Last Ninja 2
{{Short description|1988 video game}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=December 2018}}
{{lead too short|date=November 2013}}
{{Infobox video game
|title = Last Ninja 2: Back with a Vengeance
|image = Lastninja2-c64 cover01.jpg
|caption = Commodore 64 cover art by Joe Roth
|developer = System 3
Beam Software
|publisher = Activision
Ubi Soft (10 Megahits Vol. 3)
Ocean Software (100% Dynamite)
Jaleco
|producer = Mark Cale
Tim Best
|designer = Mark Cale
Tim Best
Hugh Riley
|programmer = John Twiddy
Mev Dinc
|artist = Hugh Riley
|composer = Matt Gray
Reyn Ouwehand (Remix)
Tania Smith (NES)
|writer = John Twiddy
|series=Last Ninja
|released = {{dts|format=dmy|1988-08-29}}{{cite news | url=http://amr.abime.net/review_13047 | title=Ninja 2 | date=August 1988 | access-date=9 June 2017 | author=Gary Penn | pages=16–17}}
1990 (Last Ninja Remix)
|genre = Action-adventure
|modes = Single player
|platforms = 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
}}
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.
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.Retro Gamer 18, page 57.
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.Retro Gamer 8, page 66.
| class="wikitable" | |||
| colspan="4" style="background: #ffdead;" | 8-bit versions | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Platform | Magazine | Score | Accolade |
| Acorn Electron
|9/10 |Golden GameElectron User 7.5 (Feb 1990) | |||
| rowspan="5" | Commodore 64/128
|93% |Top ScoreThe Games Machine 14 (Jan 1989) | |||
| Computer + Video Games
|9/10 |C+VG Hit!Computer + Video Games 81 (Jul 1988) | |||
| Commodore User
|9/10 |CU Super StarCommodore User (Aug 1988) | |||
| IGN
| | |||
| ACE
| | |||
| rowspan="4" | ZX Spectrum
| | |||
| Your Sinclair
| | |||
| Crash
|90% | |||
| The Games Machine
|89% | |||
| colspan="4" style="background: #ffdead;" | 16-bit versions | |||
| Platform | Magazine | Score | Accolade |
| rowspan="2" | Amiga
|70%The Games Machine 33 (Aug 1990) | | |||
| Amiga Format
|58%Amiga Format 14 (Sep 1990) | | |||
| rowspan="2" | Atari ST
| | |||
| The Games Machine
| | |||
| rowspan="2" | DOS
|76%Computer + Video Games 106 (Sep 1990) | | |||
| The Games Machine
|73%The Games Machine 34 (Sep 1990) | |
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).{{cite web|url=http://www.worldofspectrum.org/showmag.cgi?mag=C+VG/Issue081/Pages/CVG08100021.jpg |title=Archive - Magazine viewer |publisher=World of Spectrum |access-date=2012-07-30}}
In 2015 the source code of the Konix version was discovered.[http://www.retrocollect.com/News/last-ninja-2-port-discovered-for-unreleased-konix-multisystem-console.html Last Ninja 2 Port Discovered For Unreleased Konix Multisystem Console] on retrocollect.com (19 January 2015)[http://www.konixmultisystem.co.uk/index.php?id=news LAST NINJA 2 Konix Multisystem game and source found] on konixmultisystem.co.uk (17 January 2015)
References
{{Reflist}}
External links
- {{moby game|id=/last-ninja-2-back-with-a-vengeance}}
- {{Lemon64 game|id=1489}}
- [http://www.c64sets.com/set.html?id=58 Images of Last Ninja 2 box and manual] at C64Sets.com
- {{WoS game|id=0002827}}
- [http://www.terrygreer.com/lastninja2.html Terry Greer (the game's artist) Last Ninja page]
{{DEFAULTSORT:Last Ninja 2, The}}
Category:Action-adventure games
Category:BBC Micro and Acorn Electron games
Category:Crash Smash! award winners
Category:Video games about ninja
Category:Nintendo Entertainment System games
Category:Superior Software games
Category:Video games about time travel
Category:Virtual Console games
Category:Video games with isometric graphics
Category:Video games developed in the United Kingdom
Category:Video games set in 1990
Category:Video games set in New York City