Ninja Gaiden 2 for Xbox 360 Reviews by Gamers

This game is the bloodiest game i have ever played. how can anyone rate this game below a 9?!? sure the camera is a little weird, but quit whining, there is no perfect game out there, and to all those people who think that this game is "to hard" than you just shouldn't play adventure games. BEST GAME I HAVE EVER PLAYED!!!

this is an extremely fast paced and epic slasher game with an unusual amount of deapth. if you liked the first you will like the second, overall, I dont think the story is as good as the first, but the gameplay makes up for it. there is a gloryous amount of gore and more ninja-pwnage than in any other game. it is also a challenging game, as the first one was, when you beat it, you get a sense of deep satisfaction that is rare in most games today. dont rent it, buy it.

First of all, anyone who rates this game less than a 8 is an idiot. Unfortunately, anyone who can type is allowed to express their pointless opinions (PS3 Fanboys). The biggest gripe EVERYONE has with Gaiden 2 is .... the camera!! Well folks, this has been a problem, not just in the Gaiden series but ALL VIDEO GAMES!!!! Name one game where the camera angles were spot, dead on - you can't, so get over it. What troubles most people is the difficulty Team Ninja employs. If you are not on your "A" game, Gaiden will punish you over and over, A challenge ONLY for the hardcore, and yes we are out there. If it's too hard for you, play something else - that simple. Stop whining and get better. The graphics are spectacular and vivid in color, Ryu's movements are more fluid than ever, with bosses and enemies to challenge almost the most villainous of baddies. With a plethora (alot) of weapons to master and choose from, you'll never get bored with Gaiden 2. Oh yea, now you can record your game and upload it on XBL to show off your /ninja skills to the whole world! Awesome. Most people who heavily critique this game do so cause they SUCK at it and have given up. Definitely not for the average gamer. Only the elite. But if you think you got what it takes, then Ninja Gaiden 2 will test your metal, and NOT DISSAPOINT.

I expected to just get a few kicks out of this game and then move on, but it dropped my jaw in the first 5 minutes. I love the graphics. The gameplay is addictive and quite easy to get the hang of. I only stopped playing because the game had become so intense, I wanted a break to catch my breath.

The graphics are right out of Dead Or Alive 4, and I always thought they looked amazing in that game. I've been wanting to see them used in a non-fighter game, and here we have it at last. It works amazingly well in this action button masher. It looks good when you are running around killing things in 3rd person view, but then it looks even better when the camera zooms in for combos or during in-engine cut scenes.

The gameplay offers many different combo options (you never run out of new ways to slice off enemy body parts-expect mucho gore!) BUT at the same time, if you can't think of what to do, you can just resort to some good old fashioned button mashing and you will probably end up doing something random and impressive. Blocking is easy, buttons are mapped intuitively, and pulling off combos isn't difficult even for an action newbie like me.

My only gripe is a minor one. The camera can get a little awkward at times.

I expected to play this game for a few days, enjoy some bloodshed, and send it back. I might be keeping it for several weeks instead. This might be one of the rare games that I actually finish.

Don't get me wrong...this game looks amazing and is insanely fun to play. The graphics are awesome...the fighting is crazy and bloody. The downfall to this game is that it's too frustrating for it to be fun. The "normal" and "easy" modes are a breeze and not difficult to the point where you want to break your controller against something, but anything beyond that is just irritating. With the mix of bad camera angles in some places and just too many people shooting rockets and blowing you up before you even have a chance to attack the boss, it's just maddening.

It's not even so much that it takes a skillful player to beat it, it's just pure luck that you can pull it off. You can inch your way to beating it, but it drives you insane along the way. Good game, good graphics, but just too hard to beat. Play it on The Way of the Warrior and send it back...go any farther and I guarantee you'll experience the same frustrations.

Let me come right out and say that I am a HUGE Ninja Gaiden Fan. I have Ninja Gaiden, Ninja Gaiden Black, and Ninja Gaiden Sigma. The camera on those didnt bother me at all... But i have to admit that the camera on this new installment is more challenging... Nonetheless, i would still recommend this to any and all action gamers.

Im experienced enough in the series to play it using the path of the warrior, but less experience players should be able to go by with Path of the acolyte. The key to the game is learning BOTH the combos on your weapon and your evasion techniques. Master these skills well, and you'll be hard pressed to see a much more rewarding action game out there. Also, I would suggest luring out your prey to a more open field to bypass some of the camera problems.

I love this game and i would recommend it to all those who are interested in the action genre. I would love to give this a 10, but considering that the camera is a tiny bit worst than the previous installment, i would only give it a 9. Still a definite buy.

For all Ninja Gaiden fans of the past, you will be happy to know that its as difficult as the rest. Known to gamers as the ultimate test for true button mashers, Ninja Gaiden reclaims its spot as one of the most difficult games on the market. With updated graphics and a slightly improved fighting system, Gaiden 2 takes you on a bloody "amputation-happy" quest filled with deadly ninjas and powerful magic all out to frustrate any gamer with a short fuse.
A buy for people with the patience of a true ninja and a must rent for all us mortals hoping to keep our controllers out of our TV.

GT - inZOMBiac

I'm sure I'll be one of the few to say this game was slightly better than average and far short from earth shattering, but if you dont mind reading on, you'll see why.
There are a few categories where this game is good but just not good enough.

Graphics: Its great, but not much more then it was on the xbox. Team Ninja pushed the limits on that system but not on this one. Sure you get to see a lot of limbs flying, but it seems then spent more time on this then more important issues (like the camera and story) So for me, its good, not amazing.

Gameplay: solid controls, but horrible camera. Just about EVERYONE had complaints about the camera in the other 2 and appearently they went unheard. In fact at times it even seems to be worse! And as far as combos goes, I'm sorry but I dont feel that mashing XXX, XXY, YY to kill 90% of all enemies is my idea of a limitless combo system.

Story: Probably the worst part of the game. The ORIGINAL Ninja Gaiden made you play through just to see what happened. This one, just didnt have you care about the story, you just wanted to get to the next stage to kill more, not really care why. Its ninja gaiden so OF COURSE things are going to be stretching the limits of reality but after you've cut off 2 arms and a leg and then can STILL attack you? This is Ninja Gaiden, NOT Monty Python! Additional note to anyone really bothered by my assesment of the story... I'll just say one thing. 3rd stage, ninja dart throwing dogs... COME ON?!

Overall: There is no question that Team Ninja has created ALMOST the same feel and combination of gameplay that made the 1st one stand out, but that was years ago. If they had branched out with the same energy they did when they created the 1st one, this game could have been amazing. As it is, the hype is better than the game.

But lets face it, we're all on here renting the game and if you did like the 1st one, and are really just looking for ninja slicing carnage then this rental is for you.

When I heard Ninja Gaiden 2 was coming out, I was pretty excited, especially since I knew there would be new weapons and other features. I got it from gamefly and I started out with the game, and it was somewhat fun. However, that slowly changed. The game got to the point where it wasn't fun, but it was annoying. Not only was the camera annoying, but the difficulty and the enemies were annoying as well. It became one of those games you want to beat, but you don't want to play the game to get to the end.

I lost the enjoyment of the game and it became a nuisance to play, which is why I returned it before I even beat it. I think this game is for people who actually enjoy getting thrashed during the game 20 times before they actually get past a certain part. This was definitely a rent, not a buy.

Don get me wrong, I like a decent challenge here and there, I play every game out there.This game is very well crafted, good graphics, and fun...but after the first level, you'll be begging to get to the next save point and hope that there isn't a boss battle, why?, because this game is incredibly challenging, you'll be playing the game just to play it,you won't have fun you'll be to concentrated on killing the bad guys and not dieing. God of war is very fun and not to hard, so i reccommend you get that game if you have a PS2, unless you have skills and are an extreme fan boy of ninja gaiden, don't bother, its a good game, it's just way TO HARD, i HIGHLY reccommend you rent before you buy, TRUST ME!!

this game is really cool to play like it so far

This game did not live up to it's hype. The gameplay was fun for about 2-3 hours. After that it became ridiculously hard and ridiculously repetitive. The graphics are amazing though. Worth a one-day rental, but that's it.

Story-wise this game was rather mediocre, but definitely something you might be interested in if you were upset that there was no 8th season of Buffy the Vampire Slayer. After chapter 2 it makes a quick turn from a battle with a rival ninja clan (what I expected from a ninja game, to be honest) to a fight with monsters and demons, and monster and demon bosses. The story seems kind of dragged out as well seeing as how some of the fights get insanely repetitive (if you play all the way through you'll understand) and some nonsensical bosses (like an electric train floating thing with a head that shoots lasers) seem thrown in to extend the time between major bosses. Your character is also followed around time to time by a sort of sidekick, a CIA female agent wearing an outfit that's one step away from lingerie and an exaggeratedly large chest area. Standard uniform for female CIA agents, you know...

Anyways, gameplay: slashing, dismembering, and beheading ninjas and blowing through 5 or more at a time with a nice variety of weapons is fun, but is all you do the entire game. You sometimes use ranged weapons, when melee isn't an option. The gameplay got old for me well before finishing the 14 long chapters. A boss fight glitched on me after beating him, forcing me to do it over when I finally had finished it off, and another point had to be reloaded b/c an enemy that I had to kill to pass to the next point got stuck in a wall. So there may be some bugs you'll experience.

The fighting system is hard to master, and you frequently get thrown around by enemies near the one you are attacking. This game, even on the lowest difficulty, is rather harder than any other game I've played of similar genre, and will cause you a lot of reloads and frustrated deaths, especially when you're stuck on a hard boss with no healing items.

If you are looking for a good challenge, then check this game out. I did enjoy it most of the game despite the lame plot and crazy difficulty.

You will be SORELY DISAPPOINTED! At first, the game seems to be similar in play with a few added features. However, as you progress to middle chapters (5 onward), the game starts to become extremely frustrating, much more so than the first one. The camera angles are awful, especially in tight quarters. The weapons are nice, but the new enemies are ridiculous in strength, block breaking, and mini-cutscene combos, which do tremendous damage even from the small enemies. The bosses use these as well, and often take half of your health on one unescapable combo. If you want to punish yourself, give it a shot. If your looking for a good hack n slash, either rent God of War 2 or wait for something else.

I consider myself a pro gamer while maintaining my work life, but this game made me look like I wasted my life trying to do something redundant. It was hard to the point were I asked myself, "What am I really doing?" Graphics are great but the camera and the difficulty really turns you off.
If you wanna waste your time as a gamer, with not-so-great element of fun, while trying to prove your gaming skills, anger management and persistence, just to get a glimpse of satisfaction for self proclaimed accomplishment, go for it.
I am probably never gonna play Ninja games, ever.
If you can't enjoy it, don't play it.

Disclaimer: I am not a hardcore Ninja Gaiden fan. I played the original NES version in the 80s, but that's about it.

That said, I echo the comments of many others here. This game has SO much potential, BUT, the horrible camera, and ridiculously hard difficulty (even set on the easiest difficulty), makes this game a waste.

I really, really, wanted to enjoy and finish this game. But, I got so frustrated that I sent it back after level 4.

If you are a gamer that thrives on challenge, you should rent this game. If you are a gamer that plays for an escape, run hard and run fast away from this game.

The good:

Ryu/Enemy animation - nearly flawless. The animations are fantastic. The replay capture mode while not terribly user friendly, allows for some great post combat action review.

Physical level design/movement challenge - good. The levels while feeling a bit sparse from a background texture perspective, seem well arranged. Some are quite challenging with enemies firing on you from positions that require quite a bit of maneuvering to get to. The camera angle really annoys here.

The mediocre:

Strategic challenge - perhaps it's just me, but the action feels a bit frantic with the number of enemies/speed of attack. Contrast this with Assassin's Creed which really has a great nuance when it comes to swordplay as far as controls are concerned.

Boss challenge - It feels too arcadey. Die over and over until you manage to figure out the patterns necessary to beat the bosses. Combine this with the load sequence, and boss encounters get repetitive.

The bad:

The camera. It's horrible.

There are 2 things ANY game must do right from teh beginning. ANY game. They are Controls and Camera. If you can't control your character, there is no point in playing the game. If you cant SEE there is no point in playing the game.

Ninja Gaiden 2 does an acceptable (but not remarkable) job with the controls.

Ninja Gaiden 2 does a poor to mediocre job with the camera. It is often bad, but not SO bad that you can't play the game.

Until you get to the boss of Chapter 3.

SPOILER

The boss of chapter 3 flies around and you have to shoot him to kill him. You have a choice, have the camera centered on the bad guy, in which case you can't see where you are going, or have the camer centered on your character in which case you cant see the enemy. The game goes straight from fun to an obnoxious chore you could not pay me to play.

Ninja Gaiden 2 is roughly ninja gaiden 1 with better graphics and bouncing boobs. The same monotony sets in around 75% to completion the button mashing gets you to a point where you are just mashing the buttons in hopes that you will pass the boss and move on to more slightly less intensive button mashing. Here is some things I was expecting and didn't see.

1) Better storyline than I stole something from your village now chase me around the world.

2) If you are going to make it that button mashing avoid a linear plot line.

3) ALWAYS and I MEAN ALWAYS upgrade the game engine to include new moves and capabilities.

Not for the casual gamers. Ninja Gaiden 2 (NG2) requires patience, perseverance, and pride. Well, "pride" may be a bit too much, but the idea is definitely there. NG2 requires a great deal of determination, and some gamers may not have that determination. Those of us that have played Ninja Gaiden in the past expect this kind of difficulty from the franchise. Nevertheless, the challenge provided by NG2 beats even the best of us veterans. The game challenges you to the fullest in terms of skill and shrewdness. It may be cheap at times, but just feel the satisfaction of getting through those tougher portions in the game. After everything that is thrown at you fails you’ll feel amazing.

In other words, it depends on the difficulty settings and how adept you are at playing games of this caliber. By default the game only offers two difficulty settings, “Path of the Acolyte” and “Path of the Warrior.” Gamers that are not familiar with Ninja Gaiden are recommended to play the game on “Path of the Acolyte.” Playing NG2 under this difficulty will teach you how to handle the games many intricacies. Allowing you to become familiar with all the techniques, abilities, combos, and weapons NG2 has to offer.

Gamers that are looking for an epic story from this game should just look somewhere else, because this game is all about game play. The game is rough, but most definitely rewarding for those willing to push all the way through. This game may not be a technical powerhouse, but it still presents a great deal of detail and interesting art direction. NG2 is riddle with minor bugs (i.e. clipping, pop-ups, etcetera), but what game isn’t nowadays. If you’re in doubt rent it (this is why you became a Game Fly member), and if you like it keep it…

Why would someone make a game that is so unbearably hard right from the get go that it sucks all of the fun out of it??? The graphics are awesome even on my little piece of junk 10 year old 32 in tv but that is the only thing about this game that is any good. The boss fights every 10 minutes are a joke, they had me looking for cheat codes after an hour of game play and I despise cheat codes I wont use them. Save yourself some time and dont even bother with this one!!!

If theres one thing you should know about all the Ninja Gaidens is that they are hard. This one is no exception. While its not the all around gameplay thats difficult, the boss battles are impossible, or at least thats what you'll think until you learn the tricks to beating them. Every boss as well as every ninja/creature has there own weakness. it all just depends on what weapon you use and where you deliver the blow. Be prepared to die a lot, the boss battles are just sword swinging puzzles and you will rarely figure out the pieces on the first try. Just try to be patient and resist the urge to through the controller(they break easy trust me)
Also I've been hearing a lot of complaints about the camera. yeah I admit it was annoying, however I think the reason it still stayed as terrible as the original is because of the added difficulty. Think about it, a real ninja has a huge blind spot(everything behind him) the camera makes you remember where your enemies are as well if you've killed them or not. towards the end of the game half of your kills will be off screen and you shouldn't care. The only real complaint I have about this game is that when there are to many enemies attacking you(50 or so), the 360 cant handle it and everything slows down making your attacks hard to deliver.
If you would have asked me if I liked this game while I was playing it, I would have said no. I was cursing at the game nearly the entire time. However when I finally finished, and the credits began rolling through the screen and I stretched for the first time in days with that feeling of accomplishment and just that was worth my time and effort. looking back on it, it really was a lot of fun. sending limbs flying about the air, beheading weaker ninjas. It was definitely worth the rent, but I wont play it again. one angry weekend was enough for me. Just remember this games not for everyone, if you give up on this game you wont like it as much as if you finished it.

I got this game because I kept seeing the ad for it on TV and thought it looked cool, and man was I wrong. I don't know why it got such a high rating? The first chapter was cool but as soon as the second chapter starts it got extremely hard and repetitive There are only like 2 sets of combos for each weapon and like 3 different animations for killing people and you just watch them over and over, though it was cool watching all the heads and body parts get cut off, It got old really fast and the controls for some of the moves made it so ridiculously hard like one part you have to wall run across 2 walls and when you get to the second wall he was supposed to start running automatically but he kept falling and it glitched so bad that time, even the blood satins from people, there would just be a big ol spot of blood and brains in the middle of nowhere just floating, really lame game they probably thought lets make a super lame game but put a lot of blood in it to cover it up, cause that's exactly what this game is.

First off let me say I played this game a week after i beat Devil May Cry 4. So since they came out around the same time only a few months apart and they are a similar type of game. I was comparing them both and realized compared to DMC 4 this game is not even considered average. I heard people say this game has great graphics, it doesn't. DMC 4 has way better graphics and came out 4 months earlier. DMC 4 has a way better story, dialogue, plot, cutscenes and graphics. The only thing ninja gaiden 2 is superior in then DMC 4 is the combat, but its only slightly better.

Story: It doesn't have a decent story not even a weak story as a matter of fact i wouldn't even say it has a story at all. No plot, no dialogue except during the lame, weak, half put together cut scenes. Which are only there so you can see the 2 hot girls in skimpy outfits with unnecessarily big breasts, one a CIA agent and one as the commander for the main villain. And also to meet the "greater fiend" you are going to be going up against for the next 2 or 3 chapters. What little story there is you find out in chapters 1 & 2, the rest is nonsense until last level (14). "Genshee go back to ((other name for the underworld))." Is the best line in the game. What does that say to you?

Gameplay: The fighting in the game is fantastic and really fun. Its really violent, bloody and gory. There are a lot of combos you can do and all the attacks flow together really well. They even add really cool finishers you can do and there are different ones for different types of enemies. How ever there is less plat forming and the camera angles suck and get even worse when you are in small or tight areas. The game doesn't progressively get harder it makes leaps for example chapter 1 easy, chapter 4 medium, chapter 5 HARD and FRUSTRATING and it gets worse as the game goes on. FYI there are 14 chapters.

I am sorry but the cool violence you do in this game is not enough to make this a good game when everything else sucks.