Mark of the Ninja (stealth side-scroller from Klei) catch-all

If you listen to any podcasts, everybody that's talked about this game has mentioned that it's a total crapshoot on how long it takes for this game to show up on another platform. They've basically come out and said on Twitter that a PC version is definitely coming but there's no way to tell how long it might take.

Stele wrote:

PSN

Funded and published by Microsoft. Not gonna happen any time soon if ever.

I haven't posted in the threa until now but I've been loving this game. I just finished it about five minutes ago. Some of those sequences get you pretty tense. Now to go through on new game plus and get all the things I missed.

I just finished it.

SO DAMN GOOD

I played another hour of it last night. I love that there are so many secrets and hidden spaces. It feels so old school and modern at the same time. This has completely killed my desire to continue playing Arkham City for the time being.

Anyone have any hints for terrifying people? So far the only way I've found is to drop a corpse on an unsuspecting guard, and that's risky. They'll either freak out instantly, or get suspicious, notice the body, and call in an alert.

There's a couple upgrades that help with that.

Spoiler:

1. A special move you buy lets you string guys up and suspend them from objects.

2. A weapon purchase gives you darts that instantly terrorize baddies.

EvilDead wrote:

I played another hour of it last night. I love that there are so many secrets and hidden spaces. It feels so old school and modern at the same time. This has completely killed my desire to continue playing Arkham City for the time being.

That's not hard. Arkham City does a good enough job of killing one's desire to continue playing just by itself!

I finished the game last night and LOVED it. I can see the replay potential immediately.

As I leveled up my ninja, I quickly became excited about all the different stealth kills and ways to terrify guards. I started to roleplay my increasingly bloodthirsty, insane ninja as I began going OUT OF MY WAY to scour the level for baddies to kill, and new ways to kill or terrorize them. Once during an underground level

Spoiler:

there were two elites (unkillable by stealth kills) and a normal guard, with another normal guard patrolling above them. I killed the above guy silently, mere inches above their heads, and then dropped his corpse on the regular guards head, terrorizing him and causing him to shoot the elites. I then closed in for the kill on him. I later found a switch which would have gassed the whole area. And I don't think I even had to go there for the game to continue, just for a scroll.

By the time I got to the end it was obvious what path my rage filled, bloody handed assassin would take.

Can't wait to play through again as the stealthy, pacifist ninja. Never noticed, never seen, ghosting through the corridors and parapets like a gentle breeze... The masks/styles you start to gain near the end add a lot of variety to the gameplay as well, it seems. And are well introduced through the storyline in the first playthrough.

I love the mask/outfit that makes it super easy to terrify everyone

Although the Path of the Hunter outfit that makes all stealth kills an instant one button press affair is super satisfying too.

BlackSabre wrote:
EvilDead wrote:

I played another hour of it last night. I love that there are so many secrets and hidden spaces. It feels so old school and modern at the same time. This has completely killed my desire to continue playing Arkham City for the time being.

That's not hard. Arkham City does a good enough job of killing one's desire to continue playing just by itself! :D

Hah! It's definitely not grabbing me the way AA did. I think the open world isn't doing it any favors.

LobsterMobster wrote:

Anyone have any hints for terrifying people? So far the only way I've found is to drop a corpse on an unsuspecting guard, and that's risky. They'll either freak out instantly, or get suspicious, notice the body, and call in an alert.

I have only had it happen once and I thought it was by dropping a chandelier on one while he was in view of another guard.

For those of you who finished Mark of the Ninja, how long a game is it?

About halfway through now, and loving it. Probably my favorite XBLA game so far. The art style reminds me of Samurai Jack, which is a good thing. Do you retain all your unlocked skills in a New Game +?

Thin_J wrote:

Although the Path of the Hunter outfit that makes all stealth kills an instant one button press affair is super satisfying too.

Ah, the answer to my unasked question, thanks!

For some reason, I am no longer able to do the nifty cool kills from below or dangling from above kills. I don't know if it is because I am not in the right areas or if there is some other reason. Gonna have to start over. Grrrrr...

FWIW, I just set the first building on fire.

Gravey wrote:
Thin_J wrote:

Although the Path of the Hunter outfit that makes all stealth kills an instant one button press affair is super satisfying too.

Ah, the answer to my unasked question, thanks!

As a tradeoff you get no distraction items, only another attack item. And it doesn't refill your items when you hit a new section either. What you get at the start of the level is what you get for the entirety of it.

kid_0k wrote:

Do you retain all your unlocked skills in a New Game +?

Yes.

I also understand that Game + removes all the visual cues (noise circles, enemy line-of-sight cones, etc.) as well as blurring the screen area you are not facing (i.e. the way rooms with closed doors look until you lean up against them).

Sounds challenging.

EvilDead wrote:

For those of you who finished Mark of the Ninja, how long a game is it?

Probably 5-7 hours, I'd say. Maybe less if you're not going for any of the extras.

Is anyone else having issues adding points on XBL? I couldn't get it to let me buy points from the dash, kept getting an error. Bought a points code from amazon, but keep getting an error trying to redeem it both on the dash and on the website. Why won't they take my money?

Edit: Called MS, turns out someone bought $75 in points on my account a few weeks ago. They caught and immediately reversed it, but also put a lock on the account. Apparently it might be three more days before I get it unlocked, since it needs to get escalated. I'm so taking that credit card off the account.

Chaz wrote:

Edit: Called MS, turns out someone bought $75 in points on my account a few weeks ago. They caught and immediately reversed it, but also put a lock on the account. Apparently it might be three more days before I get it unlocked, since it needs to get escalated. I'm so taking that credit card off the account.

Craziness, but nice that MS caught it and acted on it themselves. Should the recovery process go south, feel free to join the club.

After my account got hijacked, I took all payment methods off it (credit card and PayPal). Now when I want to buy something, I do it through marketplace.xbox.com, attach my PP account to buy enough points, buy the DLC or whatever, then remove the PP account. It's a few extra clicks, but it's the most secure way I could come up with (that's more convenient than buying points cards). (Plus two-step verification and the PIN login code!)

mudbunny wrote:

For some reason, I am no longer able to do the nifty cool kills from below or dangling from above kills. I don't know if it is because I am not in the right areas or if there is some other reason. Gonna have to start over. Grrrrr...

FWIW, I just set the first building on fire.

I'm having the same issue, moving back and forth above a guard trying to find a "sweet spot" or something. I think it's just a glitch. I've also had things change after reloading a checkpoint, or have been able to get kills from below even though they shouldn't have been in range. The animation just skips to the kill even though it moves them a few feet. Weird.

For us PC gamers wanting to play this, it may happen sooner rather than later.

MeatMan wrote:

For us PC gamers wanting to play this, it may happen sooner rather than later.

From that article:

Given that I haven’t played it, take this next bit with a sizeable pinch of salt. It’s 2D Arkham City

Can anyone who HAS played it comment? I don't like Arkham Asylum/City as much as most people, so if true that kinda dampens my ninja flame.

Figures, now that I've got points sitting on my Xbox account. Maybe I'll just wait for the pc version.

Blind_Evil wrote:

Can anyone who HAS played it comment? I don't like Arkham Asylum/City as much as most people, so if true that kinda dampens my ninja flame.

As someone who played Arkham Asylum and enjoyed it enough to finish it but not enough to care about the sequel at all I wouldn't put much weight in the comparison.

Blind_Evil wrote:
MeatMan wrote:

For us PC gamers wanting to play this, it may happen sooner rather than later.

From that article:

Given that I haven’t played it, take this next bit with a sizeable pinch of salt. It’s 2D Arkham City

Can anyone who HAS played it comment? I don't like Arkham Asylum/City as much as most people, so if true that kinda dampens my ninja flame.

Well, its a stealth game and batman is kind of like a super hero ninja but its not a 2D Batman game. Maybe it takes some of the best aspects of the Arkham series, removes the filler and makes it a little more puzzle oriented. You feel much less limited in how you solve those puzzles too. Oh, and its all about one hit kills while remaining out of sight. No 10 minute long beat up circles! Just give the demo a try.

Thin_J wrote:
Blind_Evil wrote:

Can anyone who HAS played it comment? I don't like Arkham Asylum/City as much as most people, so if true that kinda dampens my ninja flame.

As someone who played Arkham Asylum and enjoyed it enough to finish it but not enough to care about the sequel at all I wouldn't put much weight in the comparison.

That's exactly how I felt about Asylum, and exactly what I was hoping to hear. Thanks!

Yeah, exactly. It's WAY faster paced than AA, and without the combat which was one of AA's biggest selling points. And a bunch of insta-kill failures in Mark of the Ninja.

Essentially, aside from there being stealth, ventilation systems, and grappling hooks, I don't see much of a comparison.

MeatMan wrote:

For us PC gamers wanting to play this, it may happen sooner rather than later.

I am waiting with bated breath. This will be loaded onto my HDD the second it is available.

You know what is an a-hole thing to do but fun? Throw a body at one of the guards.

Thin_J wrote:
Gravey wrote:
Thin_J wrote:

Although the Path of the Hunter outfit that makes all stealth kills an instant one button press affair is super satisfying too.

Ah, the answer to my unasked question, thanks!

As a tradeoff you get no distraction items, only another attack item. And it doesn't refill your items when you hit a new section either. What you get at the start of the level is what you get for the entirety of it.

The Hunter outfit is amazing, especially after getting the terror darts and flesh eating bugs. I just love that you can go stealth and use a completely different set of items andstill get instant kills off of hand-to-hand with the right skills.

Anyone try out the Terror based suit yet?

Blind_Evil wrote:

From that article:

Given that I haven’t played it, take this next bit with a sizeable pinch of salt. It’s 2D Arkham City

Can anyone who HAS played it comment?

Judge for yourself.

Warning: Brad is playing

Spoiler:

It's not 2D Arkham City.