Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos

THE BAD:
Extremely high difficulty level.

SUMMARY:
The sequel to the popular "Ninja Gaiden" game really pushed the NES to new limits with it's graphics and gameplay. The story wasn't half bad either-super ninja Ryu Hayabusa hacks & slashes his way through 7 worlds to find his girlfriend and bring the reborn evil from the first NG title to justice.
The graphics are just awesome-the real attraction are the many movie-style cutscenes that play out throughout the game, complete with music and sound effects. They're possibly among the best the NES ever had. Sounds & music are really good as well-FX are authentic and realistic, like swords slashing and the explosions of the fireballs & clashing noises of throwing stars you use as weapons. Controls are tight and responsive, important because you'll have to be quick on your fingers to pull off some of the more impressive moves you'll have at your disposal. The gameplay's fast and exciting, but as you'll find out early, it gets very difficult in a hurry. Good thing there's infinite continues (of course the game won't tell you that) because you'll die a lot...A LOT...when you get to the final couple of areas. Might want to dust off the old Game Genie if you've got one and give yourself some infinite lives or the like.
If the skill level doesn't frustrate you away, you'll find this to be an engaging game and a quite rewarding one between the awesome cutscenes and how they help bring the great story to life. The graphics alone warrant playing through this one, but the gameplay's pretty good as well.