I realized about midway through Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 that I should probably do a review for the game, but I also know that my opinion is somewhat tainted by the fact that I played through Ninja Gaiden 2 on the Xbox 360. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, a PS3 exclusive, is essentially a remix of Ninja Gaiden 2, which is an Xbox 360 exclusive.
That being said, Read more if you want to find out why I think the PS3 version of the game is far better than the 360 version.
If you played through Ninja Gaiden 2, you know that the game is challenging and rewarding. It took me several tries to kill that boss...both times. It was with that sense of difficulty that I started playing Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.
Here are some of the things I feel standout in the game and some things I feel could have been improved. Videos are available just in case you're into that sort of things. Check out a mixed video.
The Story
Yeah, you play primarily as Ryu Hayabusa, a dragon ninja hell-bent on stopping the world from ending. It's a pretty typical Ninja Gaiden storyline and is exactly the one from Ninja Gaiden 2.
Difficulty
A strange thing happened as I started to play Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 on the easiest difficulty. The game quickly proved to be extremely easy. I mean it was super easy. I ran through most of the game without dying. That is very anti-Ninja Gaiden. The series has made a name for being difficult and frustrating. I can tell you that this game is neither on the easiest setting.
So all you really bad ninjas have that going for you.
Boss Battles
The game has all of the bosses from Ninja Gaiden 2 and even throws in a few new ones for extra measure. I hated fighting the Statue of Liberty, for example, because that just sucks. Beating her down hurt me more than it hurt her.
One of the great things about these bosses is that they are varied. You literally fight a massive rodent and the lord of blood. You are also asked to fight some bosses more than once.
Graphics
I don't normally care about graphics and feel that gamers give too much credit for a good looking game, but because this is a remake, I feel it's important. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 looks far better and cleaner than Ninja Gaiden 2. I don't even think it's close. The colors and textures of the game are stunning and the cut scenes are flawless.
Ninja Gaiden is still one of the best looking franchises on the PS3.
The Weapons
Another staple of the series are the weapons. This doesn't disappoint. It even adds a few weapons that can't be found in Ninja Gaiden 2. One is a crazy musket type of deal. The other is a wicked looking sword. All weapons in the game are meant to do brutal damage.
Extras
In addition to the new weapons, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 brings a co-op experience in the form of Team Missions. You can play this online or solo with a ninja bot. You pick a mission and have at it. The video below is me and a bot going nuts. This is a good way to work on some of the weapons specific trophies.
The videos from this review were all initially recorded in Ninja Cinema, which the game uses to record your gameplay. It's a very well done in-game video recorder that also allows you to upload a clip.
One of my favorite additions to the game are the new characters. When Ryu is resting, you play with three different women. Each is pretty badass. The video below is of Momiji owning with a long sword. Each girl also has a role in the campaign. They get their own mission that really loosely tied to Ryu's story.
But what about the game sucks?
Plenty. The weapons are outstanding and allow you to do a wide range of movements and slicing, but the result is more flash than substance. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is much less bloody than Ninja Gaiden 2. Much less. Instead of pools of blood, we get blue magic dust when we slice off a guy's head. What the hell is that about?
Then there is the difficulty. I remember playing Ninja Gaiden 2 on the easiest difficulty yet feeling very frustrated at times. The boss battles were wicked and I actually had to YouTube a couple.
In Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, I ran through the bosses without sweating. Some of that was because of my previous experience with the same bosses, but most of it was that the battles are dumbed-down. There is one in particular that I'm thinking about.
In Ninja Gaiden 2, there is a two-headed flying dragon dude. It took my a very long time to wear him down with arrows and all that. In Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, we get a one-headed dragon that has apparently forgotten how to fly. So I just ran the sword across his ankles a few dozen times and rolled out. Too easy.
And as great as Ninja Cinema is, it falls flat in terms of features. How can any video editor now allow screenshot creations or an easy-to-find online location to view recorded clips? The biggest flaw of this feature is that you can't use it for campaign play. You can record the team and chapter missions, but you're left with the array of HUD items you see in my videos.
Overall
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is a gorgeous game that gives you about 10 hours of gameplay on easy and a long list of bosses to fight through. Along the way, you'll hack at a longer list of ninja types with a laundry list of weapons and spells.
But you'll do it without any real appearance of blood and with your eyes closed on the easiest difficulty.
Final Score: 8.5/10
TrackBack URI for this entry
Subscribe to this comment's feed
Here where i live we say sometimes "Quit school and become a ninja" ;p.