Ninja Gaiden 2 gets Euro date

By Robert Purchese Published 2 April, 2008

Not far behind US version.

Ninja Gaiden 2 will be released in Europe on 6th June.

Retailer GAME provided the date on its website, and inside sources have confirmed to Eurogamer that it is accurate.

Developer boss Tomonobu Itagaki had previously told us that Ninja Gaiden 2 would be out on 3rd June in the US, and everywhere else sometime that month.

Those of you in the US will also be treated to a demo in May, as well as exclusive content on 15th April, according to the game's website.

Microsoft and GAME have been contacted for comment.

Head over to our Ninja Gaiden 2 gamepage for plenty of in-game footage where limbs go flying and blood sprays wildly.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (43) Latest comment 4 years ago

Comments threads automatically close after 30 days, but please feel free to continue chatting on the forum!

  • agparrot #1 4 years ago

    Not sure one month is going to be enough for me to have finished with GTA IV.

  • OllyJ #2 4 years ago

    CAN'T WAIT!!!!!!!!!

    Please be amazing. That's all I ask.

  • GamesConnoisseur #3 4 years ago

    Yippee!

    6th June that earlier than I had thought!

  • myiagros #4 4 years ago

    that only gives me 6 days to finish this before metal gear, bugger!!

    i was hoping for a late june date, so GTA and Metal Gear would be out of the way in preparation.

  • Santino #5 4 years ago

    nice one can't wait. hope we get a demo as well and PLEASE be uncensored or region free.

  • bitesize #6 4 years ago


    yeah this would normally be an instant buy, but i think it might just have to wait til gta is done with...

  • menage #7 4 years ago

    Rocks..

    that is all.

  • lambtron #8 4 years ago

    Awesom-0

  • Les #9 4 years ago

    "i was hoping for a late june date"

    Well, then you buy it late june... :p

  • Dizzy #10 4 years ago

    Woot

    /starts doing pushups
    /jumps over baby tree
    /hits warm sand in pot
    /starts painting the fence

  • myiagros #11 4 years ago

    "i was hoping for a late june date"

    "Well, then you buy it late june... :p"

    i probably will, but everyone will have spoiled it by then.

  • barnard666 #12 4 years ago

    thankfully I have clicked ignore poster on headclog, he is a dick.

    Anyway, I agree, consorship will go a long way to breaking this game, it would appear that decapitations are such a major part of the game this time round that they surely cant take them out...can they?
    Edited by 1 at 02/04/08 @ 14:59

  • Dizzy #13 4 years ago

    >that only gives me 6 days to finish this before metal gear, bugger!!

    6*24 hours = 144 hours... should be just enough I reckon. You are not a Ninja Dog I hope ;)

  • Skooch #14 4 years ago

    Headglog - is that you Headbog? You sad Sony fanboy!

    The only reason you would be dissing this bad-ass game is because it is 360 exclusive. Do everyone a favour and shut up now.
    ----------------------------------

    This game is going to ROCK!

    /sits and waits for release

  • miiiguel #15 4 years ago

    I'm a bit scared of this game...
    /shame/

    I think it'll be ultra-dificult and I'll go mental trying to do all the Achievements..., like ignoring every other game for months.

    edit: "mental-er"
    Edited by 1 at 02/04/08 @ 15:07

  • Monkey_Puncher #16 4 years ago

    Please be uncut, I want all the splatter and severed limbs or I won't be a happy bunny!

  • peteb #17 4 years ago

    this has NO chance of being released in Germany methinks :) Gotta love importing!

  • miiiguel #18 4 years ago

    My 1st Xbox 180 game was Onimusha, and it was/is sooooo dificult. Anyway, pre-ordered already, via Amazon uk.

    My "pro hack-n-slash" Asian buddies (met via KUF) will tip me, I'm sure.

  • JonFE #19 4 years ago

    miiguel, if NG2 is your first attempt to this particular "hack-n-slash" as you put it, prepare to be punished :)

  • jonsaan #20 4 years ago

    I just can't do it. I can't go thorugh all that frustration and annoyance again. No more NG for me :(

    Even the DS version failed to hit my shopping basket in the US last week...

  • Rash' #21 4 years ago

    barnard666, If they don't censor it then I will question the censoring of No More Heroes.

  • NorUraeus #22 4 years ago

    Wonder when they will announce Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 :)

  • Quint2020 #23 4 years ago

    Looking forward to this, i'm in Egypt for two weeks from the 9th so this will hopefulyl soften the back to work depression.

  • Les #24 4 years ago

    "If they don't censor it then I will question the censoring of No More Heroes."

    Depends on whether they'll want to do multiple versions for Europe or not. Thanks to those nice Germans there can't be too much red stuff in games anymore. That's why I accidentally got the US version of Sigma. If only the game was good enough to play I would have enjoyed the gore very much. As it it, it's a 'colossal waste of time'...

  • Darren #25 4 years ago

    Not too sure about this game... felt a bit letdown by Team Ninja's last few games which felt more like retreads of past glories (Dead Or Alive 4 and DOA Xtreme 2) so I can't help thinking Ninja Gaiden 2 will be another Xbox 360 disapppointment from them. Plus playing the Xbox original felt, at times, more like an endurance test than something fun and entertaining as I found it frustratingly difficult. It wasn't until I picked up NG Black cheap that I actually got to see most of the game, thanks to the easier difficulty level. I'm loathe to pay £40 for a game I know I won't finish so whether I buy it or not is very much dependent on how that demo plays as I play games for enjoyment not punishment!!!

  • Les #26 4 years ago

    "felt a bit letdown by Team Ninja's last few games which felt more like retreads of past glories (Dead Or Alive 4 and DOA Xtreme 2)"

    You actually got DOA Xtreme 2?! Or do you mean you were disappointed that they actually made a follow up?

  • Santino #27 4 years ago

    i really don't understand the complaints about the difficulty of the first game, i can see how some parts would be tricky but not much moreso than many other games. i think some people just hear about the difficulty and then bail out at the first sign of defeat. Ninja Gaiden is like the Virtua Fighter of action games, it has depth to the combat and can be hard to get into, but is insanely rewarding once it clicks.

  • oceanmotion #28 4 years ago

    Yea, I'm not amazing at games and even I managed Ninja Gaiden with a few moves, flying swallow in particular. It does have a tough first boss and one or two more tought places but it's really not as bad as people think. Block, kick arse, move, rinse and repeat.

  • GamesConnoisseur #29 4 years ago

    Ninja Gaiden is not like Tecmo other efforts which I agree are not that good!! But Ninja Gaiden is the flagship title of Tecmo and I enjoyed first one and even its retreads on PS3. I agree its a very punishing game especially if you try to do it easy way, to play it you really have to learn and use the right moves to prevent relying on the health potions and only use them in boss fights.

    God of War can be tough too and some do compare both God of War and Ninja Gaiden, but Ninja is a more purer fighting game with blocks and 'must use' right moves for the right situation. I got whole GoW series inc PSP which I have just finished last night.

    Ninja Gaiden is a different style of play to other more 'relaxing' game, as evident by my swearings! It can be hard as in an old fashioned 'tough' game but certainly beatable if playing the right way. There is always the Dog Ninja mode and I suppose there ll be achievement for it, that you would not be able to get rid! Which display to world you can only beat it in 'baby easy' mode!

    I understand that quite a lot of people hasnt finished NG, and I was one of them but tried it again with less use of the random button mashings and presto did it. Not that I am implying those who did not finish are pillock, but yes it is a taste that may be acquired thing for some. What you want the game for? To relax and enjoy or for the challenge of it and saying to yourself and the world 'I fucking did beat the bastard'?

  • miiiguel #30 4 years ago

    "I'm loathe to pay £40 for a game I know I won't finish so whether I buy it or not is very much dependent on how that demo plays as I play games for enjoyment not punishment!!!"
    32.99 @ Amazon.

  • HyperShadow #31 4 years ago

    Don't bother contacting Microsoft, just print "We don't comment on rumour or specualtion" and be done at that. Then wait for the official announcement a few days later.

    I wonder if this game will cause a mass media VIOLENT GAMES KILLED MY GERBIL uproar?

    Wouldn't stop me buying it though.

  • miiiguel #32 4 years ago

    completly off-topic: I saw a Audi R8 for the first time today, parked in front of Microsoft, with a XBox 360 sticker on the rear window..., lol.

    Man..., that shit has some freaky LARGE tires.

  • Darren #33 4 years ago

    @Les - No, I actually bought DOA Xtreme 2 because I loved the first game on the Xbox as it was different and very "summery" but second time round I found it plain dull and there was very little that was actually new. Traded it in within a week. :(

  • Darren #34 4 years ago

    @Santino - And if the game doesn't click then you're left with a £40 game that you cannot progress further in which is what annoyed me about the original NG. The developers admitted they'd made the game intentionally hard but what's wrong with including a range of difficulty levels so that everyone, no matter what their skill, can play and enjoy it?

    They did attempt to rectify that with NG Black but even that on Ninja Dog was no push-over even if the idea of it was quite insulting (i.e. wearing a pink band). One of the reasons I enjoyed Devil May Cry 4 so much was that it allowed me to play it at my own pace so I was able to complete it plus each mission or level could be played on Easy or Normal (assuming you'd completed them on at least Easy) without having to restart the game from scratch. If Team Ninja do that for Ninja Gaiden 2 then I'll buy it for definite otherwise I won't bother. Making a game hard is fine if people want a challenge but I'm sure no-one here is selfish enough to suggest that developers shouldn't add easier difficulty levels for those of us who aren't so skilled or patient. I play games to relax and have a good time, not be frustrated. I thoroughly enjoyed the two God of War games and DMC4 but NG at times felt like a chore to play.

  • Santino #35 4 years ago

    @ Darren

    That's fair enough i guess, its definitely not a game for everybody. I guess i just don't see it as the kind of game you stick on to relax and play. it's more of an adrenaline rush kind of game to me where it is best played 'in the zone' so to speak. I think a lot of people make the mistake of putting the game in the same bracket as devil may cry and god of war and expecting to like it on the basis of enjoying those games, but i really don't see any of these games as similar to each other outside of the most basic concept. Ninja Gaiden definitely seems more focused on the difficult but satisfying combat and a large factor in that is down to the enemy AI, maybe that puts people off.

    its why i find the game so rewarding and enjoy playing it so much though, hopefully in the sequel there is some kind of tradeoff so it keeps the difficulty of Black for those who want it but has a mode like ninja dog that isn't quite so insulting for others!

    i have a feeling it will be a bit easier though as in some videos i have seen a triple flying swallow move and the same move is present in the DS game (which is excellent by the way).

  • FooAtari #36 4 years ago

    Satisfying my ass. Infuriating more like.

    For me anyway. NG is hard no two ways about it. However I don't think it should be made easier, it's just not for me. Making it easier would make it a different game and ruin it for those that like it for what it is. I hate combos that's my problem. Can't remember them for shit.

    But no game is going to suit everyone, however more devs seem to be trying to make games that appeal to as much people as possible which just leads to dumbed down boring games that all feel the same.

    Like Ubi no longer making realisitc shooters like the old Ghost Recon games because it doesn't appeal to broad enough market...

    And headglog you are a twat. I took you off my ignore list for comedy value, but the two entries you posted here were nothing but as low as trolling gets. Didn't say anything remotely useful or even try to hide your trolling. I think your some sad individual who just says these things for the response you get, but I have better things to do that spend 10 seconds reading the worthless things you write.

    /hits ignore
    Edited by 2 at 02/04/08 @ 22:38

  • Rash' #37 4 years ago

    RE: Difficulty.

    Ninja Gaiden is a brilliant game hampered by bad game design. There's no two ways about it. The game is brilliant once, as someone else pointed out here, you're in the zone.That zonal experience is defined by the enjoyment of an exceptional combat system. So for the team to intentionally want to hamper you're enjoyment of that experience is just bad design.
    Edited by 1 at 02/04/08 @ 23:19

  • WinterSnowblind #38 4 years ago

    I loved Ninja Gaiden Black and I enjoyed the level of difficulty, it's hard, really hard but once you get going with it, it really is a satisfying game, and I'm really looking forward to the sequel. That being said, I think it's undeniable that there are some serious problems with the game. There are certain aspects that are frustrating and the difficulty in some areas does simply come from bad game design.

    The one thing that bugged me the most, was considering the fact we're playing as a "super ninja" he doesn't actually control as well as recent platform games. Even Lara Croft in the new Tomb Raider games, and the Prince of Persia have far more fluid controls. Ryu constantly feels very stiff and it can be a battle just to get him to do what you want and many of Lara's/The Princes moves feel more agile and ninja like than anything Ryu can perform. I don't think there was any point in the game were I felt I was playing as a "super ninja".

    Oh, and if those ghost fish are back, I'm cancelling the game. :p

  • muscleblade #39 4 years ago

    @Miguel

    Dont be scared. Ive heard Ninja gaiden 2 is rather easy compared to Ninja gaiden because the developer dont want to scare people like you from buying it. And you dont need to worry about the achievements either because theres little to no chance you will be able to get more than half of them if team Ninja do the only right thing and make them hard as hell. I really hope the achievements will be hard so that you need to be good at the game to get them and not just good at playing many hours.

  • lambtron #40 4 years ago

    bah people wining about difficulty.

    Wimps :D

  • ParanoidZombie #41 4 years ago

    This gives me 2 months to clear that damn Master Ninja mode in NGBlack, currently stuck at mission 6 against that damned doppelganger.

    Regarding the difficulty, I think they should simply get rid of the "normal" difficulty: it's obviously too hard for most players, and too easy once you've mastered the game's fundamentals (fighting system+camera). Ng2 should have easy, hard, very hard and master ninja. Of course, they're gonna rename easy mode and call it "normal" instead of "ninja dog", because they don't wanna hurt your feelings this time (like capcom did with DMC4, devil hunter = easy and human = super easy).

    Since viking, condemned 2 and dark sector are uncensored in europe, why should they censor NG2? Sigma was censored in europe, but not black.

  • Ryze #42 4 years ago

    @miiiguel

    Yeah - Micah Richards just got one - had a good look at it in the car park and it's niceeee!!

  • muscleblade #43 4 years ago

    Im actually considering spending May beating Ninja Gaiden Black on hard again instead of playing GTA 4 in preperation for this.