Ninja Gaiden 2 - An Intense Fast Paced Action Game
Graphics:
The graphics in this game are ok in some areas and bad in others. Lets get one thing straight, there is LOTS of blood in this game. Every time someone dies, there is blood. You kill a LOT of people... Now thats overwith, Ryu looks great and you will see blood on your weapons from enemies that you killed. Some of the environments look great, while others not so much. You will also notice random specs of blood floating in the air. While this isn't anything to major it makes you wonder why they couldn't have spent a little longer polishing graphics up. Overall the graphics are better than some games but not better than gears of war or call of duty 4.
Gameplay:
This is where the game shines. It is an intense fast paced action game. You have several different weapons that you will acquire through out the game. You start out with a basic sword and eventually you can earn other weapons such as double swords, scythe, blade talons, etc. You also have a selection of ranged weapons, such as bow and arrow, throwing knives, ninja blades, etc. You will also acquire new "spells". You get new ones as the game goes on. You can also upgrade both your weapons and your spells. You get yellow orbs and throughout the game you will find shops to upgrade your weapons, while you will find items to upgrade your spells. The further you get into the game the more powerful you get, which feels great. The AI is pretty good as well. Sometimes it almosts feels cheap the way some of the enemies attack because it isn't fair and can almost be impossible to block some things. The combo system works great. Hit Y for powerful attack, X for a weaker attack. And you can also do combos. Have your enemy's arm cut off? Hit Y to perform a finishing move! There are also some parts where you could be confused where to go, kind of like a puzzle. This could be a little frustrating, but most of the game is straight forward.
Difficulty:
Ninja Gaiden games have always been challenging, and this one is not different. This game can be very frustrating. If you dont want a challenging game where you will die over and over, then don't get this game! Thankfully after each battle you replenish health. But you do have some wounds that cannot be healed. There are also healing items that can be picked up and used throughout the game to heal your wounds that were auto healed. Save points are also a relief incase you do die.
Story:
I dont even really think there is a story to it. The game attempts to add one but its so jumpy and just all over the place that you don't know and probably dont care about the story. If you get this game it will be for the gameplay, not the story.
Sound:
Every weapon has its unique sound whenever you kill your enemies. Also the sound of whenever you cast your spells sounds pretty cool. Cut scenes voice acting is done decently as well.
Overall:
I gave Ninja Gaiden 2 an 8.5/10. The main reason it got this score is because the gameplay is done so well. Even though some things set this game back it is still a great game. It is probably the best action game on the xbox 360. Replayability could be high if you wanted to try and replay the game at a higher difficulty. There will probably be DLC in the future which will also increase the replayability. If you're a fan of Ninjas, Action, or even a challenge you should definitly check this game out.