Ninja Gaiden 2

[Cid Highwind]

Ninja Gaiden 2 has been built on a completely new engine that promises to maximize the 360's capabilities. Ninja Gaiden 2 creator Tomonobu Itagaki stated during the demo that there were "10 or 20 features we weren't able to implement" in the Xbox version of Ninja Gaiden. With the 360, many of these mystery features are being added to Ninja Gaiden 2. Itagaki also noted that the game is very far along in development. In fact, there were eight selectable stages in the demo.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Teaser Trailer

Set in a Venetian-like city called "Aqua Castle," the demo has Ryu back in action, clad in the same costume he wore on Xbox. The action is just a touch faster than on Xbox, an amazing feat considering how quickly things moved in Ninja Gaiden Black. From first glance, everything seems very familiar. It's Ryu going apespit on some ninja. If nothing else, the action is considerably more brutal than before. Gloriously so. Ryu decapitates an enemy, then drives his sword into his chest and proceeds to hack him apart.


It appears (from the numerous limbs flying off enemies) that every appendage is now able to be lopped off, creating a mess of body parts littering the battleground. Blood splashes on the ground and the walls like a splatterhouse film. As Ryu battles, blood accumulates on his weapon. Only after a room is cleared will he shake the blood from his blade with one swift swipe.

The demo is really just a sequence of increasingly more difficult skirmishes as Ryu makes his way through the city. But each battle leaves the world more or less in ruin. One battle takes place near some fruit stands. When all is said and done, the stands are in splinters, the fruit smashed. And, of course, there are a whole lot of dead enemies.



Two new weapons make their debut in the demo. First comes the scythe. This oversized weapon would seem like it should offer slow attacks, like Rachel's hammer. Not the case. Ryu cleaves enemies with brilliant speed using this imposing new weapon. The other weapon are a pair of tri-clawed gloves. Yes, that's right, Ryu becomes Wolverine. As you'd expect, the gloves allow for quick attacks that are up close and very personal. Of course, the gloves have almost no range, which will likely prove a disadvantage against some enemies.





After dispatching many nameless ninja, Ryu comes across the military faction, which proved troublesome in the last game. Well, if you found them difficult before, it looks like they will be even tougher in Ninja Gaiden 2. Two military types were shown in the demo. We saw the return of the RPG-toting grunts and the standard submachine gun-carrying foot soldiers. The RPGs appear about as challenging as in the past, but now have a gorgeous smoke plume that rivals Lost Planet for visual awe. It's the foot soldiers that were the most improved. These guys are brutal now and take no mercy on Ryu. Multiple times in the demo, the foot soldier knocked Ryu to the ground and unloaded a full clip into his chest.

To deal with tougher foes, Ryu uses one of his new Ninpo. What is essentially a Tornado Ninpo, the new magic power sweeps up enemies and debris, flinging them around. The tornado also picks up the abandoned limbs on the ground, so arms and heads fly through the air. It's sick. Wonderfully sick.

Selecting weapons and Ninpo should be easier in NG 2. Where you used to have to pause and go to a menu to switch weapons, you can now do so on the fly. It looks like you will use the D-Pad to scroll through Ninpo and weapons. With the action moving as fast as it does in Ninja Gaiden, you probably won't be able to juggle an enemy with one weapon, switch to another and finish them off. But at least you won't have to kill the flow of the game altogether by going to a menu screen to switch weapons between fights.

After finishing off the military contingent, Ryu continues deeper into the city. Two winged demons, easily twice Ryu's size, appear. They are both dead within five seconds. No sooner does the second body fall then we are faced with our first boss battle. There's a rumbling and then the boss appears. It's a large creature just as much spider as it is man. It's hideous and it means business. And that's where the demo ends.



The demo was just a taste of Ninja Gaiden 2. No wall-running or other acrobatic feats were shown. From what was displayed, it appears NG2 won't stray too far from the original's formula -- lots of arena-style combat and larger-than-life boss battles. In many ways it is more of the same. But that's more of the same awesomeness.

Ninja Gaiden 2 ships exclusively for Xbox 360 in 2008.

[Vagamefreak]

Decaps = Very Nice

Blood = Realistic looking


This is a buy.