I absolutely loved Ninja Gaiden Black, but I returned Ninja Gaiden 2 after just a few days of playing it. It's the first title I've ever played where I feel like it legitimately dislikes me.
The feeling really became prominent in Chapter 3. Platforming section ending in a fight where enemies will knock you to the bottom of it? It happens multiple times, including the maddening ventilation shaft section where most of the enemies are perched in areas you can only access by ladders. Projectile spam from offscreen? Happens more than once. And it culminates in a shitty, shitty boss fight based around using your bow, when the strength of the game lies in its excellent fast-paced melee combat, and where the boss has a bunch of attacks that are basically undodgeable (FAQs should not read "be prepared to take damage" as the response to an attack).
I've beaten hard games before. I cleared God Hand, many of the missions in NGB, and a good deal of hard mode. If I feel a challenge is legitimate, I can persevere and win it with the best of them. But when I had the opportunity to return NG2 for a full refund, I just couldn't justify sticking with a game that seemed to intentionally craft encounters around the things its mechanics weren't equipped to handle. And it's a shame, because the combat engine is really, really good.
I feel like I should feel bad about this, but I don't.
