Ninja Gaiden II is the follow up to the 2004 Xbox hit. Creator Itagaki has always had a penchant for over the top anything, and in Ninja Gaiden he found the perfect balance of buxom ladies and outrageous fiends. The sequel, which looks like the last Gaiden game Itagaki will work on, looks to follow the Team Ninja tradition of giving fans even more outlandish action and entertainment.



As much of a fan of the first game as I was even I have to admit that story is not the strong point here. All that matters is you understand the Hyabusa Clan have been like white knights over the centuries, using the Dragon Sword as a part of their mystical arsenal. When big bad things happen they jump, flip and slice into action. And that’s what happens in Ninja Gaiden II.

With the smoothest gameplay and even more style than Dante could hope to bring to dismemberment, Ninja Gaiden II is a treat for any action game fan. To make sure that you have something new and interesting to look at a few changes were made to the gameplay. You may notice the spurting blood first off, but it’s the limb and pieces laying around Ryu that are important. This time around you can chop off limbs and the enemy will still come at you. In fact, hacking at limbs can make your opponent go suicidal crazy on your ass. You need to keep an eye on all the enemies, even those who are “dead.”

Team Ninja has also added in a slightly controversial recharge meter. The Halo 2 style recharging has slowly become a staple of video games, and I was perplexed when I first heard of its inclusion in Ninja Gaiden 2. How could a ninja running to his next beheading appointment actually recover on the run? Then I recalled that this is a ridiculously over the top video game, and I was fine with it. Essentially the meter is used to indicate whether you’ve destroyed all the enemies in a battle as it won’t recharge until all enemies are dead.

Ninja Gaiden II is finally making its way into our hands and damn if a little disemboweling doesn’t sound like a good way to spend a weekend with an old friend.

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