Ninja Gaiden is a 2004 action-adventure game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo for the Xbox . It was released in March 2004. Set in the futuristic version of the 21st century, players control Ryu Hayabusa , a master ninja , in his quest to recover a stolen sword and avenge the slaughter of his clan. It was inspired by Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden series , and is set in the same continuity as Team Ninja's Dead or Alive fighting games.
160-484: Tecmo developed Ninja Gaiden for five years, targeting a western audience. The game's violence created difficulties obtaining content ratings , and it was censored in some regions. Making use of the Xbox's internet connectivity , Tecmo promoted Ninja Gaiden with a series of international online contests ; record-breaking numbers of players competed for places in the live final held at the 2004 Tokyo Game Show . Ninja Gaiden
320-478: A demo and a new game mode, Survival Mode, for Sigma over the PlayStation Network . The demo limits players to the first chapter of the game, but lets them play as Rachel in a separate mission. Survival Mode comprises missions in which players keep fighting until they have either killed all their opponents, or their character has been defeated. Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus is a port of Ninja Gaiden Sigma for
480-408: A side-scrolling format. Later notable side-scrolling run and gun shooters include Namco's Rolling Thunder (1986), which added cover mechanics to the formula, and Data East's RoboCop (1988). In 1987, Konami created Contra , a side-scrolling coin-op arcade game, and later a NES game, that was particularly acclaimed for its multi-directional aiming and two-player cooperative gameplay. By
640-451: A third person over-the-shoulder perspective, in typical action-adventure fashion Ryu starts the game with basic, low-level abilities and weapons that can be upgraded as he progresses, by discovering or buying items. In keeping with his ninja persona, his character can interact with the game environment to perform acrobatic feats, such as running along and jumping off walls, swinging from pole to pole, or running across water. The game world
800-475: A "bloody hard, but also bloody good" challenge, it was feared that casual gamers would find the learning curve daunting. IGN warned that gamers with lesser skills might not "get as much out of this game as others due to [its] incredible difficulty", and Edge commented that "Tecmo's refusal to extend any kind of handhold to less dedicated players is simply a failure of design, not a badge of hardcore honour", and "it's impossible to believe they couldn't have found
960-401: A black background. It had a more interactive style of play than earlier target shooting games, with multiple enemies who responded to the player-controlled cannon's movement and fired back at the player. The game ended when the player was killed by the enemies. While earlier shooting games allowed the player to shoot at targets, Space Invaders was the first where multiple enemies fired back at
1120-465: A custom game drawn from Hurricane Pack 2 while commentators called out the action. They had 15 minutes to complete the game and post the highest score; the winner emerged only in the last 20 seconds, when Yasunori Otsuka cleared the game and outscored his rivals. At the award ceremony, the finalists received their prize plaques from Itagaki. The tournaments were not without controversy. Players complained about Microsoft's tardiness in posting
1280-664: A falcon and flies to the Hayabusa village. In the final scene, he places the Dragon Eye, used to enhance his sword, on Kureha's tombstone and disappears into the night. In 1999, Team Ninja started work on the "Next-Generation Ninja Gaiden Project". The first stage of development was to create the game on the Sega NAOMI arcade system board. They then planned to move the project to the Dreamcast console for further development and release, but this
1440-400: A figurine maker, includes 1/6 scale plastic figurines of Ninja Gaiden characters in their range of products. As of 2007, they have produced figures of Ryu, Ayane, Kureha and Rachel. Tecmo published two additional versions of Ninja Gaiden : Ninja Gaiden Black for Xbox and Ninja Gaiden Sigma for PlayStation 3. Essentially the same game as the original, they tell the same story of Ryu and
1600-530: A game to be abandoned in disgust. However, where a game also rewards a player's perseverance by teaching the skills required to overcome its challenges, that player will have the motivation to finish the game. Ninja Gaiden , in his opinion, strikes the correct balance between challenge and reward; completion brings "a sort of exhausted exhilaration, like finally reaching the end of War and Peace ." In 2012, CraveOnline included it on their list of five "badass ninja games", calling it "the pinnacle of action gaming at
1760-421: A government, and are sometimes part of the local motion picture rating system . The utility of such ratings has been called into question by studies that publish findings such as 90% of teenagers claim that their parents "never" check the ratings before allowing them to rent or buy video games, and as such, calls have been made to "fix" the existing rating systems. Video game content rating systems can be used as
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#17328724191011920-442: A guide throughout Ninja Gaiden by supplying advice and objectives to the player. Muramasa , a bladesmith , has shops scattered throughout the game world where players can purchase useful items and upgrades for Ryu's weapons. Muramasa also gives quests and relates back-stories and other crucial information; for example, he tells Ryu how he can obtain the item required to upgrade his Dragon Sword to its full potential. Players have
2080-537: A large selection of weapons for Ryu to wield, each with advantages and disadvantages that affect the way the player approaches combat. These include one-handed swords, such as the Dragon Sword and Kitetsu, which grant quick attacks, and a move called the "Flying Swallow", which allows Ryu to leap and slash through enemies. In addition these light weapons allow Ryu to smash foes into the ground and perform his signature Izuna Drop—a spinning piledriver . Heavy weapons, such as
2240-488: A later time. Ryu's movements are directed using the console gamepad . The game's control system, which comprises the left thumbstick , two attack buttons, and a block button, was described as fluid and responsive, and Ninja Gaiden was regarded as having one of the deeper combat engines among Xbox games at the time, comparing well to the PlayStation 2 action-adventures God of War and Devil May Cry . Eric Williams,
2400-552: A line of merchandise around the Ninja Gaiden name. Its online shop carries apparel and accessories such as caps, wristbands, T-shirts, key holders, and mugs. Most of the merchandise is based on that associated with the various Ninja Gaiden game launches or given as prizes in the Master Ninja Tournaments. Tecmo also published the original soundtrack of the game under their record label Wake Up on March 20, 2004. Kotobukiya,
2560-573: A link with the previous games, which had many adherents in the West , so Itagaki was asked to rethink his ideas to target the foreign market. Analyzing the earlier games, he concluded that their violence appealed to players, and included gory content, such as beheadings, in the Xbox game to retain that spirit. He also aimed to make his new game hard but alluring; it would challenge players on their reflexes rather than on their memories of layouts and timings. His team made
2720-532: A live Ninja Gaiden Master Tournament World Championship, held on September 25 at the TGS 2004. Competition for places was intense, with both tournaments breaking records for online participation in Xbox Live events. Six of the highest scoring players from Europe and North America won bokkens bearing Itagaki's signature, and five regional winners were selected to proceed to the final. Here, the finalists simultaneously played
2880-555: A more successful attempt to incorporate a 3D perspective into shooter games; Tempest went on to influence several later rail shooters. Sega's Zaxxon (1981) introduced isometric video game graphics to the genre. The term "shmup" is believed to have been coined in 1985 by the British Commodore 64 magazine Zzap!64 . In the July 1985 issue, the term was used by the editor Chris Anderson and reviewer Julian Rignall . 1985 saw
3040-409: A point of designing smoothly-flowing gameplay with high-quality animations that reacted quickly to the player's input. Itagaki paid homage to the earlier Ninja Gaiden series by including updated versions of foes and special attacks. Team Ninja based their 3D computer models , from the pistols of the henchman upwards, on real world material. Character models were taken from studies of human anatomy, and
3200-417: A rail shooter released in 1985, broke new ground graphically and its wide variety of settings across multiple levels gave players more to aim for than high scores. In 1986, Arsys Software released WiBArm , a shooter that switched between a 2D side-scrolling view in outdoor areas to a fully 3D polygonal third-person perspective inside buildings, while bosses were fought in an arena-style 2D battle, with
3360-688: A rival clan called the Black Spider Clan that also seek the Dark Dragon Blade. Eventually, he meets Rachel, a Fiend Hunter who too seeks vengeance on Doku for turning her twin sister Alma into a Greater Fiend. In the background, Ryu is shadowed by Gamov and the Dark Disciple, two mysterious figures with an unknown motive. Ryu eventually encounters Alma and defeats her in a battle that wrecks the city but leaves her to Rachel's mercy. Conversely, Rachel cannot bring herself to kill her sister, and instead
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#17328724191013520-498: A series of three online contests held by Microsoft and Tecmo in 2004. They took place over Xbox Live, and were open to participants in Europe, Japan, and North America. Winner selection was based on the scores achieved through playing Ninja Gaiden or its Hurricane Packs. Players had 14 to 24 days to complete the required games and submit their scores to an online scoreboard. The first two tournaments formed regional qualification stages for
3680-529: A shoot 'em up, as opposed to an action-adventure game . The success of Commando and Ikari Warriors led to run and gun games becoming the dominant style of shoot 'em up during the late 1980s to early 1990s, with the term "shoot 'em up" itself becoming synonymous with "run and gun" during this period. Konami 's Green Beret (1985), known as Rush'n Attack in North America, adapted the Commando formula to
3840-526: A shoot 'em up. Some restrict the genre to games featuring some kind of craft, using fixed or scrolling movement. Others widen the scope to include games featuring such protagonists as robots or humans on foot, as well as including games featuring "on-rails" (or "into the screen") and "run and gun" movement. Mark Wolf restricts the definition to games featuring multiple antagonists ("'em" being short for "them"), calling games featuring one-on-one shooting "combat games". Formerly, critics described any game where
4000-430: A similar manner to the bombs or grenades of shooter action games , these spells allow Ryu to inflict heavy damage on enemies while potentially avoiding damage himself. But, dissatisfied with their programmed visual effects, the game's director Tomonobu Itagaki wanted to deter players from using ninpo. He therefore tweaked the game to award bonus points when players cleared stages without employing magic. For Ryu's defense,
4160-494: A single European system. The PEGI system is now used in more than thirty-one countries and is based on a code of conduct, a set of rules to which every publisher using the PEGI system is contractually committed. PEGI self-regulation is composed by five age categories and seven content descriptors that advise the suitability and content of a game for a certain age range based on the games content. The ratings are: The ratings do not indicate
4320-526: A straight line at constant speeds. The player's character can collect " power-ups " which may afford the character's greater protection, an " extra life ", health, shield, or upgraded weaponry. Different weapons are often suited to different enemies, but these games seldom keep track of ammunition. As such, players tend to fire indiscriminately, and their weapons only damage legitimate targets. Shoot 'em ups are categorized by their design elements, particularly viewpoint and movement: Fixed shooters restrict
4480-498: A subgenre of shooters that features overwhelming numbers of enemy projectiles , often in visually impressive formations. A "shoot 'em up", also known as a "shmup" or "STG" (the common Japanese abbreviation for "shooting games"), is a game in which the protagonist combats a large number of enemies by shooting at them while dodging their fire. The controlling player must rely primarily on reaction times to succeed. Beyond this, critics differ on exactly which design elements constitute
4640-564: A third-person view, and featured the use of force feedback , where the joystick vibrates. Over the course of the 1990s, a new subgenre of shooters evolved, known as " danmaku ( 弾幕 , "barrage") in Japan, and often referred to as "bullet hell" or "manic shooters" in English-speaking regions. These games are characterized by high numbers of enemy projectiles, often in complex "curtain fire" patterns, as well as collision boxes that are smaller than
4800-434: A variety of perspectives. The genre's roots can be traced back to earlier shooting games , including target shooting electro-mechanical games of the mid-20th-century, but did not receive a video game release until Spacewar! (1962). The shoot 'em up genre was established by the hit arcade game Space Invaders , which popularised and set the general template for the genre in 1978, and has spawned many clones. The genre
4960-450: A way to increase the accessibility of the game without undermining the gloriously intractable nature of the challenges it contains." EGM found the challenge to be "rewarding" as it "motivates you to actually get better at the game." Clive Thompson focused on Ninja Gaiden in his Slate article examining the motivation for playing difficult games. He contends that extreme levels of challenge can be initially very frustrating and may cause
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5120-450: A working version of the game at the TGS 2005. Black is a reworked compilation of the original Ninja Gaiden and the two Hurricane Packs. The game features new foes, such as exploding bats and doppelgänger fiends who can imitate Ryu. It contains more costumes than the original, and swaps Ninja Gaiden's unlockable NES games for an arcade version . One key feature of this version is its two new difficulty settings—the easy Ninja Dog and
5280-555: A wrap-around game world, unlike most later games in the genre. The scrolling helped remove design limitations associated with the screen, and it also featured a minimap radar. Scramble , released by Konami in early 1981, had continuous scrolling in a single direction and was the first side-scrolling shooter with multiple distinct levels . In the early 1980s, Japanese arcade developers began moving away from space shooters towards character action games , whereas American arcade developers continued to focus on space shooters during
5440-741: Is a causal risk factor for increased aggressive behavior, aggressive cognition, and aggressive affect and for decreased empathy and prosocial behavior." There are also groups that have argued to the contrary, that few if any scientifically proven studies exist to back up these claims, and that the video game industry has become an easy target for the media to blame for many contemporary issues. Researchers have also proposed potential positive effects of video games on aspects of social and cognitive development and psychological well-being. It has been shown that action video game players have better hand-eye coordination and visuo-motor skills, such as their resistance to distraction, their sensitivity to information in
5600-865: Is a cooperative that reviews adult videos and adult PC games in Japan . The organization was founded on December 1, 2010, as Ethics Organization of Video ( 映像倫理機構 , Eizō Rinri Kikō ) after the dissolution of the Content Soft Association (CSA). On November 27, 2020, the Secretariat of the Interior (SEGOB) published a new set of guidelines on the Official Journal of the Federation called Lineamentos Generales del Sistema Mexicano de Equivalencias de Clasificación de Contenidos de Videojuegos (General Guidelines of
5760-482: Is a subgenre of shooters in which the screen becomes crowded with complex "curtain fire" enemy patterns. It is also characterized by collision boxes that are smaller than the sprites themselves, to accommodate maneuvering through these crowded firing patterns. This style of game, also known as "manic shooters" or "maniac shooters", originated in the mid-1990s as an offshoot of scrolling shooters. The DonPachi and Touhou Project series are early titles establishing
5920-821: Is an organization that rates video games in Japan , with different levels of rating that inform the customer of the nature of the product and what age group it suits. It was established in June 2002 as a branch of the Computer Entertainment Supplier's Association , and became an officially recognized non-profit organization in December 2003. It currently consists of five age categories and nine content descriptors. The Ethics Organization of Computer Software ( 一般社団法人コンピュータソフトウェア倫理機構 , Ippan Shadan Hōjin Konpyūta Sofutowea Rinri Kikō ) ( EOCS , or Sofurin)
6080-493: Is an incorporated association that rates PC games in Japan . It was established on November 20, 1992, and was incorporated in 2009. The association also works to crack down on copyright infringement of PC games for the companies it represents, and sponsors the Moe Game Award ( 萌えゲーアワード ) to help PC game sales. The current ratings are: The Japan contents Review Center ( 日本コンテンツ審査センター , Nihon Kontentsu Shinsa Sentā )
6240-406: Is based on the player's speed in clearing encounters, the number of kills achieved, the number of unused ninpos remaining at the end, and the amount of cash collected. Players can compare their scores on online ranking boards. In addition, players have the option to customize the appearance of player characters, with selectable costumes for Ryu and hairstyles for Rachel. The more powerful hardware of
6400-624: Is controlled by the Ministry of Justice ( Ministério da Justiça ). Games are classified by the Council of Cinematographic Classification ( Consejo de Calificación Cinematográfica ) which is a central agency under the Ministry of Education. The current age ratings are: The manufacturers, importers, suppliers and merchants are only permitted to sell and rent video games that are classified as 8, 14 or 18, to those who prove they meet those ages respectively. In
6560-611: Is enforced by the American Amusement Machine Association (AAMA) and the Amusement and Music Operators Association (AMOA). It is called the Parental Advisory System, and uses three colors for ratings - green (Suitable for All Ages), yellow (Mild Content), and red (Strong Content). Stickers displaying the ratings are placed on the game marquees, and the rating can also be displayed during the attract mode if
Ninja Gaiden (2004 video game) - Misplaced Pages Continue
6720-405: Is made up of several distinct regions, most of which are connected via the city of Tairon, which functions as a hub. Access to these regions are obtained by fighting enemies, finding keys, or solving puzzles, inspired by the mechanics of The Legend of Zelda video games. Dragon busts scattered throughout the regions provide the means to save player progress, permitting gameplay to be resumed at
6880-700: Is mandatory for all physical releases (Games redeemable from gift cards including), but there is no legislative basis for labeling electronic releases (instead, PEGI rating is shown). The South African Film and Publication Board ( FPB ) is a statutory classification body formed by the South African Government under the Films and Publications Act of 1996 which classifies films, publications, and video games for exhibition, sale or hire in South Africa . Distributors and exhibitors are legally compelled to comply with
7040-477: Is notable for using a traditional fantasy setting in contrast to most shoot 'em up games filled with science fiction motifs. R-Type , an acclaimed side-scrolling shoot 'em up, was released in 1987 by Irem , employing slower paced scrolling than usual, with difficult, claustrophobic levels calling for methodical strategies. 1990's Raiden was the beginning of another acclaimed and enduring series to emerge from this period. Run and gun games became popular in
7200-638: Is responsible for classification of all films , videos , publications , and some video games in New Zealand. It was created by the Films, Videos, and Publications Classification Act 1993 (FVPC Act), replacing various film classification acts, and is an independent Crown entity in terms of the Crown Entities Act 2004 . The head of the OFLC is called the Chief Censor, maintaining a title that has described
7360-815: Is responsible for the age-ratings of films , television programs and interactive games . The Info-communications Media Development Authority ( IMDA ) is a statutory board of the Singapore Government which regulates films , television programs and video games in Singapore . Jednotný systém označovania (English: Unified System of Age Rating/Labeling) ( JSO ) is a statutory board of Ministry of Culture of Slovakia under act 589/2007, which regulates age restriction of films , television programs and video games in Slovakia . The current age ratings are: In addition, educational game ratings are: The labeling
7520-859: Is still a single axis of motion, making these a subset of fixed shooters. Rail shooters limit the player to moving around the screen while following a specific route; these games often feature an "into the screen" viewpoint, with which the action is seen from behind the player character , and moves "into the screen", while the player retains control over dodging. Examples include Space Harrier (1985), Captain Skyhawk (1990), Starblade (1991), Star Fox (1993), Star Wars: Rebel Assault (1993), Panzer Dragoon (1995), and Sin and Punishment (2000). Rail shooters that use light guns are called light gun shooters , such as Operation Wolf (1987), Lethal Enforcers (1992), Virtua Cop (1994), Point Blank (1994), Time Crisis (1995), The House of
7680-473: Is taken by Doku, who prepares to sacrifice her in a ritual to enhance Alma's power. However, in a strange turn of events, Alma sacrifices herself and rescues Rachel, destroying Doku's spirit in the process. With his dying breath, Doku casts the blood curse on Ryu, which turns his skin blue and eyes red. The only way to lift the curse is to kill the clan's leader, the Holy Vigoor Emperor. While Rachel mourns
7840-541: Is the video game content rating system used in Taiwan . The National Media Council ( Arabic : المجلس الوطني للإعلام , romanized : al-Majlis al-Watani li'al-Ealam ) ( NMC ) was a body of the federal U.A.E. government which regulated all aspects of media production, publication, and media trade in the United Arab Emirates . The body was established under Federal Law (1) of 2006, and had full authority over
8000-500: Is typically a vehicle or spacecraft under constant attack. Thus, the player's goal is to shoot as quickly as possible at anything that moves or threatens them to reach the end of the level, usually with a boss battle . In some games, the player's character can withstand some damage or a single hit will result in their destruction. The main skills required in shoot 'em ups are fast reactions and memorising enemy attack patterns. Some games feature overwhelming numbers of enemy projectiles and
8160-401: Is very similar to the original version, albeit with some modifications made to the game. Like the original version, the player's movements and combat system are directed using the console gamepad , which comprises the left thumbstick , two attack buttons, and a block button. The game features a large selection of weapons for Ryu to wield each with advantages and disadvantages that affect the way
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#17328724191018320-503: The Geometry Wars series, Space Invaders Extreme , Super Stardust HD , and Resogun . The concept of shooting games existed before video games , dating back to shooting gallery carnival games in the late 19th century and target sports such as archery , bowling and darts . Mechanical target shooting games first appeared in England 's amusement arcades around the turn of
8480-736: The Entertainment Software Rating Board (ESRB), rated it as a "Mature" game, which prohibits sale to anyone under the age of 17 in several states. The depiction of beheadings, though, attracts stricter ratings in other parts of the world. In Germany, the Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle (USK) deemed these excessive, and refused to rate the game at all. Since this had the potential to place Ninja Gaiden in Germany's " List of Media Harmful to Young People ", which would have meant that shops could neither advertise
8640-569: The Front Line tank shooter format with unique rotary joystick controls, which they later combined with Commando -inspired run and gun gameplay to develop Ikari Warriors (1986), which further popularized run and gun shooters. Ikari Warriors also drew inspiration from the action film Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985), which it was originally intended to be an adaptation of. Contemporary critics considered military themes and protagonists similar to Rambo or Schwarzenegger prerequisites for
8800-404: The Ninja Gaiden project after its release, with the aim of pushing the action genre and their first such game as far as they could. To this end, they released downloadable expansions, known as Hurricane Packs, free of charge. Itagaki said that since the packs were born out of his team's interest, they did not care to charge players for their efforts. The two packs were available over Xbox Live in
8960-574: The PlayStation Vita released in North America and Europe on February 22, 2012. Like Ninja Gaiden Black ' s "Ninja Dog" mode, Sigma Plus features an easier difficulty called "Hero" mode, making it more accessible to casual gamers. It also takes advantage of the additional features that the Vita offers, including gyroscopic first-person aiming (by tilting the PlayStation Vita, the player can adjust
9120-434: The Xbox 360 for all regions on the new platform's release. Ninja Gaiden attracted criticism for the way on-screen action is framed by the game's camera. The default camera system centers the action on Ryu and his surroundings, but reviewers were frustrated by occasions when the camera locked on to part of the scenery, thus losing track of Ryu. Tecmo attempted to address this with the introduction of manual camera controls in
9280-416: The Xbox 360 , PlayStation 3 and Wii online services, while in Japan arcade shoot 'em ups retain a deep-rooted niche popularity. Geometry Wars: Retro Evolved was released on Xbox Live Arcade in 2005 and in particular stood out from the various re-releases and casual games available on the service. The PC has also seen its share of dōjin shoot 'em ups like Crimzon Clover , Jamestown: Legend of
9440-628: The Xbox One X console, which improves the game's resolution to 4K UHD-levels. In 2006, Tecmo and Sony announced the development of Ninja Gaiden Sigma for the PlayStation 3. Eidos obtained the European publishing rights for this game. Itagaki had no direct role in Sigma and judged it a flawed game, although he acknowledged that Sigma gave PlayStation owners a taste of Ninja Gaiden . The gameplay for Sigma
9600-430: The vertical scrolling format later popularized by Capcom 's Commando (1985), which established the standard formula used by later run and gun games. Sega's Ninja Princess (1985), which released slightly before Commando , was a run and gun game that was distinctive for its feudal Japan setting and female ninja protagonist who throws shuriken and knives. SNK 's TNK III , released later in 1985, combined
9760-536: The video game industry . Ninja Gaiden provides a backstory to Ryu's appearance and character as seen in the Dead or Alive series, being set two years before the first DOA game. Rachel is the leading female character, and tragic heroine of the game. She and her twin sister, Alma, are afflicted with a blood curse that turns humans into fiends. Believing that there is no cure for their condition, Rachel seeks to kill Alma to redeem her sister's soul. The relationship between
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#17328724191019920-472: The 2004 game, became playable in three new chapters, featuring the new bosses, Gamov and Alterator. Some of the design elements of the old levels was also changed and several new enemy types were introduced. In addition to the narrative Story Mode, Sigma included a gameplay variation called Mission Mode. Focused on action rather than character development, this provides combat-based missions set mainly in small areas. In both Story and Mission modes, game scoring
10080-507: The 2004 version was originally set in a re-imagined game world based on another Team Ninja creation, the Dead or Alive ( DOA ) series of fighting games . However, interviews with Tomonobu Itagaki indicate that the Xbox games are prequels to the NES series and that both possibly share a single continuity . Ninja Gaiden is set in the game world of the Dead or Alive series. Located mainly in Japan and
10240-522: The 20th century, before appearing in America by the 1920s. Shooting gallery games eventually evolved into more sophisticated target shooting electro-mechanical games (EM games) such as Sega 's influential Periscope (1965). Shooting video games have roots in EM shooting games. Video game journalist Brian Ashcraft argues the early mainframe game Spacewar! (1962) was the first shoot 'em up video game. It
10400-876: The Arts . Decisions made by the Board may be reviewed by the Australian Classification Review Board . There is no uniform ratings system in Austria, and the nine states regulate content in different ways. The two main systems are PEGI (applied in Vienna) and Germany's USK system (applied in Salzburg). The advisory rating ( ClassInd ) ( Classificação Indicativa in Portuguese) rates films , games and television shows in Brazil . It
10560-684: The Control of Obscene and Indecent Articles requires that Class II publications must use this statutory warning slogan, and must be marked in both Chinese and English, and the font size must account for 20% of the total area. The Indonesian Game Rating System (IGRS) is an official video game content rating system founded and set by the Indonesian Ministry of Communication and Informatics in 2016. IGRS rates games that are developed and published in Indonesia. There are 5 classifications of ratings based on
10720-700: The Dabilahro and the Unlabored Flawlessness, are slow but cause more damage to opponents. With flails and staves , the player can string together long sequences of attacks. To engage distant foes Ryu can throw shuriken and shoot arrows. In addition to using standard melee techniques, Ryu can employ essences—colored globes of energy that are released on the death of enemies and absorbed into Ryu's body when he comes into proximity with them. Essences have an important role in general gameplay, acting to heal Ryu, restore his magic, or increase his cash. However, in combat
10880-527: The Dark Disciple, who takes it and kills Gamov. The Disciple reveals himself to be Murai and admits that the raid on Hayabusa village was part of his plan to restore the Blade's evil power, using souls harvested by Ryu. Drawing on the Blade, Murai transforms into a devil incarnate and attempts to kill his nephew. Ryu defeats Murai and shatters the Blade with the True Dragon Sword. Victorious, Ryu turns himself into
11040-518: The Dark Dragon Blade but include additional content and updated game mechanics. Although Itagaki deemed Black to be the final version of Ninja Gaiden , Tecmo subsequently ported the game to the PlayStation 3 as Sigma . In addition to the narrative Story Mode, Black and Sigma introduced a gameplay variation called Mission Mode. Focused on action rather than character development, this provides combat-based missions set mainly in small areas, where
11200-458: The Dark Dragon Blade comprise the main plot thread; and Marbus, lord of the fiend underworld who is responsible for the final set of challenges Ryu faces in the realm of the fiends before encountering the Vigoor Emperor. Centuries ago, the Dark Dragon Blade was forged from what was believed to be the bones of a dark dragon. It carried an immense power of evil that whoever wielded it would become
11360-507: The Dead (1996) and Elemental Gearbolt (1997). Light-gun games that are "on rails" are usually not considered to be in the shoot-em-up category, but rather their own first-person light-gun shooter category. Cute 'em ups feature brightly colored graphics depicting surreal settings and enemies. Cute 'em ups tend to have unusual, oftentimes completely bizarre opponents for the player to fight, with Twinbee and Fantasy Zone first pioneering
11520-586: The ESRB are required by law to be rated and/or restricted, though this only varies at a province and territory level. ESRB ratings can be found on games for Nintendo systems in the countries of Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, Singapore, and the United Arab Emirates. This system was used in Mexico as well until it was replaced by a local rating system on May 27, 2021. A similar system also exists for arcade video games , which
11680-714: The February 26 issue of Famitsu Xbox magazine. The demo let players try the first chapter of the game on two difficulty settings with a few fully upgraded weapons and ninpos. On March 2, 2004, a year later than originally planned, Tecmo released Ninja Gaiden in the United States. It was subsequently released in Japan, the United Kingdom, and Australia on March 11, May 14, and May 28, respectively. As released, Ninja Gaiden contained bloody acts of violence, decapitations and grotesque monsters. The North American games rating body,
11840-676: The Hurricane Packs carried forward through this game, including the camera system tweaks and new boss battles, the Intercept maneuver, introduced in Hurricane Pack 1, was not included in Black , adding to its increased challenge. Ninja Gaiden Black was also available through Xbox's Game Pass for Xbox One S and Xbox One X , but was removed in September 2019. Ninja Gaiden Black is also enhanced for
12000-430: The Hurricane Packs, and most critics judged that either the camera frame was usually acceptable, or that Ninja Gaiden was a good enough game that its flaws could be overlooked. Video game content rating system A video game content rating system is a system used for the classification of video games based on suitability for target audiences. Most of these systems are associated with and/or sponsored by
12160-552: The International Age Rating Coalition (IARC) use this rating in countries and regions where there is no rating system. The classification standard adopted by IARC is the same as that of PEGI. This rating is not recognized in some countries. The Entertainment Software Rating Association ( Persian : اسرا ) ( ESRA ) is a governmental video game content rating system that is used in Iran . Games that have been exempt from
12320-604: The Japanese rating system changed. A scale from A to D was introduced, with an additional Z rating for games with large amounts of gore, violence and crime. The Z rating is legally enforced, it being illegal to sell such games to anyone under the age of 18. As a result, Tecmo removed the human beheadings in Sigma to obtain a D rating for the East Asian market. However, CERO reclassified the two previous games as D, despite them also depicting human decapitations. Team Ninja kept working on
12480-532: The Mexican System of Classification Equivalencies for Video Game Content) . This states that all games distributed in Mexico will have their own set of ratings effective May 27, 2021, replacing the ESRB ratings system that was being used, while still being in accordance with them. The ratings are as follows: The Office of Film and Literature Classification ( OFLC ) is the government agency in New Zealand that
12640-407: The PlayStation 3 gave Team Ninja the opportunity to overhaul the game graphics to use larger and more detailed textures . Changes were made to the game world, with a few new areas and several additional save points and shops, and alterations to the game engine let players shoot arrows in mid-air, fight on water surfaces, and play as Rachel in some chapters and missions. In July 2007, Tecmo released
12800-455: The Shadow Clan fortress to visit his uncle, clan leader Murai. During their chat, Ayane delivers news of a raid on the Hayabusa village. Fighting his way back to his village, Ryu encounters Doku, who has killed the Hayabusa shrine maiden Kureha and has taken the Dark Dragon Blade. Ryu is cut down by Doku with the stolen Blade, but he is brought back to life as a "soldier of revenge" by a falcon,
12960-596: The USK following the Winnenden school shooting . A comparison of current video game rating systems, showing age on the horizontal axis. Note however that the specific criteria used in assigning a classification can vary widely from one country to another. Thus a color code or age range cannot be directly compared from one country to another. Key: In the above table, Italics indicate a multinational/transnational organization. Similar to other forms of media, video games have been
13120-626: The age of 18, which is equivalent to a restricted level. Class III publications are not allowed to be sold publicly, but there is no restriction on private or friend-to-friend communication. This classification system is equivalent to a hidden classification, The Obscene Articles Tribunal is responsible for the classification and evaluation. 警告:本物品内容可能令人反感；不可将本物品派发、传阅、出售、出租、交给或出借予年龄未满18岁的人士或将本物品向该等人士出示、播放或放映。 WARNING: THIS ARTICLE CONTAINS MATERIAL WHICH MAY OFFEND AND MAY NOT BE DISTRIBUTED, CIRCULATED, SOLD, HIRED, GIVEN, LENT, SHOWN, PLAYED OR PROJECTED TO A PERSON UNDER THE AGE OF 18 YEARS. The Regulation on
13280-551: The age ratings. The ratings, as of August 1, 2022 are; The Game Rating and Administration Committee ( 게임물관리위원회 Geimmul Gwanri Wiwonhoe ) ( GRAC ) is the South Korean video game content rating board . A governmental organization, the GRAC rates video and computer games to inform customers of the nature of game contents. Game Software Rating Regulations (遊戲軟體分級辦法), also translated as Game Software Rating Management Regulations ,
13440-882: The approval of EOCS or Japan contents Review Center. These ratings are referred to by local governments, and the Ordinance Regarding the Healthy Development of Youths ( 青少年健全育成条例 ) prohibits retailers from supplying 18+ rating games to persons under 18. Dōjin softs do not have such restrictions, but distribution of obscene materials can be punished under the Article 175 of the Penal Code of Japan . The Computer Entertainment Rating Organization ( 特定非営利活動法人コンピュータエンターテインメントレーティング機構 , Tokutei Hieiri Katsudō Hōjin Konpyūta Entāteinmento Rētingu Kikō ) ( CERO )
13600-526: The basis for laws that cover the sales of video games to minors, such as in Australia. Rating checking and approval is part of the game localization when they are being prepared for their distribution in other countries or locales. These rating systems have also been used to voluntarily restrict sales of certain video games by stores, such as the German retailer Galeria Kaufhof's removal of all video games rated 18+ by
13760-447: The best most challenging action adventure games ever made", and his publication named it the best Xbox game of February 2004. IGN 's Erik Brudvig said that it "sets a new standard for third-person action games in terms of length, depth, speed, and gore", while Electronic Gaming Monthly ( EGM ) called it "an unmissable instant classic", and declared that "no Xbox should go without [ Ninja ] Gaiden ." Critics also regarded it to be one of
13920-497: The best of the available Xbox software at the time; the console hardware had been pushed to its limits without showing significant drops in performance. Game Spot's Kasavin was impressed with their "first-rate presentation" and said that no other games at that time came close in visuals and audio. According to IGN, the games could "make [them] momentarily forget about the next generation of consoles". Both Ninja Gaiden and Black were top-sellers, which led to them being compatible with
14080-451: The camera angle in first-person viewing modes), back touchpad controls (tapping symbols using the rear touchpad will allow Ryu to boost the power of his Ninpo), touch screen controls (players can go into first-person mode by tapping the touch screen). In addition, Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus offers new sets of accessories that Ryu and Rachel can equip. Ninja Gaiden was released to critical acclaim. Greg Kasavin of GameSpot called it "one of
14240-484: The case of each sale or lease by physical means, the respective identity card is required. China introduced a pilot content rating system in December 2020 called the Online Game Age-Appropriateness Warning, which is overseen by the governmental agency China Audio-video and Digital Publishing Association [ zh ] ( CADPA ). Games with online components are required to show one of
14400-568: The classification. In December 2022, the federal government has announced plans to establish a dedicated regulation procedure and age rating specifically for digital products, which include video games. There are concerns this may encompass excessive regulation and costs, as the new regulation will focus on interactive and online elements rather than just audiovisual content. The General Commission for Audiovisual Media ( Arabic : الهيئة العامة للإعلام المرئي والمسموع , romanized : Alhy'eh Al'amah lel-E'elam Almar'ey wal-Masmoo' ) ( GCAM )
14560-629: The closure of Toaplan, the following year, a number of studios formed from former Toaplan staff that would continue to develop this style, including Cave (formed by Batsugun's main creator Tsuneki Ikeda) who released 1995's seminal DonPachi , and Takumi, who would develop the GigaWing series. Bullet hell games marked another point where the shooter genre began to cater to more dedicated players. Games such as Gradius had been more difficult than Space Invaders or Xevious , but bullet hell games were yet more inward-looking and aimed at dedicated fans of
14720-518: The death of Alma, Ryu storms the Imperial Palace and faces the Holy Vigoor Emperor in a fiery volcanic pit. Once the Emperor is destroyed, Ryu's curse is lifted and the realm begins to collapse. Ryu seizes the Dark Dragon Blade and ascends to the surface with the help of Rachel but in the process, he loses his grip on the evil Blade. Outside the Imperial Palace, the Dark Dragon Blade lands at the feet of
14880-511: The designer of the God of War combat engine, explained that Ninja Gaiden prohibits players from stopping or changing attacks in mid-stroke. In contrast, God of War allows players to do so, and Devil May Cry grants this freedom to certain attacks. Williams said that, compared to those two games, the combat system in Ninja Gaiden was harder to master; however, it lets players fight their computer controlled foes on equal terms. Ninja Gaiden features
15040-514: The devil incarnate. It brought plague and death to the world during the age of ancient myth until it was sealed by those of the Dragon lineage. Its sister blade, the Dragon Sword, which had been used to slay the dark dragons, was handed down from generation to generation in the Hayabusa Ninja Clan, the modern descendants of the Dragon lineage. Its current successor is Ryu Hayabusa. Ryu infiltrates
15200-607: The difficulty of the game or the skill required to play it. Unterhaltungssoftware Selbstkontrolle ( USK ) ( Entertainment Software Self-control ), is Germany 's software rating organization founded in 1994. There is no game grading system in Hong Kong and Macau , but a unified publication classification is adopted, which is divided into three categories: I, II and III. Class I publications can be purchased at all ages without any restrictions. Class II publications need to be marked with warnings and cannot be provided to people under
15360-629: The early 1980s, up until the end of the arcade golden age. According to Eugene Jarvis , American developers were greatly influenced by Japanese space shooters but took the genre in a different direction from the "more deterministic, scripted, pattern-type" gameplay of Japanese games, towards a more "programmer-centric design culture, emphasizing algorithmic generation of backgrounds and enemy dispatch" and "an emphasis on random-event generation, particle-effect explosions and physics" as seen in arcade games such as his own Defender and Robotron: 2084 (1982) as well as Atari's Asteroids (1979). Robotron: 2084
15520-400: The early 1990s and the popularity of 16-bit consoles , the scrolling shooter genre was overcrowded, with developers struggling to make their games stand out, with exceptions such as the inventive Gunstar Heroes (1993) by Treasure . Sega's pseudo-3D rail shooter Buck Rogers: Planet of Zoom demonstrated the potential of 3D shoot 'em up gameplay in 1982. Sega's Space Harrier ,
15680-503: The emergence of one of Sega's forefront series with its game Fantasy Zone . The game received acclaim for its surreal graphics and setting and the protagonist, Opa-Opa, was for a time considered Sega's mascot . The game borrowed Defender's device of allowing the player to control the direction of flight and along with the earlier TwinBee (1985), is an early archetype of the "cute 'em up" subgenre. In 1986, Taito released KiKi KaiKai , an overhead multi-directional shooter. The game
15840-605: The fictional Western Asian nation of the Vigoor Empire, the game draws on Heian period structures for its Japanese locales—a ninja fortress and village set in the mountains. In contrast the Vigoor Empire, with its capital city of Tairon, is a blend of architectural types from around the world. European-style buildings and the monastery in Tairon exhibits Gothic influences with a vaulted hall, pointed arches, and large stained glass windows. A hidden underground level features statues with
16000-494: The first games to popularize twin-stick controls was Robotron: 2084 (1982). Space shooters are a thematic variant of involving spacecraft in outer space . Following the success of Space Invaders , space shooters were the dominant subgenre during the late 1970s to early 1980s. These games can overlap with other subgenres as well as space combat games . Tube shooters feature craft flying through an abstract tube, such as Tempest (1981) and Gyruss (1983). There
16160-483: The first time [they] played the game." Consumers purchased 1.5 million copies of Ninja Gaiden and Black by August 2007, with the bulk of these sales going to North America and Europe. According to the NPD Group , in its first month Ninja Gaiden sold 362,441 copies in the United States. By August 2006, Ninja Gaiden had sold 550,000 copies and earned $ 27 million in that country. Between January 2000 and August 2006, it
16320-436: The first was unable to produce a passport in time. Master Ninja Tournament 3 started on September 27 and lasted 26 days. Rankings were decided by scores obtained while playing Hurricane Pack 2, and the prizes were Tecmo apparel and Team Ninja games. This marked the end of official tournaments for Ninja Gaiden , although Microsoft have retained the ranking boards for players to upload their scores. Tecmo has built up
16480-861: The four months following its release. The critical and commercial success of Ninja Gaiden have led CNET and GameSpot Asia to induct the game into their halls of fame. Ninja Gaiden Sigma sold 46,307 units in the first week of its release in Japan, making it the third highest selling game during that period. According to the NPD Group , in its first month Sigma sold 63,637 copies in the United States. Next Generation reported that as of April 2008, 470,000 copies of Sigma have been sold in Europe and North America. Tecmo announced that they have sold 500,000 units worldwide. Like Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black , Ninja Gaiden Sigma has received positive reviews, currently holding an average score of 87% at GameRankings and 88/100 at Metacritic , based on 58 and 46 reviews respectively. Critics varied in their views on
16640-504: The game content, which includes the use of alcohol, cigarettes, drugs, violence, blood, language, sexual content, etc. These are the following classifications: As of November 2019, various imported PlayStation titles released since then have been rated by the IGRS after SIE Asia opened their Indonesian office. Those titles are also marked as "Official Indonesia Products" ( Indonesian : Produk Resmi Indonesia ). Some app stores that support
16800-452: The game featuring a variety of weapons and equipment. In 1987, Square's 3-D WorldRunner was an early stereoscopic 3-D shooter played from a third-person perspective, followed later that year by its sequel JJ , and the following year by Space Harrier 3-D which used the SegaScope 3-D shutter glasses . That same year, Sega's Thunder Blade switched between both a top-down view and
16960-519: The game nor sell it unless by request to customers of 18 years or older, Tecmo censored the European PAL version to obtain a USK rating. A year later, Tecmo managed to obtain a USK 18+ rating for the uncensored release of Ninja Gaiden Black . Japan's Computer Entertainment Rating Organization (CERO) rated Ninja Gaiden and Black , on their release, as 18+ games. At the time, CERO ratings acted as guidelines for consumers. However, on March 1, 2006,
17120-822: The game's developer or publisher chooses to do so. The Age classification of information products is a new statutory classification set of rules formed by the Russian Government after enacting in September 2012 a Federal Law of Russian Federation no. 436-FZ of 2010-12-23 “On Protecting of Children from Information Harmful to Their Health and Development” ( Russian : Федеральный закон Российской Федерации от 29 декабря 2010 г. N 436-ФЗ «О защите детей от информации, причиняющей вред их здоровью и развитию» ), which classifies films , video games and publications for exhibition, sale or hire in Russia since 1 September 2012. The Ministry of Culture provides administrative support to
17280-506: The game. Itagaki believed that creating extra player characters might distract his team from focusing on Ryu's development, despite this, Rachel is a playable character in the Sigma version of the game. Ryu has a long history with Tecmo; he was the star of the 1990s Ninja Gaiden series and has been part of the DOA roster since 1996. His roles in these games played a part in his popularity among fans and
17440-498: The games industry and fans when they announced at E3 2002 that Ninja Gaiden would be released exclusively on the Xbox gaming console. Most fans who voted on Tecmo's poll wanted the game on the Nintendo GameCube . Ninja Gaiden was Team Ninja's first action game. Its initial concept had nothing in common with the original Ninja Gaiden series that was released for the NES. However, for retail reasons Tecmo wanted to retain
17600-431: The genre looking for greater challenges. While shooter games featuring protagonists on foot largely moved to 3D-based genres, popular, long-running series such as Contra and Metal Slug continued to receive new sequels. Rail shooters have rarely been released in the new millennium, with only Rez and Panzer Dragoon Orta achieving cult recognition. In the early 2000s, the genre achieved recognition through
17760-606: The government officer in charge of censorship in New Zealand since 1916. The current ratings are: The Entertainment Software Rating Board ( ESRB ) is a self-regulatory organization that assigns age and content ratings, enforces industry-adopted advertising guidelines, and ensures responsible online privacy principles for computer and video games and other entertainment software in countries of North America . PEGI ratings are used on some French-language games sold in Canada. Despite being self-regulatory, in Canada, games rated by
17920-408: The heads of cats, walls covered with carvings, hieroglyphics , Aztec pyramid and a labyrinth . This mix of styles was the result of Itagaki's refusal to constrain the game's creative process. Ninja Gaiden' s story spans 16 chapters, each beginning and ending with a cutscene . Ryu Hayabusa , the "super ninja", is the protagonist of Ninja Gaiden , and the primary player-controllable character in
18080-432: The media in the country, both commercial and government related. Shoot %27em up Shoot 'em ups (also known as shmups or STGs ) are a sub-genre of action games . There is no consensus as to which design elements compose a shoot 'em up; some restrict the definition to games featuring spacecraft and certain types of character movement, while others allow a broader definition including characters on foot and
18240-420: The mid-1980s. These games feature characters on foot, rather than spacecraft, and often have military themes. The origins of this type of shooter go back to Sheriff by Nintendo , released in 1979. SNK 's Sasuke vs. Commander (1980), which had relatively detailed background graphics for its time, pit a samurai against a horde of ninjas , along with boss fights . Taito's Front Line (1982) introduced
18400-432: The mobile game Space Impact , which is considered one of the important games in the history of mobile games . Treasure's shoot 'em up, Radiant Silvergun (1998), introduced an element of narrative to the genre. It was critically acclaimed for its refined design, though it was not released outside Japan and remains a much sought-after collector's item. Its successor Ikaruga (2001) featured improved graphics and
18560-555: The most difficult games released prior to 2007. The game received a runner-up position in GameSpot's 2004 "Best Action Adventure Game" category across all platforms. Its enhanced version, Ninja Gaiden Black , also impressed reviewers. GameSpot noted that it had the best visual and audio presentation on the Xbox and praised its new Mission Mode for "[distilling] the game down to its purest essentials." IGN called its release "a rare and welcome day", which brought their "excitement levels back to
18720-487: The official rules for the first playoff, and it was believed that the top posted score was not achievable by fair means. Officials, however, stated that the score was possible, and allowed the results to stand. In the second playoff, Microsoft initially named the runner up as the North American finalist, after disqualifying the winner for no publicly stated reason, but eventually had to send the second runner up to Tokyo when
18880-453: The option to customize the appearance of player characters, with selectable costumes for Ryu and hairstyles for Rachel. Most of the enemies are fiends—humans changed into monsters by their blood curse. Three Greater Fiends lead their lesser brethren against Ryu, playing major roles in the game's plot: Alma, Rachel's sister, whose story forms a significant part of the game; Doku, Ryu's main antagonist , whose raid on Hayabusa village and theft of
19040-513: The other difficulty settings harder than in Ninja Gaiden . Another feature of Black is its Mission Mode, which comprises 50 combat missions, one of which is adapted from the custom game designed for the Ninja Gaiden Master Tournament World Championship final. The last five missions are based on those in Hurricane Pack 2 and form a linked series known as "Eternal Legend". While most of the improvements made in
19200-616: The peripheral vision and their ability to count briefly presented objects, than non-players. The law 26.043 (passed in 2005) states that the National Council of Children, Youth and Family (' Consejo Nacional de la Niñez, Adolescencia y la Familia' ) in coordination with the National Institute of Cinema and Audiovisual Arts will be the government agencies that assigns age ratings. The Argentine Game Developer Association ( Asociación de Desarrolladores de Videojuegos Argentina )
19360-452: The player against multiple enemies descending from the top of the screen at a constantly increasing speed. Nishikado conceived the game by combining elements of Breakout (1976) with those of earlier target shooting games, and simple alien creatures inspired by H. G. Wells ' The War of the Worlds . The hardware was unable to render the movement of aircraft, so the game was set in space, with
19520-401: The player and enemies to a single screen, and the player primarily moves along a single axis, such as back and forth along the bottom of the screen. Examples include Space Invaders (1978), Galaxian (1979), Phoenix (1980), and Galaga (1981). In Pooyan (1982), the fixed axis of movement is vertical, along the right side of the screen. In Centipede (1980) and Gorf (1981),
19680-471: The player approaches combat. A new addition to Ryu's arsenal is a pair of dual-wield swords, Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang. It also provides Ryu with magical spells in the form of ninpo , which allows him to inflict heavy damage on enemies while potentially avoiding damage himself. By shaking the Sixaxis controller, players are able to increase the power of their ninpo spells. Rachel , a non-playable character in
19840-480: The player can cause Ryu to deliberately draw in essences, which can then be used to unleash powerful attacks known as Ultimate Techniques that allow Ryu to damage enemies without taking damage himself. These techniques deal heavy damage and make Ryu immune to injury for a short time. Ninja Gaiden also provides Ryu with magical spells in the form of ninpo spells. When activated by the player, these make Ryu cast fireballs, ice storms, or bolts of lightning. Functioning in
20000-574: The player has to memorise their patterns to survive. These games belong to one of the fastest-paced video game genres . Large numbers of enemy characters programmed to behave in an easily predictable manner are typically featured. These enemies may behave in a certain way dependent on their type, or attack in formations that the player can learn to predict. The basic gameplay tends to be straightforward with many varieties of weapons. Shoot 'em ups rarely have realistic physics. Characters can instantly change direction with no inertia , and projectiles move in
20160-470: The player has two options. First, Ryu can stand still and attempt to block attacks. However, certain enemies can break his guard—either through particularly strong attacks or by grappling him. The second option is to make Ryu dodge, by rolling away from the attack in a maneuver called "reverse wind". Inspired by the 1980s Ninja Gaiden series for the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES),
20320-491: The player in a trance-like state. In trance shooters, enemy patterns usually have randomized elements, forcing the player to rely on reflexes rather than pattern memorization. Games of this type usually feature colorful, abstract visuals, and electronic music (often techno music ). Jeff Minter is commonly credited with originating the style with Tempest 2000 (1994) and subsequent games including Space Giraffe , Gridrunner++ , and Polybius (2017). Other examples include
20480-480: The player primarily moves left and right along the bottom, but several inches of vertical motion are also allowed within an invisible box. Multidirectional shooters allow 360-degree movement where the protagonist may rotate and move in any direction such as Asteroids (1979) and Mad Planets (1983). Multidirectional shooters with one joystick for movement and one joystick for firing in any direction independent of movement are called twin-stick shooters . One of
20640-415: The player's flying vehicle moving forward, at a fixed rate, through an environment. Examples are Scramble (1981), Xevious (1982), Gradius (1986), Darius (1987), R-Type (1987), Einhänder (1997). In contrast, Defender (1981) allows the player to move left or right at will. Run and gun games have protagonists that move through the world on foot and shoot attackers. Examples include
20800-428: The player's goal is to "destroy all enemies". In both Story and Mission modes, game scoring is based on the player's speed in clearing encounters, the number of kills achieved, the number of unused ninpo spells remaining at the end, and the amount of cash collected. Players can compare their scores on online ranking boards. Tecmo announced at E3 2005 that Team Ninja was working on Ninja Gaiden Black , and later exhibited
20960-549: The player. It also introduced the idea of giving the player multiple lives and popularized the concept of achieving a high score . With these elements, Space Invaders set the general template for the shoot 'em up genre. It became one of the most widely cloned shooting games, spawning more than 100 imitators with only the most minor differences (if any) from the original. Most shooting games released since then have followed its "multiple life, progressively difficult level " paradigm, according to Eugene Jarvis . Following
21120-417: The primary design element was shooting as a "shoot 'em up", but later shoot 'em ups became a specific, inward-looking genre based on design conventions established in those shooting games of the 1980s. Shoot 'em ups are a subgenre of action game . These games are usually viewed from a top-down or side-view perspective , and players must use ranged weapons to take action at a distance. The player's avatar
21280-548: The principle of bullet hells. A bullet heaven or reverse bullet hell is a subgenre characterized by the player character collecting or unlocking abilities and attacks whose visuals overlap and clutter the game screen as the game progresses. They also share a feature of many enemy characters, commonly called "hordes", walking toward the player from off-screen. This genre is generally attributed to Vampire Survivors , released in 2022. A small subgenre of shooter games that emphasizes chaotic, reflex-based gameplay designed to put
21440-613: The rating are de facto banned from sale in Iran. In practice, the rating applies largely to PC and mobile games, as none of the console games are officially released for the Iranian market. In Japan, the content rating is not required by law, but most commercial video game publishers take the industry self-regulations. Console manufacturers force for video game publishers that games must be rated by CERO. Distributors of PC games (mostly dating sims , visual novels , and eroge ) require games having
21600-416: The release of Konami's Gradius , which gave the player greater control over the choice of weaponry, thus introducing another element of strategy. The game also introduced the need for the player to memorise levels in order to achieve any measure of success. Gradius , with its iconic protagonist, defined the side-scrolling shoot 'em up and spawned a series spanning several sequels. The following year saw
21760-556: The sisters and the Greater Fiend Doku, who cursed them, serves as a plot device to drive the game forward, with Rachel occasionally needing to be rescued by Ryu. Although not a player-controlled character in Ninja Gaiden , in a few sections of the Ninja Gaiden Sigma remake she is controllable. Two other characters assist the player in the game. Ayane , a young female ninja and one of the DOA regular cast members, acts as
21920-424: The spiritual animal of the Hayabusa clan. Seeking vengeance for the death of his childhood friend, Ryu learns from Murai that the raiders are from the Vigoor Empire, a mysterious clan that takes refuge in the city of Tairon. Due to its exclusionist foreign policy, Ryu stows away on an airship to reach his destination. In Tairon, Ryu not only battles the Vigoor Empire clan but also monstrous enemies called Fiends and
22080-421: The sprites themselves, allowing the player to fit between the narrow gaps in enemy fire. Bullet hell games were first popularized in Japanese arcades during a time when 3D games and fighting games were eclipsing other games. The flashy firing patterns were intended to grab players attention. Toaplan 's Batsugun (1993) is often considered a pivotal point in the development of this subgenre. After
22240-612: The subgenre, along with Parodius , Cotton , and Harmful Park being additional key games. Some cute 'em ups may employ overtly sexual characters and innuendo. Vertically scrolling shooters present the action from above and scroll up (or occasionally down) the screen. Horizontally scrolling shooters usually present a side-on view and scroll left to right (or less often, right to left). Isometrically scrolling shooters or isometric shooters , such as Sega 's Zaxxon (1982), use an isometric point of view . A popular implementation style of scrolling shooters has
22400-565: The subject of argument between leading professionals and restriction and prohibition. Often these bouts of criticism come from use of debated topics such as video game graphic violence , virtual sex, violent and gory scenes, partial or full nudity, drug use, portrayal of criminal behavior or other provocative and objectionable material. Video games have also been studied for links to addiction and aggression . A meta analysis of studies from both eastern and western countries yielded evidence that "strongly suggests that exposure to violent video games
22560-550: The success of Space Invaders , shoot 'em ups became the dominant genre for much of the golden age of arcade video games , from the late 1970s up until the early 1980s, particularly the "space shooter" subgenre. In 1979, Namco 's Galaxian —"the granddaddy of all top-down shooters", according to IGN—was released. Its use of colour graphics and individualised antagonists were considered "strong evolutionary concepts" among space ship games. In 1981 Gorf brought joystick control and (limited) vertical as well as horizontal movement to
22720-427: The team hired martial artists in order to digitally capture their movement. Rather than import the motion captures directly into the game, however, the animators used them as templates to give a sense of realism to the game characters' exaggerated movements. Itagaki found it more interesting to design nonhuman creatures than human enemies. In 2004, Tecmo released a demo disc of Ninja Gaiden in Japan, bundled with
22880-528: The technical aspects of Ninja Gaiden Sigma . Although the gaming site 1UP.com called the updated graphics "a gorgeous reworking of the modern ninja classic," Pro-G said that they were average by next-generation standards and showed occasional "tearing, jagged edges, and mismatched collision between bloodstains and walls." The Ninja Gaiden games gained a reputation throughout the gaming community for their difficulty and attention to detail. Although they appealed to gamers who, like Pro-G's Struan Robertson, wanted
23040-517: The third quarter of 2004. Team Ninja later compiled both expansion packs, and added new features, to create Ninja Gaiden Black . This game, which Itagaki viewed as the final version of Ninja Gaiden , went on sale on September 20, 2005. A few years later, Team Ninja upgraded the graphics of the game and ported it to the PlayStation 3 (PS3). This version was released as Ninja Gaiden Sigma on June 14, 2007. Black became an Xbox Original game on February 11, 2008. The Master Ninja Tournaments were
23200-647: The three classifications on websites and registration pages: green for "8+" (appropriate for players 8 years and older), blue for "12+", and yellow for "16+". The Pan European Game Information ( PEGI ) is a European video game content rating system established to help European parents make informed decisions on buying computer games with logos on games boxes. It was developed by the Interactive Software Federation of Europe (ISFE) and came into use in April 2003; it replaced many national age rating systems with
23360-402: The time, holding onto that crown for an entire year until God of War released in 2005" and "a true video game classic, and maybe the best ninja game of all time." That same year, G4tv ranked it as the 83rd top video game of all time, also calling it "the best ninja game ever made and one of the all-around hardest." From a technical point of view, critics regarded Ninja Gaiden and Black as
23520-472: The vertically scrolling, overhead view games Front Line (1982), Commando (1985), and Ikari Warriors (1986). Side-scrolling run and gun games often combine elements from platform games , such as the ability to jump: Contra (1987), Metal Slug (1996) and Cuphead (2017). Run and gun games may also use isometric viewpoints and may have multidirectional movement. Bullet hell ( 弾幕 , danmaku , literally "barrage" or "bullet curtain")
23680-545: The vertically-oriented fixed-shooter genre, while Space Invaders and Galaxian have only horizontal movement controlled by a pair of buttons. Atari 's Asteroids (1979) was a hit multi-directional shooter, taking from Spacewar! the ability for the player's ship to roam the entire screen and to rotate, move and shoot in any direction. The Space Invaders format evolved into the vertical scrolling shooter sub-genre. SNK 's debut shoot 'em up Ozma Wars (1979) featured vertical scrolling backgrounds and enemies, and it
23840-478: The very hard Master Ninja. Itagaki added Ninja Dog after receiving complaints of Ninja Gaiden being too hard in its default incarnation, although he believed that, with persistence, any player was capable of completing the game. Hence he ensured that those players selecting Ninja Dog would be subjected to gentle mockery by the game—players on this difficulty setting receive colored ribbons as accessories, and Ayane treats Ryu as an inferior. In compensation, Itagaki made
24000-543: Was abandoned when Sega announced the end of Dreamcast product line in 2001. At this point, Tecmo decided to release Ninja Gaiden as a launch game for the Sony PlayStation 2 in the United States. Itagaki, however, had other plans; impressed with the software development kits for the Xbox, he pushed for Team Ninja to develop for the Microsoft console. The company kept silent on this change in direction, and surprised both
24160-515: Was again acclaimed as one of the best games in the genre. Both Radiant Silvergun and Ikaruga were later released on Xbox Live Arcade . The Touhou Project series spans 26 years and 30 games as of 2022 and was listed in the Guinness World Records in October 2010 for being the "most prolific fan-made shooter series". The genre has undergone something of a resurgence with the release of
24320-421: Was an influential game in the multi-directional shooter subgenre. Some games experimented with pseudo-3D perspectives at the time. Nintendo 's attempt at the genre, Radar Scope (1980), borrowed heavily from Space Invaders and Galaxian , but added a three-dimensional third-person perspective; the game was a commercial failure, however. Atari's Tempest (1981) was one of the earliest tube shooters and
24480-565: Was critical of the law. There are three ratings: "Suitable for all public", "Suitable for those over 13 years of age" and "Suitable for those over 18 years of age". The Australian Classification Board (ACB) is a statutory classification body formed by the Australian Government which classifies films , video games and publications for exhibition, sale or hire in Australia since its establishment in 1970. The Classification Board
24640-408: Was critically acclaimed and sold 362,441 copies in North America in the first month of release; however, Japanese sales were poor. Team Ninja released two packs of downloadable content , which were also incorporated into a reworked version, Ninja Gaiden Black , in 2005. In 2007, Ninja Gaiden was ported to PlayStation 3 as Ninja Gaiden Sigma , with extra content and graphical improvements; this
24800-496: Was developed at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology in 1961, for the developers' amusement, and presents a space battle between two craft. It was remade four times as an arcade video game in the 1970s. Space Invaders (1978) is most frequently cited as the "first" or "original" in the genre. A seminal game created by Tomohiro Nishikado of Japan's Taito , it led to proliferation of shooter games. It pitted
24960-656: Was originally incorporated in the Office of Film and Literature Classification (OFLC) which was dissolved in 2006. Originally a part of the Attorney-General's Department and overseen by the Minister for Justice , the ACB is now a branch of the Department of Communications and the Arts which provides administrative support to the Board and is overseen by the Minister for Communications &
25120-543: Was released on the portable PlayStation Vita as Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus . Ninja Gaiden was followed by Ninja Gaiden II (2008) and Ninja Gaiden 3 (2012). Ninja Gaiden Sigma was released for Nintendo Switch , PlayStation 4 , Windows , and Xbox One as part of the Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection on June 10, 2021. Ninja Gaiden develops its narrative thread through the actions of its player-controlled protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa . Viewed from
25280-431: Was the 100th highest-selling game launched for the PlayStation 2 , Xbox or GameCube consoles in the United States. Combined sales of Ninja Gaiden and Black reached 800,000 units in the United States by August 2006. These sales figures reflect Tecmo's decision to target the non-Japanese market. Japanese gamers were not particularly excited—according to Itagaki, only 60,000 copies of Ninja Gaiden were sold in Japan in
25440-546: Was the first action game to feature a supply of energy, similar to hit points . Namco's Xevious , released in 1982, was one of the first and most influential vertical scrolling shooters. Xevious is also the first to convincingly portray dithered/shaded organic landscapes as opposed to blocks-in-space or wireframe obstacles. Side-scrolling shoot 'em ups emerged in the early 1980s. Defender , introduced by Williams Electronics in late 1980 and entering production in early 1981, allowed side-scrolling in both directions in
25600-469: Was then further developed by arcade hits such as Asteroids and Galaxian in 1979. Shoot 'em ups were popular throughout the 1980s to early 1990s, diversifying into a variety of subgenres such as scrolling shooters, run and gun games and rail shooters. In the mid-1990s, shoot 'em ups became a niche genre based on design conventions established in the 1980s, and increasingly catered to specialist enthusiasts, particularly in Japan. " Bullet hell " games are
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