An excellent, immersive game is marred by some horrible technical decisions.
A solid 90% of my playing time has been spent in awe. All aspects of combat - the movements, animations, weapons, ninpo, and of course, brutality - are everything you would expect from Ninja Gaiden's proper introduction into the current generation of consoles. Moving and attacking are completely fluid. Controls are, for the most part, sufficiently responsive. The gist of the gameplay is beyond absorbing. TN went above and beyond to make sure all eight melee weapons Ryu acquired entertained and the results are disturbingly satisfying. Bladed weapons spew fountains of blood as Ryu flips around enemies, dismembering them before decapitating them. Blunt weapons such as the Lunar Staff and Tonfa knock opponents back with a sickening crunch before bashing enemy skulls in. Ninjo is surrounded by fantastic displays of colorful haze and devastating flames.
Basically, Ninja Gaiden II is all about the insanity that Ryu can unleash on his enemies, and it succeeds in the highest regard. Weapons begin fairly simple, with a plain appearance and very limited array of techniques. However, spending some hard-earned essence will upgrade your tools of destruction to a grimly polished shine and and a whole new world of possible combos. Each one also comes with its own set of obliteration techniques, which depend on the type and position of the enemy, but never fail to deliver some sickening finish. Even better are the ultimate techniques, which once charged, unleash a hellish combo with immense Hayabusa acrobatics and hails of blades causing dozens of enemies to fall in fountains of blood.
All of this - brutal core gameplay with enough upgrading to keep one hooked - make NG2 worthwhile. For the most part.
On the other hand, Ninja Gaiden II is ridden with some of the most amateurish, unbelievable flaws that a veteran team in the current gen could ever put in a finished product. Yes, the game maintains the franchise's signature punishing difficulty, but there's no getting around the fact that more often than not the game is difficult simply because of some cheap, underhanded garbage being flung around. The camera is - and I can't stress this enough - completely horrid. Enemies will be flanking a full 360 around you at any given time, and it seems like the two or three in view are the only ones of the twelve not attacking. The camera frequently digs itself into a literal corner where nothing is visible but Ryu and the walls. Maneuvering, even when uncontested, can be an insane chore due to the view's habit of constantly circling and flying around to try and find a better angle every second, but it never seems to find one. At times I've found myself in battle where not even Ryu was visible, just a huge patch of black because the camera accidentally clipped through a wall.
Equally as frustrating are the bosses. The enemies themselves are enormous, well-designed, and everything a boss should be. Except cheap. Virtually every boss encountered has some sort of grab attack which cannot be blocked or dodged in any way and once the ten minute cinematic is finished, you'll be lucky to escape without having half your maximum health drained. Winning all depends on whether you're lucky enough for them not to use it.
More on the technical side, NG fails in the same fields outlined in the GS review. Environments are, though not absolutely awful, pretty sub par by the standards set by the most recent games. Blood has a tendency to splatter on walls and leave a stain floating out in the open. Physics with severed limbs are generally off. Except for Ryu, the bosses, and the attack animations, nothing is especially impressive at all. While it's not tough to overlook it in the midst of dismembering ninjas, some competitive visuals would've been a major plus. Even better would've been some exceptional sound. The violence and animations are totally in order, but the effects of Ryu's slashing still sound like they were built with the SNES in mind.
In the most general outlook, Ninja Gaiden II is definitely worth playing. Much of the difficulty really is beatable. For every attack the average enemy has against you, there's a way for you to avoid or counter, and vice versa. It's a difficult game, but every death should show you that you need to hone your ninja skills. And once you're picking up and upgrading new weapons, adding ninpo and generally obliterating opponents, you're libel to be sucked in for hours upon hours. Unfortunately, some above-minor technical shortcomings and maddeningly half-a**ed balance issues impair what could've been one of the greatest third person action games ever made.