Ninja Gaiden II IGN review

it was probably mentioned but this game looks to have been rushed out by june to compete with MGS4. it would've benefitted from few more months of polish. damn corporate decisions
 
I can't believe I'm going to be rewarded for playing through the game with only the Kusari Gama. It's going to be so awesome. I feel like Itagaki knows me personally. I haven't seen a single thing that would make me think this isn't going to be my favorite game of all time.

Team Ninja, you're so cool. I want to be just like you when I grow up.
 
14-15 hours for an action game is quite decent, especially for a game as merciless as this one will be.

There are people out there that took hours to beat the DEMO of Ninja Gaiden, and that was with upgraded weapons right out of the box.

Then there's the horseman...
 
WickedLaharl said:
i was watching blimblims videos earlier and loading after opening a chest is in ng2 also...
Click to expand...

The loading in those vids was really annoying. Gameplay looked sweet. I can't believe all the awesome shit Ryu is doing with a level 1 dragon sword. There are 7 (??) more weapons to play?

Yay.
 
WickedLaharl said:
i was watching blimblims videos earlier and loading after opening a chest is in ng2 also...
Click to expand...
pretty fast, even in sigma.

I'm more annoyed by that new kick animation.
 
Mamesj said:
You think people from Yale can't make mistakes?
Click to expand...
Not saying that, just saying that he's gone to college plenty ;) If he's not perfect yet, what's more college gonna do for him?
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh.
 
McDragon said:
pretty fast, even in sigma.

I'm more annoyed by that new kick animation.
Click to expand...

there shouldn't be any loading opening a chest at all. in sigma it would occasionally load while picking up an item as well. shit fucking sucks.
 
i know it sucks.

Brianemone said the retail copy should be better at this according to MS, so here is hoping it is.
 
It's weird to see how much people care about the little things before a game comes out. Ninja Gaiden 1 was far from perfect. Horrible game design choices in places, I personally felt the AI could be cheap though this seems debatable, the camera was bad, level design was often poor...But it was and is still one of the greatest games I've ever played.

So the sequel could have fixed this stuff - agreed. That's why it's scoring high eights rather than nines. The game still looks like more of the same, but better. There's no way any fan of the first game should be thinking about canceling their pre-orders based on some harsh point-docking for a few minor technical problems and missed opportunities.
 
MarkRyan said:
Not saying that, just saying that he's gone to college plenty ;) If he's not perfect yet, what's more college gonna do for him?
Ohhhhhhhhhhhh.
Click to expand...


I'll tell you what it's gonna do for him...next time he won't say NG should have stealth elements. It's worth the money. :lol

I'm kidding, those are definitely impressive credentials for a reviewer.
 
EverSoTrendy said:
371944179_b6801d8636.jpg

Make this mode for the people who can't even play on Easy mode.
Click to expand...
I couldn't get past the second level in the original NG, so that may come in handy. :D
 
In reading a lot of these responses, it seems that what makes Ninja Gaiden Ninja Gaiden is lost of a lot of people.
 
What I don't mind:
- hard difficulty
- respawning enemies (grinding here I come)
- more of the same
- crazy camera
- fps dips

What I do mind:
- loading while in a battle
 
Ifrit said:
Here's an interview with Itagaki from gamersyde, I haven't watched it yet, but I didn't see it being posted:

http://www.gamersyde.com/news_6537_en.html
Click to expand...
Awesome interview, it really does add to the build up that Itagaki might leave Tecmo or do something unexpected.

It also clears up the whole definitive DOA or definitive fighting game question as well, so everyone can shut up about that. He also seems pretty nice in this interview, no real flamebait, which is good, so people stop insulting one of my game design heroes.

Itagaki says he rarely praises his own games, but thinks this one is really good.
 
McDragon said:
A positive (yes positive) article about the camera:

http://blogs.pcworld.com/gameon/archives/007014.html
Click to expand...


As much as I've disagreed with this guy before this makes so much sense;

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.
Click to expand...
 
The only real complainers about Itagaki are those that always hated him in the first place.

Every few months, an interview comes out, and half the people think he's a cool confident guy, and the other half hate on him. And thats not too surprising considering that this guy was Xbox-focused and his xbox-fandom didn't sit well with a bunch of people.

Now, those that complain about him disliking Sigma, are just a real piece of work. It's like telling a singer that they can't dislike it when someone remixes their songs. Itagaki made a game exactly how he wanted, and Sigma was just Hayashi taking Itagaki's vision and tacking on some stuff. If Itagaki doesn't like it, he doesn't like it. Why the fuck do people make comments like..."he shouldn't disrespect his own staff"?

And the camera has been something that people bitch about since the original released. Bitching about the camera now is as eye-roll worthy as bitching about the difficulty. If you could play NG/NGB/NGS, then you can fucking play NG2 without complain.

But bitching about the camera now, or how hard the game is (just when a few days ago people were complaining that it might be too easy), is just transparent bullshit. No one cares. And if those complaints are getting you worked up, then you shouldn't even bother with the game. You can cling on to those complaints and call NG2 a disappointment, just like when asshats latched on to NG1's "C-" score while the rest of the gaming population was enjoying a wonderful game.
 
hmm... the review doesn't line up with itagaki's attitude....oh well it's too late for me so I'll play it a bit and sell it I guess.
 
Aske said:
It's weird to see how much people care about the little things before a game comes out. Ninja Gaiden 1 was far from perfect. Horrible game design choices in places, I personally felt the AI could be cheap though this seems debatable, the camera was bad, level design was often poor...But it was and is still one of the greatest games I've ever played.

So the sequel could have fixed this stuff - agreed. That's why it's scoring high eights rather than nines. The game still looks like more of the same, but better. There's no way any fan of the first game should be thinking about canceling their pre-orders based on some harsh point-docking for a few minor technical problems and missed opportunities.
Click to expand...

I couldn't have said this better myself. *clap*clap*clap*
 
Vast Inspiration said:
The only real complainers about Itagaki are those that always hated him in the first place.

Every few months, an interview comes out, and half the people think he's a cool confident guy, and the other half hate on him. And thats not too surprising considering that this guy was Xbox-focused and his xbox-fandom didn't sit well with a bunch of people.

Now, those that complain about him disliking Sigma, are just a real piece of work. It's like telling a singer that they can't dislike it when someone remixes their songs. Itagaki made a game exactly how he wanted, and Sigma was just Hayashi taking Itagaki's vision and tacking on some stuff. If Itagaki doesn't like it, he doesn't like it. Why the fuck do people make comments like..."he shouldn't disrespect his own staff"?

And the camera has been something that people bitch about since the original released. Bitching about the camera now is as eye-roll worthy as bitching about the difficulty. If you could play NG/NGB/NGS, then you can fucking play NG2 without complain.

But bitching about the camera now, or how hard the game is (just when a few days ago people were complaining that it might be too easy), is just transparent bullshit. No one cares. And if those complaints are getting you worked up, then you shouldn't even bother with the game. You can cling on to those complaints and call NG2 a disappointment, just like when asshats latched on to NG1's "C-" score while the rest of the gaming population was enjoying a wonderful game.
Click to expand...

i dont think people are scrutinizing a game like NG as they are sticking this to itagaki aka Mr-i-think-im-gods-gift-to-gamers....its like the wrestler or the political candidate who likes to talk the most trash about his competitors but when it comes time to deliver his own goods, its....well.....just doesnt live up to the godly hype. at that point people cant help but feel vindicated and want to rub his nose in it.
NG is a good game, obviously, but not the flawless slice of heaven that itagaki-fanboys want to believe
 
frAntic_Frog said:
i dont think people are scrutinizing a game like NG as they are sticking this to itagaki aka Mr-i-think-im-gods-gift-to-gamers....its like the wrestler or the political candidate who likes to talk the most trash about his competitors but when it comes time to deliver his own goods, its....well.....just doesnt live up to the godly hype. at that point people cant help but feel vindicated and want to rub his nose in it.
NG is a good game, obviously, but not the flawless slice of heaven that itagaki-fanboys want to believe
Click to expand...

In this fake ass generation of easy, sub 30fps games. He made a insanely hard, mostly 60fps game. I love him for that.
 
frAntic_Frog said:
i dont think people are scrutinizing a game like NG as they are sticking this to itagaki aka Mr-i-think-im-gods-gift-to-gamers....its like the wrestler or the political candidate who likes to talk the most trash about his competitors but when it comes time to deliver his own goods, its....well.....just doesnt live up to the godly hype. at that point people cant help but feel vindicated and want to rub his nose in it.
NG is a good game, obviously, but not the flawless slice of heaven that itagaki-fanboys want to believe
Click to expand...

:lol :lol :lol
Your post perfectly signifies exactly what I'm talking about...and you think you're somehow making a valid point?

Comments like these are EXACTLY what prove that you only have your panties in a knot because of his comments. And "people can't help but feel vindicated".....PROVES that you actually want the game to do bad. WOW!

You are EXACTLY the type of butt-hurt gamer that wants NG2 to come out and be received badly. You're not a fan, you're not even interested. And "Itagaki-fanboys" got EXACTLY the type of game they wanted.

And if the above is too complicated to understand, I can sum up my thoughts with a picture for you...

BigBoss_tn.jpg
 
It's great that it's pretty long, but I'll be picking it up later on due to this also. MGS4 is going to consume my June and possibly some July, I'll be late to this party, but I'll definitely have a good time when I arrive.
 
Vast Inspiration said:
:lol :lol :lol
Your post perfectly signifies exactly what I'm talking about...and you think you're somehow making a valid point?

Comments like these are EXACTLY what prove that you only have your panties in a knot because of his comments. And "people can't help but feel vindicated".....PROVES that you actually want the game to do bad. WOW!

You are EXACTLY the type of butt-hurt gamer that wants NG2 to come out and be received badly. You're not a fan, you're not even interested. And "Itagaki-fanboys" got EXACTLY the type of game they wanted.

And if the above is too complicated to understand, I can sum up my thoughts with a picture for you...

BigBoss_tn.jpg
Click to expand...

If he's the butt-hurt gamer who wishes Itagaki failure, then you must be the fanboy with your nose up his ass.
 
Guys... what is all the fuss about Itagaki? Whether he's pompous or humble doesn't make any difference to the game. It's a game where you play as a ninja and slice the living fuck out of everyone. Lots of people are gonna like it, especially if they enjoyed the first iterations. It's pretty clear that it won't fall on its arse.

We really shouldn't worry too much about what the creator has to say, or how they say it, as there will always be a trace of bias, particularly in Itagaki's case. I don't see how anyone could be so jaded that they'd want him to fail with NG2. I also don't see how people can find him that loveable. You might even say I don't care about Itagaki; I just want to play his game. Is that so shocking?
 
Draft said:
Stealth? Christ's sake, people. What, because he's a ninja? A real ninja would sneak? Little more reality in your game about shit talking demons, dominatrix CIA agents, 4 armed werewolf gods and magic statues?

And don't even get me started on stealth segments in games that are not stealth based. They are invariably terrible. I cannot think of a single first person shooter, action game, brawler or whatever that implemented stealth in any sort of entertaining fashion. Stealth needs to be a core concept, not some bullet point that shows up a couple times and is never heard from again.

Stealth. In Ninja Gaiden. My God.
Click to expand...
QFT.

Stealth in a NG game would be the end of the franchise. Period.
 
Dahbomb said:
QFT.

Stealth in a NG game would be the end of the franchise. Period.
Click to expand...
True, maybe a spin off or something. I think mixing stealth and action could be awesome
Metal Gear Raiden, make it happen
 
I would assume NG2 would take you just as long.

NG1 took me about 20 hours in-game to beat the first time (that's going by the game's clock, it's actually far longer if you include deaths). Now I can finish a normal run in about 5-7 hours. Does that mean the game is only 5 hours long? I wouldn't say so. It's way too hard to gauge time in these games, and if it's as replayable as the first game, then NG2 is easily 500 hours long.
 
NG1 took me like 15-16 hours, I am expecting NG2 to follow suit (without any bull shit backtracking or stupid boss gauntlets). Even if it's a few hours short, I wouldn't mind but less than 10 hours for an avid gamer would be cause for concern.
 
Gizmo_Monkey said:
it took me about 35 hours to beat NG1 and I wasnt really taking my time that much. Dunno why this game is not even half its length :(
Click to expand...

NG1 was hardly a 35 hour game. Barely even half that.
 
He said that it's a 14-15 chapter game, not 14-15 hour game...

And if the first chapter alone takes an hour, I'm sure that mid-way or end-game chapters will probably take a bit longer each, so let's say a 20+ hour game...

Ninja Gaiden was a 20+ hour game for everyone their first time... especially since the timer didn't count deaths or resets, which I'm sure everybody did their first time...
 
I think i clocked in at around 23 hours my first time on Gaiden, i started on hard though. And i ran back and forth between areas just to get into more fights. God i love NG.
 
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