Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom

VideoGame ( ) (100%)

Depois de derrotar Jaquio e conquistar a Dark Sword of Chaos, uma potente espada, o popular Ninja Ruy Hayabusa pensou estar livre das forças das trevas. Estava enganado. Jaquio não foi destruído na segunda aventura (que você acompanhou em VIDEOGAME n.º 1) e agora volta com carga total. Este fantástico cartucho ainda não foi lançado nos Estados Unidos, mas já existem vários deles na versão japonesa (60 pinos) no Brasil e em breve, tudo indica, será um sucesso.

GamePro (US) (4.5 out of 5) (90%)

If you're an action gamer who doesn't like Ninja Gaiden, you belong in the video game nerd-house. However, this version adds eyestrain and nerve-twinging challenge to wither the will of all but the most determined Gaiden followers. Oh please, don't let it end here!

Retro Archives (17.75 out of 20) (89%)

Pour sa dernière aventure sur NES, Ryu Hayabusa revient avec à peu près les ingrédients qu'on attendait de lui : sensiblement la même chose avec quelques idées nouvelles et une philosophie qui n'a pas changé d'un iota. En dépit des quelques affres d'une jouabilité certes subtilement optimisée mais qu'on aurait bien aimé voir corriger les dernières lacunes déjà présentes dans les deux premiers épisodes, Ninja Gaiden III : The Ancient Ship of Doom continue de faire mouche là où on l'attendait, avec sa réalisation sublime, ses cinématiques à l'ancienne et sa difficulté insurmontable. On pourra d'ailleurs regretter à ce niveau que la version américaine soit allée rendre plus éprouvant encore, pour ne pas dire totalement invivable, le défi de la version originale en réservant la deuxième moitié du jeu aux masochistes les plus endurants parmi les fans de die-and-retry. Mais si vous cherchez l'un des meilleurs jeu d'action/plateforme de toute la ludothèque de la NES, il serait criminel de ne pas faire un détour par ce qui reste peut-être comme le meilleur épisode d'une trilogie de légende.

Retro Archives (17.5 out of 20) (88%)

Même jeu, même observations : si Ninja Gaiden III est toujours un excellent jeu quand on le pratique sur une borne d’arcade, on sera plutôt heureux aujourd’hui de ne pas avoir besoin de remettre une pièce toutes les cinq minutes.

Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) (32 out of 40) (80%)

What has to be the best of the Gaiden series, The Ancient Ship of Doom makes up for both the lack of difficulty and awkward controls that kept previous Gaiden games from being full tens! The theme has worn a little thin, but the action, sounds and graphics are still top notch!

IGN (8 out of 10) (80%)

The final verdict is that Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom is still a solid and impressive action game from the NES era, but it's also a game that missed out on capitalizing on its early potential. As a result, this game that could have been the best of the original Ninja Gaiden trilogy ends up placing third out of three. For your 500 Wii Points, our recommendation stands that the original Ninja Gaiden is still your best bet. After that, Ninja Gaiden II is second. Only invest the additional five dollars for a download of Ninja Gaiden III after you're experienced at least one of its predecessors first, and if you're comfortable with subjecting yourself to another full game's worth of frustration and ridiculous challenge. Irene may be dead, but after trying to find out who did it through a handful of these stages, you might just stop caring and turn the power off.

Retro Game Age (8 out of 10) (80%)

Taking all of that into consideration, this is still one of the top action games for the NES. The changes made are obnoxious to be frank but don’t make the game unplayable. They at most hold the game back from being as great as it could have been, much like Battletoads.

Ultimate Nintendo: Guide to the NES Library ( ) (80%)

Graphics are superb here, with nicely defined enemies and excellent backgrounds. Controls are spot on and the rocking, moody soundtrack sets the tone nicely. The twisting story is presented in cinematic cutscenes, which will entice players to want to continue to see the next part, if they can make it.

neXGam (7.9 out of 10) (79%)

Ninja Gaiden III ist ein Kultspiel auf dem NES, und die Lynx-Version steht dem großen Bruder kaum nach. Es hätte nahezu perfekt werden können, hätte man nur in Anbetracht des Batterieverbrauchs und der Konzeptionierung des Lynx als System für unterwegs den Schwierigkeitsgrad reduziert und ein Passwortsystem eingebaut. Die kaum erkennbaren Sprites wären da im Licht des tollen Rests locker verschmerzbar gewesen. So wie es letztlich geworden ist muß ich potentielle Käufer aber warnen: entweder man hat Spaß mit einem Spiel ohne den Ehrgeiz, es unbedingt durchzocken zu müssen, oder man läuft Gefahr den Lynx gefrustet an die Wand zu werfen. Aber im Gegensatz zu anderen besonders schweren Lynx-Games wie Batman Returns macht Ninja Gaiden III zumindest wirklich großen Spaß! Da es auch noch recht günstig originalverschweißt zu haben ist, sollte man sich als nervenstarker Zocker einen Kauf überlegen.

Nintendo Land (78 out of 100) (78%)

The Ninja Gaiden Trilogy stands as one of the biggest NES series, up there with the likes of Mega Man, Castlevania, and Super Mario Bros. A new page was turned in the history of the jump-and-slash genre with the insertion of cinema scenes to tell the story of Ryu's adventures. However, as good as the series is as a whole, Gaiden III does not deliver the ending that most gamers wanted, by being the best of the series. In fact, it was the worst of the series, and is not recommended for players of either novice or intermediate skill levels, unless a Game Shark is available.If you do play it, have extra controllers ready. You may need them after braking them into more pieces than you can count. So ended the era of Ryu Hayabusa and his adventures... unless, of course, Tecmo can come back with an N64 version... But that's another story...

Retro Archives (15.5 out of 20) (78%)

Confronté aux limitations techniques – et particulièrement à la taille de l’écran – de la Lynx, Ninja Gaiden III fait ce qu’il peut pour préserver l’expérience originale de la version NES et y parvient… dans une certaine mesure. Les graphismes commencent à ressembler dangereusement à une bouillie de pixels et la musique n’est pas à la hauteur, mais le déroulement et la jouabilité, eux, n’ont pas bougé. Un compromis imparfait, mais qui accomplit l’essentiel.

Video Game Critic, The (B) (75%)

Considering its lack of third-party support, the Lynx was really lucky to land an A-lister like Ninja Gaiden III. It's likely to cause blindness with extended use, but that's still a better fate than playing Kung Food (Atari, 1992).

Classic-games.net (7 out of 10) (70%)

At its core Ninja Gaiden 3 is still a good game. The disappointment comes in the fact that it had the potential to be the best in the NES trilogy. Which it is in its original Famicom form. The changes Tecmo made for its western release really hurt it and make a phenomenal game a chore. I would still recommend it but only after Ninja Gaiden 2.

Video Games & Computer Entertainment (7 out of 10) (70%)

Ninja Gaiden III is a great action game that outclasses the first NG Lynx title by virtue of the great playability. Too bad they skipped right over Ninja Gaiden II, which I considered to be the best of Tecmo's original NES trilogy.

NES Times (7 out of 10) (70%)

Overall Ninja Gaiden III isn't a bad game. It's still a solid action title, and you get some enjoyment out of it with some great audio and visuals. But it just seemed Tecmo tried too hard for a memorable gaming experienece, and ultimately the excessive difficulty and choppy storyline make this title a poor sequel to a great series. Tecmo should have just ported the Japanese original; it would have been a more enjoyable experience. If you have enough patience NG3 can be a fun time, but fans of the series will definetely want to stick with the first two games.

Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM) (26 out of 40) (65%)

How's this for a surprise? Ninja Gaiden III is a decent translation from the popular series. Play control is very good with precise movements. The graphics are simply brilliant on the Lynx's great screen. There are lots of hidden surprises to find and the magic really helps out in tight situations. But, alas, the characters are microscopic, making the game almost a choice to play. A rare gem, but a bit tarnished.

All Game Guide ( ) (60%)

Ninja Gaiden III is an enjoyable and challenging addition to the Lynx library. The presentation, with its flawed graphics and horrible music, leaves something to be desired. But otherwise, Ninja Gaiden III is worth your time.

Questicle.net (C+) (58%)

To me, Ninja Gaiden III feels off, and I attribute this to the presence of a new director, Masato Kato (Hideo Yoshizawa was the director of the first two games). He felt the series needed to go in a new direction, thus Ninja Gaiden III‘s science-fiction feel*. Unfortunately, the Ninja Gaiden series has always been half-story, half-gameplay, but outside of the brilliantly conceived opening scene, the story is half-baked and removes the human element that was crucial to the stories of the first two games. As an action game on the NES, Ninja Gaiden III is a merciless challenge that many will welcome. As a game built within the Ninja Gaiden series, Ninja Gaiden III is the least of its ninja brethren.

Video Game Critic, The (C) (50%)

Incredibly, the third stage isn't much better. Set in a jungle, you'll spend most of the time hanging from platforms and swinging by your arms while creatures knock you off. By this stage my patience was exhausted. Ninja Gaiden III looks, sounds, and controls great, but its level designs are far to unforgiving. I can only recommend this game to Ninja Gaiden die-hards who want to know the meaning of pain.

Nintendo Life ( ) (50%)

Ninja Gaiden III is undoubtedly one sequel too many. The first two NES games were excellent, but aside from graphical flourishes and some minor gameplay amendments this third game offers nothing but intense frustration to anyone who chooses to download it. If you like your videogames to offer a stern, almost sadistic challenge then you might be more willing to stick with this, but most gamers would be better off with the prequels. They may not look as good but they’re certainly better products in practically every other area.

Video Games (44 out of 100) (44%)

Bekanntlich lernt der Mensch nie aus Fehlern. Nach der Schlappe von Teil 1 kommt die abgrundtiefe Fortsetzung. Eintönige Levels, die mitunter durch optisch unkenntliche Feindfiguren “verschönert“ (ja ja, die Figuren passen wunderbar zur Wandfarbe) werden, mindern den Spielspaß erheblich. Und spätestens dann, wenn das Jumpen nicht mehr so toll klappt, weil man einfach nichts auf dem Bildschirm erkennen kann, fragt man sich: Wozu ein 16-Bit Handheld, wenn das Spiel genauso gut auf einem Game Gear laufen würde? Die Programmierer sollten doch lieber Spiele entwickeln, die die technischen, und vor allem die grafischen Möglichkeiten des Lynx besser nutzt.

Mega Fun (43 out of 100) (43%)

Ninja Gaiden III auf dem Lynx ist fast so überflüssig wie der erste Teil, obwohl der auch alles andere als berühmt war. Das Gameplay erinnert arg an Rygar mit immer glechen Feindformationen und linearem Spielablauf. Das ist man mittlerweile von Atari zwar schon gewöhnt (Power Factor, Dirty Larry), aber technisch gesehen war immer noch Spielraum nach unten offen; und hier fühlt sich Ninja Gaiden III pudelwohl. Die grobschlächtige Grafik (Ist das ein Gegner oder doch nur ein Pixelhäufchen?), die gräßliche Musik und die Soundeffekte, die auch von einem heiseren Straßenköter stammen könnten, wurden optimal aufeinander abgestimmt und laden wirklich alles andere als dazu ein, dieses Murksmodul länger zu spielen. Schade eigentlich um das nette Intro und das Extrawaffenarsenal.