Ninja Gaiden II

The original Ninja Gaiden was actually released as a reasonably straightforward arcade game in 1988, before it made the jump to consoles on the Nintendo Entertainment System (NES) later that same year. It immediately gained a reputation as a fiercely difficult action and platforming game which also showcased the first use of cinematic cut scenes to tell a story on a console.

With time a lot has changed across Ninja Gaiden’s many iterations; the stories make even less sense; platforming has become a shadow of its former self; the game has become a noted graphical and animation showcase; and combat has evolved into arguably the finest engine the industry has ever seen.

The only thing that hasn't changed all that much is Ninja Gaiden's difficulty. And whilst immensely rewarding to those who succeed, it seems appropriate given lead game designer Tomonobu Itagaki's "unique" comments on the matter, to not just say that Ninja Gaiden 2 is hard... But ladies and gents, it's f...ing brutal!

Silicon, Sadists and S&M?!

Stories in Ninja Gaiden are almost always throwaways and in Ninja Gaiden 2 it’s no different. Cut scenes are best watched after a couple of “tasty” beverages and a belief that they are satires of bad B-grade action flicks, with laughable dialogue and even funnier voice acting. Although, if you have an Itagaki-like penchant for gravity defying breasts, scantily clad women, a host of pontificating demons, lots of tight leather and a particular fetish for a naked woman bathing in blood, you just might find something you like.

For everyone else, all you really need to know is you play as Ryu Hayabusa, a bad ass ninja of the Dragon Ninja Clan who’s trying to save the world and his clan from the Black Spider Ninja Clan and their attempts to resurrect the Archfiend. The saving grace is that the cut scenes don’t last long, and merely give a player’s thumbs a break before he continues on a globetrotting adventure full of ninjas, demons, robots and all kinds of other wonderfully concocted enemies to annihilate… or be annihilated by.

A Bloody Ballet.

As constant as the atrocious narratives, are the exceptional gameplay and fluid animations. The combat engine in Ninja Gaiden 2 is quite simply unparalleled and Itagaki and Team Ninja have truly outdone themselves here. The platforming, whilst enjoyable, has largely been dropped in favour of a far more linear and focused arena style combat that is infinitely faster than its predecessor.

Built on the foundations of the sublime Ninja Gaiden Black, Itagaki and his team have layered even more depth into a deceptively simple control scheme. X is light attack, Y is heavy attack, B is for projectiles, A is jump and the Left Trigger is block. For the uninitiated such controls may appear to share the simplicity of the God of War and Devil May Cry franchises.

But the reality is the difference in gameplay is so vast that it seems unfair to simply write Ninja Gaiden 2 off as another hack and slash, albeit of high quality. Where the aforementioned games often reward button mashing and are forgiving of player mistakes, Ninja Gaiden 2 not only actively penalises button mashing and mistakes but it encourages player’s to use a dynamic skill set of patience, speed, precision and timing. The controls are incredibly responsive and intuitive, movement is fluid and combat is a fast and breathtaking spectacle that has never been better.

What is truly awe inspiring, however, are the additions of bloody amputations, obliteration techniques, new weapons and far more brutal ultimate techniques. Where other games in the genre may have added such as pretty but inherently superficial gameplay, Ninja Gaiden 2 not only makes them gorgeous to look at, but more importantly core gameplay mechanics.

Amputated enemies are much more dangerous than their fully limbed friends, their attack patterns change and they will even crawl amongst the battle debris just to slam an explosive or weapon through your chest. Thankfully they are also more vulnerable and the new obliteration techniques allow the more observant of players to quickly dissect these amputee kamikazes with swift and gruesome executions.

The half-dozen weapons add considerable strategy and variety compared to earlier games. They are much more diverse in strengths and weaknesses and all handle uniquely, increasing the tactical considerations for any given challenge. For example the Dragon Sword is deadly but is not the best defence particularly after attacks; the Falcon’s Talons efficiently dismember and defend but are only useful at close range and on fleshier enemies; and then there is the Lunar Staff which will not slice but rather pummel flesh relentlessly until it is falls off in indiscriminate chunks.

The ultimate techniques have been enhanced to showcase this increase in variety, and provide an effective risk and reward incentive for players who wish to risk being momentarily defenceless to attacks in the pursuit of building significant free flowing combos that attack multiple enemies. Projectiles on the other hand haven’t seen much of a change, but they are as effective as ever at holding enemies off, taking out long range threats and building that all important combo meter.

Ryu and that Achilles heel.

Stylistically Ninja Gaiden 2 shares a lot with the climactic battle scene towards the end of episode one of the seminal Kill Bill films. Ryu, just like Uma Thurman’s Bride, is a man surrounded by a thousand enemies whom with style and grace swiftly dismembers his opponents in a viscerally beautiful and gory dance. But where Tarantino feared the blood was too much for Western audiences and hence turned on a black and white filter, Itagaki clearly has no such concerns and lets the blood flow freely like that of a raging torrent. Blood splatter, limbs and the occasionally intact body, go flying across the screen with ferocious intensity and pace.

It really is a sight, and sound, to behold and will likely have friends that are watching you play full of guffaws and drooped jaws. It is easily the goriest and bloodiest game I’ve ever played, but it’s clear that Australian censors recognized that unlike Ninja Gaiden Black, which was banned in Australia because of its nasty decapitations, the violence here is much more stylised and is an essential mechanic of gameplay.

However, outside of the stunning cinematic combat, stylised gore and imaginatively designed enemies it’s the technical aspects of Ninja Gaiden 2 that really hold it back from greater things. Levels are largely uninspired, firmly linear and don’t look all that much better than previous versions beyond the HD polish (New York being the worst offender).

There is substantial clipping and slowdown, even on an SDTV. And whilst perhaps forgivable for lesser games, it is a wonder how a AAA title from Microsoft could be allowed to pass certification with such unsightly flaws. In fact go download the demo and watch what happens when you get blood splatter on a door and then open it. The blood doesn’t move and remains stuck to an invisible wall where the door used to be. Sure it’s a minor bug, but it can kill player immersion and gives the impression that the title was rushed through the door to make a street date.

But, my biggest criticism is one that any Ninja Gaiden fan is familiar with. Despite the game’s difficulty and extremely demanding boss fights, the greatest single enemy a player will face is the camera. It was the key thorn in gamer’s sides when Ninja Gaiden was first released in 2004, and inexplicably nothing has changed. Which when you take into account the much faster combat present here, the camera can at times appear to be a hell of a lot worse.

Admittedly I’m partial to the belief that this is part of Itagaki’s sadistic nature and may well be a deliberate effort to artificially inflate the difficulty as well as increase player tension about the things they cannot see and provide a more cinematic framing of the action. But when you get killed by an enemy off screen, have no idea where the boss is, or realise that suddenly you have no free camera control whilst underwater, it’s unlikely you’ll feel this enhances gameplay.

As much as God of War could learn from Ninja Gaiden’s combat engine, Itagaki could learn just as much of how to take control of cameras in third person. As it is you will battle the camera much like the onscreen foes, shifting position and using your thumbsticks for the best advantage.

Hardcore for Casuals?

During development Team Ninja were particularly vocal about numerous additions implemented to encourage less hardcore players to have a go at Ninja Gaiden 2, but the reality is that whilst they’ve added increased save points and health regeneration, the core gameplay remains the same. In fact on the lowest difficulty setting of Acolyte even veterans will experience the frustration of numerous deaths.

But perhaps what will overwhelm many newcomers is the lack of any thorough tutorial. As soon as the opening cut scene is finished, the player is thrown straight into a world only intent on killing them, where the only mantra is practice makes perfect. The problem is no-one tells the new guys that, and the addition of a dojo to practice moves in would have been a welcome practical and aesthetic touch for the casual and hardcore alike.

Enemy AI is immediately intimidating and relentless, they don’t hesitate to attack, and just because you’re fighting one enemy does not mean others will hesitate to attack you whilst you’ve got your hands full. And whilst the difficulty is less consistent than Ninja Gaiden Black, with some later levels surprisingly easier than earlier ones, it has clearly been turned up a notch for the next generation of masochistic gamers.

In addition to Acolyte there are three other difficulties, but to unlock two of them you must complete the game on Warrior, which makes Call of Duty on Veteran and Gears of War on Insane look like relative child’s play. The highest difficulty, Master Ninja, personifies the game’s attitude towards players.

It is no doubt sadistic in its hunger to beat you into the ground time and time again, but it is rarely cheap or down to bad luck. The game is simply telling you you’re not good enough yet and until you as a player learn the patience, skill, precision and timing necessary to succeed, it will continue to remind you.

Understandably, many gamers do not have the patience for such, but those who invest the time will quickly realise this is the decidedly old school reasoning for playing Ninja Gaiden 2. You play it, to beat it. Not for the story, or for the pretty graphics, or as a light entertainment alternative to seeing a romantic comedy with your girlfriend on “Tight-arse Tuesday”.

You buy it so you can get to the end, tell yourself how good you are, upload your combat films and scores to Live, and then turn around and call everybody else who’s failed “noobs”. It’s that simple. And it’s also why the game is so addictive and retains such replay value. Whilst the levels of frustration could be dangerous to those with weak hearts, the feeling of achievement and reward is simply unparalleled by any game this generation.

A Flawed Gem

Ninja Gaiden 2 takes everything from the genre defining Ninja Gaiden Black of 2005 and covers it in a next-gen smattering of speed, precision and lots and lots of blood. Unfortunately, when I say everything that means everything and whilst at a gameplay level it is the closest to perfection yet seen, it is let down considerably by an unhelpful camera, uninspired level design, and inexplicable technical issues for a AAA title published by Microsoft.

So as much as I loved the near flawless gameplay, in the end it’s hard not to feel that if Team Ninja had put as much effort into the camera, story and technical issues that it did with the combat and gore, this game would not only be great but quite possibly a genre-defining masterpiece.

Whilst an acquired taste, I’d still recommend all action fans give Ninja Gaiden 2 a spin. It is a rarity to play such a challenging and rewarding game in this age of “entertainment” and should be treasured as such, particularly in light of recent events that may deem this quite possibly the last we see of the Ninja Gaiden franchise.