Ninja Gaiden 2 Insanely Hard. Good Thing?
Granted that information about this game is severely limited at this stage, but everything seems to be pointing to the fact that this game will be at least as hard as the previous. I like games that give me a challenge, but I'm shocked that my controller didn't break considering the amount of times I threw it playing the original.
Considering the amount of time I had to put into playing the original game in order to become competent enough to not die every couple minutes, I'm not sure if I want to pick this game up. I'm worried that it'll be so hard that it won't be fun, just frustrating.
At the same time I have conflicting thoughts about the difficulty of games in general. It seems that many games have become ridiculously easy in order to appeal to the mass market and casual gamer. This ambivalence really bothers me. Is there a happy median for the two, or do you have to cater to one or the other?
Team Ninja has mentioned an "easy" mode, which has disparaging remarks inserted throughout the game ridiculing the player for playing on that difficulty level. Sounds really elitist, but maybe I'm just reading to deep into it. Besides, the days of my self-esteem being crushed by a video game have long past. 
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It is elitist, in my opinion, although that doesn't mean there isn't a place for it. All media has its impenetrable works that can only be really appreciated by those who have invested themselves in learning the particular medium, be it music, "fine" art, or film. It just means that you're limiting your audience for your art. I also think that generally works that fall into these categories are missing an opportunity if the creator's goal is to actually convey a message or idea to people.
If Team Ninja wants to do that, by all means they should. If their goal is to make an extremely hard game that enables the "1337" to congratulate themselves for their mad skills, then it's the right choice. If their goal is to have their hard work appreciated by as many people as possible, then it's the wrong choice. I'm guessing that they're driven more by the former then the latter.
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Ninja Gaiden wasn't that bad on the Normal difficulty once you accepted that even though you couldn't see the enemies, Ryu could and would kill them for you.
I like a good spectrum of difficulty with games in general. Best case scenario is when a game can accomodate someone that has never played a video game before and the crazy hardcore in one box. Ninja Gaiden falls a little short on the first part, but I'm inclined to let it slide since you play a nina.
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Ninja Gaiden (and Black) weren't bad at all on Normal once you had a good hold on the controls. Ninja Gaiden is all about enemy management, stunning one enemy while attacking another, and countering with blocks and counter attacks. If they keep the same difficulty (or even up it a teeny amount) from what was in Ninja Gaiden black for normal play I'll be content.
That said I spent a LONG time playing Ninja Gaiden to get to a point where I was comfortable with it. I do not get frustrated easily
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I thought I read they were going to make it easier to bring in more casual users. I'll admit, I quit when I got to that flying bitch with wings (Alma?) Between her and the brown ninjas with the homing, exploding, throwing stars, I had enough.
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Damn you double post!!!
"That's because you were 10. Everyone likes Garfield when they're 10. When you're 10 you think a cat eating lasagna is genius." - Mumford
2005 GWJFFL League Champion
It sounds elitest, but that's the game they want to make- and they have a right to do that. Too many publishers insist on watering down titles, having the game makers do this or that, that it's refreshing to have a team go "We want this to be insanely hard, so there"
Of course, Lair had mention control only because Factor 5 wanted it that way and said F you to everyone else, or because Sony nudge nudged them to death. In the case of the first, it's not always good to have a developer get what they want, but in the case of the second, the developer's game would have been a lot better had they been able to stand up to Sony.
I'll probably pick it up, but I was never able to finish the first simply because of the amount of time I had to invest in it.
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I spent a lot of time with the first as well, but I really enjoyed it's difficulty. I guess I'm attracted to more difficult games, but I don't think people who aren't should be subjected to harassment.
Having beaten NGB on Very Hard, I am slavvering at the thought of another hard NG game. There were a few points where the difficulty became cheapness, as with the spider ninja with explody stars, and the first Alma fight, but for the most part the difficulty in NG was very fair.
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I don't consider myself too hardcore of a player and Ninja Gaiden did give me a big challenge, but I don't think it was as hard as people say (except maybe that floating demon lady in the cathedral...). How I see it, if I can beat it on normal difficulty and complete a bunch of the challenges, it's not too hard.
For the last decade or so, developers have seemed afraid to provide gamers with a real challenge. It used to be that only a handful of people would ever complete game, and seeing the ending was a real reward, not a foregone conclusion. So I, for one, have absolutely no problem with the occasional game being really hard.
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Ninja Gaiden was I think the only game I've ever stopped playing simply because it became so damn frustrating so quickly. I probably only played for two hours but at the end of that I realized I just didn't need a game that simply made me angry.
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