I’ve recently been playing through the original Ninja Gaiden on the NIntendo Entertainment System (NES). Why, you may ask? Maybe subscribe to the podcast Tales of the Lesser Medium, which I co-host, and pay attention to that subscription feed. Maybe you’ll have your question answered soon…
As I was playing Ninja Gaiden, I was taken aback by how well executed the cinematic cutscenes are. The intro cinematic, for example, uses minimal animation to convey action, juxtaposing images to convey two ninjas in battle. Parallax scrolling, timed just right, conveys depth and increases tension simultaneously. Everything here could be done with a Powerpoint slideshow and some animated gifs, and despite the simple execution, the result is powerful.
In all, I was surprised by the cinematic storytelling in the game. Then, I immediately questioned why I was surprised. When I play an older game, like Ninja Gaiden, for some reason I expect everything to be primitive. I expect simple level design, thin story, a few core mechanics per game each with a few verbs to expand the gameplay, and most of the time, those expectations are met. But when those expectations are eclipsed, I’m stunned, for some reason.
I’m gonna talk about that in this video.
Mentioned:
Tales of the Lesser Medium podcast (Twitter handle): https://twitter.com/TalesLesser
Tales of the Lesser Medium podcast (Web page with subscription links): https://polymedianetwork.com/talesofthelessermedium
Music credit:
Bossa Antigua by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/3454-bossa-antigua
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
Pump by Kevin MacLeod
Link: https://incompetech.filmmusic.io/song/4252-pump
License: http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/
#NinjaGaiden #VideoGameDesign #NES
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As someone who prefers playing older games, here are my reasons:
1) Older games faced so many hardware limitations that creative genius and compromise went hand in hand. The constant battle between developer and hardware led to some incredible work in storytelling, art direction and OSTs that I don't feel is replicated in modern AAA games that have all the trappings of photorealistic graphics, professional voice acting, etc. It is often difficult for older gameplay mechanics to stand the test of time (see FFVII remake vs the original), but there was still so much innovation on the gameplay front that is worth exploring today, especially now that certain genres like the looter shooter, open-world RPG, FPS, MMORPG and MOBA are constantly being reskinned.
2) In a similar vein, graphical leaps were so large between earlier console generations that playing older games gives me a greater appreciation for these improvements. There are plenty of games today with incredible scenery that you as the player character only glance at for a few seconds before the gameplay takes you somewhere else. In older games, every FMV cutscene was a HUGE deal! You'd talk about it with your buddies the next day at school. It often felt that the reward for gameplay was just getting to the next cutscene.
3) This is personal preference, but I miss buying games that are complete at release. Games as a service definitely allows for more consistent communication between player and developer, but there is an intangible feeling that I used to get when I reached the end of the line for a game – whether it was obtaining 100%, seeing all the secret cutscenes or defeating the ultimate postgame boss. Now, the postgame is irrelevant – there's always a new DLC, story event or season around the corner, which ironically lessens the importance of each accomplishment.
Love your content, Caleb! My vote is drop the mic, because I think your audio always sounded great anyway! I liked the clean "TV presentation" look of your videos before.
Whatever you decide, I'm still watching!
I have some unquenchable thirst for knowing what's inside all the old cartridges I own, both the physical pieces and programmed elements. I am very curious about them. Newer stuff has a different allure for me – all the obvious tangibles: looks, feel, wowzerness. There's an archeological side of me that wants to dig deep in old video games and break them down. I suppose that's because I see that as an attainable thing to do – they are simple. After watching the credits roll on Red Dead 2 for 45 minutes, a game that wowed me to bits, I'm too overwhelmed to really study it. I don't think this was a response you asked for, you just got me thinking about why I gravitate more toward the oldies. Great video!
Only a minute in and you're my hero.