Topic: 2008/01: Ninja Gaiden Trilogy (Super NES) - Will Mallia

[JonLeung]

Ninja Gaiden Trilogy

For this month's "Maps of the Month" featurette, I wish to draw your attention to Will Mallia's Ninja Gaiden Trilogy (Super NES) maps.



It's another year, but for many of us, maybe it doesn't feel any different.  We still go through the same motions we did last time around.



The same could be said about Ninja Gaiden Trilogy, the upgraded/repackaged trio of Ryu Hayabusa's adventures, as we first saw on the NES.  Now they're all on the same cartridge, with upgraded 16-bit graphics and a new password save system!  The flying enemies still hit you when you're trying to make critical jumps, and the Jaquio's not any easier to defeat!  But at least the adventures are the same, intact with those nifty cut-scenes, and revisiting them is certainly not a bad thing.



The stage layouts are identical to the original NES games, but both are exemplary examples of oldschool platforming action for either generation.  Will Mallia has mapped all of the Super NES trilogy and most of the NES trilogy - truly, few people can survive three ninja adventures (or even these games) - and Will Mallia braved them twice!



So to recognize the effort put into making these "ninjatastic" maps, Will Mallia's Ninja Gaiden Trilogy maps will be known as VGMaps.com's Maps of the Month for January 2008.

[The Ultimate Koopa]

What's the () -

[marioman]

Shhh...  It's a secret to everyone.  

[RT 55J]

That's one scary mofo...

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Dot? Dot. Dot!

[JonLeung]

If memory serves, that was Clancy after he went all psycho...



Anyway, this takes care of one whole chapter if I ever decide to push for a continuation of the "NES Game Atlas recreation project" with a "Super NES Game Atlas"...

[RT 55J]

When comparing some random maps side by side with the NES version, they look exactly alike. Seriously. The only real difference I can see is a slightly darker palette in the SNES version. It makes me wonder if they actually put any effort into making this game.



For a second I thought I spotted a difference between the maps of NG3 4-1, but I realized that it was the result of a minor error in the NES map.

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Dot? Dot. Dot!

[TerraEsperZ]

I personally prefer the NES versions over this collection, since the SNES graphics look *barely* more colorful while the music took a *huge* dive down in quality.



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"With the first link, the chain is forged. The first speech censored, the first thought forbidden, the first freedom denied, chains us all irrevocably." [...] The first time any man's freedom is trodden on, we're all damaged. - Captain Jean-Luc Picard



Current projects: Mega Man Zero (GBA), Battletoads (NES), Sonic CD (Sega CD)

[JonLeung]

I like 'em both...obviously.



Considering the NES and the Super NES have the same screen resolution (256 x 224), and that the original NES games had above-average graphics (at least in terms of detail), the upgrade was practically just more colour.  It's certainly not as different, graphically, as the original Super Mario Bros. and its version in Super Mario All-Stars.



I like the music in both versions, but maybe I'm not as much of an audiophile as TerraEsperZ to notice if it was worse in the Super NES version (or maybe I have bad memory).  I'd agree that I don't remember it being any better, if at all, but considering that I think the Ninja Gaiden games' soundtracks is among the best on the NES, I wouldn't have any bad words about the Super NES soundtrack.



I haven't played the recent Ninja Gaiden games, but I will say I prefer pyjamas-wearing Hayabusa over his now-visibly armored self.  I dunno, I always seem to think that the armour makes him look less tough or something.  I will still probably play those games at some point, as well as Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (obviously for the DS, note the acronym of the subtitle) but somehow I doubt they will give me a nostalgic feeling like the kind I get when I look at these NES/Super NES maps.