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[Leguna]

Here's another quicky. I got a little lazy on the proportions. I'm trying to focus more on coloring better because my coloring sucks; how do those Korean artist do it (artists such as the one that does the art for Magna Carta)???

XBOX:
Ninja Gaiden

PLAYTIME:
My time on beating Ninja Gaiden is 22 hours! That was totally unexpected. This action game has the length of an RPG!

FINAL JUDGMENT: THE PERFECT GAME 10 out of 10
While not as under hyped as Ico on PS2, Ninja Gaiden should have gotten more marketing PUSH for a game of this caliber and quality. That's right, a perfect score and Ninja Gaiden deserves it. My hat goes off to the director and Team Ninja for this game.

The gameplay in NG is unbelievably well designed. Ryu (main character) has more moves than almost any fighting game I could name. It also helps that Ryu's moves are the coolest animations I've seen since Dante walked around firing 2 handguns!

NG is indeed a very hard game, but a very FUN hard! Every time I died it always felt fair and I never was angry for losing. This is because NG's difficulty is highly skill based. Anything and everything can be avoided; it’s up to the player to make the move. The gameplay is designed around the player's reflexes and fast decision making. People complain about the camera but it never got in my way of playing. The only change I would make is adding the ability to rotate the camera.

Visually NG has the best graphics I've seen in a videogame to date, period (close call between Riddick on Xbox, Onimusha 3 and this game). From the graphics alone you can tell this game had a huge budget. I just don’t know how they do it; this game looks like it’s pushing more polygons than any other game of this genre but at a constant 60fps. Everything from animation, textures, to effects, NG will impress you all the way through.

The CG cinemas are also really impressive and entertaining. They are easily on par with anything that has come from SquareEnix or Capcom; very talented people.

Just when you think they might slack off on sound and music…NOPE!!! Things just keep getting better. The music in this game is great; worth buying the soundtrack! Team Ninja didn't leave a single detail out; they made sure to go the extra mile to please everyone so they included both the English and Japanese voiceovers. The English dubbing is very good, no complaints there either for those that rather hear the game in English. Game companies that include the option really do deserve a lot of credit.

Team Ninja already has a perfect game on their hands, but they don't stop there; they already announced some really cool new content for NG through Xbox Live coming in August! This game is worth buying an Xbox for. Ninja Gaiden is now my 2nd favorite game of all time and that's saying a lot!

GAMEPLAY: 10 out of 10
MUSIC/DUBBING: 10 out of 10
VISUALS: 10 out of 10

LAST WORDS:
Ninja Gaiden raised the bar for action games so high that it will probably take a long time before any action out performs this behemoth. As I said before, this game is worth buying an Xbox for. I can't think of anything even remotely bad to say about NG.

 

[sprsk]

leguna, we missed you.

 

[Kiriku]

While not as under hyped as Ico on PS2, Ninja Gaiden should have gotten more marketing PUSH for a game of this caliber and quality.

Eh, what? I thought Ninja Gaiden was marketed pretty heavily.

 

[Solid]

So you like it, Laguna? IIRC you liked ZOE2 very much too... right? If so I might have to pick this game up when it's a bit cheaper

You = trustworthy

 

[Lyte Edge]

Damn dude, did you REALLY stay up past 4am last night finishing that drawing??

 

[Dagless M.D.]

Great picture man, I actually like the odd proportions

 

[Bog]

Oh cool. I was wondering how this game was.

 

[sprsk]

Oh cool. I was wondering how this game was.

this made me rofl. well played.

 

[COCKLES]

 

[Kseutron]

Here's another quicky. I got a little lazy on the proportions. I'm trying to focus more on coloring better because my coloring sucks; how do those Korean artist do it (artists such as the one that does the art for Magna Carta)???

XBOX:
Ninja Gaiden

PLAYTIME:
My time on beating Ninja Gaiden is 22 hours! That was totally unexpected. This action game has the length of an RPG!

FINAL JUDGMENT: THE PERFECT GAME 10 out of 10
While not as under hyped as Ico on PS2, Ninja Gaiden should have gotten more marketing PUSH for a game of this caliber and quality. That's right, a perfect score and Ninja Gaiden deserves it. My hat goes off to the director and Team Ninja for this game.

The gameplay in NG is unbelievably well designed. Ryu (main character) has more moves than almost any fighting game I could name. It also helps that Ryu's moves are the coolest animations I've seen since Dante walked around firing 2 handguns!

NG is indeed a very hard game, but a very FUN hard! Every time I died it always felt fair and I never was angry for losing. This is because NG's difficulty is highly skill based. Anything and everything can be avoided; it’s up to the player to make the move. The gameplay is designed around the player's reflexes and fast decision making. People complain about the camera but it never got in my way of playing. The only change I would make is adding the ability to rotate the camera.

Visually NG has the best graphics I've seen in a videogame to date, period (close call between Riddick on Xbox, Onimusha 3 and this game). From the graphics alone you can tell this game had a huge budget. I just don’t know how they do it; this game looks like it’s pushing more polygons than any other game of this genre but at a constant 60fps. Everything from animation, textures, to effects, NG will impress you all the way through.

The CG cinemas are also really impressive and entertaining. They are easily on par with anything that has come from SquareEnix or Capcom; very talented people.

Just when you think they might slack off on sound and music…NOPE!!! Things just keep getting better. The music in this game is great; worth buying the soundtrack! Team Ninja didn't leave a single detail out; they made sure to go the extra mile to please everyone so they included both the English and Japanese voiceovers. The English dubbing is very good, no complaints there either for those that rather hear the game in English. Game companies that include the option really do deserve a lot of credit.

Team Ninja already has a perfect game on their hands, but they don't stop there; they already announced some really cool new content for NG through Xbox Live coming in August! This game is worth buying an Xbox for. Ninja Gaiden is now my 2nd favorite game of all time and that's saying a lot!

GAMEPLAY: 10 out of 10
MUSIC/DUBBING: 10 out of 10
VISUALS: 10 out of 10

LAST WORDS:
Ninja Gaiden raised the bar for action games so high that it will probably take a long time before any action out performs this behemoth. As I said before, this game is worth buying an Xbox for. I can't think of anything even remotely bad to say about NG.

honnestly, i like tetris better

 

[Lyte Edge]

Sorry, but Gaming-Age.com gave this game a C-.

 

[seismologist]

Yeah it's an ok game. I dont think Ninja Gaiden is worth buying an Xbox for since there's a lot of similar games on the PS2.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Awesome art Leguna

Its my favorite xbox game, and my GOTY so far, though i think it will be dethroned, i still think that ninja gaiden will be remembered as a classic of this generation.

 

[belgurdo]

Draw Rachel

 

[segasonic]

2004 - You know the rest

 

[Ghost]

Ok now dont get me wrong, i love ninja gaiden, but 10/10 for the english dubbing? Come on it sucks! There are worse examples mind you, but NG is pretty bad. The original japanese might suck for all i know, i played through the game with both just to compare but you cant really judge a voice acting performance in a foreign language.

 

[Leguna]

belgurdo:
I should draw her; she's so hot, lol. You know what I SHOULD HAVE DRAWN HER INSTEAD! I just didn't think of it.

Buggy Loop:
Thanks man, I agree.

seismologist:
Yes there are similar games on PS2, but none as good except for one which is better and that's MGS2.

Lyte Edge:
The guy that reviewed the game for Gaming Age gave it a C- and while no opinion can be wrong, it's one that no one agrees with.

Bog:
I've been very busy and so games are taking me much longer to finish being that I rarely have time now.

Newbie:
It's a crappy picture, honestly. I'm not proud of it at all.

Kiriku:
Really? You thought it was marketed pretty heavily? I never saw any commercials, the E3 trailers for the game were all lame, not much was shown on the game until its release.

sp0rsk:
Missed you too

TO ALL:
Any know where I could find tutorials on Korean artists to color like this...

 

[Shogmaster]

Kimchee, Leguna, Kimchee.

I'm thinking about going back on the stuff myself.....

 

[Lyte Edge]

Birdo, I AM JOKING. I forgot who I was talking to is all. It's completely lost on you.

You do realize that the "Awesome Korean Artist" you are showing above is two different people, right? The guy that does the SF are is Arnold Tsang, who is the main artist for the SF American comic book. Try going to the Dreamwave Productions home page and seeing if you can get his e-mail address. It's also possible that either of those artists didn't do the coloring jobs themselves; there are professional colorists out there, you know. I know that Antartic Press, a small comic publisher, sells a digital coloring guide, complete with tutorial CD, IIRC.

BTW, I meant to tell you, but forgot...I finally got the latest Street Fighter illustration book (came out last year IIRC) if you want to see it.

 

[Leguna]

Shogmaster:
Kimchee?

Ghost:
I gave NG a perfect 10/10 for MUSIC/DUBBING because firstly, the music in the game is awesome; secondly the NG is dubbed very well in English, everything from lip syncing to good voice acting (the little that's in the game). Plus if the English voice acting bugged you for any reason there was always the option to apply the Japanese voice acting. And I disagree about being able to judge voice acting in a foriegn language. It's not about what they are saying as much as it's about how they are saying it.

 

[Lonestar]

"He has Returned!"

 

[Kiriku]

Really? You thought it was marketed pretty heavily? I never saw any commercials, the E3 trailers for the game were all lame, not much was shown on the game until its release.

Hmm, maybe it's just the hype it recieved in here and on gaming sites then. But still, it sold well, so I thought there had to be some reason...since I can't imagine Ninja Gaiden being THAT big of a series in the US. And I'm not sure the game sold well just because it's good, ya see.

 

[Particle Physicist]

hey Leguna.. this is a random and waay off topic question.. but.. what are the specs of the machine you use for your 3D movies.. and are you satisfied with it? .. im thinking of building a new rig mainly for animation..

 

[Eggo]

I can't think of anything even remotely bad to say about NG.

How about "it has the worst camera angles of any game I've ever played?"

 

[HAOHMARU]

Kimchee?

It is fermented cabage...tasty stuff.

Anyway, I like your drawing a lot. Ever think about making one of Haohmaru from Samurai Shodown?

 

[totoro'd]

Shogmaster:
Kimchee?

She's a great new K-pop star, Kim Chee

 

[Shogmaster]

She's a great new K-pop star, Kim Chee

Yeah, that's what I was "on".

 

[belgurdo]

She's a great new K-pop star, Kim Chee

Wonders if the term "wanting to toss salad" can be applicable here

 

[Shogmaster]

Wonders if the term "wanting to toss salad" can be applicable here

It can, as long as you are careful enough not to get some in your eyes.

 

[sprsk]

leguna- the first two images are watercolor.

 

[TAJ]

>>>I can't think of anything even remotely bad to say about NG.


How about "it has the worst camera angles of any game I've ever played?"<<<'

Devil May Cry has a much worse camera, and it's almost the same game.
Dino Crisis 3 makes Devil May Cry's camera look great.

 

[Leguna]

LyteEdge:
I realize those artists are different, I'm want to find out how either one colors.

HAOHMARU:
My next pic will probably be of Onimusha 3. However, I do feel like drawing women right now The last drawing of a girl i did was a almost a year ago; here are the last 2 i did...

Eggo:
The camera was not an issue with me at all, honestly. But i do agree the camera work could have been better.

quadriplegicjon:
2.6GHz Pentium 4, 1 gig of ram, 260gigs of memory, and an all in wonder ATI radeon video card. Yes I'm very happy, my last PC was 256megs of ram and 800mhz. What do you plan on doing? Do you plan on doing 3D animations?

 

[Leguna]

sp0rsk:
How can you tell? I want to believe that 99% of colored work now-a-days is all digital.

 

[Lyte Edge]

sp0rsk:
How can you tell? I want to believe that 99% of colored work now-a-days is all digital.

You were an art....major....right...?

 

[neptunes]

Leguna, the street firghter pictures you posted were indeed colored with water-color paint.

 

[Shogmaster]

Leguna: I think I know why you are not getting those colors and it's not Kimchee.

You should try Painter instead of Photoshop. Painter makes it easier to get those crazy color blending modes. That's what "the Korean guy" uses.

 

[neptunes]

Hyung-Tae Kim (the korean guy you refer to) sometimes uses both the PC and actual paint to color his pictures.

he uses Love Painter 6.0, which I should try out.

 

[Shogmaster]

Hyung-Tae Kim (the korean guy you refer to) sometimes uses both the PC and actual paint to color his pictures.

he uses Love Painter 6.0, which I should try out.

Definitely get Painter 6 over the new ones. I gave up dual monitor to go back to Painter 6 (Now I have to get a bigger Cinitiq. LOL). 6 is much more faster than 7 or 8. Less RAM hog too. I can't go back to using 7 or 8.

Just make sure that you also find the 6.1 patch before you install it. You have to install 6.1 before you open up Painter 6.

 

[tigerfan12345]

thats some nice coloring in some of those pics. Just this past semester, a recent grad came to our class to show us coloring. Her name was Christina Strain and she's done a bunch of comics. I think she is/ was working for Udon. But anyway, damn her coloring was amazing. She brought in some huge full size panels of comics she's colored. It was damn amazing. It was pretty interesting too because she told us alot about the process and behind the scenes stuff about comics and the community. She also told us some of the stuff she "ghost-colored" and it was for some pretty big colorist/isssues. Anyway she was bad ass, and she did it all in photoshop. She has some crazy techniques but stupid me can't remember any of them. Oh yeh, and i think she told us she is coloring Mary Jane too.

 

[rastex]

Back on topic: I won't say that Ninja Gaiden is the perfect game, but it's definitely one of the best games I've ever played. Like Panzer Dragoon Orta it manages to capture that evasive quality that just makes everything "click". I think it might be the totally pure and tight control. Ninja Gaiden is a game I'd call a real RPG in that Ryu does EXACTLy what you tell him to do instantaneously and you really play the role of this badass ninja.

In terms of control and actual gameplay I'd say NG is pretty much perfect. It's fault lies in its at times uninspired level design and weak bosses. This becomes far more prevalent later on in the game.

There is absolutely nothing wrong at all with the camera. Period. People who complain about the camera are the ones who only played the first 2 levels MAX, possibly the third one as well. And they'er also the players that don't notice the shift in the camera when you approach a corner with an enemy nearby. That's not to say the camera couldn't be better, it can always be better, it's just not bad. I look forward to seeing what changes the DLC bring.

To summarize. As soon as I beat the game on normal (total in-game time 20h, total time 27) I started a new game on Very Hard, RIGHT away. I *never* do this, I never replay games. But Ninja Gaiden has so much depth and is just so TIGHT it remains just as fresh on a second play through as the first time you jumped off a wall a decapitated 3 ninjas.

 

[jiggle]

The SFIII pics look digital to me.

 

[Mrbob]

How about "it has the worst camera angles of any game I've ever played?"

Sour grapes...?

 

[Leguna]

jiggle:
I think it looks digital too.

rastex:
I feel the same way. Games that i consider perfect are games that don't have anything really substantial to complain about and that is extremely fun to play, listen and watch.

Shogmaster:
Which is better, Photoshop or Painter? What makes the one better than the other?

 

[Shogmaster]

Shogmaster:
Which is better, Photoshop or Painter? What makes the one better than the other?

You need both. Painter for better line quality for drawing and more naturalistic painting fxs and Photoshop for much better image manipulation. I often have both open, and sometimes go back and forth, although I use Painter more. Key is always save a project as .psd and never use Painter's .rif format. RIFF is EVIL, remember that.

Find a used copy of Painter 6 on ebay ($100 or so). Then I'll email you the 6.1 patch (no longer to be found on Corel's site).

 

[sprsk]

by no means do i paint, but the water in those pics is very obviously watercolor. i dunno if you can achieve that with a digital program but i assume you can...

watercolor is :cool

 

[CrimsonSkies]

Ninja Gaiden should get nothing less than a 9 in my book from any respectible review site. It has a few flaws, but all games do. Even those that seem to review as if they don't .

 

[sprsk]

Ninja Gaiden should get nothing less than a 9 in my book from any respectible review site. It has a few flaws, but all games do. Even those that seem to review as if they don't .

i dont understand this reasoning.

 

[Eggo]

Ninja Gaiden should get nothing less than a 9 in my book from any respectible review site.

So now you're dictating how 'respectable review sites' should score games. If they don't score to your standards, they are not respectable?

 

[Shogmaster]

So now you're dictating how 'respectable review sites' should score games. If they don't score to your standards, they are not respectable?

I don't know about all that, but games like this is a good gauge on finding out if some site's reviews are worth the bandwidth or not. And you know who didn't pass the test.

 

[Die Squirrel Die]

I don't know, I liked it but it just didn't click that well with me. Not enough for me to finish it anyway. For me it had the same problem as DMC2, the player action was good, but the stuff around it, the 'context' if you will just wasn't working for me. Level design, enemy design etc. just felt uninspired and lacking cohesion. Also, the enemies were hard, but they were all hard in exactly the same way. I don't really know how to explain it, but it was always like hitting a brick wall, rather than sometimes a brick wall, sometimes a rolling spike log, sometimes spinning blades coming out of the wall.

I lost interest right around the point with the canals (chp 11 or 12, I forget exactly which), by this point I was losing interest and hitting swimming sections put me off completely. Why do developers do this, with the swimming. What makes them think it's a good idea to throw out all that intuative responsive control that the players used to for something clunky and unwieldy (cf. Viewtiful Joe as well). It's even worse when the control isn't that pacy to begin with. I was seriously losing it in KOTOR on that water planet with the underwater bits. Traversing the landscape was already a tad on the chore like side, so to be doing it at a quarter the speed was like banging my head against a wall. Death to water bits, is what I say. It's such a godamn bloody cliche, and an awful one at that. A hundred times worse than sliding on ice levels.

I also have a thing about enemies blocking in games, but I won't go into that.