Ninja Gaiden

So insanely difficult that in thirty years I've only beaten it once without save states, but an iconic classic I go back to frequently all the same. The wall-jumping play control stands as fairly unique on the NES and the snappy combat is fun (though getting knocked back into pits can be maddening). And I just loved the twisty over-the-top anime plot of revenge and demons and backstabbing and government conspiracies it told in the cutscenes back in the day!

Cut-scenes in a NES game???

For story it's a great NES game. For a survival-platformer it can be very challenging. But people have good memories of it despite the torment it inflicts.

The early levels are kind of dull but it picks up around the 3rd act. The game is really good at mixing together various elements to create challenging situations, such as forcing you to make a tight jump while timing an attack on an airborne enemy. The enemy respawning can be annoying at times, but the game never forces you in one spot so enemy respawns rarely botch your momentum. It also amazes me how this game can make one note bosses as challenging as they are.

kinda good. like tmnt. jumping from wall to wall etc. bosses. too hard

Good game but way too hard. They should make these games beatable.