Bedrock
04-07-2008, 10:15 PM
Ninja Gaiden 2 Hands-on
No amount of water can cleanse these bloodied hands.
by Erik Brudvig
April 7, 2008 - When Team Ninja says that a game is going to be bloody, you'd be wise to take notice. After getting the chance to play through the first six work-in-progress stages, there's no doubt that Ninja Gaiden II packs more blood and flying limbs per button press than any game I can think of. The Dragon Sword slices limbs off, leaving enemies to crawl or hobble towards Ryu in hopes of ending their lives and his with a suicide attack. The Lunar can literally make heads explode. The Falcon Talons make Wolverine look like a chump. If you're ready for some stylish gore, this is your game.
It all stems from the two major changes made to the gameplay from the last Ninja Gaiden: a regenerative health system and obliteration techniques. After each battle or by running a substantial distance away from the enemies (which is not as easy as it sounds), a portion of Ryu's health regenerates. Each successive battle that he takes damage, however, reduces the amount that will come back. This makes for some tense battles during the long stretches between save points and changes the way you approach each fight.
The real difference maker, though, is the obliteration techniques. Each move has a percent chance to remove a limb from an enemy. That doesn't mean they'll stop fighting. You can even take off both legs and the adversary will keep throwing projectiles and dragging itself towards you. If it gets close enough, you can expect a nasty suicide bombing. That is where the obliteration techniques come in. Remove a few limbs and you can keep fighting as normal, but if you tap the Y Button while they're in range you'll perform a wicked finisher that prevents them from taking you down.
The suicide attackers add an unexpected element to Ninja Gaiden II. While you'd think all those limbs flying off were just for show, you'll quickly realize that those limbless enemies are the most dangerous fiends in the entire game. It's not enough to keep track of enemies swarming around you as you now must also know which ones are missing an arm or leg so you can avoid their suicidal lunges. And, of course, so you can tap Y when next to them and perform a gory obliteration technique.
Each weapon has its own obliteration techniques and they're all awesome. I still can't get over the one performed with the dual sword combo called Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang. One sword goes through the head to hold him in place and the other comes around to lop the body in two. There will be a lot of closed casket funerals once the whirlwind that is Ryu Hayabusa rolls through.
The bigger they are...
Most of the weapons we played with are repeats of what we used in Ninja Gaiden, though they've all been updated enough to feel new. There are a few new inclusions, though, and they are a ton of fun. The claw Falcon Talons are now easily one of my favorite weapons to use. The Vigorian Flails have been adapted to become the Kusari-gama, a similar weapon in style but with a longer reach. Then, of course, there is the Gatling Spear Gun. It fires an unlimited number of exploding spears, though it is a bit underpowered. Noticeably missing in this build is the nunchucks.
The controls are largely the same as the last Ninja Gaiden game, so if you've played that game you won't have any trouble hopping into the action. Moves are strung together through two attack buttons, one strong and one light with more unlocking as each weapon is leveled up. Many of the moves for old weapons are even performed the same, though they all have improved animations and new attacks.
One thing a Gaiden pro will notice is that there is a better balance in the weapons. From the first six chapters (all that is available in the preview build), no weapon was a throwaway. You could use any of the melee weapons and make slash (or bash) your way through Ninja Gaiden II. Speed is the focus this time around. We've come across no slow weapons. Even the scythe, claimed after beating Volf, the quad-armed (German?) werewolf, is amazingly fast. It also has one of the best obliteration moves. Lop off an enemies head, press Y and Ryu hooks the scythe into the neck stump and then fling the enemy away.
There are two noticeable changes to the way the game handles. The inventory is now mapped to the d-pad, so you can quickly switch weapons, ninpo magic attacks and use items without having to enter the pause menu. Of course, the game pauses while you scroll through the inventory so that you don't have to worry about getting pummeled while choosing new weapons. The other difference is in how the bow works. Tapping the attack button auto-targets and lets an arrow fly. Hold down the attack button and you can charge it up for a powerful shot -- perhaps too powerful as it made several of the bosses in the game a piece of cake -- that can be aimed precisely with the left analog stick. In any event, we recommend that you charge the bow. It can make enemies explode on impact.
It's the speed and style of the slick animations that make Ninja Gaiden II such a sight to behold. You can't help but feel like a total badass when you watch Ryu tear enemies to bits, only to pause at the end and whip the blood off of his blade. Itagaki knows what makes a ninja cool. All told, the game looks great. Perhaps it isn't the stunning visual showcase that Ninja Gaiden was on Xbox, but this game is no slouch and certainly doesn't look "just like Ninja Gaiden" as I've heard mentioned far too many times. The second stage takes you back to Hayabusa village and you can quickly see how much more detail has been added even while more enemies are tossed on-screen at once.
The new weapons are great fun.
And now comes the bad news. Unfortunately, it's not always that easy to see the great action. The camera, controlled with the right thumbstick or by recentering it with the right trigger, at this point is still as unwieldy as ever. In open areas it isn't a problem and even in close hallways it isn't anything Ninja Gaiden players won't be ready for. There are a few platforming areas that become needlessly frustrating thanks to a camera that is more fit to showcase fighting than facilitate jumping.
If there weren't any platforming, we'd be just fine. The rest of the level design ranges from good to great. As you move through hallways, light "puzzles" and open areas, the game tosses small groups of enemies at you repeatedly. There are very few times when you'll find yourself without a fight. Even while running across an open water area in the Venice stage, the game tosses in enemies for you to fight. Done properly, you can continue to dance on top of the water and take down the fiends. It's like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, only cool.
Ninpo attacks are still the best way out of a tough situation.
If you're wondering what the story in Ninja Gaiden II is, join the club. This go around is even more ridiculous and full of plot holes than the last. [You should skip the next few paragraphs if you don't want to spoil the insanity.] The game begins in Sky City Tokyo, focused on a girl looking for Ryu. Before she can find him, the Black Spider Ninja Clan attacks and escapes before Ryu (who magically appears to fight) can save her. The first stage is an introduction to the game's mechanics through scrolls found in chests and on dead bodies, a series of ninja battles, and a boss fight. From there, you learn that the CIA is behind the attack and that they're looking to resurrect the Arch-fiend.
It gets better.
Ryu races back to Hayabusa village in hopes of stopping the CIA but he's too late so it's off to New York City where a greater fiend is causing lightning to blast out of the Statue of Liberty. Wait, what?
Then, of course, he has to go to Venice because there is another greater fiend there (The Fiend of Storms!) who needs dealing with. It's a four-armed werewolf that demands a worthy adversary in a truly hilarious cutscene.
And now we know why Team Ninja and Microsoft have dodged questions about the story. There isn't one that could be explained with any sort of normalcy. And you know what? It's ok. This is a throwback to the Ninja Gaiden of yesteryear when it was all about Ryu Hayabusa traveling the world and kicking ass. Who cares why you have to fight that nasty werewolf? You just do.
The enemy design falls right in line with the crazy story. The Black Spider Ninja Clan is the enemy at first, but that quickly changes to all manner of fiends. Some highlights: Hydra-like skeletons (with boobs, of course); werewolves that throw something that looks like feces at you; and we can't forget the ninja dogs that carry swords in their mouths and shurikens on their haunches.
Ryu travels to a rainy NYC.
Previously Itagaki has stated that Team Ninja is looking to make the game more accessible. That much is obvious right from the first stage. Rather than capping the first level by tossing players into a showdown with the likes of Master Murai from Ninja Gaiden and leaving beginners in tears, the first boss in Ninja Gaiden II is the completely manageable Rasetsu, a deformed member of the Black Spider Ninja Clan. He goes down with just a few charged attacks.
In fact, the level of difficulty throughout the build we played was more appropriate to your average gamer. If that last sentence made you sad, remember that the game is still being tweaked and we were only able to play the bottom two difficulties out of four. There will still be a challenge here for those willing to take it and it does look like Ninja Gaiden II won't be anything you can complete in one sitting. The levels are long with few pauses for loading (and those loads may be gone by the time the game releases). Just getting through the sixth stage takes more than a few hours on the first playthrough.
The bow is actually useful and easy to conrol!
The question you're asking now is how many levels there will be in the final game. That much we don't know yet. The build we played was early enough that the leaderboards aren't totally functional and the build fell apart in the sixth chapter. Only the first two were really in any sort of shape that could be considered close to final. We tried fiddling with the game's video record function, which will autosave everything you do for sharing and repeat viewing, but even that looks like it isn't totally done. Ninja Gaiden II certainly has a bit of work yet to be done on it, but it's looking like a worthy follow-up to the Xbox version.
Check back with IGN later this week for in-depth features on the weapons and enemies we've encountered thus far in Ninja Gaiden II.
No amount of water can cleanse these bloodied hands.
by Erik Brudvig
April 7, 2008 - When Team Ninja says that a game is going to be bloody, you'd be wise to take notice. After getting the chance to play through the first six work-in-progress stages, there's no doubt that Ninja Gaiden II packs more blood and flying limbs per button press than any game I can think of. The Dragon Sword slices limbs off, leaving enemies to crawl or hobble towards Ryu in hopes of ending their lives and his with a suicide attack. The Lunar can literally make heads explode. The Falcon Talons make Wolverine look like a chump. If you're ready for some stylish gore, this is your game.
It all stems from the two major changes made to the gameplay from the last Ninja Gaiden: a regenerative health system and obliteration techniques. After each battle or by running a substantial distance away from the enemies (which is not as easy as it sounds), a portion of Ryu's health regenerates. Each successive battle that he takes damage, however, reduces the amount that will come back. This makes for some tense battles during the long stretches between save points and changes the way you approach each fight.
The real difference maker, though, is the obliteration techniques. Each move has a percent chance to remove a limb from an enemy. That doesn't mean they'll stop fighting. You can even take off both legs and the adversary will keep throwing projectiles and dragging itself towards you. If it gets close enough, you can expect a nasty suicide bombing. That is where the obliteration techniques come in. Remove a few limbs and you can keep fighting as normal, but if you tap the Y Button while they're in range you'll perform a wicked finisher that prevents them from taking you down.
The suicide attackers add an unexpected element to Ninja Gaiden II. While you'd think all those limbs flying off were just for show, you'll quickly realize that those limbless enemies are the most dangerous fiends in the entire game. It's not enough to keep track of enemies swarming around you as you now must also know which ones are missing an arm or leg so you can avoid their suicidal lunges. And, of course, so you can tap Y when next to them and perform a gory obliteration technique.
Each weapon has its own obliteration techniques and they're all awesome. I still can't get over the one performed with the dual sword combo called Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang. One sword goes through the head to hold him in place and the other comes around to lop the body in two. There will be a lot of closed casket funerals once the whirlwind that is Ryu Hayabusa rolls through.
The bigger they are...
Most of the weapons we played with are repeats of what we used in Ninja Gaiden, though they've all been updated enough to feel new. There are a few new inclusions, though, and they are a ton of fun. The claw Falcon Talons are now easily one of my favorite weapons to use. The Vigorian Flails have been adapted to become the Kusari-gama, a similar weapon in style but with a longer reach. Then, of course, there is the Gatling Spear Gun. It fires an unlimited number of exploding spears, though it is a bit underpowered. Noticeably missing in this build is the nunchucks.
The controls are largely the same as the last Ninja Gaiden game, so if you've played that game you won't have any trouble hopping into the action. Moves are strung together through two attack buttons, one strong and one light with more unlocking as each weapon is leveled up. Many of the moves for old weapons are even performed the same, though they all have improved animations and new attacks.
One thing a Gaiden pro will notice is that there is a better balance in the weapons. From the first six chapters (all that is available in the preview build), no weapon was a throwaway. You could use any of the melee weapons and make slash (or bash) your way through Ninja Gaiden II. Speed is the focus this time around. We've come across no slow weapons. Even the scythe, claimed after beating Volf, the quad-armed (German?) werewolf, is amazingly fast. It also has one of the best obliteration moves. Lop off an enemies head, press Y and Ryu hooks the scythe into the neck stump and then fling the enemy away.
There are two noticeable changes to the way the game handles. The inventory is now mapped to the d-pad, so you can quickly switch weapons, ninpo magic attacks and use items without having to enter the pause menu. Of course, the game pauses while you scroll through the inventory so that you don't have to worry about getting pummeled while choosing new weapons. The other difference is in how the bow works. Tapping the attack button auto-targets and lets an arrow fly. Hold down the attack button and you can charge it up for a powerful shot -- perhaps too powerful as it made several of the bosses in the game a piece of cake -- that can be aimed precisely with the left analog stick. In any event, we recommend that you charge the bow. It can make enemies explode on impact.
It's the speed and style of the slick animations that make Ninja Gaiden II such a sight to behold. You can't help but feel like a total badass when you watch Ryu tear enemies to bits, only to pause at the end and whip the blood off of his blade. Itagaki knows what makes a ninja cool. All told, the game looks great. Perhaps it isn't the stunning visual showcase that Ninja Gaiden was on Xbox, but this game is no slouch and certainly doesn't look "just like Ninja Gaiden" as I've heard mentioned far too many times. The second stage takes you back to Hayabusa village and you can quickly see how much more detail has been added even while more enemies are tossed on-screen at once.
The new weapons are great fun.
And now comes the bad news. Unfortunately, it's not always that easy to see the great action. The camera, controlled with the right thumbstick or by recentering it with the right trigger, at this point is still as unwieldy as ever. In open areas it isn't a problem and even in close hallways it isn't anything Ninja Gaiden players won't be ready for. There are a few platforming areas that become needlessly frustrating thanks to a camera that is more fit to showcase fighting than facilitate jumping.
If there weren't any platforming, we'd be just fine. The rest of the level design ranges from good to great. As you move through hallways, light "puzzles" and open areas, the game tosses small groups of enemies at you repeatedly. There are very few times when you'll find yourself without a fight. Even while running across an open water area in the Venice stage, the game tosses in enemies for you to fight. Done properly, you can continue to dance on top of the water and take down the fiends. It's like Crouching Tiger Hidden Dragon, only cool.
Ninpo attacks are still the best way out of a tough situation.
If you're wondering what the story in Ninja Gaiden II is, join the club. This go around is even more ridiculous and full of plot holes than the last. [You should skip the next few paragraphs if you don't want to spoil the insanity.] The game begins in Sky City Tokyo, focused on a girl looking for Ryu. Before she can find him, the Black Spider Ninja Clan attacks and escapes before Ryu (who magically appears to fight) can save her. The first stage is an introduction to the game's mechanics through scrolls found in chests and on dead bodies, a series of ninja battles, and a boss fight. From there, you learn that the CIA is behind the attack and that they're looking to resurrect the Arch-fiend.
It gets better.
Ryu races back to Hayabusa village in hopes of stopping the CIA but he's too late so it's off to New York City where a greater fiend is causing lightning to blast out of the Statue of Liberty. Wait, what?
Then, of course, he has to go to Venice because there is another greater fiend there (The Fiend of Storms!) who needs dealing with. It's a four-armed werewolf that demands a worthy adversary in a truly hilarious cutscene.
And now we know why Team Ninja and Microsoft have dodged questions about the story. There isn't one that could be explained with any sort of normalcy. And you know what? It's ok. This is a throwback to the Ninja Gaiden of yesteryear when it was all about Ryu Hayabusa traveling the world and kicking ass. Who cares why you have to fight that nasty werewolf? You just do.
The enemy design falls right in line with the crazy story. The Black Spider Ninja Clan is the enemy at first, but that quickly changes to all manner of fiends. Some highlights: Hydra-like skeletons (with boobs, of course); werewolves that throw something that looks like feces at you; and we can't forget the ninja dogs that carry swords in their mouths and shurikens on their haunches.
Ryu travels to a rainy NYC.
Previously Itagaki has stated that Team Ninja is looking to make the game more accessible. That much is obvious right from the first stage. Rather than capping the first level by tossing players into a showdown with the likes of Master Murai from Ninja Gaiden and leaving beginners in tears, the first boss in Ninja Gaiden II is the completely manageable Rasetsu, a deformed member of the Black Spider Ninja Clan. He goes down with just a few charged attacks.
In fact, the level of difficulty throughout the build we played was more appropriate to your average gamer. If that last sentence made you sad, remember that the game is still being tweaked and we were only able to play the bottom two difficulties out of four. There will still be a challenge here for those willing to take it and it does look like Ninja Gaiden II won't be anything you can complete in one sitting. The levels are long with few pauses for loading (and those loads may be gone by the time the game releases). Just getting through the sixth stage takes more than a few hours on the first playthrough.
The bow is actually useful and easy to conrol!
The question you're asking now is how many levels there will be in the final game. That much we don't know yet. The build we played was early enough that the leaderboards aren't totally functional and the build fell apart in the sixth chapter. Only the first two were really in any sort of shape that could be considered close to final. We tried fiddling with the game's video record function, which will autosave everything you do for sharing and repeat viewing, but even that looks like it isn't totally done. Ninja Gaiden II certainly has a bit of work yet to be done on it, but it's looking like a worthy follow-up to the Xbox version.
Check back with IGN later this week for in-depth features on the weapons and enemies we've encountered thus far in Ninja Gaiden II.