Retronauts Volume III Episode 3: Ninja Gaiden
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Retronauts 3 cover art

Hi, it's Ray. I was bemused that after so many episodes of Retronauts on so many different topics, we never took time to dive into Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden series. It was one of the best-remembered series of the NES days, and not only did it codify a big part of games (it was arguably the first console action game to incorporate cut-scenes), it owes a bit to its contemporaries, namely Castlevania. And that's just one of the talking points we go over in this episode.

My intent was to touch on all of the "retro" Ninja Gaiden games, as they're not just the NES trilogy most people remember. There was the original arcade game, the Game Boy title, some notable ports, and as you'll find out, a whole other Sega-borne series that Tecmo licensed out. We also talk about some Ninja Gaiden-related media and merchandise. However, we don't talk much about Tecmo's rebooted Ninja Gaiden series -- though some of you may have been kids when it got started, we weren't, and why were you allowed to play M-rated games, anyway?!

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This episode's breakdown:

  • 0:46 | Digital download discussion (Game Gear VC releases & Final Fantasy VII on Steam)

  • 12:25 | Ninja Gaiden (Arcade)

  • 24:00 | Ninja Gaiden (NES)

  • 39:31 | Ninja Gaiden II (NES)

  • 50:24 | Ninja Gaiden III (NES)

  • 56:39 | Ninja Gaiden Shadow (GB)

  • 1:01:26 | Ninja Gaiden Trilogy (SNES)

  • 1:05:48 | Ninja Gaiden (Game Gear)

  • 1:10:44 | Ninja Gaiden (Master System)

  • 1:14:21 | Ninja Gaiden (Mega Drive)

  • 1:18:19 | Ninja Gaiden anime & Worlds of Power novel

  • 1:24:24 | Haggleman 3

  • 1:27:55 | Closing

And this link to the Game Player's Gametape will make sense as you listen.

NEXT WEEK: I take on Pocket with another lesser-discussed subject on the show.