Developer - Team Ninja
Publisher - Microsoft Game Studios
Available On - XBOX 360
Reviewed On - XBOX 360

Violence, looks, speed, and violence. It was a very impressive package to be presented with all in the first level of Ninja Gaiden II. Right from the start the quick moving and unrelenting action started and didn’t let go. A few missions in and one begins to familiarise themselves with the combat, timing and abilities of the most recent incarnation of Ryu Hayabusa. While I have experience with a few odd past Ninja Gaiden titles, I had heard of the notorious difficulty of the past Ninja Gaiden XBOX title yet not having played it I gritted myself and prepared for Ninja Gaiden II.

As I mentioned Ninja Gaiden II throws a lot at you right from the start. The graphics are initially extremely impressive with everything having a smooth glossy sheen with not a jaggy in sight. The action is immediately intense and very fast flowing with little introductions leaving the player to decipher most of Ryu’s abilities as they play.

It’s actually a lot to take in within the first few levels of Ninja Gaiden II as the presentation is quite extreme at most times. The violence can easily be considered over-the-top, with enough limbs flying everywhere and blood filling the screen to convince Noah to build a new Ark. The story tends to digress around the place and make little sense at the best of times with overly eccentric characters and multiple rapid scenery changes leaving very little to consistently follow. While I attempted to follow Ninja Gaiden II’s crazy ass plot I soon gave up which was to my benefit as this isn’t what NG II is really about. While some story is necessary to give any sort of character motivation it’s best disregarded in this case as Ninja Gaiden II primarily focuses on delivering a tight and complex while versatile button mashing third person hack ‘n’ slash game. And a motherfucker of one it is.

I’m the only person to have progressed as far as I have in NG II that I know of. Sticking to my guns of completing a game before it is reviewed was a task of such Satanic difficulty that I could feel the creator Itagaki laughing at me upon his piles of money, crack and prostitutes as I die to that fucking Magma Armadillo for the 53rd time. Hence this late review.

Ninja Gaiden II is difficult. Two difficulties are selectable at first play through eventually opening up two harder difficulties which I find laughable while considering what form of bio-mechanical humanoid could possibly endure an even more difficult version of the 9 hours or so of what I’ve just been through. The difficulty of Ninja Gaiden II is definitely a big consideration if you’re looking to buy a game you can complete, especially as it seems to drastically increment all at once and eventually going all over the place. The bosses are a prime example, some being the most brutally unrelenting artificial forces I’ve ever encountered to then be followed by a boss that’s easily taken out first try. Having that big obvious glowing “WEAK SPOT - HIT HERE” points on several bosses is an insult to both the player and the other bosses who provide a much more serious challenge. While in most cases the difficulty of Ninja Gaiden II seems extreme yet manageable there are also many occasions of just cheap game design and ridiculous challenges or enemies. There always seems to be a wall of creatures in between any save point and a boss fight so if you’re already low on health items and have just saved (with only one continuous save file available) you’ll always be trying a boss over and over after having to just kill several enemies and probably having lower health. Some hindsight would have suggested saving some health items but unfortunately we are not some form of actual premonitial Ninja while Itagaki envisions his ideal demographic meditating to achieve inner peace with their 360 high upon a mountain peak at daybreak.

Surprisingly this extreme difficulty isn’t a major turn-off for Ninja Gaiden II considering the potential damage it could cause a controller being turfed across a lounge room. The combat is just so tight and satisfying enough to really provide motivation for progress in Ninja Gaiden II. There’s a wide variety of weapons to collect from the classic Dragon Sword through to more unique additions such as Tonfa, or the mace-and-sickle flail. Apart from a wide variety of collectible and upgradable weapons, Ryu again has access to select Ninpo (Ninja Magic!) which can also be upgraded throughout the adventure into it’s more powerful forms of meteoric fire or whirling wind blades.

The audio production of Ninja Gaiden II is top notch with the inclusion of original Japanese audio with English subtitles a huge benefit and one I will always utilise when available. Combat is loud and filled with all those little monster and weapon effects but most notable is the modern up-beat electronic soundtrack that drops in at random times. It’s very fitting with the overall aesthetics of NG II being a modern fast paced techno vibrant video game. While nearly all the music in Ninja Gaiden II is very enjoyable it’s surprisingly rare, seemingly used to pad quieter moments in game as opposed to heightening the action packed sequences.

The actual raw button mashing gameplay element of Ninja Gaiden II is probably the most addictive and enjoyable aspect of the game and considering the extreme difficulty and nonsensical plot it’s damn lucky. NG II has very specific enemy interactions with weapons and combat, despite the overall lack of environmental interaction you can specifically point out and watch which part of the body an enemy is hit in, how it will react and the possible de-limbing that may ensue. Apart from a standard set of two attack varieties and Ninpo, Ryu can also as before use OT (Obliteration Technique) abilities to wipe out enemies in one swift move. The OT ability adds wonders for the versatility of combat as it is activated by holding Y for a few short seconds (longer depending on severity) but can also be rapidly summoned by absorbing the left over orbs (experience or health) of defeated enemies as a quick escape route when knee deep in body bits.

Ninja Gaiden II likes to throw a lot of enemies at you with some scenes eventuating as an all out bloodbath so the included mobility in combat and capabilities for attack directing help keep the flow of the fight and the feel of control over Ryu. Handling Ryu is very smooth and fluid but with no thanks to an erratic camera randomly impeding combat at the worst of times. All this control in battle means that while NG II is overall extremely difficult it’s rarely felt out of the players control as each consecutive boss battle attempt results in a completely different series of events potentially boosting a player’s confidence in eventual victory or sealing the coffin on a hopeless quest.

Serious contenders can upload their collective ‘Karma Score’ throughout play to the leader boards and compare progression with friends and other worldwide Ninja’s. It’s a good way to see how much everyone else is being desolated and gives unnecessary incentive for further play upon completion (hah). A new “Mission Mode” has already been released as downloadable content on XBOX Live for 800c while 200c can buy a few new costume varieties.

Ninja Gaiden II is quite a nice game. It’s pretty, fast, violent and addictive. With new content coming out it’s expanding more and more and shapes up as a very seductive game, which it is. It just tends to kick you square in the nuts every five minutes or if you stop giving it 100% of your concentration for five seconds. If you’re a completionist or less experienced in the realm of third person slashing Ninja Gaiden II is probably not your thing. More casual gamers will find fun in the game for the first four missions but ultimately you should know by now if this is something you have the balls to take on.

Ninja Gaiden II

78%

The Good -

* Not just pretty, but full of gore and luscious scenery too!
* Adaptive and responsive combat.
* New content with leader boards pads the package.

The Bad -

* You’ve got better chances of becoming a real Ninja.
* Ridiculous characters and story.
* Inconsistent progression in many ways.