No other action game can perform to this degree of bloodshed.
When Ninja Gaiden made its debut to the Xbox in 2004, it established itself as an instant classic. The explosive, bloody action, engaging story and punishing difficulty made it a must play game. So obviously, the bar has been set high for Ninja Gaiden II, the much anticipated sequel. While Ninja Gaiden II offers some improvements to the gameplay, the overall experience doesn't have the "instant classic" feel that as its predecessor carried. Nonetheless, Ninja Gaiden II is a superb game, and one of the finest action experiences out there. Not to mention, it's fun for the whole family...
...Ok, not really. Those who have followed the Ninja Gaiden series know that this is a gruesome game, and Ninja Gaiden II is probably the bloodiest of the bunch. You play Ryu Hayabusa, a ruthless ninja with a lot of bones to pick with the Black Spider Ninja Clan. In this installment, however, the premise is all over the place, and you don't know whether you're after the Black Spider Ninja Clan or the CIA. The story revolves around the resurrection of the "archfiend," and we're given little to no information on what the hell the archfiend is. To say that this game has a bad story would be an understatement; it almost has no story at all. The whole plot begins to fall apart after the second chapter, when we see Volf, the main antagonist (we don't really know who he's associated with), on top of the statue of liberty flinging bolts of lightning into the air. So if you're looking for the immersing plot that Ninja Gaiden had, you will probably be disappointed.
Obviously, Ninja Gaiden II isn't big on story, but it sure is grand on action. The combat in this installment is deeper and more visceral than the last, due to the various weapons, new moves, and spectacular fatalities. Fairly early in the game, you can select a few alternative weapons to the dragon sword, the first two being the lunar staff and the dragon talons. They both have their own advantages and situational benefits; the staff is great for swathing through the ankles of multiple foes, while the talons can eviscerate an enemy into oblivion. There are 8 total weapons in the game, and each are worth using.
And, as I mentioned earlier, there are dozens of new moves available, most notably the fatality moves. You need to punch in combos in order to perform them, and they are of great visual and practical reward. Depending on the weapon, you can decapitate your enemy, dash their brains out onto the wall, bring them to their knees and lunge your weapon into their head, and many more. These fatalities are new to the Ninja Gaiden series, and are definitely a welcome addition because they make the combat deeper and discourage button mashing. It's one aspect of the game that increases its longevity, because after playing it for 10 hours by now, I still have the proverbial "Oh snap!" moment each time I perform a fatality.
Visually speaking, Ninja Gaiden II looks fantastic and has a fluid frame rate to back it up. However, the environments are not so great looking. The sadistically pleasing animations and slick enemy appearances are great, but whenever I walk through an area, it feels like I'm walking through a stripped down multi player map for some FPS game. For example, the office building in the second chapter. The only colour I really see is gray, and the walls don't seem to have any texture. The environments as a whole feel static and uninspired, and I wish that the developers spent more time on them. And yes, the horrid camera that plagued Ninja Gaiden is back. You do get a "Reset Camera" button (right trigger) that places the camera back behind Ryu, but it still doesn't help the fact that on occasion, you can't distinguish yourself from your enemies in the thick of battle, leaving you at a major disadvantage.
Aurally, Ninja Gaiden II offers some downright cool sound effects to the table. Yet still, the voice acting is quite bad, and it definitely doesn't help the already abysmal "story" progress -- so keep the subtitles on and your mute button handy if you wish during the cut scenes. The music is quite fitting with the fluid ninja action, even though it tends to get repetitive and lost within the sounds of blades swinging and brains splattering.
Ninja Gaiden II's campaign comes in at a solid 15 hours, and you'll probably want to replay it at the higher difficulty level. But be forewarned; Ninja Gaiden was notorious for its masochistic level of difficulty even on normal, and Ninja Gaiden II is no different. Not only is the difficulty extremely difficult, but it tends to get imbalanced and cheap. Take the boss of Chapter II, for instance. He pretty much dodges every attack you throw at him, and the only way to defeat him without using every single disposable item is to manage to get behind him and mash the X button. "But wait! I thought that Ninja Gaiden II discouraged button mashing?" Yes, it does, but for some boss battles like these, its the only way to do it without getting killed within the first 3 seconds, which is quite disappointing. Another thing that will leave you puzzled is that fact that the second boss is a lot harder than the next few. Its quirks like these that make Ninja Gaiden II's campaign not as consistent as it could have been.
I will admit, my disposition towards Ninja Gaiden II according to this review seems pessimistic, but really I am trying to communicate that while it is a game rife with flaws, it is one that is still first in its class. As for the teaser, no, it isn't the revolutionary game that Ninja Gaiden was -- however, that's not to say that it shouldn't be overlooked. Ninja Gaiden II offers some visceral carnage that is like nothing else, and if you can ignore a forgettable story and a few flaws, then you will allow yourself to have an unforgettable, action packed experience.
