<s>
is	O
a	O
1990	O
side-scrolling	B-Application
beat	I-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Alpha	O
Denshi	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
SNK	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
launch	O
titles	O
for	O
both	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
MVS	I-Application
(	O
arcade	O
)	O
and	O
AES	O
(	O
home	O
)	O
systems	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
journey	O
takes	O
the	O
ninja	B-Application
heroes	O
from	O
an	O
amusement	O
park	O
to	O
the	O
top	O
of	O
a	O
tower	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
protagonists	O
Joe	O
and	O
Hayabusa	O
use	O
shuriken	O
as	O
their	O
primary	O
weapon	O
,	O
although	O
other	O
weapons	O
that	O
aid	O
them	O
along	O
the	O
way	O
are	O
nunchaku	O
,	O
maces	O
,	O
ratchets	O
,	O
battle	O
axes	O
,	O
spiked	O
clubs	O
,	O
and	O
katana	B-Operating_System
swords	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
story	O
,	O
set	O
in	O
the	O
year	O
"	O
199X	O
"	O
,	O
follows	O
the	O
twin	O
ninja	B-Application
warriors	O
named	O
Joe	O
( ジョー	O
)	O
and	O
Hayabusa	O
( ハヤブサ	O
,	O
lit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
"	O
Falcon	O
"	O
)	O
(	O
not	O
to	O
be	O
mistaken	O
with	O
Joe	O
Musashi	O
or	O
Ryu	O
Hayabusa	O
)	O
,	O
who	O
are	O
waging	O
a	O
battle	O
against	O
an	O
evil	O
ninja	B-Application
clan	O
Kage	O
Ichizoku	O
( 影一族	O
,	O
lit	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Their	O
mission	O
is	O
to	O
fight	O
their	O
way	O
into	O
the	O
enemy	O
home	O
fortress	O
,	O
the	O
Ninja	B-Application
Tower	O
( ニンジャタワー	O
,	O
"	O
Ninjatawa	O
"	O
)	O
,	O
which	O
has	O
emerged	O
from	O
the	O
ocean	O
in	O
the	O
center	O
of	O
New	O
York	O
City	O
,	O
to	O
once	O
and	O
for	O
all	O
defeat	O
the	O
Shadow	O
Family	O
and	O
its	O
leader	O
,	O
the	O
long	O
thought-dead	O
demon	O
sorcerer	O
Genyousai	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
If	O
the	O
heroes	O
are	O
victorious	O
,	O
Genyousai	O
is	O
destroyed	O
and	O
the	O
Ninja	B-Application
Tower	O
crumbles	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ninja	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
was	O
originally	O
released	O
in	O
Japanese	O
arcades	O
on	O
July	O
24	O
,	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Its	O
home	O
version	O
was	O
released	O
internationally	O
for	O
the	O
Neo	B-Operating_System
Geo	I-Operating_System
in	O
1991	B-Application
and	O
for	O
the	O
Neo	B-Device
Geo	I-Device
CD	I-Device
on	O
October	O
31	O
,	O
1994	B-Application
in	O
Japan	O
only	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
soundtrack	O
for	O
both	O
Ninja	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
and	O
The	B-Application
Super	I-Application
Spy	I-Application
,	O
along	O
with	O
the	O
arranged	O
versions	O
by	O
SNK	O
Sound	O
Team	O
and	O
KONNY	O
,	O
was	O
published	O
by	O
Pony	O
Canyon	O
and	O
Scitron	O
on	O
November	O
21	O
,	O
1990	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ninja	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
was	O
re-released	O
through	O
Nintendo	O
's	O
Virtual	B-Application
Console	I-Application
download	O
service	O
in	O
Europe	O
and	O
Australia	O
on	O
October	O
26	O
,	O
2007	O
,	O
and	O
in	O
North	O
America	O
on	O
June	O
2	O
,	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
is	O
also	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
five	O
games	O
ported	O
to	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
in	O
the	O
game	O
compilation	O
ADK	B-Application
Damashii	I-Application
in	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
RePlay	O
arcade	O
charts	O
listed	O
Ninja	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
as	O
the	O
second	O
most-popular	O
software	O
conversion	O
kit	O
from	O
November	O
to	O
December	O
1990	O
,	O
and	O
then	O
the	O
top-grossing	O
software	O
conversion	O
kit	O
in	O
January	B-Application
1991	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Electronic	O
Gaming	O
Monthlys	O
four	O
reviewers	O
commended	O
the	O
audiovisual	O
presentation	O
and	O
playable	O
characters	O
having	O
their	O
own	O
fighting	O
style	O
but	O
criticized	O
the	O
Neo	B-Application
Geo	I-Application
AES	I-Application
version	O
for	O
using	O
unlimited	O
continues	O
,	O
short	O
length	O
,	O
easy	O
difficulty	O
and	O
repetitive	O
gameplay	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dillon	O
praised	O
the	O
game	O
's	O
audiovisual	O
presentation	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
this	O
game	O
is	O
fulfilling	O
what	O
the	O
Neo	B-Operating_System
Geo	I-Operating_System
promises	O
-	O
a	O
standard	O
arcade	O
machine	O
for	O
the	O
home	O
"	O
but	O
criticized	O
its	O
short	O
length	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
French	O
magazine	O
Joystick	O
regarded	O
Ninja	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
as	O
one	O
of	O
the	O
best	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
ups	I-Application
on	O
consoles	O
and	O
comparing	O
it	O
with	O
Double	B-Application
Dragon	I-Application
and	O
Final	B-Application
Fight	I-Application
,	O
praising	O
the	O
audio	O
and	O
visuals	O
as	O
well	O
as	O
the	O
sprite	O
animations	O
and	O
controls	O
highly	O
but	O
criticized	O
the	O
overall	O
short	O
length	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Computer	O
and	O
Video	O
Games	O
Mean	O
Machines	O
compared	O
the	O
title	O
with	O
Shadow	B-Application
Warriors	I-Application
,	O
commending	O
the	O
audiovisual	O
presentation	O
but	O
criticized	O
the	O
gameplay	O
for	O
being	O
dull	O
and	O
boring	O
to	O
play	O
,	O
easy	O
difficulty	O
and	O
short	O
length	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
similar	O
manner	O
,	O
Italian	O
publication	O
Consolemania	O
also	O
compared	O
it	O
with	O
Shadow	B-Application
Warriors	I-Application
,	O
praising	O
the	O
graphics	O
but	O
criticized	O
certain	O
aspects	O
of	O
both	O
audio	O
and	O
playability	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Retrospectively	O
,	O
the	O
Neo	B-Operating_System
Geo	I-Operating_System
and	O
Wii	O
releases	O
hold	O
a	O
38%	O
score	O
on	O
the	O
video	O
game	O
review	O
aggregator	O
GameRankings	O
,	O
based	O
on	O
three	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
AllGames	O
Kyle	O
Knight	O
heavily	O
criticized	O
its	O
overall	O
design	O
,	O
unacceptable	O
graphics	O
,	O
audio	O
,	O
controls	O
,	O
technical	O
issues	O
and	O
cheap	O
gameplay	O
,	O
stating	O
that	O
"	O
Ninja	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
is	O
a	O
poorly	O
conceived	O
,	O
poorly	O
executed	O
game.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Eurogamers	O
Dan	O
Whitehead	O
claimed	O
Ninja	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
to	O
be	O
a	O
"	O
rip-off	O
"	O
of	O
other	O
titles	O
in	O
the	O
beat	B-Application
'	I-Application
em	I-Application
up	I-Application
genre	O
such	O
as	O
Shinobi	B-Application
(	O
1987	O
)	O
,	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
(	O
1988	O
)	O
and	O
Streets	B-Application
of	I-Application
Rage	I-Application
(	O
1991	B-Application
)	O
,	O
praising	O
the	O
graphics	O
and	O
ability	O
to	O
recruit	O
additional	O
characters	O
but	O
criticizing	O
the	O
collision	O
detection	O
,	O
stiff	O
animations	O
,	O
poor	O
controls	O
,	O
lack	O
of	O
ideas	O
and	O
short	O
length	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
IGNs	O
Lucas	O
M	O
.	O
Thomas	O
called	O
it	O
"	O
a	O
profoundly	O
unappealing	O
gameplay	O
experience	O
,	O
"	O
opining	O
that	O
"	O
anything	O
potentially	O
innovative	O
or	O
interesting	O
about	O
Ninja	B-Application
Combat	I-Application
gets	O
totally	O
defeated	O
by	O
its	O
terribly	O
stiff	O
control	O
and	O
overly	O
difficult	O
programming.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Nintendo	O
Lifes	O
Damien	O
McFerran	O
criticized	O
the	O
visuals	O
for	O
being	O
uninspired	O
and	O
character	O
designs	O
,	O
while	O
stating	O
that	O
its	O
gameplay	O
is	O
not	O
comparable	O
to	O
Streets	B-Application
of	I-Application
Rage	I-Application
or	O
Final	B-Application
Fight	I-Application
.	O
</s>
