#PA2039, Published by Atari Corp.
In this episode I cover one of the best arcade ports ever released for the Lynx, Ninja 外伝 Gaiden, released for the Lynx in 1991. Included are statistics for the game and a run-down on how to play it, along with reviews and ratings, some fun facts and trivia, and lots of listener feedback about the game. Also in today’s episode: Monty displays his prowess as a Supreme Verbal Ninja…whatever that is.
“I know not one whit of sarcasm.” -Monty
NINJA GAIDEN VITAL STATISTICS
Release Date: July of 1991.
Initial Retail Price: $38.99-$39.99 in the US, and £29.99 in the UK.
Cartridge Information: 256kB mono curved lip-style cartridge.
Game Genre: Side-view 2-dimensional scrolling action beat-’em-up game for 1 player.
Alternate Title: Shadow Warriors was the title given to the Ninja 外伝 Gaiden arcade cabinet for its release in Europe.
Screen Playfield Orientation: Landscape (horizontal).
Based On: The arcade cabinet Ninja Gaiden released by Tecmo, Ltd. in late 1988 in North America and Europe, and in January 1989 in Japan. The cabinet was named Arcade Game of the Year for 1990.
Sequels: Ninja 外伝 Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom (Atari Lynx; 1993; this was a port of the NES version of Ninja 外伝 Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom).
Ports to Other Systems: Ports of Ninja 外伝 Gaiden were also released in Europe (as Shadow Warriors) on the Amstrad CPC, the Atari ST, the Commodore Amiga, the Commodore 64, and the ZX Spectrum. Elsewhere, the game was also ported as Ninja 外伝 Gaiden to the DOS platform, the Nintendo Switch, the Nintendo Wii, and the PlayStation 4. Many other versions and permutations using the Ninja 外伝 Gaiden name and general concept were ported to home consoles and computers, but they generally bear little resemblance to the original arcade game (the NES version is the most notorious in its apparent lack of similarity to the arcade game).
Game Levels: There are four stages, or neighborhoods, in Ninja 外伝 Gaiden: the City Streets, the Casino Moto, the Train Station, and the Palace.
Number of Players: 1 (no ComLynx support).
Packaging: A full-color standard flap-tab regular-size box (5 3/8″ by 4 3/8″ by 7/8″), with parallel verbiage on the back in both English and French.
Instruction Manual: Ninja 外伝 Gaiden was packaged with a full color poster, 22” high by 17” wide (see photo above After-Market and Home Brew Lynx Titles). The front of the poster includes an exact copy of the box cover art, with a yellow triangular banner added at the upper left with the words See reverse side for instructions in a large black font tilted upwards at a 45 degree angle. The back of the poster includes an illustrated comic book-style list of basic instructions. The posters, released in both English and in French, were folded several times in order to fit in the small Lynx boxes. The instructions for Ninja 外伝 Gaiden were written by Scott Rhoades.
NINJA 外伝 GAIDEN CREDITS
Publisher: Atari Corporation
Licensee: Tecmo, Ltd.
Developer: Blue Sky Software
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