Ninja Gaiden 2 Comments by Rob Fahey

maybe it'll have that DMC thing where if you die loads on one bit, you can take it down a notch.
Although you always feel like you're giving in with that! (remembers slogging past Nightmare)

>"most of us thinks a game must sell as much as Halo to be sucessfull which I guess is not true."

Yes they do. Sometimes I can understand, if they feel a continuation of the IP is as stake (case study of shenmue for more information).
However, since Itagaki said this was the final (from him at least), I don't mind anymore. I'm still getting the game.
Those who won't super-seller tend to be fanboys who want another game to gloat with.

Vin, this place is not shitty, but some fellow EGers are in fact quite keen on bashing. It's funny to compare the EG.pt with EG.net, the 1st lacks without a doubt a critical spirit and often glorifies almost everything, this one it's the complete opposite. I guess it's an age thing. This one's is getting old, its fauna, I mean.

Ohhh a 7/10 just makes the grade for me, so I'll definitely be buying it on the 6th.
The thing is, I bloody loved the first one on the Xbox, I was one of the guys that actually, y'know, got past the very first boss, (Still doesn't get why folk have trouble with that guy) saying that I did eventually give up, I think I was on Chapter 13.
But until that point it was friggin awesome, fiddily camera or not.
So even though it's a bit of a dissapointment to hear of number 2's faults, I'm sure I'll still thoroughly enjoy it.

@des

How can you hope to compare NG2 to GTA4?

GTA has a gigantic open world environment with a day night cycle and a crap load of AI scripting running at any one time, it also is multi platform and unlike the precise and punishing combat of NG, does not require a silky smooth rate.

NG is basically the opposite of all these things and it having a sloppy frame rate (probably a case of not enough time spent in optimization) is fairly unforgivable. My litmus test is Burnout Paradise. If Criterion can get a huge fast paced game that looks amazing running so solidly (newest patch problems excepted) on both consoles there is really no excuse for a lot of games having frame rate issues.

Why any of you listen to reviews and not form your own opinions I'll never know. Especially not here. Whilst Eurogamer is good for region specific news, and that is why I come here before you ask why I come here, they're reviews are garbage. Granted they're far from the only place that does garbage reviews, because most places do. There's just no replacement for actually trying the thing out and forming your own opinion instead of listening to the insipid agendas of others.

GTA does need, and should have had, a silky smooth framerate. If I'm driving at 80mph along a busy freeway, I don't want to feel like my car is driving through treacle, especially when I'm also trying to dodge angry policecars.

Shitty framerates are not excusable in this day and age.

"Where Ninja Gaiden balanced frustration with satisfaction, giving you a glow of accomplishment when you finally mastered a tricky section, NG2 breaks the equation on a regular basis. It spawns enemies on top of you - occasionally blinking them into existence right in front of your astonished face. It bombards you with unblockable, long-range attacks - and then restricts your movements, limiting your ability to dodge. It throws exploding kunai at you the second you walk through a door, from enemies you can't even see yet. It tantalises with the possibility of clever solutions or stealth (you are a bloody ninja, after all), allowing you to shoot out searchlights, and then instantly respawns the searchlights and bombards you with long-range rockets again"

Lego Indiana Jones that Friday it is then.....

Seriously, that is a huge problem. To go from 'hard because you're shit and it's challenging you to get better and to focus' to 'hard because it can be an unfair wanker of a game' is a pretty big deal.

Ninja Gaiden was hard yes, but anytime you got stuck it was always your fault and not due to the game design. This was what differentiated NG and NGB from other 'bastard hard' games, and was the reason why everyone whoever complained about it's difficulty was just wrong. The thought of playing a Ninja Gaiden where it's hard because of twatty and unfair game design really, really puts me off.

I don't play games for that kind of stress. I have work for that.......

NG is fucking boring after like an hour. The score isn't a surprise.

Only in a place this shitty would some find fault in a fucking seven.

Geeks, damnit.

they may be geeks, but the "xbox360 biased eurogamer" just gave what could have been an awesome game a 7.

get over it, fanboys. ninja gaiden just isn't that great.

this is another average game in a time where innovation has disappeared and the future of gaming is looking shit. and now the 360 fanboys are damage limiting by saying "oh, but (insert game here) had those flaws as well, and that was great (being on 360 and all...) so i will get it anyway" and ps3 fanboys are saying "no better than sigmalol"

Cameras can be fixed with a patch, it's not like haze or DMC which needs giant overhaul

errr... yes they can both be fixed. it just requires a new executable to be built.

seriously people, stop being morons.

PS3 fanboys shut the fuck up 360 got NG PS3 got HAZE

Deal with it!

CANNOT... WAIT.

>"(Still doesn't get why folk have trouble with that guy) "

I had a specific save that I never overwrite, a save just so I could randomly pick up and fight the first boss. He's without doubt one of my fav bosses ever. People would sit round and watch me fight him, as I made it look so cool (made it seem like an even fight).

Disappointment that this game did not merit a 8 or even 9 due to wonky camera, frame drops and ill advised artifical difficulties due to misplacement of save points. Sure would have wanted these faults to be bug tested and fixed but here it is and yes patch fix is no solution.

NG2 Black may or may not happen in a year or two, dont wait up for it!

Will still get the game as Rob have said its still good, that fans would still enjoy it but now we are forewarned and prepared for the disappointment and thus should still be able to enjoy the overall experiences.

Same score as DMC and other games that gamers still had lots of fun with, so dont get it if you know you wont enjoy it.

seasidebaz, so I don't get it, is EG "360 biased@ or not? I mean, that is beeing moronic. I also read IGN *was* "360 biased" up until they said they prefered GTA on the PS3..., it's difficult to understand nowdays. Whos 360 biased anyway? or it depends on the day of the week?

I trully believe most of you aren't really into games anymore (maybe due to Playstation brand overall disapointment) because every time a 10 spawns - BioShock: Halo - EG is biased, when it's a high profile game that gets less than a 9 it's like " wooot wooot! I told you gaming is over!", you should try gardening.

It's worth pointing out that most other sites are giving this 9/10.

Reality check maybe.

I can't wait for the walkthrough where the exploding boss and hard bits are shown to be avoidable...

:P

@miiiguel:

tried gardening, it takes too long :)

everyone knows about eg's bias, they have been biased for a while... but i don't mind, they're still my favourite gaming site (get me on staff, and they definately will be...)

but seriously, gaming is in decline. i have been gaming for over 20 years, these 10/10 games that are coming out just aren't that great either, never mind the 8/10's and below.

the playstation brand hasn't disappointed me, it's not as strong as last gen but they still provide me with good games, but gaming in general has degenerated into blood, gore, guns and cars.

it is truly a sorry state of affairs.

maybe what you call bias, is the fact that so far 360 has the best games. Or every site is biased, I mean, check metacritic.

And I know for example of friends that they are too disapointed with this gen, but only the PS-ultras.

miiiguel:

i agree, the 360 has the best games, as long as you like first person shooters and arcade racers.

anything else, buy yourself an amiga 500. or a playstation 2.

so is there decaps in the pal version then?

check my GT, you'll be surprised with the games I play. I have Gears for over a year and it didn't go into the DVD drive yet. I bet you're getting old like me, but I do make an effort to look past "punch titles", I just loved Lost Odyssey; Blue Dragon: Table Tennis and Haze (err. no not this last one, that is a shooter I think...).

blue dragon + table tennis: not bad.

but ps2 has better jrpg's, and i don't like shooters anymore.

and yes, i'm getting old :)

That's another thing I never understood, I did have wonderful moments with my PS2s, but life goes on, and I didn't sign any exclusivity contract with Sony (they didn't ask, to be fair...), so I have the right to have awesome time with my 360s now.

so Ninja Gaiden Sigma is the ultimate version after all :D

"get over it, fanboys. ninja gaiden just isn't that great. "

Actually it is, we think it is and that's all we care about... well those of us with common sense anyway. In my case I have seen nothing that says this game is not worth buying, and it very well could turn out to be the best game I've played this generation, or maybe not, but either way, I'm not into arguing what I believe with other people. I'm just irritated by the amount of people who seem to live or die based on what Eurogamer say.

I'm just irritated by the amount of people who seem to live or die based on what Eurogamer say.

Holy shit, that's awesome. So if I write some secret messages into my next review, I can convince people to top themselves? Brilliant. I'm making a list.

Wow, that's a pretty hefty main page reskin to go with this review. Hopefully Fahey doesn't go the way of Gerstmann for only giving it a seven.

@seasidebaz

You must be getting senile in your old age then.

Take your head out of your ass and actually do some investigation. You will find you are talking complete bollocks, as usual, and that the 360 has a very diverse games catalog which includes a hell of a lot more than drivers and shooters.

Prat.

Some of these comments are mind-boggling. I have no idea how people could treat one review as the gospel, especially since Ninja Gaiden II has mostly been receiving 9/10 scores and there have varying views on the supposed 'cheapness' of the difficulty. Rob provided a solid and highly informative review, but it represents a single opinion.

Maybe people should look around or play the demo (when it arrives) to formulate their own opinion before concluding that Ninja Gaiden II fell short of expectations?

hybridial: That's a matter of opinion. I'm not one of these flaky people that thinks their opinion matter's no matter what. I can understand it (my girl is that way inclined so I have no choice), but that doesn't mean I agree with it. Reviews are there to help you understand why the subjective view of a publication does or doesn't appreciate a game. It is then up to the consumer to decide whether they then want to make an informed opinion on that purchase. Opinions aren't important to me unless they are educated responses. NG2 seems to be a excellent game hampered by a broken camera and inconsistent learning/difficulty curve. Do I care enough about the game to want to make my own experienced response to it? Not really. Edge slated the game in their preview and Eurogamer support some of their concerns. That's enough for me to know not to bother with it.

An experienced response and an educated response are very different things. Ideally, we would want to share opinions informed by both, but if pressured into a choice an educated response is imo always more valid than an uneducated experienced response. Is the opinion of the guy that thinks Rise of the Robots is good because he's played it more valid than the guy that thinks it isn't because he's bothered to read up on why it's not?

I'm not saying reviews are the only way to appreciation (Golden Eye, Radiant Silvergun and Rez prove otherwise) but they are a more consistent way of finding quality gaming in a congested creative industry.

Tecmos games are all the same technical brilliance, but as shallow as a puddle.
I wasnt impressed when I saw videos of this,word of advice tecmo reinvent dont rehash.
New prince of persia game will blow this away.

Not as good as Gran Tourismo 5 Prologue (aka glorified demo).

fightman:
well played dude. Too bad everyone got you on ignore from now on, no matter if your banned or not. (y)

NG2, the DMC 2 of NG games.....

Hehe, thanks fightman! That little burst of profanity really brightened up my morning/afternoon (Melbourne time screwing with my body clock).

Have fun in your straightjacket, be careful not to fall and smoosh that nose now!

I'm getting that "uh oh" feeling after reading the review.

I thought the original Ninja Gaiden was good yet nothing special beyond the combat mechanics. I confess I found it waaaaay too hard and gave up on it when I couldn't advance past that boss on horseback on the bridge. I bought NG Black specifically because it was easier - or rather had an easier mode which unlocked - and sure enough I managed to get further into the game and complete it. I admit I even enjoyed it... enough to buy NG Sigma for the PS3 but that game was massively underwhelming and ultimately a disappointment given the hardware it was running on. This proper sequel looks pretty much the same as the first game to me from the four First Ten Minutes videos I've watched on Gamersyde. It looks... well OK... but doesn't look like anything amazing to me in terms of gameplay. Unlike, say, Devil May Cry 4, this game looks as if it takes itself far too seriously. With Team Ninja's previous two 360 games being massive disappointments (IMHO) I can't help but feel they're living off past glories and wish they'd try something completely new instead of remaking the same three games over and over!

Do I buy or not... that is the question I'm asking myself... :?

P.S. The visuals look perfectly fine but the background textures suffer from the usual shimmery/flickery look, thanks to TN not using texture filtering. I found it very distracting in the videos I watched. :(

BURN ITAGAKI, BUUUUUURN!

;-)

This is precisely the sort of review I'm use to seeing for a high profile PS3 exclusive - Welcome to our pain, 360 owners.

"...and while a little slowdown can actually look quite cool in places.." What?? I can only assume that by that you mean intentional slow-motion rather than a technical issue, which is what it sounded like.

"everyone knows about eg's bias, they have been biased for a while"

The only reason for a multi platform gaming site to be biased towards one platform is because they actually prefer that platform. If PS3 was a better platform things would have been different. Most gaming sites and mags tend to be biased towards the 360 i wonder why? Perhaps its beacause its simply the superior platform. I think thats the only reason.

Funny, in most threads the ps3 fanboys moan about 'xbots' yet here we are. Clinging onto one 7/10 to claim how this sucks, how fucking sad you are.

"I thought the original Ninja Gaiden was good yet nothing special beyond the combat mechanics."

I guess it profited from a lack of competition on it's home platform. With DMC now on xbox as well it's clear that NG is just average as a game and utter shit when it comes to presentation.

@Les

You are a moron. DMC4 also got a 7 on this site. And none of the DMC games comes even close to Ninja Gaiden Black. Everybody that has actually played both frachises know this. I loved DMC4 but it cant compare to Ninja gaiden. Ninja gaiden 2 got the same score as DMC4 on ign too btw so their probably pretty much even. Ryu haybusa is much cooler than Nero though.

I never thouth that NG2 would be as good as Ninja gaiden Black. I hoped it would be but i was pretty certain that it wouldnt.

I'm glad you called out Les, muscleblade, but don't let him get to you :)
I used do the same to Les but I think he put me on ignore...how sad!

I think he thinks he's an intellectual but he's usually just a cynical and condescending PS3 fanboy except when he puts on his Wii "is the leader" mask.

"Do I buy or not... that is the question I'm asking myself... :?"

Darren, no offense mate, but you've purchased Haze... Do you really have to question this purchase?!?

:)

Thanks for remaining honest EG.

/winces

I had high hopes for this .... still, it's better than Haze

takes deep breath and prepares to run

This is especially noticeable if you're running in 1080p - we had to drop our 360's display back to 1080i to get the game to run at an acceptable frame-rate, and this on a brand new 360 running a boxed copy of the PAL release.

did the old one blow up then? :)

and I don't care about the game, not my cup of tea. + yeah haze sucks ;)

It's not the 7/10 that is putting people off, it is the text of the review stating how cheap the AI is. It pisses people off when they can't get past a section because of random shitty AI. DOA4 is case in point.

DMC4's enemies may have been targets rather than threats, but at least the AI was consistent and fair... and it also made the character appear as powerful as he was meant to be. The annoying thing I find about these games usually is that in cut scenes the character is fucking immortal and the best thing ever, yet as soon as you come across an average enemy in the actual game, he can barely do any moves from the cut scene and turns into a complete fag. DMC4 didn't do that and it was refreshing.