6. Screen Deaths (Ninja Gaiden, Various)
Have you ever approached a daunting screen and thought to yourself, How am I going to get out of
this one? You find yourself a safe spot and take some time to study the terrain, mapping out the best course of action to tackle this enemy, glide past the next one, and land on the platform beyond. Just when youre about to put that plan into action, one of the enemies kills itself. Yes, sometimes the best way to cheat at a game is to simply let the game do it for you. There are some sections in Ninja Gaiden for the NES that are virtually impassable without exploiting this trick. In Level 6-2 (pictured), there is an overwhelming section with narrow platforms and multiple enemies. If you jump, you will bump into a white cloak-wearing sheik who will knock you into the pit. If you stand still in the wrong spot, a falcon will swoop down and probably kill you. But if you position Ryu just right, the sheik will eventually walk backwards right off the screen. When you force the screen forward, he will still be gone. Its the only surefire way I know to get past this section. The trick is abundant in video games. It's actually all over the place in Ninja Gaiden, though perhaps nowhere more useful than Level 6-2. Many Mega Man games allow for it. In The Legend of Zelda for the NES, enemies appear randomly when you enter a new screen. If you dont like the layout, you can exit the screen and come back. The same types of enemies will always be there, but they will be in different arrangements and sometimes in different numbers. Mario games are full of chances to exploit this trick. So dimwitted are the AIs of certain Mario enemies that they will buffoonishly walk right into a pit to their deaths with Mario staring in blank amazement from the other side.