Developer: BlueSky Software
Publisher: Atari
Release Date: 1990
What a cover! I love that even 500 years from now it will still say new.
Ninja Golf is one of those games whose reputation has grown as it has gotten more expensive. A decade ago when this game was only about twenty dollars nobody seemed to care about it much. Now that it’s up around eighty for a loose copy suddenly it’s one of the lost classics of the 8-bit era. I am going to end those rumors right now by saying it’s certainly no masterpiece. But it is a game with a lot of character and good ideas that shows how Atari could’ve stayed successful in the NES era. Right at the end of the 7800s lifespan they started to release interesting games that play almost more like parodies of popular games. They had a weird sense of humor which carried over into the Lynx and even Jaguar era. In a way they had more attitude than Sega without even realizing it. Sadly they didn’t know how to capitalize on their underrated later systems and ended up going out of business. Once again Atari after 1983 is always a little sad no matter what the game is. So just what is Ninja Golf anyway?
That's almost as good as the intro screen to Bad Dudes
Ninja Golf is an early example of two genres getting blended together in an unexpected way. It is a golf game and a side scrolling brawler at the same time. Hey in video games anything is possible. You start out as a ninja standing in front of a tee ready hit the ball. The golfing portion is simple and fun where all you have to do is aim your shot and push the button when you reach the proper distance. After you hit the ball it’s time to do some fighting. Of course in Ninja Golf there are no golf carts but instead dangerous paths filled with enemies such as ninjas, giant gophers, and killer frogs. When you get to the green you don’t putt but instead throw ninja stars at a fire breathing dragon. If you are somehow able to make your way through all nine hole you win. It’s not easy though so even on easy I haven’t made it past the fifth hole.
As promised, a ninja playing golf
It sounds pretty great, so what’s the problem then? It looses points on being repetitive and difficult to control. If you have ever played a game with an Atari 7800 joystick you know that it is difficult to use, and even under the best of circumstances brawlers didn’t work well with only two buttons. The normal enemies die with only one hit, so the way the difficulty is expanded is by putting loads of enemies on the screen at once. This leads to some painful button mashing that I had trouble with even playing the modern release on my Evercade. It also doesn’t help that every type of environments stay the same over the nine holes. It gets repetitive quickly going over the same fairways with the same ninjas and gophers. Also when you get to your ball everything suddenly disappears so if there is a powerup too close to your destination than you won’t be able to collect it. At first it seems like the different paths you can take are going to make a difference, but honestly it doesn’t really matter that much. Your strokes only matter if you are going to compare them with a friend, and I never had a hole that took more than three strokes. In fact without the golf portion this game would be pretty bland.
In this game you have to "gopher" the green. Get it?
Still I am going to put it in the good column because the overall kookiness makes it worth playing. The flaws in the gameplay don’t get in the way of the fact that you are a ninja playing golf and kicking sharks in the face. I am going to slot in into the #20 slot right above Super Soccer. It’s not the lost classic the people claim it is, but it’s still one worth checking out. I can’t say I recommend paying eighty dollars for an original copy unless you are a collector, but if you can find a way to play it than it’s a game you will never forget.
1. Super Mario Odyssey
2. Galaga
3. Donkey Kong
4. Exodus: Ultima III
5. Pac-Mania
6. Wrecking Crew
7. Super Pac-Man
8. Pac-Man
9. Excitebike
10. Drakkhen
11. Arc the Lad
12. Clu Clu Land
13. Artifact Adventure Gaiden DX
14. Mickey’s Racing Adventure
15. Metro-Cross
16. Ice Climber
17. Gaplus
18. Dragon Spirit
19. Pinball (NES)
20. Ninja Golf
21. Super Soccer
22. Walt Disney World Quest: Magical Racing Tour (GBC)
23. Red Sea Crossing
24. Baraduke
25. Tennis
26. Hogan’s Alley
27. Gamma-Attack
28. The Legend of “Valkyrie”
29. Galaxian
30. Evoland
31. Cosmic Commuter
32. Hot Pixel
33. Wild Gunman
34. Defunct
35. Gyruss (2600)
36. Looney Tunes Racing
37. Squidlit
38. Baseball
39. Birthday Mania
40. Bad Street Brawler
41. Burly Men at Sea
42. X-Men (HyperScan)
43. My Name is Mayo
44. Marvel Heroes
45. Ben 10
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