360 Review: Ninja Gaiden 2
by John Robertson on June 15, 2008 at 1:22 am
Ninja Gaiden 2 is the game many 360 action fans have been waiting for. Promising in-depth combat as well as groundbreaking graphical quality, it has been very difficult not to get excited about this particular release. With the announcement that this will be the series’ final farewell, does the gaming world’s second most famous Ryu live up to the expectations?
Well, no. But then again, what games ever live up the kind of hype this game has had? MGS4, maybe? But while NG2 is far from perfect it still has a great deal to offer.
I’m going to completely bypass talking about the story, firstly because I don’t want to ruin it for you, secondly because it’s bloody difficult to follow anyway (without reading every text you come across while playing), and thirdly because the story is clearly an afterthought with this series. What I will say though, is that new character Sonia has breasts so large that you could write a story based on their daily trials (like the difficulty in finding a large enough bra, for example), and it would be more interesting than the story that plays out here.
So, on to the game itself, then. Well, Ninja Gaiden aficionados will be pleased to know that it’s still incredibly challenging. The sheer number of enemies that you’re expected to battle against at one time is enough to make all but the most hardcore of gamers put it down before the opening chapter is over.
You’ll need to master Ryu’s combos and the attack patterns of your enemies quickly if you harbour the ambition of finishing any level without constantly dying.
There are some concessions to the more casual gamer nonetheless. Ryu now has the ability to heal himself after disposing of all the enemies in his vicinity, and save points are now much more liberally spread around than in previous NG games. Some of the NG elite will find these additions hard to swallow, but in general they make the game much more manageable, especially during shorter gaming sessions.
Once you’ve mastered the combat, though, the action is largely spectacular; you’ll be slicing enemies with your Dragon Sword (or a number of other gruesome looking weapons) left, right and centre, leaving a horrific scene of blood and gore in your wake. When you get into a rhythm and you’re really laying the smack down on the bad guys this game is truly a wonder to behold. Action is fast and fluid and you’ll be in awe of just how good the game plays and allows you to link combos together for devastating effect.
This is, however, if you’re not fighting in an area where you’re constantly being showered with bullets, or flaming arrows, from enemies in unreachable locations. Here it is– these areas should not have been included in a game like this, period.
It’s hard for me to think of many times throughout my life that I have been as frustrated as I was while playing certain chapters in this game. For the life of me I can’t understand why, in a gaming series based on mastering your techniques and overcoming obstacles using pure skill, Team Ninja has decided to add these elements. All too often I’d be happily slashing my way through a group of ninja wolves holding swords in their mouths (yes, that’s a type of enemy in this game) only to suddenly die at the hands of some guy standing half a mile away firing a rocket in my direction.
These sections are what makes the game truly difficult, as at points you’re at a loss to see just how you are supposed to deal with the onslaught. Many times it was pure luck that I was able to progress, down to the fact that Ryu wasn’t hit with enough to projectiles to end his life. These enemies can be killed, but the majority of your projectile weapons are underpowered and take a little too long to use, meaning enemies close by end up killing you instead.
Inconsistency is also a bit of a problem. While each level does generally get progressively more difficult the bosses certainly do not.
The game’s opening bosses are possibly the most difficult. I suspect the overwhelming majority of players, even the most experienced Ninja Gaiden veterans, will need multiple attempts to defeat these guys on the first play through. In fact, the opening bosses are so difficult that you’ll be dreading the level to end, signifying your next boss challenge.
Fear not, however, as after you’ve negotiated the early guys the rest are somewhat tame in comparison. In some cases (including one time where you must fight an early boss further on in the game) the later battles are so easy that you’ll barely have to put any effort in as they seem all too eager to walk into your blade. It seems like an odd decision to arrange these fights in such a way as the more casual gamer is certainly not going to progress past the opening boss encounter, and hence, will see very little of the game.
Despite this, all the enemies in the game look fantastic, from the lowest ninja to the mightiest giant demon. Both the design and animation quality is second to none, and it’s almost worth the price of admission just to experience some of the bizarre creatures you’ll have to go up against. Ryu himself also looks fantastic, particularly when the camera moves in close as you perform a devastating finishing blow to your opponent resulting in their beheading, or some other act of extreme malevolence.
Now we get to the games harshest of obstacles– the camera. No matter how many enemies you’re facing, or how many flaming arrows are being sent in your direction, it’s the camera that’s usually your biggest foe. In comparison with the original Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Sigma, the camera is now a little tighter and closer to the ground, which if anything, makes the situation worse. The problem is most acute when you’re passing through cramped areas (such as a narrow cave) where the camera constantly moves to a position where it’s not possible to get a look at the enemies you’re attempting to attack.
You have the ability to reset the camera directly behind Ryu at any point (just press the right trigger) but even then, the view is far from perfect. By the time you’ve completed the game the right trigger will probably be worn out due to the frequency you’ll need of camera resets you’ll need to perform.
Talking of cameras, it seems that NG2 has gone to the movies. The “Ninja Cinema” feature allows players to record themselves showing off their flashiest moves and combos for the whole world to see (other NG2 owners to see anyway). You have the ability to turn this on at any moment and start recording.
While it’s a nice idea, and it does work, it tends to slow the game, and can be a little frustrating when you’re attempting the intricate timing needed to pull off the game’s most devastating combos. For some reason this isn’t always a problem (in fact, generally it’s not a problem at all) but it does happen often enough to make it worth pointing out.
Now, from reading the above you might feel that this game is not actually worth the effort, although in a strange way it is. The feeling of accomplishment you get from the game after finishing a particularly difficult section is “hard to beat”, and the majority of the game is generally very fun. The character Ryu himself is also just as badass as ever, and cutscenes look mighty impressive.
There is a lot of enjoyment to be hard from this game, it’s just that the whole experience has a cloud cast over it by a few sections of the game that are truly disappointing. Ninja Gaiden was never a series where you rely on luck to progress, but here you rely on it all too often.
Perhaps this is the right time to put the series to bed after all, as it seems as though Itagaki and his former Team Ninja associates have run out of ideas and are clutching at straws in terms of finding new elements to add to the gameplay. Ninja Gaiden 2 is largely enjoyable but disappointing overall.
What does this score mean? Check out our review scoring breakdown
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10 Comments » |
on June 15, 2008 1:43 am
Here’s to hoping Sonia’s breasts get their own spin-off!
on June 15, 2008 2:30 am
lol. I think that’s something we can all enjoy.
on June 15, 2008 6:16 pm
I don’t know, This kind of game is the reason it took me so long to get a console system. it is so “platform-y” the demo did not impress me at all. it looked good
but felt like I was playing something that was all the rage when the Sega genesis was king.
on June 16, 2008 1:43 am
Okay, I agree that the camera angles definitely suck, but a 7.9 is certainly not agreeable. This game has always been tactical and hard and is a game for hardcore players that love challenges. To me you’re saying that they should make the game easy because you said so. Like Itagaki responded to hate mails during the first Ninja Gaiden, “If you can’t handle the difficulty, don’t buy the game.” It’s not like everyone didn’t anticipate that the game would be tough. Everybody knew that this game would be difficult and that’s the thrill we hardcore gamers get when we play games like NG 2. I am still shaking my head to you saying that the game is disappointing. There is nothing disappointing about this game except the camera angles and the fact that sometimes when you fight too many enemies the game slows down a little. A next thing, why would you say recording is a problem, then say it’s not a problem at all? I think someone needs to get his facts straight before he posts BS about a game as enejoyable as NG. Team Ninja has not run out of ideas but lost their lead designer and director Tomonobu Itagaki. Why would you go ahead and make a game without the person who created it? Don’t hate on a beautiful game. I give this game and 8.5 to 9
on June 16, 2008 4:04 am
So your up set over .6 points? Gamers “can” read more then one review. In my opinion it’s good to have diverging opinions about a game unlike some games where all reviewers score high which turns out to be misleading.
You your self admit ng2 is for a certain type of gamer and reviews really should reflect that. I think if you enjoy the game that’s great but you should also realize that not everyone will.
I also think that a .1 to .9 scale is ridiculous, man up and give it a 7 or an 8. WTFH is .9? These games with a 9.25, 9.5, 9.7 scores are you f**king kidding me? How is a game .3 points shy of a perfect score? Reviewers are gutless. This kinda review scale allows them to be less critical.
on June 16, 2008 6:28 am
I’m not saying the game should be made easier, i’m saying that it should be just as difficult as it is, but in a fairer manner.
Having yourself surrounded by countless enemies is fine, but then when you add opponents that attack you from afar (especially in cramped areas where you cant dodge missiles due to the enemies around you) it ceases to become purely a matter of skill and becomes a large part luck.
And in this respewct the game is dissapointing as the Ninja Gaiden series has always made it’s name on firstly being difficult (which this is) but also being able to overcome obstacles by pure skill, this is not the case here.
I don’t hate the game, i’m just trying to be a responsilbe as possible to the audience and point out things i think are worthwhile.
There are many things i didn’t point out – for example, the fact that there are invisible walls coating the entire game, meaning that Ryu never actually touches the floor (he floats just above it) and blood from your enemies is periodically suspending in mid-air, stuck to that invisible wall.
As for the Ninja Cinema i said “generally, it’s not a problem” but it does has happen frequently enough to make people aware of. I never said it’s not a problem at all.
And LC, i would actually go one step further (as a reviewer) and get rid of all numerical values entirely for reviews. However, not everyone actually reads the review at all, they just look at the score. I marked it just below an eight, if you look at our review explanantion page then the explanation of a 8 doesn’t apply to game in full – hence the 7.9.
Thanks for your comments.
on June 16, 2008 7:58 am
How about this for a review scale? 1, 2 or 3. 1 is shit, 2 is “average” and 3 is awesome.
on June 16, 2008 8:46 am
I support getting rid of the numerical value. To me it is often misleading representation of what actually makes a game good or enjoyable. I prefer well written reviews that do there best to relate how the game plays. I like to know if a games difficulty is one that can be over come with skill or luck and the latter should be criticized.
Far to often big name games get a pass and reviews come off as regurgitated pr releases that benefit developer shortcomings and seemingly allow poor design decisions to not only be rewarded but find there way into future releases. Reviewers have to be critical all the time, especially when the market machines for whatever latest release gets rolling.
Reviews are ultimately a tool for consumers to make informed purchasing decisions, so the content of a review should reflect that. So long as we do use the numerical scale to assign value to a game it too should be a reflection of the reviewers actual words.
I read more then a couple of gta 4 reviews that either failed to mention some glaring issues or even when mentioned did not a make an impact on the perfect score given in the end.
I don’t care what game it is, be it halo, mgs, final fantasy reviewers seem to suspend the critical aspect of there job in favor of being apart of the hype band wagon. I’m not sure sometimes if its the pr or reader backlash there more worried about, I only know that in the end dishonest/uncritical reviews are a disservice to everyone.
on June 16, 2008 11:17 am
I agree with what LC has to say on that, I think that a reviewer should lay all the cards on the table and let the consumer decide.
A score, In my opinion represents nothing to me. just the opinion of the reviewer. the problem is, the reviewer might like rts and s/he is reviewing a fps or a racing game. what value would the score be to me if I dislike RTS and love the FPS or Racing game? or even worse, the reviewer is a “me too” reviewer.
the kind of reviewer that gets swept up in the hype for whatever reason. I would generally gravitate to the review that points out flaws in say GTa4 then someone that praises the game like an actor kisses a co-stars back-side on opening night of a movie.
on June 16, 2008 6:59 pm
Everything gets graded; at school, college, university and even in your profession. What’s important is the scale, the methodology and the depth of the analysis. We try hard to make the score given a true reflection of the text, and we also believe the score gives you a clearer idea of how good the game is.
We may have the same number of criticisms for a game that scores a 6/10 and a game that scores a 9/10 – but it’s only in the score that you’ll see how fatal those criticisms were to the quality of the game.
What matters is that you trust our reviewing, that you’re aware of our scale, our other reviews, and understand that both the text and score are the opinions of the author.