| Author | Review |
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Daddys Wrath
50,514
TA Score for this game: 1,488
Posted on 24 July 09 at 00:21, Edited on 24 July 09 at 23:06 |
This review has 28 positive votes and 6 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Ninja Gaiden II is the sequel to Ninja Gaiden for the original X-Box system, which in turn, is a current title for the legendary NES franchise entitled the same, Ninja Gaiden.
This game, I knew I had to buy. After owning and trashing the originals for the NES, and the most recent one for X-Box, this was a no-brainer.  Be warned, however. The game is bloody, hence the "Mature" rating. It is fast paced, fighter-type adventure. Though highly addicting, some players can find it repetitive, mostly those whom have never played the originals for the Nintendo.
The game starts in the future. You are Ryu Hayabusa, lone survivor of your clan (apparently, besides Maramusa, the shop owner). You will face mind-boggling odds against demons, monsters, robot/creature hybrid's, and other ninja from your rival clan, The Black Spider.
The Graphic's are absolutely beautiful! Team Ninja never spares on the graphic's, and this time is no exception. The fighting and combo moves move fluidly from one to the other, perfectly seamlessly.
For some people, myself included, will find that this sequel is a bit easier than the previous title for X-Box. Now by easier, I mean more straight forward. There were few puzzles and required items to find in order to progress. In later chapters of the previous game, I found that missing statues I needed I didn't have. Annoying, to say the least. Luckily, this title doesn't present such dilemma's, as I said, more straight forward. The actual difficulty, however, is probably one notch harder than the X-Box title. There also is a good variety of weapons in the game, all of which are upgradeable, and have different strengths and weaknesses. And of course, all are ninja-esque. With about 5 or 6 weapons, the game provides you a pretty useful and well rounded arsenal. Alas, there are no Nunchaku this time around. Instead, you get Nunchaku with BLADES on them. BAMF, if you ask me. 
Overall, I'd give Ninja Gaiden II a 9.5 out of 10. Outstanding game that didn't get it's due in the sun. Unfortunately, the high graphic content, and the limited fan base the original still carries, limits the audience this game had/has. Yet, still another jewel that's been polished by Team Ninja. However, for those out there who simply want achievements, I'd advise you to look elsewhere. Simply because this game will eat your time, and the many play throughs required, you would simply be better off boosting your score on another game. But, I'd still try to convince you to get this game and play it, as it truly is a beautiful well developed game. And with your first play through, you should wind up with around 500G from it, and enjoy in the beauty that is Ninja Gaiden II. 
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Glycerin Ghost
132,007
TA Score for this game: 580
Posted on 25 July 10 at 10:23 |
This review has 19 positive votes and 1 negative vote. Please log in to vote. |
Ninja Gaiden II. A game that was known by many gamers everywhere for the insane difficulty of this game. Just pray you don't break something from the rage this game can cause.
A sequel to the original Xbox version, Ninja Gaiden, this game takes place one year after the first game. Don't expect to see the return of the fiend vixen Rachel this time, as she is never mentioned in this game. The game starts out with another woman named Sonia, who works with the CIA, and is on the search for Ryu Hayabusa and she has information regarding the Arch Fiend. While telling her tale to Muramasa, the elder shop keeper, she is kidnapped by the Spider Clan and Ryu finally appears. This is where the game and story begin.
Right off, it starts with the tutorial and a fight breaks out. The fighting style hasn't changed, yet you soon see something new. A move called the Obliteration technique that swiftly eliminates pesky enemies that have lost limbs. Even an enemy that is crawling toward you may have an explosive shuriken in its hand and thus should be eliminated quickly.
Another neat thing about the game is the improved camera, you now have a better range of control and it is less awkard and annoying as people may recall from Ninja Gaiden. The fighting style is the same as it was and with all the bloody and stylish ninja mayhem. And as if to add to this already sweetening game, they added a regenerating health gauge. When not in combat, your health bar will regenerate all the way to the "red" or Lasting Damage that can only be healed through items or the now healing Save Points. But this does tend to sink back to its roots and become repetitive.
The weapons in NG2 are still amazing and fun to play with. Some returning favorites such as the Windmill Shuriken, the Vigoorian Flails, and the Lunar Staff from NG: Black. However, many other weapons will not be returning, such as the Unlabored Flawlessness, Nunchaku, and the Dabilahro. The new editions; such as the Kusari-gama (a sythe and ball-spike weapon) and a large reaper sythe called the Eclipse Sythe, all add their own style to this already fast paced and gorey game. The Ninpo has changed with the removal of the lightning and ice Ninpo in favor of a Gravity-based piercing Ninpo and a room clearing Wind-cutter.
Graphics however remain relatively unchanged from the first game. Although still amazing, there are times when the framerate may hiccup with bodies covering and entire staircase while the remaining ones still charge blindly at you. Yet with the PS3 version, the graphics are increased from the 360's 585p resolution to 720p and better lighting at the cost of all the gore that the 360's version has.
The story is still as straight forward as the first will minor twists and surprises, yet still packs it full of baddies to disembowl, behead, and otherwise slaughter. Or you might be the one being slaughter as most Ninja Gaiden veterans can recall. But as if to add to your already scarred sanity, instead of just two difficulties, they now have four. The two lower difficulties, Acolyte and Warrior, do not require much to transfer from one to the other and you can start on Warrior right away if you want so you can unlock the next two INSANELY hard Mentor and Master Ninja difficulties.
AND STILL, if you can't get enough of Ryu Hayabusa or the women with enlarged extremities, there are multiple DLCs on the XBL marketplace, with Mission Mode for 560 MS points and adds 10 new achievements (for all you gamerscore freaks).
Overall, the game delivers what the small fanbase has come to expect, a gory and painful ride that few can forget and some wish they could. Unfortunately, knowing what the 360 is capable of graphics wise, and the repetitive nature of the series, cause it to fall short of a perfect score.
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Smokin JoeyB
107,819
TA Score for this game: 1,107
Posted on 16 June 09 at 16:24 |
This review has 16 positive votes and 9 negative votes. Please log in to vote. |
Ahhh, Ninja Gaiden II.
I barely remember the utter torment you caused me over the years. When I first got this game on the day of release it was a "I've got a spare £40, let's give this a go." sort of purchase. Straight away I knew it was a tough game even on the lowest difficulty (Acolyte), when I died at the end of the first level, like 5 times.(Noob I know.) Don't worry all you angry pro's out there I've completed it now!
But at the end of each mission/level I felt a great achievement (no not gamerscore-wise) mainly because of the difficulty of the game. Of course like the majority who played this game, at times I felt like shoving the disc up someones ass (probably the developers), but I still loved playing it just to see a nice little obliteration of some incendiary or rocket ninja that had taken things a step too far. "feel the wrath of Smokin JoeyB you ****** worm" is what I would scream at my xbox.
But seriously this game is a good one and slightly underated and ignored maybe?
At times it can get a little repetitive, but thats what you get with a game like this. I don't think you could buy it not knowing the type of game that it is, it is like the fourth or somethin like that in the series (and sadly the last after head of Tecmo left ).
Sorry for ramblin on but yeah, NGII is a good, challenging game that should be reasonably cheap nowadays. Go buy, if you've got the guts!?!?!
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