Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is the redefined PlayStation3 version of Ninja Gaiden II. The game is set to be released on September 29, 2009 in North America and October 1, 2009 for Arian territories. It was developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo and Tecmo Koei. In contrast with Ninja Gaiden II, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 was designed by Yosuke Hayashi after Tomonobu Itagaki, the designer of Ninja Gaiden II left Team Ninja. The Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is one of the instalments in the Ninja Gaiden series and is built on a Hybrid Engine with a native resolution of 720p for the PlayStation 3 under the genre of hack and slash with an ESRB rating of M for mature. In the game, there are three additional playable characters consisting of Rachel, Ayane and Momiji (from Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword). Not only that, the game also features new large-scale bosses, an online co-op mode and Trophy support. In contrast to the Xbox 360 version, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 has been graphically upgraded and contains significantly less bloodshed and gore-related violence than the Xbox 360 version. In terms of gameplay, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 supports both co-op and solo modes for Team Mission Mode. However, the second character, while playing alone or offline is forced as a CPU character and cannot be controlled by a second player. Playable characters include Ryu Hayabusa, the central protagonist of the Ninja Gaiden series, master ninja, descendant of the Dragon lineage and current wielder of the Dragon Blade; Ayane, a Kunoichi who is not of the Hayabusa clan but helps Ryu from time to time; MOmiji, a member of the Hayabusa clan, she uses a long blade, more prominently called Naginata; and Rachel, a demon hunter who is in procession of the “Fiend’s Blood” curse.
Reviews
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 contains far less blood than the original Ninja Gaiden 2 designed for the Xbox 360 in the sense that it no longer sprays from hacked limbs and only appears on the ground in small spurts, it has even been wiped from the “Game Over” screen. In the game, players control the character of Ryu Hayabusa, a member of the Dragon Ninja Clan and an ideal videogame protagonist. He wears shiny black leather, carries a huge assortment of weapons and has a whole lot of top-heavy girlfriends. At the beginning of the game, a CIA agent wearing standard issue lingerie will be introduced while she arrives in Neo Tokyo to warn Ryu of the imminent resurrection of the Arch Fiend. Not long after that, she is then captured by the Spider Ninja Clan, leaving it up to Ryu to save her. The story that takes place after this event is convoluted and nonsensical with an only purpose of pitting Rui against never-ending waves of Ninjas and mystical monsters called fiends, until he can save the girl, and ultimately the entire planet. Players take the role of Dragon Ninja and travel to various scenic locations including Tokyo, Venice and The Underworld, partaking in lots and lots of combat of which make the Ninja Gaiden series special. As for Ryu, he starts off the game with a sword and an infinite supply of shuriken. Throughout the game, he gains access to an impressive arsenal of weapons, including staffs, hammers, tonfa, claws, and scythes, all of which add a dash of variety to the gameplay every so often but none surpass the original Dragon Sword in terms of effectiveness. The combat rhythm in Ninja Gaiden’s combats can be turned into a delicate ballet of severed limbs and clashing swords, consisting of quick attacks which dismember enemies and the strong attacks which finish them off.
“Ninja Gaiden II was great, but it wasn’t on the level of Ninja Gaiden–and in the same way, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 doesn’t quite reach the heights of Ninja Gaiden Sigma. But thanks to its heady new co-op missions, it comes awfully close. Forget any worries you had about diminished blood and embrace the fury that the game’s comely trio brings to the table. Taking control of one of them while slashing up fiends with a friend is a total riot, as is guiding them through their single-player levels. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 may not have addressed every shortcoming of its Xbox 360 predecessor, but it does a great job of making up for them with raw, unparalleled swordplay.” (GameSpot, 2009)
