NeoGAF I want to talk to you about Ninja Gaiden II. Not that sidescrolling one that I've never played. The one that's the best action game of last generation, and maybe ever.
"That's weird", you might think. "I don't remember that Ninja Gaiden 2. I only remember the frustratingly poorly balanced game where the screen was filled with explosions that killed you instantly."
That's okay. There are lots of Ninja Gaiden 2s. There's the competent if flawed sequel to Ninja Gaiden Black, itself inarguably one of the finest action games ever made. There's the disappointing game that bucked the semi-metroidvania level design of the first game in favour of a series of literally and thematically disconnected levels, themselves little more than linearly-sequenced arenas filled with swarms of ninjas and ugly fiends. There's the game where the screen was filled with explosions that killed you instantly.
And then there's the game that, when everything slots together, just ascends to a different plane of action game existence. Where you're not even sure how it is that you're managing to keep up with the carnage on-screen, let alone successfully navigate it, removing limbs, neatly slicing bodies, and slipping effortlessly past the blows of your enemies.
I'm currently replaying both Ninja Gaiden II and Ninja Gaiden Sigma II, and it's reaffirmed to me that in those rare moments of perfect, zen-like brilliance, this is by far and away my favourite action game ever made. At least, on Path of the Mentor. And now I want to invite you all to tell me I'm an idiot (or, better yet, agree with me and lets talk about how incredible this game is).
The game mechanics take a while to soak in and appreciate. The swarms of enemies are deceptively weak; underestimating a single spider ninja is all it takes for it to end Ryu's life. Even after you remove a limb, they still pose a challenge, and their kamikaze throws are more than capable of swiftly killing you if you're not paying attention. Ninja Gaiden II is a game about picking your fights, and getting the job done quickly. The enemies are incredibly manoeuvrable, and your job is to pick out that one with the barrage rocket launcher (often perched at the opposite end of a large arena), taking him out the fight before he can totally throw off your flow, leaving you staggered and vulnerable to the attacks of the others. But somehow the reload time on his rocket launcher seems to shrink when you get within ten feet of him, requiring you to stay nimbly evasive yourself even as you close in for the kill. The best encounters of Ninja Gaiden II have tiers of strategy to them along with the split-second actions required to keep Hayabusa alive, requiring you to quickly decide which enemies need dispatching first, and for you to do it while avoiding the attacks of the ones you're leaving until last.
What surprised me about Ninja Gaiden Sigma II was how little there is that's obviously improved about the game, given the strength of the game they had to build on. Largely pointless bosses are shoehorned in incongruously (impressive considering how largely ignorable the plot is to begin with), although some of the more frustrating, tedious, or otherwise stupid bosses from the 360 release are cut. Enemy encounters are sparser, bringing the overall quality of the game up but bringing the ceiling of quality, and difficulty, down. Mission mode—arguably the best part of the original game—is replaced by the not-nearly-as-good team mission mode. The new weapons add nothing significant to the game. Even the graphics, despite running at full 720p to the 360's 640p, are arguably worse than the original in important ways, dipping more frequently into a sub-30fps slideshow, and the look-closely-or-you'll-miss-it IQ improvement isn't enough to make up for those shortcomings. It's still a good game, great in parts, but only because of what it shares with the 360 version.
So GAF, lets celebrate this game, for everything that it got wrong and for everything that it got so, so right. What's everyone's favourite weapon(s)? (Talons and Scythe, obviously). Favourite levels? (Tough. The return to Hayabusa village maybe? Or that one set inexplicably in Russia.) Haven't played NGII? Then what in sweet hell are you waiting for? (And to avoid dying of old age during the load times, ensure you install it to your HDD.)
(Why is this post written like a magazine article? I don't know. I'm not capable of writing long form without adopting this tone. Sorry.)
