Summary After the original Ninja Gaiden was shaken down with remakes, it's time for Team Ninja to take a whole-hearted, two footed leap at game number 2.

Description Team Ninja figured that re-releasing Ninja Gaiden 1 like 50 billion times would repeat the much coveted lightning to strike over and over among their fanbase. Now, after being shaken down by re-releases, Team Ninja rolls up their sleeves and actually gets down and dirty with a sequel titled, Brace Yourself, Ninja Gaiden 2. Lacking an original title, or even a subtitle, it makes me wonder how much work actually went into making this sequel. Story: All I have to say is,Thank you Tomonubu Itagaki! In an interview with Game Informer, he stated, "If it [story] were the the most essential thing to me, I’d write a novel instead", and for that I praise him. The plot summary is and always will be brief when reviewing a Ninja Gaiden title because it’s nothing more than twisted whack-a-mole/gallery shooter where you replace your mallet with incredibly sharp instruments of torture. Elaboration: enemies pop up, you kill them, repeat. Honest to God, this next sentence is the entire summary of the whole game’s storyline. Ryu Hayabusa sets out on a quest of dire urgency to stop his rival clan, the Black Spiders, from resurrecting the dreaded Archfiend. It was evident by his interview, but even more so by the final product, that gameplay was seconded to none for Itagaki. Needless to say, story isn’t the reason you’d buy anything from Tomonubu Itagaki and his team, like you would a Final Fantasy, Metal Gear Solid, or, God help me, Mass Effect. Gameplay: You couldn’t ask for more than the masterfully executed, brilliant gameplay that Ninja Gaiden Black displays, but even with the bad things I have to say about Ninja Gaiden II, it’s still leagues ahead of most other action games on the market . There are some significant differences between Xbox’s Ninja Gaiden, and Xbox 360’s, For starters, Obliteration Techniques. During one of the many, many, MANY encounters, you’re inevitably going to sever a limb or two with anything ranging from a scythe, to dual-katanas, to X-men’s Wolverine-esque hand claws. When so, you will be given a chance to unleash a powerful finishing move called an Obliteration Technique. I’d like to say it’s something even a little in depth to pull off, but as simple as pressing the Y button near a foe with a recent amputation, Ryu will tear them up in a vividly graphic finishing cut-scene. This can be done 10 or 15 times in a single encounter, as most enemies will come in hoards of 20 or more, making it patronizingly simple for those pillocks who thought that formulating a strategy in the previous game was too damn much work. Granted, it’s handy when you have to clear a room of 15 werewolves, and don’t want to leave yourself vulnerable for too long, but it takes control from you more often than not (you know, for a game that’s built around its gameplay). Another quibble I have is the new camera control system. In Ninja Gaiden/Black, the extent you had over the camera was re-centering it and going into first-person, but Ninja Gaiden II gives you full control. I’d like to say that it’s a welcome addition to the once frustrating camera, but I’d be lying if I said that. The new camera is so difficult to manipulate during combat that somewhere near 90% of the time, enemies will be off screen attacking you. To be frank, I’d much prefer the crappy camera from the original game. Now, for the good things. The combat is satisfying, to the degree of eroticism, and the amount of blood spraying from ninjas ludicrous, but in a good way. Other than the game taking control from you via Obliteration Techniques every 10 seconds, the gameplay is spot-on. You will no longer have a stockade of worthless items (War Hammer, Dilbahoro), but rather, a stockade of utterly useless items. The majority of the game can be had by mashing the attack button with nothing more than your claws. The scythe is a nice addition, but still nothing compared to the claws. Your Dragon Sword, dual katanas, spike chain, and the rest of this garbage will get significantly less use than your Nintendo Gamecube. Ninpo Magic Spells make a return, with new upgradable attacks. In the first game, the only Ninpo spell I found worth using was the Art of the Inazuma (the one where you shoot lightning bolt out of your body), but now, I found a purpose for obtaining them all, other than the retardedly easy to unlock Achievements. You will be granted The Art of the Inferno, which shoots out a giant fireball out of your hands,The Art of the Wind Blades which unleashes a whirlwind of flying blades - useful for decapitating someone or cutting off a limb or two, The Art of the Flame Phoenix which summons a flock of flaming birds to circle you and inflict damage to anyone who dares come near, and The Art of the Piercing Void, which explodes all enemies that it’s aimed at. On top of the returning aspects that made the original great, there are a few new features that I really enjoyed. The regenerating health system was a welcome change to NG’s unrelenting nature before. Again, I think this was another way to dumb down the gameplay, but there’s no denying that it’s a great idea. As you take damage, your life bar will be split into 3 different sections: blue (remaining life), clear (missing life), and red (unrecoverable life). At the end of the confrontation (when there are no more enemies in the area, or so you think), all of the clear section of your life gauge will refill blue. The red section at the far right of the gauge will not refill unless an item is used, you obtain blue essence, or you touch a save point. Determining how powerful the enemy is, or how many are gang-raping you at any given time, the amount of red section will increase in various increments. This new regenerating system eliminates being able to carry a 15 healing potions and 3 rebirth talismans, but that makes thing a little more fair anyway, as your life can only recover in battle via a healing item or (rare) blue essence. Another great aspect of gameplay is the ability to change your weapon, projectile side arm, Ninpo spell, and item without having to open the menu. Granted, you'll probably use this only for healing items, simply by pressing up or down on the directional buttons will allow you to open a small menu in the bottom left of the screen where you can change your items by pressing left or right. This was incredibly useful when I found myself wielding the worthless Dragon Sword and realized that damn near anything else was more suitable for the situation at hand. It also eliminated the frantic scramble for the start button when you needed to use an Elixir of Spiritual Life (now called Herb of Spiritual life). Graphics: When I first got this game, I played it on a TV I pulled out of the garbage (I'm not kidding) and thought it looked like well-rendered garbage. Garbage, but in a good way. Now I've been playing it on my roommate's (though, much much smaller) HD TV, and the game looks significantly improved, even though very little has changed from the last Ninja Gaiden. The enemy models are nice, the environment is nice, and.... well; that's all I have to say. Sound: Much improvement from before. The original Ninja Gaiden had a terrible habit of making you listen to nothing other than sword clanks and slashes in the off-time from boss battles, where it gave you a good 3 minutes worth of techno. Ninja Gaiden II, I'm glad to say, gives you reason to not listen to your own music by including mood setting battle music, during the non-cheesy story sections of the game... but I still did. The voice work is OK, given the completely off-the-walls story script. When you get a ninja, aided by an incredibly large breasted CIA agent, who's goal is to stop a mystical cult from resurrecting an ancient demon, who's minions are other demons, the voicing could come off as badly as the story. Luckily, the actors don't add too much insult to injury. The sound effects are OK.... at best. In a whole, I liked Ninja Gaiden II. It was fun, with a nice hint of vamped-up challenge over games today (*cough*Kingdom Hearst II*cough*) where a three fingered infant could have it easily. If you're a fan of the Xbox original, you'll love this game no matter it faults. If not; the frustration of a bad camera, merciless difficulty, and a God-awful story will probably drive you to pour boiling oil into your eyes. Review Page Hits: 1 today (16 in the last 30 days) Create Your Own Review or