Team Ninja has put a great deal of effort into making Ninja Gaiden II a more accessible experience than the infamously difficult Xbox original, but Itagaki’s latest can still shame you. Take it from someone that dedicated months of their life to mastering the Xbox original, defeated the brutal hurricane packs, and finished the spirit-crushing master ninja mode in Ninja Gaiden Black: this game is downright nasty at times. That’s especially the case if you opt for the tougher Path of the Warrior difficulty setting after having gone more than a year since slicing and dicing with Ryu Hayabusa in the last game. The lingering sting of our wounded pride notwithstanding, Ninja Gaiden II was definitely the most fun playable game at Microsoft’s showcase. At this point there’s little doubt that Ninja Gaiden II will be the best action game on the Xbox 360 upon release.
The Path of the Warrior difficulty setting is intended for those who completed the first Ninja Gaiden and come into the sequel looking for a challenge from the get go. Enemies are powerful and savvy enough to realize it, using their repertoire of techniques effectively and generally in tandem. For those who didn’t complete the game or didn’t touch it at all, Path of the Acolyte offers a milder difficulty curve, facing Ryu against a smaller number of enemies that deal less damage. Don’t call it Ninja Dog mode, though. Itagaki is apparently through laughing at gamers who aren’t as skilled as he is, and the Microsoft reps surrounding him were quick to point out that there was no longer any stigma attached to playing the lower difficulty. Maybe not, but Ninja Gaiden junkies might think twice about going with the Path of the Acolyte, considering their achievements and leaderboard entries will be labeled with the difficulty they played on. Once players have warmed up by beating the game on either of the initially available difficulty levels, they will open up two more that will really test their skills.
The meat of the experience hasn’t changed a great deal. Ryu Hayabsua is still the prototypical ninja badass, armed with superhuman strength and agility, not to mention an arsenal of traditional Japanese weaponry, from swords and staffs to more eclectic items like oversized wolverine-style claws and matching shoes. Blades get an added oomph this time around thanks to the addition of real-time dynamic dismemberment and decapitations, which spice up the combat and look pretty damn cool to boot. Chopping off enemy limbs and finishing off incapacitated enemies with brutal finishing maneuvers is not only insanely satisfying, it racks up the combo meter and rewards you with more essence that can be used to buy new equipment, heal up some lingering wounds, or charge up for ultimate attacks that let you slaughter mobs of enemies at once.
The dissection mechanic offers more than sheer visceral thrills, it also introduces new tactics and makes battles feel much more dynamic. The combat system is still incredibly deep, with tons of different moves associated with each of the weapons, and stringing together moves still feels incredibly fluid. In the previous game, mastery came from learning all of the moves, recognizing how fast and from what angle they hit, and putting that knowledge to use to interrupt enemy attacks and exploit weakness. Dismemberment adds another factor to consider, since the angle and point of impact of the move will determine what limbs, if any, the player removes. Use an attack that sweeps low to remove a leg, or react to a high kick with a high slice to achieve the same result: a crippled enemy crawling toward you out of a pool of their own blood. Taking out specific limbs, say that right arm with the rocket launcher instead of that empty left arm is tricky and requires memorization of Ryu’s movement and rotation coming into and out of each move, but those players that invest the time will be able to efficiently make short work of once-challenging opposition. It’s unbelievably satisfying to plan a course of action on the spot, and then carry it out in all its gory detail in but a few, stylish, blood-drenched seconds of action. It’s the type of finesse that separates Ninja Gaiden from God of War and Devil May Cry.
The version at Microsoft’s showcase also offered a special treat – our first look at the costumes included in one of the three downloadable Fiend costume packs slated to hit in July. Each pack contains one core costume of which there are several color variations. This costume played on the theme of Hayabusa’s hawk namesake, casting his armor in the image of an almost demonic bird of prey. It looked pretty damn cool in action, not only in the default black, but also the red, yellow, and olive/camo variations. Yes, this is basically Horse Armor all over again, but then if the Horse Armor had looked this cool, we wouldn’t have complained in the first place. At 200 Microsoft points per pack, we’re game.
We’ll have final, detailed impressions of the game when the review hits late this month.
