That intro man. It is one of the most memorable intros in the history of videogames. Although not everybody remember to include Tecmo among the most competent developers of the NES hardware, they really outdid themselves with this game. Everything is top notch, playability, graphics, music, and, as a slap in the face of Konami and Capcom, they achieved this with no slowdowns in the whole game. PS: if you want to scratch the itch for a new 2D Ninja Gaiden game, I can recommend Cyber Shadow. It is a love letter to the NES Ninja Gaiden games and it would be really cool if a playtrough of it appeared here in the NintendoComplete channel.
This *_is_* the textbook definition of how to make a good sequel. Take everything great about its predecessor whilst improving everything; Pushing the NES' graphical and sound capabilities to the limit, an even greater storyline and the same fast-paced gameplay with slight improvements to make it even faster.
This is the game I spent hours in 🥷 Great game, great playthrough. Apparently the game devs ran out of time with the water & fire stages. The boss of the water stage was supposed to be this shapeshifting demon. He was supposed to have another form right before the water boss, in the fire zone, and the zone was supposed to have a full change over to water... To explain this, there was a scene before the fire zone where Ryu is running into hell to fight this minor boss who guards the entrance to hell. This demon shape shifter was supposed to be as important a sub boss as Bloody Malth from the first game. They unfortunately ran out of time. That's why you suddenly end up in the Fire zone, and when you're traveling through it you're suddenly in a flooded Water zone. 😂 I never questioned it as a kid, but always wondered what the hell was going on, and looked into it once I got older. 🔥🥷🌊 🤣
Ninja Gaiden 2: The Dark Sword of Chaos is one of the best games in the entire NES platform. This game has been on my #1 list and will be remain forever for me. It has the perfect gameplay, cutscenes and music--all fused together into an epic 90's NES game!
By now, it should be established that this game actually takes place after III. At the end of end of this game, the Dragon Sword is sacrificed to revive Irene. I always thought that was a really neat plot point, I might add. How Ashtar’s dark sword (from a Demon’s bone) can revive someone evil, while Ryu’s sword (from a Dragon’s fang) can revive someone good.
@@Iohannis42I look at it as Ryu was in his prime during 3 and slowed down by the time the plot for two unfolded. Three kind of sucked with the plot and floaty jumps, music didn't jam as good, it didn't have the momentum or cinema 2 did. One and three gave the best challenge
I have never noticed the connection between the dark sword reviving Jaquio and the dragon sword reviving Irene. I always thought the Irene revival was kind of out of nowhere, just to pull our leg that Irene died, but that makes perfect sense and gives me more appreciation for the plot.
This is incredible, dude. The last time I played Ninja Gaiden 2, it was like almost 30 years ago. A lot of your decisions and timing are EXACTLY the same as mine back in the day. Watching this playthrough, sometimes I feel as if there's an NES controller in my hands. Just when I think "hmmm I'd do *that* here", you instantly do exactly the thing. Wondering if everyone who has played the hell out of this game follows the same routine.
This is the only one of the original 3 NES classics I could finish without any cheats. Thanks to Ryu's ability to climb and descend any wall. And of course the option like clones.
there's something about the Gothic look of the SIRE ASHSTAR masked Demon-man at the thumbnail he is just haunting in that badass unique looking way Not mentioning how deep the intro is and the music... one of the most memorable enemy concepts in NES history love you NINJA GAIDEN
The best and most satisfying ending in video games for the era. I don't know why as kids we wanted our video games to have some kind of payoff at the end, but this one delivers. It has the iconic sunset, Ryu gets his happy ending, and the special ending music with extended credits roll. Beating this for the first time was a treat.
@themadatheist1976 You might wanna Google ninja gaiden time line because 2 and 3 were released a yr after each other,there's also three extensive articles talking about how two and three are actually linked together and NOT out of order ,there's not even anything online stating why these games 2+3 are out of order during the time line . Just for context the boss ashtar is jaqio reborn (check the ninja gaiden wiki) then there's the fact that the guy at the beginning of this game tells you to rescue Irene who's been kidnapped.however in the intro to the game after this they show a fake Hayabusa kill Irene for some reason.
@@shoken4421 no. "The game is the third installment of the Ninja Gaiden trilogy, set between the first two games in the series, Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos. Although the American Box art and in-game dialogue suggests that the game takes place years after the first game. The second game, (The Dark Sword of Chaos) supposedly takes place one year after the first. The Japanese version takes place in between the first two games. The ending screen makes mention of this."
@@shoken4421 "Between the events of the original Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos,[5][6] CIA agent Irene Lew is chased by a man who looks like Ryu Hayabusa to a cliff edge, where she falls to her apparent death. In an effort to clear his name, Ryu investigates the laboratory where Irene was killed. A mysterious man appears there and tells Ryu to go to the Castle Rock fortress, where he will give Ryu more information about Irene."
Equally great sequel to the original. Something I didn’t notice before until now is that at the end of Act IV, Ashtar and Irene are speaking to Ryu telepathically. The Japanese version especially lets you know this by using double hook brackets.
Why is this masterpiece not on the Switch Online yet? We're not talking here about a video game based on some licensed property like TMNT or the Disney-Capcom tites with 0 chance to realistically make it to the Switch Online. This is a game that was released three times on the Virtual Console and whose own prequel has been on the Switch Online since 2018. Wake up Koei Tecmo/Nintendo.
As kid in the early 90s this intro was so fucking epic. I don't think i got past the 3rd level in this game. I was 6 years old in '93. Even though i didn't get far, i would play this game over and over!
Gaiden 2 breaks the cardinal rule of frontloading your musical bangers on stage 1. But you wont have to wait very long, because 2-2 is the best song. Half forgiven.
I believed in Santa until i got this game in my stocking, Christmas morning and saw the local game shop's price tag on it. I realized he was fake, didnt give a @$#% and slammed this beauty in the NES. Merry Christmas baybay!
One of the best follow ups to an already iconic first installment. Gameplay, game design, game challenge, storyline,….especially one of the few 8-bit games that had an extended ending. Great addition was the “shadow ninja” in place of the “jump and slash” from the first installment. With the difficulty of the game it gave the player an advantage of you had it plug the “up fire”. Just an EXECELLENT game all around!
I strongly remember being seriously surprised that the villain in the intro not only was not impressed that the protagonist defeated what I assumed to be his lackey, but he was even expecting that to be the end result. I hadn't played the original Ninja Gaiden back in 1990, so I could only imagine how that game was like. But given what little I knew about games and stories in general, I imagined this "Jaquio" to be a powerful final boss. And yet, this demonic looking character wasn't phased at all by his defeat. That really made a impression on me that year, it made me imagine: "how powerful is this guy!?".
Love this game the cinematic scenes like the first and third game the music and the beats are awesome i have the ringtone of the first level of this game every time my phone rings and shadow of your ninjas helping you through the game was very helpful through the game beat it from the beginning to the end of the game for over 30 years i never forget this game how it was a best game along with the ninja gaiden sequels on the nintendo big love to tecmo for their hard work on making ninja gaiden games
Those stupid birds gave me such anxiety Lol. The onr thing about tte ninja gaiden series that got me was if you moved a millimeter in the wrong direction, how the enemies would respawn. I screamrd at the tv so many times 😂
Still remember this game as a kid. Did beat this with Game Genie but this game should have been The 3rd game due to how powerful the storyline was. Did read the other comments said that they beat it without cheats but more power to you.
I'm glad they got rid of the bug that cheated you out of your special weapon in the final battle that the first game had. The final boss battles were easier this time around.
I was always confused by the ice section in Act V. Anybody know what it is supposed to represent? The backdrop made me think it was similar to Antarctica, but apparently, it’s the freezing section of Hell, also called The Underworld.
This game (specifically the final level and specifically the boss fight) was a true nightmare. Took me an entire weekend rental to beat it. (Usually beat a rental in half an hour.) I almost didn't make it in time.
Can't remember how i acquired this game back in 1990 but i was not particularly fond of it. I found it a good game but not really something i could play for hours on end. I ended up trading it for Snake's Revenge which was more my type of game.
Ryu Hayabusa's Ninja Quest Begins Again! TECMO'S NINJA GAIDEN 2 THE DARK SWORD OF CHAOS! For The Nintendo Entertainment System! Ryu Hayabusa: I'll Get You, Ashtar!
Im Vergleich zum üblichen kommerziellen Schrott aus dieser Zeit sticht Ninja Gaiden heraus. Man merkt deutlich das es den Entwicklern hierbei nicht nur darum ging möglichst viel Geld zu machen.Viel liebe zum Detail, eine gute Geschichte und ein echt geschmeidiges Gameplay. Meine Hochachtung an das damalige Team. Außerdem ist es interessant das Albert Wesker aus Resident Evil mit Ryu befreundet war.😅
This was my favorite out of the 3 nes games. Ashtar should have been more powerful than Jaquio. He was easier to beat instead. I thought Ashtar was supposed to be Jaquio's boss.
Hey Alex, I was just looking for a video of you playing conflict for nes. I can't find one. Did you do one or would you? I've seen others but I want to see you
One of the most beautiful games on the NES library. The one that made me fall in love with pixel art way back when.
I was so awful at this game, it made me ragequit at 7 years old.
@@notsocrates9529same here
👍🏾100
I always get goosebumps watching this intro....The lightning....the cape...and mask of Ashtar....that's how you captivate a video game
Same here
And the soundtrack...please don't forget how it grabs you by the throat!
It works in a film too, not some pouty, whiney...nevermind....
I played this game to death as a kid. One of the best Christmas presents I ever got.❤
That intro man. It is one of the most memorable intros in the history of videogames.
Although not everybody remember to include Tecmo among the most competent developers of the NES hardware, they really outdid themselves with this game. Everything is top notch, playability, graphics, music, and, as a slap in the face of Konami and Capcom, they achieved this with no slowdowns in the whole game.
PS: if you want to scratch the itch for a new 2D Ninja Gaiden game, I can recommend Cyber Shadow. It is a love letter to the NES Ninja Gaiden games and it would be really cool if a playtrough of it appeared here in the NintendoComplete channel.
Cyber Shadow is meh... The Messenger is much better.
@@brandonvillamizar1216the messenger is goofy in comparison.
Probably you can make a request for it.
I go to sleep to this video about every night. The music keeps bringing me back.
Great game one of the best the best has to offer.
This *_is_* the textbook definition of how to make a good sequel. Take everything great about its predecessor whilst improving everything; Pushing the NES' graphical and sound capabilities to the limit, an even greater storyline and the same fast-paced gameplay with slight improvements to make it even faster.
Now this is how you make a sequel!
IKR?!
This is the game I spent hours in 🥷 Great game, great playthrough.
Apparently the game devs ran out of time with the water & fire stages. The boss of the water stage was supposed to be this shapeshifting demon. He was supposed to have another form right before the water boss, in the fire zone, and the zone was supposed to have a full change over to water...
To explain this, there was a scene before the fire zone where Ryu is running into hell to fight this minor boss who guards the entrance to hell. This demon shape shifter was supposed to be as important a sub boss as Bloody Malth from the first game.
They unfortunately ran out of time. That's why you suddenly end up in the Fire zone, and when you're traveling through it you're suddenly in a flooded Water zone. 😂 I never questioned it as a kid, but always wondered what the hell was going on, and looked into it once I got older. 🔥🥷🌊 🤣
ditto!
Yes agreed, love this game, my fav ninja gaiden, great video
Ninja Gaiden 2: The Dark Sword of Chaos is one of the best games in the entire NES platform. This game has been on my #1 list and will be remain forever for me. It has the perfect gameplay, cutscenes and music--all fused together into an epic 90's NES game!
the ending cut scene is amazing, i didn't personally beat it as a kid, but watched a cousin. and i was in awe at that sunset
By now, it should be established that this game actually takes place after III. At the end of end of this game, the Dragon Sword is sacrificed to revive Irene. I always thought that was a really neat plot point, I might add. How Ashtar’s dark sword (from a Demon’s bone) can revive someone evil, while Ryu’s sword (from a Dragon’s fang) can revive someone good.
That fact really ruined the whole series for me. Part 3 was obviously much more upgraded than part 2.
@@Iohannis42I look at it as Ryu was in his prime during 3 and slowed down by the time the plot for two unfolded. Three kind of sucked with the plot and floaty jumps, music didn't jam as good, it didn't have the momentum or cinema 2 did. One and three gave the best challenge
I have never noticed the connection between the dark sword reviving Jaquio and the dragon sword reviving Irene. I always thought the Irene revival was kind of out of nowhere, just to pull our leg that Irene died, but that makes perfect sense and gives me more appreciation for the plot.
This is incredible, dude. The last time I played Ninja Gaiden 2, it was like almost 30 years ago. A lot of your decisions and timing are EXACTLY the same as mine back in the day. Watching this playthrough, sometimes I feel as if there's an NES controller in my hands. Just when I think "hmmm I'd do *that* here", you instantly do exactly the thing. Wondering if everyone who has played the hell out of this game follows the same routine.
The music in intro is the best in the game, one of the best in the series, imo.
For me the hardest one and the best soundtracks
That bird that comes out of nowhere I will always have that hated for it plain and simple
This is the only one of the original 3 NES classics I could finish without any cheats. Thanks to Ryu's ability to climb and descend any wall. And of course the option like clones.
there's something about the Gothic look of the SIRE ASHSTAR masked Demon-man at the thumbnail
he is just haunting in that badass unique looking way
Not mentioning how deep the intro is and the music...
one of the most memorable enemy concepts in NES history
love you NINJA GAIDEN
side note
player is not bad at all
Best of the original trilogy. Phantom Doubles make it look easy but that can change with one mistake.
The best and most satisfying ending in video games for the era. I don't know why as kids we wanted our video games to have some kind of payoff at the end, but this one delivers. It has the iconic sunset, Ryu gets his happy ending, and the special ending music with extended credits roll. Beating this for the first time was a treat.
I stand by comments from the Gaiden 1, onto 2. a beautiful soap opera 🥰
Tecmo needs to give us a 4th installment of the series like this!😄
But what system would they release it on?
@@ThePencilpants69 all modern consoles💯
My favorite Ninja Gaiden...got this as a kid and Ioved it so much. Everything I wanted out of an NES game.
The best NG on the NES. The 2 shadow clones were OP AF.
Fun fact NG3 took place before NG2
Really? Then where does the first game fall in the timeline?
3 years after Ninja Gaiden Shadow that I never played or knew about. There's a NG wiki@@Dorian_Scott
@themadatheist1976
You might wanna Google ninja gaiden time line because 2 and 3 were released a yr after each other,there's also three extensive articles talking about how two and three are actually linked together and NOT out of order ,there's not even anything online stating why these games 2+3 are out of order during the time line . Just for context the boss ashtar is jaqio reborn (check the ninja gaiden wiki) then there's the fact that the guy at the beginning of this game tells you to rescue Irene who's been kidnapped.however in the intro to the game after this they show a fake Hayabusa kill Irene for some reason.
@@shoken4421 no.
"The game is the third installment of the Ninja Gaiden trilogy, set between the first two games in the series, Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos. Although the American Box art and in-game dialogue suggests that the game takes place years after the first game. The second game, (The Dark Sword of Chaos) supposedly takes place one year after the first. The Japanese version takes place in between the first two games. The ending screen makes mention of this."
@@shoken4421 "Between the events of the original Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos,[5][6] CIA agent Irene Lew is chased by a man who looks like Ryu Hayabusa to a cliff edge, where she falls to her apparent death. In an effort to clear his name, Ryu investigates the laboratory where Irene was killed. A mysterious man appears there and tells Ryu to go to the Castle Rock fortress, where he will give Ryu more information about Irene."
Equally great sequel to the original. Something I didn’t notice before until now is that at the end of Act IV, Ashtar and Irene are speaking to Ryu telepathically. The Japanese version especially lets you know this by using double hook brackets.
Why is this masterpiece not on the Switch Online yet? We're not talking here about a video game based on some licensed property like TMNT or the Disney-Capcom tites with 0 chance to realistically make it to the Switch Online. This is a game that was released three times on the Virtual Console and whose own prequel has been on the Switch Online since 2018. Wake up Koei Tecmo/Nintendo.
i agree, but switch controls are often jacked for the retro games that are button mashers
I’m hoping for a Ninja Noboken 2.
Absolutely loved this game! I remember first playing it at a video game convention in 89!
I totally forgot about this game! Nostalgia overload!
I used to obsess on NES trilogy wayback on 2016 because of brutal arcade gameover and first buy Ninja Gaiden 2 Sigma+ for PSvita.
Man this was my shit. That first level theme song always gets me going. Such a beautiful game
Wow you are great at this game. I just booted it up and its hard!
As kid in the early 90s this intro was so fucking epic. I don't think i got past the 3rd level in this game. I was 6 years old in '93.
Even though i didn't get far, i would play this game over and over!
By far best of the trilogy
My favorite game, since I played with my brother ❤❤❤
Excelente amigo. Me hizo recordar la infancia con esos excelentes videojuegos. Una gran felicitación para ti.
Thank you!
Man this brings back menories. I learned how to read playing Nintendo back then.
Gaiden 2 breaks the cardinal rule of frontloading your musical bangers on stage 1. But you wont have to wait very long, because 2-2 is the best song. Half forgiven.
Considering the stage 1 music is awesome too. Actually all NG2 OST is badass.
The sound track of this game is still in my memory until now
I believed in Santa until i got this game in my stocking, Christmas morning and saw the local game shop's price tag on it. I realized he was fake, didnt give a @$#% and slammed this beauty in the NES. Merry Christmas baybay!
One of the best follow ups to an already iconic first installment.
Gameplay, game design, game challenge, storyline,….especially one of the few 8-bit games that had an extended ending.
Great addition was the “shadow ninja” in place of the “jump and slash” from the first installment. With the difficulty of the game it gave the player an advantage of you had it plug the “up fire”.
Just an EXECELLENT game all around!
The first video game in which I was interested in the story.
I strongly remember being seriously surprised that the villain in the intro not only was not impressed that the protagonist defeated what I assumed to be his lackey, but he was even expecting that to be the end result.
I hadn't played the original Ninja Gaiden back in 1990, so I could only imagine how that game was like. But given what little I knew about games and stories in general, I imagined this "Jaquio" to be a powerful final boss.
And yet, this demonic looking character wasn't phased at all by his defeat. That really made a impression on me that year, it made me imagine: "how powerful is this guy!?".
What a great ending to the game! Thanks, again!
I love the music scene childhood
Love this game the cinematic scenes like the first and third game the music and the beats are awesome i have the ringtone of the first level of this game every time my phone rings and shadow of your ninjas helping you through the game was very helpful through the game beat it from the beginning to the end of the game for over 30 years i never forget this game how it was a best game along with the ninja gaiden sequels on the nintendo big love to tecmo for their hard work on making ninja gaiden games
Awesome game all times 😎❤❤❤
I always thought ashtar's mask was a giant tooth. Love this game. Soundtrack was awesome
The music. That is all
Nothing beats the 8-bit sounds, long live Apple ][e, 8-bit, 16-bit era.
The drummer was absolutely DRUMMING!
Ninja gaiden is the type of game wich is addictive by nature but also frustrating..
Sounds like drugs.
Ever single good game from this era.....you HAVE to have the final boss's hideout blow up. Every time. It's not a good game if that doesn't happen
You fool! That was a load-bearing final boss!
Great game. Though it seems everyone's favorite last line in this game appears to be:
"What the ...?"
I never forget these games because they r made my childhood 😭😭😔😔
My fav game when I was kid... 😱
My favourite game ninja..
Those stupid birds gave me such anxiety Lol. The onr thing about tte ninja gaiden series that got me was if you moved a millimeter in the wrong direction, how the enemies would respawn. I screamrd at the tv so many times 😂
This was the first NG game I've played & beaten. It deserves every bit of praise & then some.
I missed those days 😢
One of the best NES games. An amazing game
The best of the trilogy
Ninja gaiden nes 2 is my favourite game nes
nice memories. I finished this game two times
No praise is enough for this game. A NES masterpiece altough I preffer NG3.
Part 2 music is sooo scary lol 😂
If you could finish NG2, you could run through NG3 relatively untouched. I used to do it just to impress my friends at the time.
Best of the Trilogy
I need to get back into this game again!
Still remember this game as a kid. Did beat this with Game Genie but this game should have been The 3rd game due to how powerful the storyline was. Did read the other comments said that they beat it without cheats but more power to you.
31:22
"Ryu, they got Irene."
"...Again!?"
I wish the original trilogy could get a modern remake. They would look amazing on PlayStation and Xbox.
I'm too old to be watching this
I love how this game and 7 up cool spot have the same collectables! Lmao ninja gaiden trilogy on Nes is awesome to the max!
I'm glad they got rid of the bug that cheated you out of your special weapon in the final battle that the first game had. The final boss battles were easier this time around.
I was always confused by the ice section in Act V. Anybody know what it is supposed to represent? The backdrop made me think it was similar to Antarctica, but apparently, it’s the freezing section of Hell, also called The Underworld.
Most likely the frozen hell; the previous stage before it was blazing hellfire underground.
@@WhiteFangofWar I just googled some images of what the frozen hell looks like. I guess that makes sense.
A punishingly difficult but nevertheless well made and awesome masterpiece!
It not that hard,ive beaten the games as a child longtime ago in early 2000s
I liked the girl art back then
It is hard because it takes some to master it and then come with you conclusion. I also finished all of them but after playing a lot.
Wow great job. I wasnt good at this game growing up. (Or the 1st one)
This game (specifically the final level and specifically the boss fight) was a true nightmare. Took me an entire weekend rental to beat it. (Usually beat a rental in half an hour.) I almost didn't make it in time.
Talk about nostalgia. To a time where the world hadn’t lost its damn mind 😂
side note
13:53 Mr COOL right there always makes me think of RAD from BIONIC COMMANDO NES
ahhhhh yet another NES immortal iconic game
7:43 The fingers enemies from Elden Ring.
Loved the original but never played this one. I figured the first one was difficult enough. 😂 Still, great job on this!
Fue la versión más épica y la recordaré hasta el día que me muera. 24 de mayo de 2024.
Nice job. However it would have been slightly more badass if you exposed the weakness patterns on the bosses instead of relying so much on ninpo.
17:45 He clinged to the water =)).
Glorious soundtrack
The way he kills the boss. It looks so easy.
Have you ever noticed that some of the enemies look like baby versions of the first game's bosses?
Yes.
The Nintendo Power guide said that they were clones. I guess that makes sense.
😢 My darkness hero was defeated 😢, i was on the evil side when i was young 😅
I played the first & never got very far. I've always been more a pc gamer. Hell, my last console was a playstation.
Dat intro tho…
Que saudade zerei os 3 ninja gaiden
23:40 Remember that web series "Continue?" say hi to their theme song :P
Incredible Game!
Can't remember how i acquired this game back in 1990 but i was not particularly fond of it. I found it a good game but not really something i could play for hours on end.
I ended up trading it for Snake's Revenge which was more my type of game.
Ryu Hayabusa's Ninja Quest Begins Again!
TECMO'S NINJA GAIDEN 2 THE DARK SWORD OF CHAOS!
For The Nintendo Entertainment System!
Ryu Hayabusa: I'll Get You, Ashtar!
Im Vergleich zum üblichen kommerziellen Schrott aus dieser Zeit sticht Ninja Gaiden heraus. Man merkt deutlich das es den Entwicklern hierbei nicht nur darum ging möglichst viel Geld zu machen.Viel liebe zum Detail, eine gute Geschichte und ein echt geschmeidiges Gameplay. Meine Hochachtung an das damalige Team. Außerdem ist es interessant das Albert Wesker aus Resident Evil mit Ryu befreundet war.😅
How can they have her head go down the screen and not think bj i mean come on
Good to know I wasn't the only one to think so lol
Yeah, it looks very... interesting.😂
BJ was not a thing back then
@@maggiechang9956 This comment right here!
This was my favorite out of the 3 nes games. Ashtar should have been more powerful than Jaquio. He was easier to beat instead. I thought Ashtar was supposed to be Jaquio's boss.
I've noticed at the end that only the Alter crumbles and not the entire tower itself?
The fucking intro !!!!
En efecto. Es cine 🚬🚬
Hey Alex, I was just looking for a video of you playing conflict for nes. I can't find one. Did you do one or would you? I've seen others but I want to see you
...wasnt NG3 about aliens?
first ninja gaiden i plaid when i was yung
From 27:36-27:43, is Ryu actually breaking the fourth wall on this game?