Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Review

Team Ninja is back, and this time it is in its remake of Ninja Gaiden 2.  Just like its predecessor, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is a re-designed version of the XBOX 360s Ninja Gaiden 2.  Though people who have played the 360 version may scoff at this title and wonder why anyone would pay full price for a game they have played before, NGS2 offers up a lot of content to any gamer.  If you have not yet indulged yourself in the crazy action packed world on Ninja Gaiden, now is the perfect time!

Could this be any better than the XBOX 360 version? Let’s take a look on the HOTs and NOTs of the game!

HOT:

Length
Action games are a dime a dozen these days, and it is rare that one will last more than a day, however, with NGS2, you will be playing this game for more than a measly 6 hours.  Not only do you get to play the bulk story line of the ninja master Ryu Hayabusa, but you also get the side stories of three very lovly ladies.  That’s right, Ayane, Momiji, and Rachel are all playable characters and have their own reasons for being in the game.  Even though their stories are not as long as Ryu’s, the fact that they are not just a skin over Ryu is reason enough to play through their tales.

New characters and co-op
The new characters you can play as are of course Ayane and Momiji.  Rachel was playable in the first NGS, so I won’t exactly count her.  However, playing as all three of these vixens is great fun and a nice change of pace from Ryu.  Though the main components of how they play are similar, getting to play as new characters with a new set of moves is refreshing for any action game.  Not to mention with all three of these new characters, there has to be a way to team up right?  The co-op in this game is just fun.  You do not follow the main story line; rather you simply play co-op missions with an online partner.  What’s wrong with this?  Nothing at all.  Though it would have been nice to go through the story with a partner, competing for kills and points are always fun.  Team ninpo is also an awesome addition to this type of play.  Nothing says I love you like a devastating team up ninpo from hell!

Difficulty
It is true that Team Ninja toned down the difficulty of the game so that it would appeal more to the masses than just the hardcore gamer, but that isn’t exactly a terrible thing.  Some people would play the original Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden 2 and want to do nothing more than break their controllers.  True that NGS2 is still difficult, at least you won’t have to go spend $55 on a new controller!  Even if the game can get to you at times, after accomplishing the task at hand, you will be extremely satisfied!

Boob jiggling!
Yes, you may have heard that Tecmo has used all of the PS3s features, including the SIXAXIS controls.  That’s right; you can use the power of the SIXAXIS in the controller to control the movements of the female characters chests.  Why is this a good thing?  Because it shows that Tecmo has a great sense of humor!  It is true that the SIXAXIS controls for the PS3 are kind of a flop, but it is good to see that Tecmo still knew it was a key feature of the PS3, and took the time to incorporate something do go along with their Dead or Alive style breast jiggling.

NOT

I thought M was for Mature?
I have always been a fan of the Ninja Gaiden games, and one of the draws to the game for me has always been the ridiculous amounts of blood and gore you see from slicing up your foes.  While you will still get the satisfaction of dismemberment here, it just won’t feel right.  I’m sorry, but when I cut a man’s arm, leg, and head off, I expect to see a fountain of blood, not clouds of purple smoke!

Story
It is true that most action games have stories that make no sense, or a story that you just don’t care about, and that is exactly the case here in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2.  Though the game tries to immerse you in the world of the ninja, the story is nothing special and will not exactly hold your interest.  If you have played any games like Ninja Gaiden before, you know that you are drawn to the over the top action, not the mediocre story.

VERDICT:

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 isn’t going to win itself any game of the year awards, but it is defiantly an amazing action game that should not be passed up.  If you already played Ninja Gadien 2 on the 360, you may not want to shell out the full asking price for NGS2, but if you have never gotten a chance to play the insane ninja game, you won’t be disappointed.  With the lengthy single player, as well as multiple characters, there are plenty of reasons to give this game a shot!