Ninja Gaiden II review is up! :D

Enjoy. ;)

Ninja Gaiden Sigma review

Had to get it out before NGII arrives. :P

Hope you will like it and that perhaps it will come of good use. :)

PS: Goodbye Itagaki

So I was lucky and fast enough to get my hands on the Ninja Gaiden II demo that was available for a short time on the Japanese Xbox Live Marketplace and after have played it for a couple of days I'm now ready to give you my impressions.

The Combat
The main strong point of previous installments and this game seems to be no different especially since it seems to be better than ever as it feels a lot faster and a lot more brutal than ever before. And thanks to the new obliberation techniques you can now finish your foe off almost instantly by slicing off a couple of limbs and it's very impressive to look at too.

The Camera
Feels pretty much the same as before meaning it certainly isn't perfect but it's not horrible either, but if you didn't like it before you won't like it now either.

The Weapons
You will get to try out 4 weapons in the demo. You start out with the trusty ol' Dragon Sword but also the Falcon's Talons which are Wolverine like claws you wield on both hands and feet and the Eclipse Scythe which is like a mix between the Warhammer and the Dabilarho from the last game but only faster and a lot more brutal to fit with the improved combat, and later in the demo you'll also find the Lunar Staff. All the weapons are incredibly fun to use and feel very balanced and there are also plently more combos you can pull off now than ever before.

The Graphics
It certainly doesn't push the 360 to it's limits like the original did and it's looks very much like Sigma for the Playstation 3...at first glance. When you actually start playing you'll notice a few enhancements most notiecable are the effects whenever you cut off an enemy limb, do a charged up ultimate attack or ninpo ( ninja magic ). The edges are smoother, the weapons and water surfaces look a lot more detailed and this game also features some of the best animations in the business. The draw distance seems to have been improved as well.
I have barely experienced any framerate issues and loading issues like mentioned in some reviews, only part where it slows down are when there is a lot of enemies or body parts on screen and the mid-game loading only appears when you backtrack trough the level and that loading takes about 1-3 seconds. What you will notice though if you choose to backtrack is that all the bodies you have left are still there lying on the ground which is very impressive.
What seems as a step backwards though compared to the original and Sigma is the artistic design, it seems unfortunately that they have focused to make everything look as bad-ass as possible rather than beautiful and eye pleasing.
The lighting is also a step backwards compared to Sigma on the PS3. Here it looks kinda flat while in Sigma the lightning model made everything look a bit more dynamic and realistic, at least when it didn't overdose on bloom effects.

The Difficulty
The demo can only be played on the easy setting dubbed Path of the Acolyte and the demo section certainly felt easier than a lot of of the levels in previous installments. Then again your weapons are all upgraded to level 3 but you seem to take a lot less damage from enemy attacks. Your charged up ultimate attacks can no longer be interrupted by weaker enemy attacks and the rebounding health meter along with more frequent save points that fully replenish your health definitely helps to ease some frustration off as well.

To sum it all up I think fans of the series will definitely love this game and others who also looking for an challenging action game to play during the summer should give this game a go as well. Others should probably stay away unless you think you're up for the challenge that awaits.

Now who has a higher level? :P

So apparently!...splinter_girl88 decided to hop onto MSN to say hi and...to tag me. ( Good lord no!! Please have mercy! I'm way too young for this! :cry: )

Then again when I think about it I guess it's not THAT bad. I just thought a saw a light in the far distance telling me everything would be alright and I would simply go by unnoticed. But since that is not the case obviously I guess I should simply get on with it, so here we go.

1. Both of my front teeth are actually made of this plastic/porslinlike mixed material since I kinda managed to smash them out. No not in a fight or anything like that, it was actually just an accident and I guess I was pretty clumsy, hehe.

2. When I was very young I used to dress up as Zorro and then go downtown to impress everyone I met with my awesome cape and blade skillz! Yeah, suck on that.

3. I have never gotten really drunk. And by that I mean really, really drunk to the point where you can no longer stand on your own two feet and end up staring at your breakfast you had earlier that day. Many have tried, no one has succeeded. I've only been feeling a bit dizzy, funny and even superior, lol. And I actually very rarely drink alcohol. ( About 1-3 times a year since my 18th birthday and I never buy it myself. )

4. There was a time around the very beginning of this millennia where I didn't play any video game at all for a full year I believe. Yes a sad time indeed, and it was pretty much Halo: Combat Evolved that brought me back to this passion I hold so dear.

5. When I was young I used to be very sick, even to the point where they thought I wouldn't survive. I could barerly stay awake and you could pretty much see every bone in my whole body. Then when I had turned 9 years old the doctors put a tube down my throat, pushing it down to my stomach and took a sample.
Then they finally discovered that I was suffering from celiac disease even though earlier tests had shown otherwise and my symptoms where different from what they should be. I was happy they had finally found out to but at the same time chocked and sad since it meant I could not longer eat anything that contained wheat flour. Meaning stuff like regular bread, pasta, cakes etc.
It was very hard at first since I knew and still know what everything tastes like but eventually there came products that worked for me aswell, and today there are lots of them and they pretty much taste the same as the regular stuff. It still is about twice as expensive though so it still hurts a bit and not being able to go to a Pizza place with my friends to order what I really want. But I have accepted it so I'm pretty much fine so no worries. :)

So I guess this means I have to tag 5 people eh? hmmm...

Then I'm tagging the following

-LEXY-, Nellynoway and halo2paul

Damn it was hard to find people as it seems pretty much everyone has done this already. If you haven't though and you want to do this then let me know and I will gladly tag you aswell ;). To the ones chosen I say...goodluck :P

Ciao!

//ZimpanX

Yes I'm alive don't worry I've just been busy and very tired lately as I have been working you could say for a company in another town for the past 6 weeks, I don't wanna talk about it though as it was pretty boring and it felt like a wast of time to be honest.

Anyways how are you all doing? Has something special happend in your life or maybe met someone new? or even perhaps bought a new amazing game? (This is Gamespot afterall :P )

A bought a game a few days ago, the game is Army of Two and I played it with a friend for 7 hours straight and it was a blast, you'll find my very recent review here. There are many other games I wish to review like Resistance, the new Ratchet & Clank, Ninja Gaiden Sigma and others but I'll do that if I get some time over I mean it's not my job or anything :P

Anyways I will get back to too all soon again, and now I have the time I need to so you'll see me more often don't worry, though mostly in the forums and your beloved blogs :) (aka the main reasons I'm still here :P )

Laterz all!

//ZimpanX

...Problem is it's the very same 360 as I sent in and it's just as boiling hot and loud like it was just before it broke so I'm pretty much waiting for it to happen again :/

Yeah I need to clean it, but what do you think?

I didn't think I would go and get one anytime soon, but yet I did and it is......

.

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a PS3!

As you may notice it's the 80gb version, and I got these games with it

Resistance: Fall of Man

Motorstorm

Ratchet & Clank Future: Tools of Destruction

My favorite game is defiantly Ratchet & Clank, that game is brilliant! If it weren't for the return of the red plumber it would definalty been the best platformer last year. Motorstorm is fun too but it lacks options. And Resistance....I actually think it's kinda boring but at least it's better when playing coop with a friend.

As for the actual system I'm very happy with it. It's surprisingly quiet, movies looks absolutely great, graphics are about the same level as the 360 but it squashes it when it comes to sound, everything simply comes out very clean and with a lot of "umph".
You can really tell this machine has been put togheter by pure quality hardware products. My only problems with it are more software related as game demos needs be installed before you can play them which irritates a bit and loading times can be kind of a pain other than that though there is nothing to complain about really.
Sure the online isn't as fleshed out as Xbox Live, but it works and you get what you pay for.

I'll post more about it later, maybe a review or two if I get the time.

Oh and here's my PS3 ID

Add me if you want :), but now I need some sleep, going to work early in the morning so...laterz!

PS: Also Uncharted is on the way so no need to recommend that, I've also played a bunch of it at friends and already know it kicks ass lol :P

//ZimpanX

But what?

Take a guess