Graphics: 8
Of course Ninja Gaiden's graphics don't compare to that of The Dark Sword Of Chaos (Ninja Gaiden 2). Infact, Ninja Gaiden 2 pulverizes its predecessor when it comes to the visual detail. What has Ninja Gaiden have that the both sequel's don't have? Maybe nothing. Of course you have to realize that Ninja Gaiden did come in 1989, one year before The Dark Sword Of Chaos. The negative thing about all three games, however, is that most (if not all) of the bosses are huge! Compare them to Ninja Ryu and you'll see.

Sound: 10
That's right, a 10 for sound. Ninja Gaiden has lovely music. It keeps the flow of action going and matches the setting of each stage or scene. Of course I won't go naming stages, because you should see for yourself. Compare the intro music to that of Ninja Gaiden 2: which do you think has more feeling into it? Near the end of the game, there is a theme that sounds like ""A Time For Us"". During the scene, which I won't describe, there is lots of emotion. Very stirring. Ninja Gaiden also does this, but not as well.

Gameplay: 9
How can I explain this? The gameplay was unbelievable for its time. It brought new action to side-scrolling games. Back then, the buttons were typically jump and shoot, with nothing else. In Ninja Gaiden, you can jump, cling to walls, jump off walls, attack, throw ninja stars, freeze time, toss a fire wheel, spin-jump, duck, throw shurikens, and many other things. Every certain item also takes up a certain amount of magic in your possession, pretty interesting. The most distinct characteristic of Ninja Gaiden was that Ninja Ryu had the ability to jump from one wall to another. The best part is that it is very easy to execute; If you have played Strider, for the NES, you will notice a giant gap of a difference. Ninja Gaiden 2 ruined the aspect of wall jumping, but then again, it saved lots of frustration.

Overall: 9
Above average graphics, great music, killer gameplay, now there is something else a game needs: A Story Line. If you have an emulator and haven't yet played this game (or haven't played it for a long time, then download it now and wait for the intro. Now if you compare that to the intro of The Dark Sword Of Chaos and The Ancient Ship Of Doom (Ninja Gaiden 3) you had better say that it beats both. Infact, Ninja Gaiden has quite an excelling storyline throughout the action. With characters like Walter Smith, Bloody Malth, Foster, Irene, and Guardian De Mieux, you'll be putting pieces together to solve the puzzling conflicts going on in this excellent adventure. Throughout the 3 series of Ninja Gaiden, the creativity in the storylines decline (Ninja Gaiden having the best, Ninja Gaiden 2 being lesser, Ninja Gaiden 3 being the worst).

Also, I don't quite remember seeing Ninja Ryu parachuting into the Amazon in the other two series.

Replay Value? High! If you don't succeed, the storyline of this game keeps you trying harder.

So, my conclusion, Ninja Gaiden beats the other two in Music, storyline, creativity, and overall performance.

Here's a great addition to Ninja Gaiden: To Listen to the soundtrack, Hold Down/Left + Select + A + B + Press START when the phrase ""Tecmo Presents 1989"" appears. You should see ""Sound"".

Graphics: 8
Although the graphics in Ninja Gaiden are very impressive for a nintendo game, they are no match for the graphical improvements that where made in the second and third Ninja Gaiden games. The graphics in this installment tend to be a little bland as well. Don't get me wrong, the graphics are good, and they get the job done, but there has been better. Also the lack of backround animation doesn't help either.

Sound: 7
The sound, as were the graphics, don't really shine in this installment either. There are some really good tunes to listen to during the game, but some of them are really drab and boring. Add to this the fact the music in each level has to reset each time you pause and unpause the game. On the plus side, however, the music during the story scenes really gets you into the plot, which is very important in this kind of game, and the sound effects are good enough. Fortunately the sound gets better in the next game.

Gameplay: 8
With a Castlevania type gameplay style, Ninja Gaiden definately has a great, easy control scheme. This enables anyone to pick it up and play it. However, the game does have a steep learning curve to it, especially in the later levels, where you have to know what to do like the back of your hand. Still, if it wasn't challenging, it wouldn't be fun, now would it?

Overall: 8
While a good, classic Nintendo game, Ninja Gaiden lacks the nessasary qualities to be the best game in the Ninja Gaiden series (personally I think NG2 holds that title). But that is not a bad thing, for it is a good game, with a killer story line, that will keep you occupied for a few hours...or days!

Give this game a whirl, if you are a fan of the classic NES Castlevania series (the controls are practically identical), or are a fan of the series, and never played this installment. You won't be sorry!