Joystick Division - Bloody Good (But Not Great): Ninja Gaiden II REVIEW

Bloody Good (But Not Great): Ninja Gaiden II REVIEW

Posted by Gary Hodges at 2:04 PM Jun 19, 2008

Ryu doing what he does best: flipping out and killing people.

Ninja Gaiden II
Developer: Team Ninja / ESRB Rating: M / Price: $59.99

Game On wasn’t around to review Ninja Gaiden when it hit the original Xbox in 2004, but it’s probably for the best – I probably would’ve written “An awesome, brutal, majestic action masterpiece” and then filled the rest of the space with crude crayon drawings of ninjas because really, there’d be nothing else to say.

It’s easier to spend a column talking about Ninja Gaiden II, which, in some ways, isn’t a good sign. The original set the bar so high, it’s not just the competition that now falls short; now the game’s own sequel suffers in comparison. It’s certainly not bad, not by a long shot: it’s just as intense, fast, flashy and challenging as fans would hope. But the lack of polish – coupled with an equally disappointing lack of ambition – makes the final product not quite as laudable as its predecessor.

Ninja Gaiden II follows a well-trodden path in terms of game plots: reclaim a cursed artifact from Evil Protagonist before it’s used to resurrect Even More Evil Protagonist. No points for originality there, though older fans might enjoy the fact the plot echos many elements of the 1989 original for the NES, right down to a full-fledged 3D remake of the 8-bitter’s final boss.

The real difference here – and the one Tecmo led with in NG2’s publicity campaign – is bloodshed, and lots of it. Not the Nerf batons wielded by the fighters in Soul Calibur, swords in NG2 actually cut, and cut deep – leaving splashes of blood and sundry appendages to litter every map you tear through. Then it cranks the carnage to 11 by pouring hordes of foes on you, a few battles so massive they might number more enemies than were in the whole of NG1, no bullshit. One encounter in particular – a battle up a long staircase later in the game – has an awe-inspiring mob of ninjas so thick, they seem to cascade down the steps to meet you like a black-garbed waterfall swirling with razorblades. If you had more than a split-second to actually sit back and take it all in, it might be discouraging – instead, it’s merely sublime.

In terms of that sort of over-the-top awesome, NG2 does deliver. One battle takes place in a coliseum filled with thousands of werewolf spectators, who naturally decide to jump the wall and run you down when you get the upper hand on their champion. And one level's run through the gear-filled guts of a clocktower helps you keep the faith we could get a truly great 3D Castlevania someday.

Then there’re zombies armed with chainsaws and bazookas. Zombies, armed with chainsaws and bazookas. To some, that might be a 10 out of 10 right there.

But for all of NG2’s spectacular highs, there are some lows that are hard to forgive. Worst is that the game just feels unfinished, exhibiting a clunkiness that’s especially jarring after the technical brilliance of NG1. Every technical goof is represented here: slowdowns, stutters, glitches, and most annoyingly, even a few fatal crashes that force a reboot - pure PC shit, right there.

But even the mania of NG2’s action is a mixed blessing. Yes, the game offers a spectacular, satisfyingly difficult challenge with an insanely deep combat system. But crowds of foes naturally change the feel of the game and significantly, almost smothering the depth and elaborateness of the combat. NG1’s careful, strategic, measured action is no more – instead, it’s combat played out in the snug confines of milliseconds, a game of near perpetual evasion and survival by the skin of your teeth.

Later in the game, there’s an unusual quiet in the din: walking slowly through a bamboo forest, a few ninjas lie in waist-deep grass waiting to spring an ambush. After getting nailed by a few, you start creeping through the bracken, baiting attackers into showing themselves and engaging them one-on-one.

More moments like that – levels where you slink in shadows and engage the enemy on your own terms rather than charge like a freight train through a Ginsu factory – might have resulted in a more even, satisfying experience overall. As it is, NG2’s badassery is as admirable as it is exhausting.