Name: Ninja Gaiden
Platform: Sega Genesis / Mega Drive
Region: Japan
Media: Cartridge
Controller: Gamepad
Genre: Action, Adventure
Gametype: Prototype
Release Year: 1992
Developer: None
Publisher: None
Players: 1 or 2 CO-OP
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This version is an extremely loose translation of the original arcade game, and not a particularly good one. Like all side-scrolling beat-em-ups, it requires a lot of repetition and button-pounding in order to succeed.

This one was actually news to me until very recently. It was never released in the U.S., but oddly enough, almost all of the in-game text is (extremely bad) English.

The plot is completely different from the original NES game, and Ryu is a less likable character. He's been sent by his ninja master to America in order to hunt down a fellow ninja who has betrayed his clan and stolen the "Secret Scroll of Huma" (or Homa, depending on the given moment in the game).

Not much of a plot, and not really much of a game. Much like the original arcade game, it gets tedious and boring rather quickly. The arcade game, however, had cool moves like the Phoenix Backflip and the ability to hang from overhead bars and swing. Ninja Gaiden for the Genesis offers no such respite from the tedium. The graphics are passable for the less-than-spectacular capabilities of the Genesis. There were several other games which had much better graphics and gameplay.

This one probably stayed in Japan for a reason... worth a play or two if you can find it, but not worth any significant amount of money. If you're looking for a good beat-em-up on the Genesis, go get a Streets of Rage game. 

http://ninjagaiden.classicgaming.gamespy.com/ng-gen.html