Review Ninja Gaiden 2 - DiscussWorldIssues - Socio-Economic Religion and Political Uncensored Debate

**bugagasikaga** · 06-06-2008, 02:46 PM

Just picked up Ninja Gaiden 2 for the Xbox 360 last night, and I made it to the beginning of Chapter 3 at present, so this will be a review in progress.

The reviews by others seem fairly standard and they do have some gripes that are warranted, but more on that later.

The game continues the story of Ninja Master Ryu Hayabusa against the evil and seemingly unlimited forces of the Spider Ninja clan and Demon fiend hordes. So far, the story is a bit bland, told by some rather graphically nice cut scenes which are crisp, functional and spartan. By this I mean not spectacular, but not mediocre either. Just like the original X-Box title, the females in this one are, shall we say, amply bosomed. So far, as many other reviewers have stated, the story is pretty much just a link between missions that give you an excuse to kill bad guys.

You start off at the top of some really strange sort of Neo-Tokyo sky scraper in Chapter 1, and I have to say, it looks breathtaking.
Two points:
I have not played GTA 4 which I understand is graphically cutting edge for this console, and I have seen games like Crysis which is supposedly graphically speaking the top (until Far Cry 2 comes out that is)

With this said, many reviewers complained that there was not much improvement over the Xbox version, and to that I say I could not disagree more.
For example, there is a one point in chapter 1 where you are pretty much overlooking the whole of Tokyo.
at night.
Re-read that statement.

All the lights, buildings, (and many of them are future-ized Sho-tokyo hybrids which don't exist to my knowledge, but as well, all tiny cars moving on the freeways, streetlights a mile away, Pachinko places and red light districts are all there, rendered in stunning detail, and way off on the distance.
I mean, you really feel that you are 80 stories up over the largest city in the world at night. Magnificent.
The buildings that you fight in look great as well, and wood looks like wood, stone like stone, and steel like steel.
I think some reviewers are forgetting that the original NG had mostly static backgrounds, such as the ones that the Oni-Musha series and Tale of Genji had. Rather, every detail in this version is rendered in really excellent 3D.

What I like most is that Fire looks and behaves like fire, and blood (you'll see a lot of that) and water shockingly behave as they should (or in the case of blood, at least as I think they should.)
Except for one small glitch, where sometimes the blood splatter decals pop out of a doorway and it looks really strange...like the blood is some bizarre and disgusting fruit-roll up or something.

Now, for the meat of the game.

The Combat.

The combat and the physics in this game has been severely ramped up, but not just tuned up a notch, rather maxed out to the extreme. The combat in this game is so good in fact that it could be the best ever in any game.
As a fan of fighting games, I don't write that lightly.
You first start off with the famous Dragon sword from the 1st game, but of course it somehow lost it's powers and acts pretty much like a basic sword, which is saying a lot, because with it, you can literally hack your enemies to bits, which will happen in gratuitous amounts during any given fight.
Buckets of blood (This is definately an "M" rated game) splash and squirt everywhere, and it splatters on just about every surface. You can hack off heads, arms, legs, and in fact if you time your moves right, you can actually de-limb your opponent and leave a bloody spurting stump hovering in the air for a split second. You can also do finishing moves which are so intuitive that you didn't realize you did anything until the move is performed, to which, there are several per weapon. Like the first game, the combat flows like a carefully orchestrated ballet, and as you move like a dancer cutting down your enemies, when finished, Ryu will even do Chiburi with his weapon and the sound blood splattering on the floor is very cool. The best part about it is, after the carnage is over, all of the chunks of brains, arms, legs, and other assorted gore along with rivers of blood don't flash and disintegrate or disappear when you turn you back, no, the evidence of your bloodthirsty rage stays right where you left it forever, which, when you backtrack through certain levels, can be a bit disgusting.

The long and the short:
Imagine every Samurai or Martial arts movie you have ever seen, and chances are seriously, you will be doing that move somewhere in the game.
This is simply fantasy violence at it's zenith.

Weapons:

So far I have obtained the Moon Staff, which I'm not too fond of but looks awesome when wielded (Shaolin Movie buffs will be proud) and I have a pair of hand and foot claws which make Ryu look like some version of a Wolverine Ninja. When he uses the claws, it's some fairly eye-popping moves to behold.
The combat in this game is ultra-satisfying.

Definitely Meat-eater approved.

Difficulty:

Holy cow.
This game is unbelievably hard.
I was pretty proud of my accomplishments on the original game I even beat it on difficult with a Master Ninja rating on all levels, which as any one who has played it will admit is no small feat.
What I'm saying is that I was a Master of Ninja Gaiden 2, and although many of the mechanics are similar in NG2, this game is seriously kicking my ass, which does not happen all that often these days.
In a world where most gamers can breeze through most games in a weekend or finish without dying, I'm here to tell you that you won't be doing that with Ninja Gaiden 2.
Remember that thing you had so long ago when you played arcade games?
You know, actual skill?
Yeah, you're going to need some of that.

The good news is,
The save points appear more often than the game than the original, have free life when you save (once) and you get a tiny bit of life back after each wave of defeated enemies.

Items:
So far the items appear to be the same ones from the original, with contextual ones popping up.

Overall, and so far, if you like Ninjas, Martial Arts and slicing an dicing even remotely, and if you want a challenge that requires skill, then I recommend Ninja Gaiden 2.

More on the game later, but for now:
Verdict:
Two Shinai Up.

**Heessduernbub** · 06-06-2008, 03:40 PM

Verdict:

You gotta get out more.

**JackieC** · 06-06-2008, 03:41 PM

I also bought the game yesterday, but I'm holding off on any sort of impressions until I get further in the game since I'm only partway through level 3. I've thought about getting all 1000 achievement points for the hell of it so we'll see.

**Dweplyododo** · 06-06-2008, 03:45 PM

You gotta get out more.

But then who will save the world?

Indeed.
Who will ......save the world....

Why won't someone think of the children!!!??
(Sob)

**Faungarne** · 06-06-2008, 03:56 PM

Just like the original X-Box title, the females in this one are, shall we say, amply bosomed.

Two Shinai Up.

Sounds like a Playboy movie review...

**Sotmoigma** · 06-06-2008, 04:26 PM

You gotta get out more.

Please god no, don't encourage him to go out in public!

This is what happened the last time

**Kolokireo** · 06-06-2008, 04:51 PM

Please god no, don't encourage him to go out in public!

This is what happened the last time

They smoked squirrels?!?

**Qdcqxffs** · 06-06-2008, 07:22 PM

They smoked squirrels?!?

Yummy!

. . . .. . .

**TudareWQT** · 06-06-2008, 07:38 PM

Here I thought you were talking abuot the game for NES, which of course is the bomb, but instead I find shit about moon staffs and spider ninjas.
Give me 8-bit sprites please.

**Sierabiera** · 06-07-2008, 06:52 AM

Please god no, don't encourage him to go out in public!

This is what happened the last time

Wasn't my fault.
I was provoked.
They pushed me down and took away my apple juice.

Here I thought you were talking abuot the game for NES, which of course is the bomb, but instead I find shit about moon staffs and spider ninjas.
Give me 8-bit sprites please.

Actually, the original Ninja Gaiden for Xbox comes with the NES NG trilogy as an unlock-able feature.

Hmmm..
Perhaps I DO need to get out more.

**chinesemedicine** · 06-07-2008, 07:01 AM

Thanks for the detailed review Kenzan, looks like I'll be cursing a lot more than playing COD4 multiplayers...

**icerrelmCam** · 06-10-2008, 06:07 AM

Anyone plays Tenshu ? I have the PSP version, but in japanese, and I don't understand the scoreboard, I always get a negative score...

**beth** · 06-20-2008, 11:59 AM

Welp!
Finally finished the game this past weekend.
What a blast! It took pretty much everything I had to finish it on the easiest setting, and there are 4 more difficultly levels.
The last chapter and final boss(es) will absolutely knock your socks off.

Overall rating:
8.5
If anyone has questions on how to pass certain levels or Bosses, shoot me a PM or post it here.

**auctionlover** · 06-20-2008, 06:31 PM

arent we a little too ... ehmm... "senior" for action and bloddy video games??

**CializCialiscsqw** · 06-20-2008, 06:52 PM

Actually, the original Ninja Gaiden for Xbox comes with the NES NG trilogy as an unlock-able feature.

Nesticle and a folder full of NES ROMs. Time to get my swerve on.

**BrifsGefel** · 06-21-2008, 02:42 AM

arent we a little too ... ehmm... "senior" for action and bloddy video games??

not as long as I got any feeling left in my thumbs ...

**paydayloanfasters** · 06-21-2008, 03:42 AM

This seems appropriate.

**Cvo1iRT0** · 06-21-2008, 04:06 AM

This seems appropriate.

I managed to put 36 hours of Mass Effect (PC version) between saturday noon and monday not so very early. It's been a while since I went on a gaming run, it's probably some compensation after the last two weeks of coding spree.

hey guys, Mass Effect is AWESOME!

**Paybeskf** · 06-21-2008, 04:11 AM

ooooh ! I'm sold ! Maybe I have to buy a game before fallout 3 after all !

**sessoorale** · 06-21-2008, 04:49 AM

ooooh ! I'm sold ! Maybe I have to buy a game before fallout 3 after all !

Play Mass Effect. After that, Baldur's gate sucks, Knights of the old republic sucks, Oblivion sucks (but that isn't new). Only The Witcher and Planescape: Torment might give some competition.

Beware!
Their fucking protection is the shittiest thing you can "dream" of. Make sure you got a working internet connexion and be ready to bring you firewall down to let Securom call home. If you can't, like me, make sure to get a working crack, or you won't play. There are some good ones at The Pirate Bay.
EDIT: Oh, and it's like Norton in a way: when you uninstall the game, Securom let a lot of small bits of itself everywhere in your registry and your Document And Settings folder. Make sure to kill it, I used Regcleaner to hunt the thing.
Second EDIT: the French translation is lightyears from everything that has been done before. It's the first time I enjoyed more a game in french than in english

Bioware is the best RPG maker, EA is the worst game saler.
The reaction on Penny Arcade

06-06-2008, 02:46 PM	#1
bugagasikaga Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 454 Senior Member	Review Ninja Gaiden 2 Just picked up Ninja Gaiden 2 for the Xbox 360 last night, and I made it to the beginning of Chapter 3 at present, so this will be a review in progress. The reviews by others seem fairly standard and they do have some gripes that are warranted, but more on that later. The game continues the story of Ninja Master Ryu Hayabusa against the evil and seemingly unlimited forces of the Spider Ninja clan and Demon fiend hordes. So far, the story is a bit bland, told by some rather graphically nice cut scenes which are crisp, functional and spartan. By this I mean not spectacular, but not mediocre either. Just like the original X-Box title, the females in this one are, shall we say, amply bosomed. So far, as many other reviewers have stated, the story is pretty much just a link between missions that give you an excuse to kill bad guys. You start off at the top of some really strange sort of Neo-Tokyo sky scraper in Chapter 1, and I have to say, it looks breathtaking. Two points: I have not played GTA 4 which I understand is graphically cutting edge for this console, and I have seen games like Crysis which is supposedly graphically speaking the top (until Far Cry 2 comes out that is) With this said, many reviewers complained that there was not much improvement over the Xbox version, and to that I say I could not disagree more. For example, there is a one point in chapter 1 where you are pretty much overlooking the whole of Tokyo. at night. Re-read that statement. All the lights, buildings, (and many of them are future-ized Sho-tokyo hybrids which don't exist to my knowledge, but as well, all tiny cars moving on the freeways, streetlights a mile away, Pachinko places and red light districts are all there, rendered in stunning detail, and way off on the distance. I mean, you really feel that you are 80 stories up over the largest city in the world at night. Magnificent. The buildings that you fight in look great as well, and wood looks like wood, stone like stone, and steel like steel. I think some reviewers are forgetting that the original NG had mostly static backgrounds, such as the ones that the Oni-Musha series and Tale of Genji had. Rather, every detail in this version is rendered in really excellent 3D. What I like most is that Fire looks and behaves like fire, and blood (you'll see a lot of that) and water shockingly behave as they should (or in the case of blood, at least as I think they should.) Except for one small glitch, where sometimes the blood splatter decals pop out of a doorway and it looks really strange...like the blood is some bizarre and disgusting fruit-roll up or something. Now, for the meat of the game. The Combat. The combat and the physics in this game has been severely ramped up, but not just tuned up a notch, rather maxed out to the extreme. The combat in this game is so good in fact that it could be the best ever in any game. As a fan of fighting games, I don't write that lightly. You first start off with the famous Dragon sword from the 1st game, but of course it somehow lost it's powers and acts pretty much like a basic sword, which is saying a lot, because with it, you can literally hack your enemies to bits, which will happen in gratuitous amounts during any given fight. Buckets of blood (This is definately an "M" rated game) splash and squirt everywhere, and it splatters on just about every surface. You can hack off heads, arms, legs, and in fact if you time your moves right, you can actually de-limb your opponent and leave a bloody spurting stump hovering in the air for a split second. You can also do finishing moves which are so intuitive that you didn't realize you did anything until the move is performed, to which, there are several per weapon. Like the first game, the combat flows like a carefully orchestrated ballet, and as you move like a dancer cutting down your enemies, when finished, Ryu will even do Chiburi with his weapon and the sound blood splattering on the floor is very cool. The best part about it is, after the carnage is over, all of the chunks of brains, arms, legs, and other assorted gore along with rivers of blood don't flash and disintegrate or disappear when you turn you back, no, the evidence of your bloodthirsty rage stays right where you left it forever, which, when you backtrack through certain levels, can be a bit disgusting. The long and the short: Imagine every Samurai or Martial arts movie you have ever seen, and chances are seriously, you will be doing that move somewhere in the game. This is simply fantasy violence at it's zenith. Weapons: So far I have obtained the Moon Staff, which I'm not too fond of but looks awesome when wielded (Shaolin Movie buffs will be proud) and I have a pair of hand and foot claws which make Ryu look like some version of a Wolverine Ninja. When he uses the claws, it's some fairly eye-popping moves to behold. The combat in this game is ultra-satisfying. Definitely Meat-eater approved. Difficulty: Holy cow. This game is unbelievably hard. I was pretty proud of my accomplishments on the original game I even beat it on difficult with a Master Ninja rating on all levels, which as any one who has played it will admit is no small feat. What I'm saying is that I was a Master of Ninja Gaiden 2, and although many of the mechanics are similar in NG2, this game is seriously kicking my ass, which does not happen all that often these days. In a world where most gamers can breeze through most games in a weekend or finish without dying, I'm here to tell you that you won't be doing that with Ninja Gaiden 2. Remember that thing you had so long ago when you played arcade games? You know, actual skill? Yeah, you're going to need some of that. The good news is, The save points appear more often than the game than the original, have free life when you save (once) and you get a tiny bit of life back after each wave of defeated enemies. Items: So far the items appear to be the same ones from the original, with contextual ones popping up. Overall, and so far, if you like Ninjas, Martial Arts and slicing an dicing even remotely, and if you want a challenge that requires skill, then I recommend Ninja Gaiden 2. More on the game later, but for now: Verdict: Two Shinai Up. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

06-06-2008, 03:40 PM	#2
Heessduernbub Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 410 Senior Member	Verdict: You gotta get out more. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
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06-06-2008, 03:41 PM	#3
JackieC Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 416 Senior Member	I also bought the game yesterday, but I'm holding off on any sort of impressions until I get further in the game since I'm only partway through level 3. I've thought about getting all 1000 achievement points for the hell of it so we'll see. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

06-06-2008, 03:45 PM	#4
Dweplyododo Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 539 Senior Member	You gotta get out more. But then who will save the world? Indeed. Who will ......save the world.... *Why won't someone think of the children!!!??* (Sob) Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

06-06-2008, 03:56 PM	#5
Faungarne Join Date Nov 2005 Posts 416 Senior Member	Just like the original X-Box title, the females in this one are, shall we say, amply bosomed. Two Shinai Up. Sounds like a Playboy movie review... Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

06-06-2008, 04:26 PM	#6
Sotmoigma Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 403 Senior Member	You gotta get out more. Please god no, don't encourage him to go out in public! This is what happened the last time Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

06-06-2008, 04:51 PM	#7
Kolokireo Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 676 Senior Member	Please god no, don't encourage him to go out in public! This is what happened the last time They smoked squirrels?!? Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

06-06-2008, 07:22 PM	#8
Qdcqxffs Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 472 Senior Member	They smoked squirrels?!? Yummy! . . . .. . . Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

06-06-2008, 07:38 PM	#9
TudareWQT Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 405 Senior Member	Here I thought you were talking abuot the game for NES, which of course is the bomb, but instead I find shit about moon staffs and spider ninjas. Give me 8-bit sprites please. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

06-07-2008, 06:52 AM	#10
Sierabiera Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 499 Senior Member	Please god no, don't encourage him to go out in public! This is what happened the last time Wasn't my fault. I was provoked. They pushed me down and took away my apple juice. Here I thought you were talking abuot the game for NES, which of course is the bomb, but instead I find shit about moon staffs and spider ninjas. Give me 8-bit sprites please. Actually, the original Ninja Gaiden for Xbox comes with the NES NG trilogy as an unlock-able feature. Hmmm.. Perhaps I DO need to get out more. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

06-07-2008, 07:01 AM	#11
chinesemedicine Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 506 Senior Member	Thanks for the detailed review Kenzan, looks like I'll be cursing a lot more than playing COD4 multiplayers... Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

06-10-2008, 06:07 AM	#12
icerrelmCam Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 467 Senior Member	Anyone plays Tenshu ? I have the PSP version, but in japanese, and I don't understand the scoreboard, I always get a negative score... Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

06-20-2008, 11:59 AM	#13
beth Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 334 Senior Member	Welp! Finally finished the game this past weekend. What a blast! It took pretty much everything I had to finish it on the easiest setting, and there are 4 more difficultly levels. The last chapter and final boss(es) will absolutely knock your socks off. Overall rating: 8.5 If anyone has questions on how to pass certain levels or Bosses, shoot me a PM or post it here. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

06-20-2008, 06:31 PM	#14
auctionlover Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 377 Senior Member	arent we a little too ... ehmm... "senior" for action and bloddy video games?? Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

06-20-2008, 06:52 PM	#15
CializCialiscsqw Join Date Nov 2005 Posts 395 Senior Member	Actually, the original Ninja Gaiden for Xbox comes with the NES NG trilogy as an unlock-able feature. Nesticle and a folder full of NES ROMs. Time to get my swerve on. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

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06-21-2008, 02:42 AM	#16
BrifsGefel Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 302 Senior Member	arent we a little too ... ehmm... "senior" for action and bloddy video games?? not as long as I got any feeling left in my thumbs ... Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
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06-21-2008, 03:42 AM	#17
paydayloanfasters Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 299 Senior Member	This seems appropriate. Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
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06-21-2008, 04:06 AM	#18
Cvo1iRT0 Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 378 Senior Member	This seems appropriate. I managed to put 36 hours of Mass Effect (PC version) between saturday noon and monday not so very early. It's been a while since I went on a gaming run, it's probably some compensation after the last two weeks of coding spree. hey guys, Mass Effect is AWESOME! Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

06-21-2008, 04:11 AM	#19
Paybeskf Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 509 Senior Member	ooooh ! I'm sold ! Maybe I have to buy a game before fallout 3 after all ! Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
	Quote

06-21-2008, 04:49 AM	#20
sessoorale Join Date Oct 2005 Posts 463 Senior Member	ooooh ! I'm sold ! Maybe I have to buy a game before fallout 3 after all ! Play Mass Effect. After that, Baldur's gate sucks, Knights of the old republic sucks, Oblivion sucks (but that isn't new). Only The Witcher and Planescape: Torment might give some competition. Beware! Their fucking protection is the shittiest thing you can "dream" of. Make sure you got a working internet connexion and be ready to bring you firewall down to let Securom call home. If you can't, like me, make sure to get a working crack, or you won't play. There are some good ones at The Pirate Bay. EDIT: Oh, and it's like Norton in a way: when you uninstall the game, Securom let a lot of small bits of itself everywhere in your registry and your Document And Settings folder. Make sure to kill it, I used Regcleaner to hunt the thing. Second EDIT: the French translation is lightyears from everything that has been done before. It's the first time I enjoyed more a game in french than in english Bioware is the best RPG maker, EA is the worst game saler. The reaction on Penny Arcade Share Share this post on Digg Del.icio.us Technorati Twitter
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