Review: Ninja Gaiden II - now with added gore

Mike Bantick
Saturday, 21 June 2008 11:51

Opinion and Analysis

It is debatable whether Ninja's are cooler than Pirates, or Monkeys, or Pirate Monkeys, but in Ninja Gaiden II the Ninja is indeed king.  If you can follow the on screen action and blood letting in any tangible way then your are well on your way to mastering the unrelenting pace of this Xbox 360 exclusive.

In many ways, comparing Ninja style games, Ninja Reflex on the Nintendo Wii, Devil May Cry 4 on the PS3 and this exclusive Xbox 360 offering sums up the current state of play in the console gaming world.

Ninja Gaiden II
	Developer	TECMO/Team Ninja
	Publisher	Microsoft
	Rating	MA 15+
Xbox 360

In short DMC4 and Ninja Gaiden II show a level of progression from the previous generation of consoles not comparable on the Wii.  It stamps the fact that the Xbox 360 and PS3 are direct competitors for the more visceral gaming dollar.

NGII picks up a game style almost directly from its Xbox based predecessor.  Once again the player takes control of Ryu Hayabusa as he defends the family clan from the rise of the old enemy the Black Spider Clan.

The story of NGII is somewhat superfluous as you chase Black Spider Clan associate Elizabet (who needs to get out in the sun more) from one exotic location to the next.  Her aim is to raise the four Greater Fiends with an ultimate idea to resurrect the Archfiend itself.  

I am sure she has her reasons, but it doesn't really matter as the sole purpose of the story is to drag Ryu through jungles, under Venice and an associated Gothic castle(!), through, under and over the streets of New York and more.