The first 10 minutes: Ninja Gaiden 2

BlimBlim
Monday, May 26, 2008 | 10:00 AM
116 comments

Xbox 360

It's with great pleasure that I've received the review code of Ninja Gaiden 2 last Friday and that I've spent some quality time (but not enough) with the game this week-end. You'll find nothing less than 4 720p 60 fps videos of the first level of the game inside, and while waiting for them to download you'll even be able to read my impressions!

Ninja Gaiden 2 can only be described as a direct sequel of the first Ninja Gaiden, implying a lot of good things, but also a few bad ones.

Let's start with what's not so good, and the camera. As you may know the camera here is more or less the same as in Black. Meaning it's better than the one in the first Ninja Gaiden, but still can get in the way quite often. During close quarters fights like in the stairs of the second level, it was sometimes difficult to see anything of the action. The good old right trigger is still here, but I had hoped for more.

Another bad point, the game isn't perfectly smooth. Most of the time it runs at a perfect 60 fps and all is good, but during heavy action scenes I've seen some tearing and even some major slowdowns happens. It's rare thankfully, but still disappointing. Also disappointing, and we've become used to this coming from Team Ninja, the shadowing and lighting is still very basic and doesn't seem to be that much different from the Xbox games.

But still, the gameplay itself is as good if not even better than before. The new life bar system that will replenish itself (but not fully) when a fight ends both adds and remove tension from the game. On one side we don't have to worry as much as before about health bonus, but on the other each fight now becomes a bit more challenging than before, and death can occur very quickly!

Despite its flaws, I've enjoyed my time playing Ninja Gaiden 2 a lot, and I can't wait to get back home tonight for more!

Téléchargement

Commented on 2008-05-27 05:24:53

Gamedaily Review-
http://www.gamedaily.com/games/ninja-gaiden-ii/xbo...

Ninja Gaiden II is an excellent sequel that'll have you lopping off heads and performing all sorts of sweet moves. It takes everything that worked in the original and bumps it up to even more insane levels. We're talking gallons of blood, and that's just in the first stage.

CVG 8.0
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?i...

http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=878

With Ninja Gaiden II, what you see is what you get. It's a frantic, skill-based brawler, and retains the responsive mechanics that set the first game apart. It's all about quick action and quicker reaction, a careful balance of parry and thrust and total coincidence. Only the most dedicated players will dominate at the highest difficulty, as it should be.

That being said, this is unquestionably a Ninja Gaiden for the rest of us. Thanks to a relaxed health regeneration system, I happily defeated most of the game's levels and bosses--on the easiest mode of four, mind you--without even coming close to a frustrated toss of my controller. Occasionally I'd get stuck on a boss for a few minutes, sometimes to the point of rampant ninja cursing, but I was rarely red-faced to the point quitting...

And I still don't care. You can criticize the best action movies for their bad camera work and tepid storylines, but those elements ultimately take little away from the experience. The same is true with Ninja Gaiden II. In the end, the pure fun of the carnage far outweighs any fleeting camera issues, level design shortcomings, or boss frustrations.

http://blogs.pcworld.com/gameon/archives/007014.ht...

People bitching about the camera should read the link above, but a quote from the article:

Does that sound like a chore? Then you don't get what Team Ninja's up to, or maybe you do and you reject it, which is totally cool. But don't mistakenly assume Ninja Gaiden 2 works the way it works because of some wonky design accident, or that the requirement that you babysit the camera to manage the blizzard of activity you're unleashing onscreen at any given moment isn't unapologetically intentional.

http://www.geekpulp.co.nz/2008/05/26/ninja-gaiden-...

This review even stated the framerate/loading problems are in the review copy. Final build shouldn't have it.

In reply to

Gamedaily Review-
http://www.gamedaily.com/games/ninja-gaiden-ii/xbox-360/game-reviews/review/6663/2040/
[quote]Ninja Gaiden II is an excellent sequel that'll have you lopping off heads and performing all sorts of sweet moves. It takes everything that worked in the original and bumps it up to even more insane levels. We're talking gallons of blood, and that's just in the first stage. [/quote]

CVG 8.0
http://www.computerandvideogames.com/article.php?id=189652

http://www.shacknews.com/featuredarticle.x?id=878
[quote]With Ninja Gaiden II, what you see is what you get. It's a frantic, skill-based brawler, and retains the responsive mechanics that set the first game apart. It's all about quick action and quicker reaction, a careful balance of parry and thrust and total coincidence. Only the most dedicated players will dominate at the highest difficulty, as it should be.

That being said, this is unquestionably a Ninja Gaiden for the rest of us. Thanks to a relaxed health regeneration system, I happily defeated most of the game's levels and bosses--on the easiest mode of four, mind you--without even coming close to a frustrated toss of my controller. Occasionally I'd get stuck on a boss for a few minutes, sometimes to the point of rampant ninja cursing, but I was rarely red-faced to the point quitting...

And I still don't care. You can criticize the best action movies for their bad camera work and tepid storylines, but those elements ultimately take little away from the experience. The same is true with Ninja Gaiden II. In the end, the pure fun of the carnage far outweighs any fleeting camera issues, level design shortcomings, or boss frustrations.[/quote]

http://blogs.pcworld.com/gameon/archives/007014.html

People bitching about the camera should read the link above, but a quote from the article:
[quote]Does that sound like a chore? Then you don't get what Team Ninja's up to, or maybe you do and you reject it, which is totally cool. But don't mistakenly assume Ninja Gaiden 2 works the way it works because of some wonky design accident, or that the requirement that you babysit the camera to manage the blizzard of activity you're unleashing onscreen at any given moment isn't unapologetically intentional.[/quote]

http://www.geekpulp.co.nz/2008/05/26/ninja-gaiden-2-review-xbox-360/

This review even stated the framerate/loading problems are in the review copy.  Final build shouldn't have it.

JohnRambo

Commented on 2008-05-27 10:06:18

wow thanks for the high quality vids Blim. im so pumped after watching those. im buying a 360 for NG2 this weekend. so excited.

Sath

Commented on 2008-05-27 10:36:56

Posted by Ronsauce

Things like the camera being iffy, the story being weak, and the difficulty being too hard(gamesradar should have put it on pussy mode if they found it too difficult) are the things that I honestly don't see being a problem for me at all.

Haha I agree on that one actually.

Sure we expected better camera for NG2, but from all the videos I have seen it is like the previous NG, but maybe even better, but still I am so damn used to the fact I press the camera adjust button so many times this is not an issue for me.

Too difficault?

You knew what you were getting yourself into...and I can promise you that they probably played it on Normal and said it was hard :P

You can easily see how much of a rookie these gamesites are compared to what Tecmo uploads.
But then watch youtube to see how professional NG plays this game.

Team Ninja has a motto for Ninja Gaiden games...

Easy to play, hard to master

something like that, and it is true.

Anyone can just start running around and button mash the attacks to kill enemies.

But it takes a true master to actually being able to act like a ninja and not take so many hits, and do various attacks, and use all the attacks in a specific time.

To counter attac, grab, dodge and then do a sudden death blow...etc. it is hard to master.

I am glad since NG came out on Xbox, I have played ever since then and I have not stopped playing the game, beated Master Ninja so getting used to NG2 is easy as breathing, however need to learn the new combos to master those ones.

I now and then put on NG Sigma, but now I have stopped that because NG2 is so damn close.

One thing that I hated in NG Sigma is the fact that the game loads when you want to steop to a specific location in a level, and if that is atleast reduced in the FINAL retail build then I am happy.

[quote=Ronsauce]
Things like the camera being iffy, the story being weak, and the difficulty being too hard(gamesradar should have put it on pussy mode if they found it too difficult) are the things that I honestly don't see being a problem for me at all.[/quote]

Haha I agree on that one actually.

Sure we expected better camera for NG2, but from all the videos I have seen it is like the previous NG, but maybe even better, but still I am so damn used to the fact I press the camera adjust button so many times this is not an issue for me.

Too difficault?

You knew what you were getting yourself into...and I can promise you that they probably played it on Normal and said it was hard :P

You can easily see how much of a rookie these gamesites are compared to what Tecmo uploads.
But then watch youtube to see how professional NG plays this game.

Team Ninja has a motto for Ninja Gaiden games...

Easy to play, hard to master

something like that, and it is true.

Anyone can just start running around and button mash the attacks to kill enemies.

But it takes a true master to actually being able to act like a ninja and not take so many hits, and do various attacks, and use all the attacks in a specific time.

To counter attac, grab, dodge and then do a sudden death blow...etc. it is hard to master.

I am glad since NG came out on Xbox, I have played ever since then and I have not stopped playing the game, beated Master Ninja so getting used to NG2 is easy as breathing, however need to learn the new combos to master those ones.

I now and then put on NG Sigma, but now I have stopped that because NG2 is so damn close.

One thing that I hated in NG Sigma is the fact that the game loads when you want to steop to a specific location in a level, and if that is atleast reduced in the FINAL retail build then I am happy.

Ishigami

Commented on 2008-05-27 12:22:13

Nice videos. Really looking forward to this.

Too bad I’m from Germany and the USK refused to classify it. Because of this Microsoft won’t officially release it in Germany and we won’t get the DLC. A matter of time before the BPJM steps in and sets the game on the index.
I really hope the EU will intervene some day and force the member states to adopt the PEGI system…

I’ll import an version from Austria.

By the way I used the German servers for download. I got 174 KB/s which is my max. download speed, very nice.

skinedd

Commented on 2008-05-27 14:13:37

GREAT THX!

dasrtist85

Commented on 2008-05-27 14:46:25

wow this is one of this biggest forum conversations in a while. The games going to be outstanding, most of the reviews are around 9/10 that I have seen. I wonder why people are focusing on the small amount of mediocre ones, every game gets them. Anyways this game looks like fire.(No Ninja Dogs allowed)lol

starfox14now

Commented on 2008-05-27 14:52:58

I still don't see a really In-Depth Review.
TXB are delaying their review... I hope it explains more stuff and take its time to talk A LOT about all the stuff the game packs in ( Types of Fiends, Cinema Mode, Attract, etc) ...

CrimzonTearz

Commented on 2008-05-27 15:12:21

in all fairness T.X. said Team Ninja said there were issues with the review build that were fixed in the retail version....this thread should have waited a few days to be made

Ronsauce

Commented on 2008-05-27 16:01:35 In reply to CrimzonTearz

Posted by CrimzonTearz

Not really. If you'll notice the subject of the thread, it's "The first 10 minutes" not "Review of Ninja Gaiden 2." And even if it were a review, and Team Ninja sent out a review copy that they knew to be buggy, that's their own fault really.

palamede

Commented on 2008-05-27 22:59:14 In reply to Ronsauce

Yep, that's something I'll never understand, what's the point in getting a f*** review one week prior to release if the review version is buggy ???

Commented on 2008-05-28 03:24:14 In reply to Ronsauce

then it should be titled "first 10 minutes of unfinished review copy of ninja gaiden 2"

Commented on 2008-05-28 03:33:33 In reply to CrimzonTearz

Ha, yea.

Commented on 2008-05-28 03:38:44 In reply to CrimzonTearz

Why? Could you tell that it was the review copy and not the retail version? Was there something wrong with the videos that would deter people from buying it if they thought it was the retail version?

Seriously, you're kind of being ridiculous.

Commented on 2008-05-28 04:38:47

Game Informer: Ninja Gaiden II Review
Ninja Gaiden’s action is an exaggerated dance of twirling steel and falling body parts. The amount of blood that sprays from your victims’ bodies is ludicrous. Its female characters are as stereotypically well formed as its monsters are deformed. And the game’s atmosphere is an almost incongruous mix of Japanese spirituality and sci-fi technology. So obviously, Game Informer love it. 8.75/10

Commented on 2008-05-28 05:08:43

famitsu score is 9/8/8/9

Commented on 2008-05-29 07:13:14

http://www.gamespot.com/users/Kevin-V/show_blog_en...

Just a quick note from Team NINJA below regarding the "Ninja Gaiden II" red discs. Please note that the delay in load times you may experience is not representative of the final game. In the final boxed copy of the game, which you will receive once the game ships to retail on June 3 in the U.S., you will not experience any lag in load times. Team NINJA is aware of the issue and requests your patience as you play through the review red disc.

Xbox 360 spins DVDR media slower than replicated media, so it's not representative of how final media will perform. Also, please keep in mind that this build distributed early to you guys for review purposes is not final retail code (emphasis added -- KV). While the build contains many final gameplay features, story elements, and graphical capabilities, it's a press evaluation build so it is not as fully optimized as a retail product. Generally, load time is one feature that improves between review builds and final product. While there typically is not a major noticeable difference between review builds and retail product, it can vary, so please keep this in mind while working on your review.

http://www.gamespot.com/users/Kevin-V/show_blog_entry.php?topic_id=m-100-25424593#signup

[quote]Just a quick note from Team NINJA below regarding the "Ninja Gaiden II" red discs. Please note that the delay in load times you may experience is not representative of the final game. In the final boxed copy of the game, which you will receive once the game ships to retail on June 3 in the U.S., you will not experience any lag in load times. Team NINJA is aware of the issue and requests your patience as you play through the review red disc.

Xbox 360 spins DVDR media slower than replicated media, so it's not representative of how final media will perform. Also, please keep in mind that this build distributed early to you guys for review purposes is not final retail code (emphasis added -- KV). While the build contains many final gameplay features, story elements, and graphical capabilities, it's a press evaluation build so it is not as fully optimized as a retail product. Generally, load time is one feature that improves between review builds and final product. While there typically is not a major noticeable difference between review builds and retail product, it can vary, so please keep this in mind while working on your review.
[/quote]

The first 10 minutes: Ninja Gaiden 2

The first 10 minutes: Part 1

The first 10 minutes: Part 2

The first 10 minutes: Part 3

The first 10 minutes: Part 4

All comments (116)

Assassin's Creed Black Flag Resynced

STAR WARS: Galactic Racer

Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 4

A new Nintendo Direct

Xbox Games Showcase + Gears of War E-Day Direct

Future Games Show: Summer Showcase 2026