Packs a punch you'll remember.
After adoring the first Ninja Gaiden, along with NInja Gaiden Black, the next instalment became my most anticipated game in years. After I finally got my hands on it, I played it relishingly, and finished it contemplating: is this as good as the first one was? This is a question I'm sure many players come reading reviews to ask, and most reviewers will say that it isn't, but all reviews don't really put it into words why it isn't, at least not as well as they should have. I have done my best to explain what the reviews couldn't.
Just to get this off first, I honestly think this game would've scored higher across all sites if this was the first in the franchise, not a sequel. No doubt at all. It's the pleb's expectations that start to take what this spectacular game offers for granted.
Make no mistake, this is a FANTASTIC game that will offer you a hack & slash quality action with the depth of a fighting game, which is more engaging and more fun than anything else you've ever played. But most of you are probably more concerned about its curious comparison to the first.
In short, the game SO VERY NEARLY closely matches the overall experience of the first game, but doesn't quite get that extra half star that the first game would've recieved on this site's rating system. It's just missing that little extra something. Trying to figure out what that is, exactly, is a problem.
First, I'll tell you why this game is good rather than why it isn't. Now this game is all about the combat, and its combat system is one all developers should be scrambling to take notes from, as I have never encountered such an action game that has a combat system that is so deep, engaging, challenging, fun and (my favourite) has an unprecedented animation level that just makes the whole thing look cooler than you could imagine. Remember that these are the guys who make the Dead or Alive games, so this is what gives the depth of a fighting game in Ninja Gaiden, but also, Itagaki has stated clearly that he is passionate about the animation aspect of games and making the game look as cool as possible. It's these two things that make the fighting system as great, and as fun, as it damn well is. You're on a full-on 'super-ninja', and the moves and action choreography that Ryu pulls off is beyond anything you could conjure up in your imagination. With more tweaks, new weapons, new Ultimate Techniques (charge-up combo-extravaganzas) and the introduction of the endlessly fun and cool Obliteration Techniques (awesome-looking context-specific finishing moves), the combat system is without a doubt better than the first Ninja Gaiden.
This time round we get a weapon tally of 8. Eight weapons, each of them actually different (unlike the first game), and each one special and effective in it's own unique way. Not only do you have the previous trusty Dragon Sword, Lunar (now revamped for extra-coolness) and Vigoorian Flails (this now has some absolutely insane moves), but we get the Dragon's Claw & Tiger's Fang from Sigma (dual swords), the Eclipse Scythe, Tonfas, Kusari-gama and Falcon Talons. These new weapons are inventive and are iterated and implemented flawlessly for the Ninja Gaiden combat system. The Tonfas are fun, powerful and look smashing in action (never thought these would be as great as they are), the Kusari-gama is ideal for overwhelming numbers and has an array of it's own throwing moves (this what makes it unique and keeps you coming back to use it), and the Falcon Talons have some truly over the top and lethal moves, whilst letting you do what you've always wanted to do: let you fight and feel like Wolverine.
Different enemies will require different tactics and there is always a specific weapon fit for the job. If one doesn't seem to work, try another, and the game will let you do it effortlessly with it's new quick-menu on the D-pad. You'll want to upgrade and experience what each and every weapon has to offer, and, as a result, there truly isn't any weapon that you'll feel is redundant.
Like I said, it's all about the combat. Now onto some analysis.
Being all about the combat, there's little room for other things like the story. The story for this is pretty much as ridiculous and as over-the-top as possible, and it's basically an excuse for Ryu to go and fight in many exotic locations in his pursuit across the world. It goes right along with Itagaki's philosophy: 'that place looks cool, I wanna fight there.' Many of the locations you could see fitting right into a Dead or Alive arena, and how Ryu gets to these places is often loosely explained. But are we supposed to care? No. 'He's a ninja, dammit, what else do you need to know?' For the most part, this works well for the game and indeed you'll get to fight in some interesting and imaginative places, but the over-the-topness of it all somewhat detracts from the overall experience.
The story is a notch down from the first, and although we know (and it is quite obvious) that the developers did not want to focus on the story at all and rather the gameplay, as that is what games should be about, it will leave few players still just a little extra teeny-weeny bit detached from the game. Sometimes, players need that story to engage and respect the game just on that little extra level, and so the story can end up affecting the overall experience and engagement with the game, whether the developers intended it to or not. This is what can sometimes separates a great game, from a truly superb game.
There has also been a retraction of puzzle and adventure gameplay elements in this sequel. I myself rather enjoyed the original's occasional exploration and puzzle solving sections; it really helped to separate the action and create a sense of pacing - something which can be utilised by developers to create truly outstanding games and experiences. With very little puzzle elements in Ninja Gaiden 2, the constant non-stop action can sometimes make the player appreciate the overall action itself just a little less than they should. Pacing - just a little break from the action every now and then - is what can make a gaming experience more wholly appreciated, longer-lasting and worthwhile.
The previous Ninja Gaiden had these two factors to a better extent: the puzzle elements were there, and the story, even though it wasn't very special, still held the game together a bit more. Running around throughout the game in places that were still somehow connected to this large and centralised city, made the experience much more...fresh....and original. These things are what make that difference in experience between Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden 2.
Ryu's ridiculous adventure around the world in Ninja Gaiden 2 is indeed quite an adventure, and the hack & slash experience is still the definitive one for the Xbox 360 console, and even it's genre.
The context-sensitive finishing moves, called Obliteration Techniques, are a great addition to the game. Once you chop off a limb from an enemy, he is susceptible to this technique, and it's something you'll want to do often, even more so when these disadvantaged enemies will try to take you out with them in a devastating suicide attack. Whether you've cut off the enemy's right arm, left arm, right leg or left leg, Ryu will do a different obliteration animation on one enemy depending if he is also standing in front, behind or if the enemy is down on the ground. You can imagine that there's a lot of possibilities and combinations for obliteration animations across ALL EIGHT weapons, and they're all there. Hell, even I haven't seen all of them quite yet. The fact that most of the bosses have their own individual finishing moves, each again depending on the weapon utilised, will keep you coming back wanting to see how Ryu finishes off all the different bosses in new ways.
Yes, some of you may find problems with the game's camera (it actually isn't that big of a deal as most reviewers say it is), sometimes the environments aren't as pretty as they should be, and sometimes the game goes into *slow mo* on some very rare occasions throughout the game when the environments and action just get a little too big for the console to handle (which occasionally actually looks pretty cool; you can appreciate the choreography).
But the game gives you much much more. The new health system may sound like the game has been made a bit easier, but trust me, as a veteran of the first, it certainly doesn't feel like it. The balance between combat, the amount of potions you can carry, and an array of other things actually let the new health system compliment the game's mechanics and combat. The combat is spectacular. The game is animated with unrivalled finesse. You're not going to find most of these weapons in any other game. You're not going to have as much fun killing ninjas and monsters. You're not going to find an action game experience as challenging, as fun, and as different, as Ninja Gaiden.
Lastly, many of you might wonder 'what will the next game be like?' At this point, the answer is simply 'who knows.' Itagaki said this game was his 'swang-song', and he wasn't going to continue the franchise. This made more sense when he left the company and turned to sue Tecmo. Which is good, and also potentially bad.
It's good because now all us fans will get to see future ninja gaiden games, in all their glory, as Tecmo has officially stated that they would be continuing the franchise.
It's bad because, without Itagaki's prominent influence, will the game ever be quite the same? Will it descend into mediocre, or will the team still retain what makes this spectacular franchise what it is? And hell, will it take flight and become better than anyone could've imagined with Itagaki gone, and a new director at the helm?
Hope for the best, gentlemen, hope for the best. Meanwhile, grab and relish the current Ninja Gaiden experience, while it's still truly here.
