Ninja Gaiden 4 - Where should the story go?

[Kensei25]

Hey guys,

I know story is never a big part of the NG experience, but I thought it would be interesting to share what direction people think the story should go from here? Here are some of my thoughts:

- I think central to NG4's story should be the death of Jo Hayabusa. This is the next big story development that they have not done yet and which would nicely echo the NES trilogy. I think Jo should be killed in the very beginning of the game (with perhaps some new special artifact stolen as well---Demon Statue again, Eye of the Dragon, some new super important artifact) and Ryu searches to try to discover who killed his father and why, etc. The killing of Jo would really pack a punch to the narrative and up the seriousness level. Plus, we can't have Hayabusa village be attacked yet again.

- As far as enemies, I think the NG universe now has a great mix to more fully develop --- Fiends, Ninja and LOA/Alchemists. I would like to see all three involved in the story of NG4 perhaps. I can't see LOA just going away now. I think it would be cool to introduce a brand new Fiend type (a new Fiend "clan") and a new ninja clan connected to the story. Indeed, perhaps the main antagonist could end up being a new, secret splinter renegade Ninja group/clan with a leader from Jo's past that ends up being the one who kills him. Perhaps LOA now wants to gain access to the Fiend Realm somehow---NG3RE hinted at how the Alchemists were studying the Fiends and were able to bring some forth....this can really be more fully developed.

- Returning characters --- Momiji, Irene, Ayane, Kasumi probably....hopefully Muramasa too (or maybe a new Muramasa protege/successor character). I think there can continue to be some DOA cross-over but they should still be kept pretty distinct IMO.

Other ideas?

 

[Russian-chiropractic19]

i have a feeling his father is going to die pretty soon which would be interesting,this is something i think that would provoke emotion in Ryu not killing baddies but the responsibility of the village falling on his shoulders.keep in mind he has failed to protect what he needed to on several occasions it would not surprise me that there would be doubts from him about his abilities.

im gonna go way out into the field with this one,but him and Irene have a child who is kidnapped because the fiends believe they can harness the power of the Dragon Clan to fight for them,Ryu's spends the game trying to get his son back while trying to hold off assaults on his village from others such as the Black Spider clan.unable to do both he makes the painful decision to help out his village which allows his son to be taken for good.

the next game,his son would be the protagonist fighting for the fiends against the human world and the ninjas...

 

[CyberEvil]

Given that this is a new continuity it's possible Joe is still alive in the DoA titles. There have been links placed to pay homage to the original NG continuity (Sonia becoming Irene, Robert Sturgeon helping Ryu out in NG3, Ashtear being awfully close to Ashtar in name, the demon statue, BIO-NOIDS are sort of in the game, etc.), but this does appear to be separate. I can't say that Joe will die for sure but having Ryu ascend to being Grand Master would certainly be a powerful story moment if done correctly.

I'd personally like to see one of two things happen: go beyond DoA5 and have MIST be the main enemy or start a brand new continuity entirely, wholly separate from anything that's come before save for maybe DoA. Honestly the story has always been of secondary importance to me but I do follow it pretty closely anyway.

 

[Brute]

snip

No offense, but this just sounds awful.

I think in NG4, some fiends that are well-designed and diverse should try to take over the world or some-such and that will give Ryu a good enough incentive to go kill a bunch of bastards. Don't get me wrong, I love a good story. But it seems like every time TN tries to tell a decent story they mess it up horribly. Thus, I would rather the plot be kept simple so that it doesn't interfere with the gameplay. It should have cool villains, unique enemy designs and should take you to cool places. That's really all I'm asking for.

Also, making it linear and sensible would also be a nice bonus.

 

[Russian-chiropractic19]

If the story sucks oh well that isn't why we play the game but it wouldn't hurt them to try.

 

[Brute]

If the story sucks oh well that isn't why we play the game but it wouldn't hurt them to try.

It did with NG3. Their crappy story dictated the gameplay which was, in turn, crap. Granted it was other things too, but that was a leading cause.

 

[Russian-chiropractic19]

even when the gameplay was fixed the story was still there it didn't disappear you could have any sort of gameplay and the story would remain the same.im hoping they realize this now.

 

[TRI Mike]

I think NG2 and 3 should be completely retconned. The Dark Dragon Blade incident was OK but the stories in the last two games were simply crap. For Ninja Gaiden 4 I would add Momiji and Kasumi because gameplay-wise they're excellent and have Ayane and Rachel playable as well. So this is what I'd do:

A direct sequel to the Dark Dragon Blade incident where the evil sword is somehow remade and Busa has to kill fiends and angry gods instead of muslim terrorists, the game should feature a fictitional place again like the Vigoor Empire while having the Hayabusa village the only place in Japan (an actual country). None of the Paris, London and NYC crap. Like in NG1, Ryu shouldn't talk much and only have a few dialog lines with the girls when he encounters them while the story swaps between his chapters and the girls'

Then I have several gameplay stuff I'd like to see but this thread is about story... oh well.

 

[Russian-chiropractic19]

why on earth would you retconn a retconn? we're just starting to make something out of this one

 

[TRI Mike]

Because the storylines of NG2 and 3 are probably some of the worst I've ever played in my life.

 

[Russian-chiropractic19]

Because the storylines of NG2 and 3 are probably some of the worst I've ever played in my life.

you don't play many games do you?

 

[TRI Mike]

I do but the quality of NG2 and 3's plot are only comparable to the ones in HyperNep games, and at least those are SUPPOSED to be like that.

 

[Raansu]

NG has a story!?

 

[TRI Mike]

At this point I'd be content if NG4 was just random fights a-la Ninja Trials. The storylines in 2 and 3 were seriously, seriously bad.

 

[synce]

NG1 and 2 had awesome stories. They were corny and didn't take themselves seriously. That's how videogames should be. NG3 is what happens when an average person thinks he can write. It's just preachy, overwrought garbage (see: Metroid Other M, Metal Gear Solid 4, etc) If/when there's an NG4 I want big boobed, dino-slaying dominatrix women and scythe-wielding werewolves.

 

[TRI Mike]

Sometimes I think Team NINJA does their stories via relay novels where each employee writes a sentence. It's quite possibly the developer I like with the worst plots.

 

[bingsoo]

Like CE, I'd enjoy a Ninja Gaiden 4 with a tie-in to DOA canon and MIST. That would give them a reason to allow for a Hayate appearance within the story.

 

[Fiend Busa]

Hayate is captured by MIST or w/e, you as ryu head out to mist while killing lots of stuff, when you arrive there hayate is mind controlled and kills you

You go to hell where you meet genshin where he teams up with you and helps you get back to earth somehow

idk lol XD

I hope the trials have some depth to it

like an ultimate ninja trial could be where you and your partner are in different realms where you fight bosses and after you kill each boss you go through a portal and when you get to the last boss you fight it together

I just dont want it to be like the new ultimate ninja trials for RE where there is no thought for boss placement

 

[Awesmic]

I still think Bankotsubo's son should tie in to NG4, starting with a role in DOA6 that carries over, if not DOA5 Ultimate.

But in order for this to be pulled off well, he must be twice as ruthless as his father, and just as iconic as Raidou, if not more.

 

[MrMoon360]

I still can't get over how much they 'softened' Ryu's personality. I liked him much better being a man of few words. It was mysterious and, for lack of a better word, cool. But I understand other's may see that as boring.
He's a 21ish(?) year old super ninja (NG series). He has a right to be hard to the core.

I don't miss Tomonobu Itagaki much, but I certainly miss his vision for Ninja Gaiden. It was simple. Sex and violence. Everything a man craves in entertainment.
Oh and how wonderful it worked.

Ninja Gaiden (1/Black/Sigma) will forever be the best NG released. That template should not have been cast away to get this linear garbage, starting with NGII. And I don't want to hear about "That's how the classic series was done" e.g. NG3. Fuck that. This is the new generation of NG.

Having said that, I could really care less about the story from this point forward. The combat and AI, even in NG3RE is still subpar. The enemies aren't difficult; they're cheap. Like cheesy, half-assed cheap.

[Sorry, I didn't really mean to go past the first two stanzas of my rant poem... but I can keep going on about how much I hate where NG has gone and how much I think it needs to return to its iconic roots of sleek combat, hot babes and satisfying, technical-based difficulty. Not that random shit in NG3RE]

Edit: Oh shit. This thread is about story.