Ninja Gaiden

Ninja Gaiden was first released in North America and Europe in late 1988, and then in Japan in February 1989. It was the first game released in the Ninja Gaiden franchise.

Set in a retro-futuristic version of 1999, the player controls a ninja hired by the United States government to defeat an evil cult led by Bladedamus, a descendant of Nostradamus who seeks to fulfill his end of the world prophecies. Flooding the streets of the United States with criminals released from Alcatraz, Bladedamus has kidnapped the President and acquired codes for launching the nation’s ICBMs.

The first player controls a ninja dressed in blue, while the second player controls one dressed in orange. Like most beat-’em-ups, players proceed through stages by defeating enemies scattered through each area.