Ninja Gaiden 2

June 11,2008 - Team Ninja has spent a lot of time refining the Ninja Gaiden series to ensure that fans will be pleased with the latest offering and enjoy everything that has made the series such a success over the years. Ninja Gaiden II hopes to give fans all of that and so much more. While that sentiment could be true to some degree, there are a few nuisances that cause this game to fall a bit short in terms of playability.

Ninja Gaiden II plays out similarly to its predecessor but with a few minor tweaks and a story that makes relevant sense. A rogue ninja is out to stop you and will do anything it takes to take you down while you find clues hidden in your past as to who this ninja truly is and what his motives are. It’s a highly straightforward story that will get lost as soon as the action boils on screen, and you will often find yourself wondering why there is a story to begin with, considering it is so nonessential to the overall excitement the game delivers.

If there is one thing to be said about Ninja Gaiden II, the game is brutally violent. The Ninja Gaiden series has long been known for its graphic violence and intense action, and this follow-up is no exception. Body parts can now be severed from individual enemies, blood will spew out of open orifices, and limbs can even be used as projectiles. It is definitely a lot easier to get caught up in the thick of the battle when you have so much carnage happening around you, but what makes these battles so much more than hefty bloodlusts are how enemies react to your movements. The more an enemy loses blood, health, or body parts for that matter, the tougher they ultimately will become. One enemy in particular, a half-demon, ninja hybrid that had his right arm sliced off, actually starting doing back flips and strong sword attacks after he became unarmed. Its instances like these that make battles always engaging and never a dull moment.

Of course the battle system has been upgraded to fully take advantage of the fast-paced action and 360 controllers. Although the typical action games utilize all of the buttons and analog sticks, Ninja Gaiden II simplifies matters by only having players perform two basic attacks, a jump, and block actions. You can hold down either of the attack buttons for stronger moves, and pushing the analog stick in different directions offers more acrobatic feats and death-defying moves. The right trigger button’s sole purpose relies on blocking, and taking full advantage of this implement is the key to survival in such a brutal game. The controls never get too hard to manage in tight spots or even on the harder difficulties, but there are moments when mashing down on the controller with dozens of enemies present is still a viable option for completion.

The difficulty of these battles stems from the difficulty you choose to play the game on. Since Team Ninja has now implemented four difficulty settings (ranging from Acolyte to Master Ninja), the choices and actions you perform are hence differentiated along the way. For example, enemies on Acolyte difficulty don’t team up as much on you during battle while baddies on Master Ninja will constantly pummel you at a disadvantage. However, despite the varying difficulty settings, the game’s difficulty also stems from a bad case of poor programming and a very shaky and uneven camera.

At times during battle the camera will go crazy and loop around the screen like it was hanging by a rope that was suddenly cut down the middle. To make matters worse, the camera often focuses in on the central fixture on the level, and that usually does not mean you, but rather some lone stationary object. While trying to manage the camera, baddies often attack you from off-screen while others use projectile attacks that are impossible to block or stop. But these scenarios occur very little and the game delivers a solid performance of high octane action throughout regardless. The boss battles in particular are extraordinary feats of ruthless vengeance. You will get your limits tested during most of these fights, but luckily Team Ninja has managed to let you restart right before said boss battles in order to help you relieve some tension. What makes these battles so intriguing are how monstrous some of them truly are. For example, one boss in particular faces you off against a giant worm that burrows underground and pops up at random locations to do damage. Battles like these usually are unpredictable and rewarding to conquer.

The visuals themselves are some of the best the Xbox 360 can manage, with stunning particle effects and fluid animations during combat. However, the fact that most of the enemies are rehashed from previous games and most of the environments are sulky and boring bring down the wow factor the series is most notably known for. There were also numerous times when the game would slow to a crawl on the harder difficulties, which ironically made it easier to perform attacks and complete the levels. Knowing this move was not intentional, it certainly is a letdown to know that Team Ninja would allow this kind of framerate issue in a game that focuses on polished, free-moving action.

Ninja Gaiden II also delves way into the form of repetition too often, and many of the game’s levels have you repeating past objectives just with different backdrops. The new weapons offer up plenty of fun variations to please you during battle, but many of the old weapons are easier and sometimes favorable in many instances. There is no multiplayer, but Ninja Gaiden II does offer leader boards for fastest completion times and points per level as well as the ability to record segments of levels for you to post and share with other people. It’s a feature that will please many of the diehard fans, but it’s not enough to have casual gamers coming back.

Ninja Gaiden II is a fun, brutal and violent game. The slick and stylish battles coupled with the insane boss battles make this one thrilling and exciting game to venture through. While there are a few instances of graphical glitches and repetitive objectives, Ninja Gaiden II still offers up enough action to make it one of the best games of the year, and a must-own title for any Xbox 360 owner.

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