Ninja Gaiden 2 receives my highest honors.
User Rating: 9.5 | Ninja Gaiden II X360
This game clearly was not influenced by the current gen. Rather than building a one-dimensional fixation around multiplayer or storyline, Ninja Gaiden 2 stays true to its roots and provides an old school challenge which is rarely seen now-a-days. This game is not trying to be another mindless shooter, nor is it trying to be Metal Gear Solid. Instead, Ninja Gaiden 2 delivers an intense, albeit, hardcore experience which will not only satisfy your blood lust, it will keep your fingers throbbing and your heart pounding. Ninja Gaiden 2 sets a bold new standard for action games, in that the gameplay system is nothing short of spectacular. This game is beautiful on every level, and even the gore was implemented artistically. The voice acting is very good, and there are no apparent weaknesses to the presentation, aside from a slight lack of focus on the story. However, no game can be completely perfect. There are a few very minor issues which will inevitably cause some newcomers to the already challenging NInja Gaiden franchise to struggle. The fact is, the camera is sometimes placed too close to the battlefield and does require a bit of adjustment to be used effectively in some instances. This camera issue should not be considered a significant problem, however, it's merely something to keep in mind during combat. In addition, there are minor hiccups in the framerate and infrequent loading-time issues. These are the only technical flaws with Ninja Gaiden 2, and they are very insignificant ones at that. Do not let the camera angels or minor technical problems scare you. As with previous Ninja Gaiden games, the free-flow combinations are incredibly smooth and require a certain degree of skill to execute properly. Even battling low level warriors will have you on the edge of your seat, but you'll be facing off against hordes of deadly enemies as the difficulty level increases. Some of the boss battles are reminiscent of Shadow of Collosus enemies, because you must supplement your conventional style of battling with a more specific stratagem in order to defeat them. On a final note, you'll find that you're never forced to perform anything remotely similar to what you've experienced in the past. There's no redundancy here. It's sword slicing after staff twirling, and you're in for one hell of a journey. 
