Ninja Gaiden II ( 6.5 out of 10 ) ...

June 30 , 2008 ... Review by Chad

It pains me to give this game the score that I’m about to give it. This score does not a bad game make, but…it doesn’t a great game make either. And believe you me, when I scored this game, I had to go back to my previous reviews just to eliminate any type of bias I might have, or love for ninjas.

Before you’re entirely turned off to this game, let me remind you that it’s not a bad game at all. It’s a good game, but when its predecessor outshines it by leaps and bounds, there’s a problem. The original game had more weapons, SMOOTHER controls (which I have to capitalize because there’s no excuse for that), a more forgivable camera, and even had better level design.

So what’s left with this game that even makes it worth picking up? I’m glad you asked. First, it’s a violent game, and it knows its audience is all about gruesome fatalities. The game adds Obliteration Techniques that allow you to simply hit “Y” on your controller to cinematically waste a nearby dismembered foe. It never gets old. In fact, one of the reasons you’ll find yourself doing it is because it makes Ryu invulnerable for the time he’s executing the fatality. Along the same lines, the ninpo in this game still grants you invulnerability. That’s really the only reason that you use it though. The fact that it can sometimes kill enemies is just a nice bonus if you ask me. Whenever I was in a jam I would use a ninpo and give myself some space…sometimes I’d kill an enemy.

The game also adds an automatic health regenerator that I wasn’t so sure about when I first started playing. Through the game I began to like it, but after I beat the game and tried the newly opened Path of the Mentor (I had originally beat the game on Path of the Warrior), I realized that it was just an excuse to kick my ass even harder, and make it a lot easier for me to take damage. In the first game, I always felt like there was an actual way to get through any situation, but after trying the newer difficulty in the sequel, I realized that a Master Ninja in Ninja Gaiden 1, does not equal a Master Ninja in Ninja Gaiden 2. And the reason for that is due to the health recovery system, clunky controls, bad camera, and the fact that this game was probably rushed out of Tecmo’s doors the same time Itagaki rushed out those same doors.

Yet another disappointment in the game is the soundtrack. I was a huge fan of the Ninja Gaiden 1 soundtrack, and this bears little resemblance to it. Not a single track in the game is memorable, but when you’re actually in battle, the music is fitting, so not all is lost.

The final thing that I feel I have to gripe about in this game is the balance of the boss fights. Most of the bosses in the game are incredibly easy, but then there’s a boss every once in a while that will pound you to a bloody pulp with no mercy. The only boss in the game that seemed to have a decent balance was the final boss.

Even though it has its flaws, the game is worth a play-through at least once. The story is laughable, but the action in the game is great once you get a few chapters in. After a certain boss battle, you’ll pick up a weapon called the Eclipse Scythe, and you’ll never let go of it. Only with that weapon, does the game even seem beatable. The issue is getting to the point in the game where you can get the weapon (it’s about five hours in). The Dragon Sword is nice and all, but it’s not nearly the panacea it was in the previous game. So with all of this in mind, rent the game, or download the demo, but don’t go out and buy it because you loved the first one so much. There are better action games that came out within the last year.

6.5/10

Completion Time – About 12 hours the first time through

Achievement Information – You get about 600-700 of the achievement points by just playing through the game.

Ninja Gaiden II At A Glance
	6.5	The Good	It’s Ninja Gaiden with more weapons, more dismemberment, and blood all over the place.
		The Bad	Feels rushed, controls are clunky, camera is a pain. I can’t imagine beating Master Ninja. Where’s misson mode?
	Decent	The Verdict	If you’re a fan of the series rent it. The original… and DMC4 are both much better though.

 

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