- Title: Ninja Gaiden II
- Platform: Xbox 360
- Publisher: Microsoft
- Developer: Tecmo/ Team Ninja
- ESRB Rating: “M” For Mature
- Genre: Third-Person-Action
- Pros: Great graphics and sound; fun and satisfying gameplay; tons of blood and gore
- Cons: Can be brutally difficult; wonky camera
Gameplay
Ninja Gaiden II once again places you in the role of ninja Ryu Hayabusa as he slices through demons and rival ninja clans with the greatest of ease. Equipped with different swords, staffs, chained weapons, and more, you literally cut enemies into bloody chunks that stay in place long after the battle is over. Is it strange to be so impressed with arms and legs and heads flying all over the place and dead bodies that actually stay in place indefinitely and don’t simply disappear like in every other game? When you are done, Ninja Gaiden II’s levels look like scenes from a horror movie, and that is a good thing.
Anyone that played the previous game knows that Ninja Gaiden is best known for its difficulty. That is still the case here. There are several different difficulty modes, however, ranging from Path of the Acolyte (easier than Ninja Dog in NG Black) to the Path of the Master Ninja, which is by far the most difficult the series has seen. Even at the lowest difficulty, the game is still quite challenging, but even when you die a cheap death, the frustration only ever lasts minutes rather than hours so you are always willing to jump back into the fire and try again because the game is so darn fun.
There are a couple of issues that need to be addressed, though. The biggest problem is that the camera is zoomed in way too close to the action, which makes it hard to see all of the enemies in an area. I can’t remember how many times I let my guard down because I thought everyone was dead only to get a shuriken in the back or a blindside attack. Also, there are enemies that shoot projectiles at you (including some that simply come from offscreen and you can’t even find the enemies) that are just incredibly cheap and frustrating. Fighting half a dozen enemies at a time is hard enough without some jerk shooting flaming arrows at you. These issues are far from game breaking, but definitely sour an otherwise near-perfect experience.
Graphics and Sound
Graphically, Ninja Gaiden II is very impressive. The character models are very detailed and look great. Hacking up enemies and leaving the room a bloody mess is always very cool and never gets old. The levels are a bit hit or miss, however. The first level set high above Tokyo is great looking, as is the New York City level, but other levels that take place in caves and in building interiors are pretty bland. Considering how fast the game is usually moving along, though, I’d say it is very impressive overall even with a few blemishes.The sound is also very good for the most part. Good music and great sound effects are the highlights here.
Bottom Line
