Well it’s about damn time Tecmo. Do you know how long I’ve been waiting for this friggin’ game?! Well, about as long as everyone else I suppose. But still.

Anyways.

Let’s start off with the superficial things first. Graphically this game is an obvious step up from the last generation but it still has that last-gen feel to the models. I’m not saying that the game doesn’t look great. It does. It just seems to me that the game was designed for the Xbox originally and then was ported over and dressed up for the current 360 standard. Like you can almost see the last-gen layer just beneath. I do have to say the new blood and gore effects look awesome – you almost feel sorry for the poor bastards that fall under your blade. But not really.

“Wow man. I took your arm completely off there didn’t I? Oh wait, you still have one good arm left to come at me with eh? Well I’ll just get that one too then…there we go. Your life is gonna suck for 3 seconds. Aaaand your dead.”I think I enjoy that a little too much. Oh well. The flashy nature of the weapons and their movements are outstanding I must say. Ryu really needed a scythe and bladed boots…they’re great and fun to use. Of course the game is more than just a lot of fancy new weapons. But damn do they help.

I have to say that the one area I was really disappointed in was the lack of detail and polish in the backgrounds. They look almost as good as you would have expected. Almost, but not better. Which is a little disappointing considering the extra processing power they were working with. We’re not cavemen people. Adding more lights and shiny things won’t distract us from lackluster visuals. Well, it might distract some of us. That’s sad for them.

I’ve always thought that the sound effects and music were some of the best things about the XBOX Ninja Gaiden. And although there haven’t been any huge leaps in the sequel (you really won’t notice unless you have 5.1 surround), the old tricks have the same complimentary effects on the gameplay – they fit together perfectly. The voice acting is also spot-on (if not occasionally hokey and overly serious – but that’s half the fun isn’t it). I suppose these are examples for the longevity of Team Ninjas skills. So the audio works well even if it is rehashed. But I doubt anyone will really notice. So screw it.

And now on to the meat-and-potatoes of this whole thing: Gameplay. This is where the game both shines and stumbles. The controls of the first Ninja Gaiden is what made it great. And this time around it’s no different. As usual the combat is fast and visceral. Before you know it you’ll be racking up massive combos (I’m up to 231 hits by the way) and lopping off the extremities of your foes while their comrades watch in horror. No other game out there makes you feel as big of a badass as Ninja Gaiden. And I love that fact.

Did I mention they’ve put a save point at the beginning of nearly all of the boss battles? That means no more trudging through five to ten minutes of backtracking. Did I mention that? No? Well they did and it’s exactly what the game needed. So there.

However what the game doesn’t need is the camera. That godforsaken camera. For the life of me I don’t know how it got out of the beta testing – or how it got that far even. I would have though we have gotten past this point. At least in high-profile games. If I’m fighting seven guys and the camera decides to pan into another room for no reason that’s simply unacceptable. If the camera goes wonky and I can’t see the guys as they begin disemboweling me that’s simply unacceptable. And it happens throughout the whole game causing repeated cheap deaths. Things tend to get worse towards the middle of the game – but seem to ease up towards the end. Figure that shit out. A little trouble and a few camera glitches are OK. But when it affects the gameplay – that’s where the line is drawn.

The sad thing is there are people who are going to read this and thinks I’m shitting all over this game. I’m not. This is a great game. I just believe that when developers seem to put in less effort into such an established franchise the opportunity for greatness is missed. A months delay can make an immense difference and I believe it’s time that should have been taken. But maybe it’s just me.

So all that not withstanding I still very much recommend Ninja Gaiden II for a purchase. The story moves along at an exciting pace and keeps you interested while the combat is entertaining and addictive. It may not the ground breaking app that its predecessor was – but you would do well to pick it up. So pick it up.

Overall: 8 of 10

By the way feel free to post your highest combos. We’d love to see them.

Durka!

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