Last Ninja 2

Last updated

Last Ninja 2: Back with a Vengeance
Lastninja2-c64 cover01.jpg
Commodore 64 cover art by Joe Roth
Developer(s) System 3
Beam Software
Publisher(s) Activision
Ubi Soft (10 Megahits Vol. 3)
Ocean Software (100% Dynamite)
Jaleco
Producer(s) Mark Cale
Tim Best
Designer(s) Mark Cale
Tim Best
Hugh Riley
Programmer(s) John Twiddy
Mev Dinc
Artist(s) Hugh Riley
Writer(s) John Twiddy
Composer(s) Matt Gray
Reyn Ouwehand (Remix)
Tania Smith (NES)
Series Last Ninja
Platform(s) Last Ninja 2:
1988: Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC
1989: Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, 1990: Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS, NES (as The Last Ninja)
2008: Virtual Console
Last Ninja Remix:
1990: Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC
Release29 August 1988 [1]
1990 (Last Ninja Remix)
Genre(s) Action-adventure
Mode(s) Single player

Last Ninja 2: Back with a Vengeance is an action-adventure video game developed and published by System 3 for the Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC in 1988 as a sequel to the 1987 game The Last Ninja . The Acorn Electron, BBC Micro, 1990: Amiga, Atari ST, MS-DOS and NES ports followed in 1989. The NES version of the game was named simply The Last Ninja. In 1990, the Last Ninja Remix edition of the game was re-released for 8-bit systems.

Contents

Gameplay

The player, controlling a ninja, must fight his way through various levels populated by opponents, collecting necessary items in the process. Each level depicts a different locale and is divided into several screens. The game is presented in an isometric view and the ninja can move in eight different directions and jump.

Enemies, armed with fists and various ninja weapons, wander around the levels. The ninja must fight them either bare-handed or with the weaponry he finds along the way; in either case, he has a number of blows and attacks at his disposal, as well as the ability to block. There is a special weapon, shuriken, which are thrown in a straight line rather than used for melee combat; if they strike an enemy, they will instantly kill or at least severely damage them.

Various items are scattered around the levels, such as keys, a rope and a map; collecting these items and using them in a proper place is necessary for completing the game. There are also hamburgers that award an extra life when eaten.

Plot

The game continues from the aftermath of the events of The Last Ninja. With the Koga scrolls now in his possession, Armakuni has begun training a new order of shadow warriors. During a training session, he is mysteriously transported to 20th-century New York City. Torn from his own time, Armakuni must defeat the evil shogun Kunitoki once more.

Reception

Last Ninja 2 was an enormous commercial success. According to System 3's Mark Cale, 5.5 million copies were sold for the Commodore 64 version alone; at that time, the user base of the C64 was estimated at 20 million, meaning that one in four C64 owners bought the game. [2]

It was a runner up for Game of the Year at the Golden Joystick Awards. In 2004, readers of Retro Gamer voted Last Ninja 2 as 68th top retro game. [3]

8-bit versions
PlatformMagazineScoreAccolade
Acorn Electron Electron User 9/10Golden Game [4]
Commodore 64/128 The Games Machine 93%Top Score [5]
Computer + Video Games 9/10C+VG Hit! [6]
Commodore User 9/10CU Super Star [7]
IGN 7.5/10 [8]
ACE 747/1000 [9]
ZX Spectrum Sinclair User 92% [10]
Your Sinclair 9/10 [11]
Crash 90%Crash Smash [12]
The Games Machine 89%Top Score [5]
16-bit versions
PlatformMagazineScoreAccolade
Amiga The Games Machine 70% [13]
Amiga Format 58% [14]
Atari ST Computer + Video Games 77% [15]
The Games Machine 70% [13]
DOS Computer + Video Games 76% [15]
The Games Machine 73% [16]

Legacy

A sequel, Last Ninja 3 was released in 1991.

The Last Ninja Remix re-release version has an added short intro sequence, minor graphic changes and a remixed soundtrack.

The Limited Edition of the original release included a ninja mask and a rubber shuriken (not available with the Remix versions of the game). [17]

In 2015 the source code of the Konix version was discovered. [18] [19]

Related Research Articles

The Konix Multisystem was a cancelled video game system under development by Konix, a British manufacturer of computer peripherals.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Jeff Minter</span> British video game designer

Jeff Minter is an English video game designer and programmer who often goes by the name Yak. He is the founder of software house Llamasoft and has created dozens of games during his career, which began in 1981 with games for the ZX80. Minter's games are shoot 'em ups which contain titular or in-game references demonstrating his fondness of ruminants. Many of his programs also feature something of a psychedelic element, as in some of the earliest "light synthesizer" programs including Trip-a-Tron.

<i>Boulder Dash</i> (video game) 1984 video game

Boulder Dash is a 2D maze-puzzle video game released in 1984 by First Star Software for Atari 8-bit computers. It was created by Canadian developers Peter Liepa and Chris Gray. The player controls Rockford, who collects treasures while evading hazards.

<i>Paradroid</i> 1985 video game

Paradroid is a Commodore 64 computer game written by Andrew Braybrook and published by Hewson Consultants in 1985. It is a shoot 'em up with puzzle elements and was critically praised at release. The objective is to clear a fleet of spaceships of hostile robots by destroying them or taking them over via a mini-game. It was later remade as Paradroid 90 for the Commodore Amiga and Atari ST home computers and as Paradroid 2000 for the Acorn Archimedes. There exist several fan-made remakes for modern PCs. In 2004 the Commodore 64 version was re-released as a built-in game on the C64 Direct-to-TV, and in 2008 for the Wii Virtual Console in Europe.

<i>Wizball</i> 1987 video game

Wizball is a horizontally scrolling shooter written by Jon Hare and Chris Yates and released in 1987 for the Commodore 64 and later in the year for the ZX Spectrum and Amstrad CPC. Versions for the Amiga and Atari ST were released in the following year. Wizball was also ported to IBM PC compatibles and the Thomson MO5.

Thalamus Ltd was a British computer game developer that published titles for a number of 8-bit and 16-bit platforms during the late 1980s and early 1990s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Commodore 64 Games System</span> Video game console

The Commodore 64 Games System is the cartridge-based home video game console version of the popular Commodore 64 home computer. It was released in December 1990 by Commodore into a booming console market dominated by Nintendo and Sega. It was only released in Europe and was a considerable commercial failure. The C64GS came bundled with a cartridge containing four games: Fiendish Freddy's Big Top O'Fun, International Soccer, Flimbo's Quest, and Klax.

<i>Last Ninja</i> Series of video games

Last Ninja is a series of video games published by System 3. The first game in the series titled The Last Ninja, was released in 1987 for the Commodore 64 and was one of the most successful games for the system. In 1988, System 3 released Last Ninja 2, and in 1991 the third game in the series, Last Ninja 3. In 1990, Last Ninja Remix was released for 8-bit systems. This was Last Ninja 2 with new music, a new introductory sequence, slightly changed graphics and fixed bugs. Confusingly, the 16-bit versions of the original The Last Ninja game were also released in 1990 as Ninja Remix.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">CRL Group</span>

CRL Group plc was a British video game development and publishing company. Originally CRL stood for "Computer Rentals Limited". It was based in King's Yard, London and run by Clem Chambers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tynesoft</span> Former software developer and publisher

Tynesoft Computer Software was a software developer and publisher in the 1980s and early 1990s.

<i>Trailblazer</i> (video game) 1986 video game

Trailblazer is a racing video game developed by Mr. Chip Software and published by Gremlin Graphics for the ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Atari 8-bit computers, Amstrad CPC, Commodore 16 and Plus/4 in 1986. It was ported to the Amiga and Atari ST.

<i>Shadow Dancer</i> (1989 video game) 1989 video game

Shadow Dancer is a side-scrolling hack-and-slash action game produced by Sega and originally released as an arcade game in 1989. It is the second and the final arcade game in the Shinobi series, following the original Shinobi itself. The player controls a ninja aided by an attack dog, who is fighting to save the city from a terrorist organization.

<i>The Last Ninja</i> 1987 video game

The Last Ninja is an action-adventure game originally developed and published by System 3 in 1987 for the Commodore 64. It was converted to the Apple IIGS, MS-DOS, BBC Micro and Acorn Electron in 1988, the Apple II series in 1989, the Amiga and Atari ST in 1990, and the Acorn Archimedes in 1991.

<i>The Ninja Warriors</i> (1987 video game) 1987 video game

The Ninja Warriors (ニンジャウォーリアーズ) is a side-scrolling beat 'em up video game developed and released by Taito in 1987. The original arcade game situated one display in between projected images of two other displays, creating the appearance of a triple-wide screen. Ports were released for home systems including the Amiga, Atari ST, ZX Spectrum, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, PC Engine, and Sega Mega-CD.

<i>Silkworm</i> (video game) 1988 video game

Silkworm is a horizontally scrolling shooter developed by Tecmo and first released for arcades in 1988. In 1989 it was ported to the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, ZX Spectrum, Amstrad CPC and NES (1990) systems by The Sales Curve and released by Virgin Mastertronic.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Eutechnyx</span> Video game development studio

Eutechnyx Limited is a British video game developer based in Newcastle upon Tyne, England. Since 1997, the company has focused on racing games. They are known for their largely panned video game Ride to Hell: Retribution, work with the NASCAR The Game franchise, and as a developer on various other racing titles and games.

Alligata Software Ltd. was a computer games developer and publisher based in Sheffield in the UK in the 1980s.

<i>Ace</i> (video game) 1985 video game

Ace is a combat flight simulator video game published for the Commodore 64, VIC-20, and Plus/4 in 1985 by Cascade Games. It was ported to the Amstrad CPC, Amstrad PCW, Amiga, and ZX Spectrum.

<i>Pink Panther</i> (video game) 1988 video game

Pink Panther is a 1988 video game based on the character of the same name. It was developed by German company Magic Bytes and published by Gremlin Graphics. It was released in Europe for Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, and ZX Spectrum. Pink Panther was criticized for its control and difficulty, although the Amiga and Atari ST versions received praise for their graphics.

References

  1. ↑ Gary Penn (August 1988). "Ninja 2". pp. 16–17. Retrieved 9 June 2017.
  2. ↑ Retro Gamer 18, page 57.
  3. ↑ Retro Gamer 8, page 66.
  4. ↑ Electron User 7.5 (Feb 1990)
  5. 1 2 The Games Machine 14 (Jan 1989)
  6. ↑ Computer + Video Games 81 (Jul 1988)
  7. ↑ Commodore User (Aug 1988)
  8. ↑ The Last Ninja 2: Back with a Vengeance Review - Commodore 64/128 Review at IGN
  9. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  10. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  11. ↑ "Last Ninja II". Ysrnry.co.uk. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  12. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  13. 1 2 The Games Machine 33 (Aug 1990)
  14. ↑ Amiga Format 14 (Sep 1990)
  15. 1 2 Computer + Video Games 106 (Sep 1990)
  16. ↑ The Games Machine 34 (Sep 1990)
  17. ↑ "Archive - Magazine viewer". World of Spectrum. Retrieved 30 July 2012.
  18. ↑ Last Ninja 2 Port Discovered For Unreleased Konix Multisystem Console on retrocollect.com (19 January 2015)
  19. ↑ LAST NINJA 2 Konix Multisystem game and source found on konixmultisystem.co.uk (17 January 2015)
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.