense difficulty. This is the first game. The sequel makes it even more harder than the first one. That’s how much of a hard legacy this game has given and so much inspiration it’s given to many indie developers,such as Cyber Shadow and The Messenger. I wish they bring the NES Ninja Gaiden Trilogy set on the Switch.

[@Happy93930]

I genuinely hope you got the Megaman collectors box for Gfuel and can show everyone

[@sleepingninjaquiettime]

I played the original ninja gaiden on the nes as a kid all the time. Its probably the only game I could speed run.

[@rayminishi689]

Koei Tecmo clutching out so many dynasty warriors-like games. Be it Zelda, FE or even Persona strikers. They still dont have a rep in Smash bros. And its gotta be Ryu Hyabusa, baby!

[@tenkzplays]

That DDR Matrix shirt is amazing!

[@vichigo]

It really is. I only came to the comments hoping to find where to buy it. ⭐️〰️⭐️

[@Kcalien]

Man when I was a kid that games story and gameplay was so cool I had to beat them. That was the first time I saw cutscenes like that

[@cooqlrlol5339]

a series i think you’ll like and should do next: dying light 1 and 2. great games.

[@xthorngamingxttv2526]

I played Ninja Gaiden Black on the Original Xbox long ago as a kid. I woke up the next day with a deep voice and a beard, my dad shook my hand firmly and said "Your Ready son"

[@nightmaretrooper5064]

I love to see you do a review on Ninja Gaiden Black the 2000 era including Sigma as well. Ninja Gaiden Sigma is my 2nd favorite video game of all time.

[@D44RK_Iced_Yogs]

Oh shiiiii! Always a great time for some Ninja Gaiden

[@escapeartist205]

its $40 kool aid but theres a little mario man on the box.

[@crazyjohnt8012]

We always called Jacquio The Flying Jockstrap

[@konversion]

Ok, I finally bit and ordered some g-fuel. Please don't have led me astray, Jirard.

[@K-16]

Coffee stained letter? Interesting. I can already hear ProtonJon muttering, "Jokes on you, I don't drink coffee. I quit caffeine a long time ago."

[@lilpoetat]

Thanks 🙏

[@parkermaltbie8583]

Thank you Mr. Willis.

[@chaospoet]

I knew about your Mom but not when. My Dad passed in 2013 as well. I relate to not needing to do anything even a year later that would aggravate you. I ended up changing jobs because of it, so I felt that when you told that story. This game is weird just like Castlevania in that it's hard as it gets yet despite never beating it it's still one of my favorite games. Also got to mention it since you had that line of Ninja Gaiden games next to you, there is a Master System version of Ninja Gaiden that is it's own original game. Absolutely worth getting and playing.

[@megamob5834]

Yes, much like Castlevania, item management is KEY in this game! The right sub weapon at the right time will make things much easier for you. Arcus would be proud.

[@FatCatProductions]

I started playing the messenger cause of this channel and I didn’t like it at first but damn it is a gem.

[@gameshock2916]

Honestly, I thought you would be completing Ninja Gaiden (2004) on Xbox which is a tough as hell hack and slasher, especially the rereleased Ninja Gaiden Black in 2005 for the Xbox.

[@mikeharris6429]

Ninja Gaiden Black is one of the best games ever. The challenge tower was amazing!

[@gameshock2916]

@@mikeharris6429 Yeah, it's a good game. But it's a tough son of a bitch.

[@sammylane21]

Dark Sward Of Chaos is better because of one of Ryu's most OP new Ninpo attacks...that orange shadow clone! You could use up to two and it uses no magic points at all!

[@nibot2101]

WTF I WAS LITERALLY PLAYING THIS GAME YESTERDAY AND YOU MAKE A VIDEO ON IT WHAT A COINCIDENCE

[@Ampion1337]

Just doing what I can to boost engagement. All love to Jirard and the crew, keep going strong

[@thomaskuzma4360]

Honestly I am not a fan of Ninja Garden, just haven't played it. I'm more of a 3d platformer guy What makes me love this video is Jirards personal story and how he played this with a friend. To me, that gives me huge plays

[@MerkhVision]

Well you’re missing out! You should definitely at least give it a try, and I’m sure you’re aware of the many ways u can do so, even for free!

[@samslash9]

been waiting for this one! it's good to see some NES love here again.

[@phileon2323]

Man the completionist looks aggressively lebanese nowadays, he should try visiting someday.

[@Dorelaxen]

Me as a kid - This is hard. I can't beat it. Me now - This is hard. I still can't beat it. But I watch speedrunners finish it in less time than it takes to cook a pizza.

[@isaacbaker8784]

Good choice using system shock music in the background

[@mekman4]

Great Stuff! Try Ninja Gaiden 2 (of course), but if you like that you _must_ Street Fighter 2010!

[@MikeELtheGamerLPShow]

The cutscenes in Ninja Gaiden were directed by Masato Kato, story planner and script writer on several Square RPGs like Chrono Trigger, Chrono Cross and Xenogears.

[@thomasffrench36]

That’s insane.

[@VGAfanatic]

I still hope Ryu Hayabusa eventually makes his way to Super Smash Bros. I'm telling you, the guy deserves to be a Fighter, and I'm still salty that he didn't at least get to be a Mii Costume in Ultimate.

[@frankuraku5622]

Nah, he'd always get hit everytime he jumps. Of course by birds.

[@Reepicheep-1]

Infinitely-spawning birds exist! I've had murders of hundreds of crows around my office. Some wild bird flocks have thousands of birds.