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SINGAPORE : The Original Ninja Gaiden (NG) makes me feel like a complete loser. Not only are the platforming moves difficult to master, the fighting sequences are constant calamities as I succumb repeatedly to my enemies’ fluid killing moves. Now, the XBox 360 exclusive sequel, NGII, is back to haunt me.
The storyline of NGII would make any scriptwriter blush in embarrassment — protagonist Ryu Hayabusa returns to retrieve the Demon Statue, which was stolen from his clan by archrival Black Spider Ninja Clan for the purpose of releasing evil to the world. Throw in a beautiful Elizebet as your mysterious enemy and a buxom CIA agent as your ally to complete the baffling tale.
The specious plot is an excuse for Ryu to hack and slash his way through the well-crafted streets of New York and the rivers of Venice. It is also a great way to showcase the beautifully rendered cinematic cutscenes within the 14 chapters of the game.
NGII is one of the best-looking games around, with razor-sharp graphics, detailed textures and stunning environments. The authentic sound effects and pulsating audio track heighten the gameplay.
It is quite a miracle that NGII manages to preserve the core action gameplay of the original while making it more accessible.
The fighting action now requires only two buttons and a blocking trigger button. It is a gory but gorgeous sight to behold when you punch the X and Y buttons in succession to have Ryu unleash a variety of combo moves on his foes.
Limbs fly all over and blood splatter as you swing your sword around. However, enemies don’t perish easily even without an arm or a leg. Some enemy ninjas would try to grab you for an explosive kamikaze attack while others get more infuriated upon losing an arm and attack you with more ferocity.
Thankfully, you can execute an Obliteration move by standing near a downed enemy and pressing the Y button. The camera will switch to execution mode as you watch Ryu behead or smash the enemy into pieces.
Different weapons deliver different types of obliteration. You start by using the Dragon Sword and subsequently, you will pick up a variety of melee and projectile weapons, such as the Falcon’s Talons and the Gatling Gun. You can also harness the spiritual Ki energy to cast an attack.
Much of NGII’s accessibility has to be attributed to the new health regeneration system, which replenishes your health after you defeat a finite squad of enemies.
In addition, saved game portals are well scattered throughout, unlike its predecessor. Plus, when you die after fighting a chapter boss, you will not get re-spawned to your last saved game like in the original. Instead, you will be re-spawned to fight the chapter boss again. The vastly reduced amount of platforming in NGII also saves time and lessens your frustration.
While NGII might be more accessible, especially on its easiest setting of “Path of the Acolyte”, it is still not that easy. You will still find yourself being killed regularly, especially if you don’t master the blocking technique.
The most infuriating part of NGII is its camera angles. While it is not much a problem in open spaces, you will find yourself fighting some enemies you can’t see because the camera switches to a wall in enclosed spaces. Although you can reset the camera behind Ryu with the right trigger button, you would already have suffered much damage by then.
Verdict
Ninja Gaiden II offers the same exciting action gameplay of its predecessor while making it more accessible to a larger audience. Nonetheless, it is still a pretty difficult game to play, and your ego will most definitely be bruised along the way. If not for the erratic and awkward camera angles, NGII could have been the perfect third-person action title for advanced gamers. - TODAY/fa
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