Title: Ninja Gaiden II
Platform: Xbox 360
Publisher: Microsoft
Developer: Team Ninja, Tecmo
ESRB Rating: M for Mature

The original Ninja Gaiden on the Nintendo Entertainment System was one of the most difficult NES games I ever played while growing up, even more so than games like Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Fester's Quest and Master Blaster. Being the dedicated gamer that I was, I kept pushing through the unique side-scrolling ninja game that at the time very few of my friends had heard of, and found myself satisfied, and even relieved, when I finally finished off the three bosses at the end of the game, and reached the final cinematic sequence. Without a doubt, beating Ninja Gaiden served as one of my grand gaming achievements as a kid.

In 2004, Ninja Gaiden hit the Xbox scene and caused a major splash, leaving gamers stunned at the graphics, speed and intensity of the game. Reviewers blanketed the remake with many compliments and typically issued scores well above the 90% range. Gamers who were able to cope with the difficulty of Ninja Gaiden were treated with a number of very exciting weapons, cinematics and boss battles from the start of the game all the way to the very end.

The most controversial aspect of Ninja Gaiden was without a doubt the difficultly level itself. Tecmo really did its best to offer the level of difficulty that the original NES game had, and it required an almost religious mastery of the combat system in order to reach the final confrontation at the end of the game, even on the easiest difficulty levels. Despite being insanely tough to master, overall Ninja Gaiden on the Xbox was deemed a success, and gamers who remained true to the series eagerly waited for their next opportunity to pick up their swords and battle as Ryu once again.

After four tedious years of waiting amid much anticipation at media outlets everywhere, Ninja Gaiden II has finally hit shelves as an Xbox 360 exclusive. Tecmo chose to leave most things as they were in the 2004 release, and opted to improve upon its previous formula instead of revamping it across the board. New to the series are an all-new, next-generation graphics and sound engine, an online-based replay and ranking system and more gore than you can shake a stick (or sword) at. With the difficulty level rumored to be intact and very few changes to the series overall, the big question remains - has Tecmo made yet another fun but difficult action adventure game worth spending your hard earned dough on?

The action comes fast and furious in Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden II.

The game opens with a cinematic showing of a very busty CIA agent named Sonia, who desperately seeks out Ryu to warn him of impending doom. Sonia stops by a local shop in Ryu's village, and speaks with owner Hayabusa, whom fans of the 2004 release will quickly recognize as the shop owner and blacksmith that assisted in Ryu's previous adventure. It turns out that the Black Spider Ninja Clan seeks a relic called the Demon Statue, which is held by Ryu's clan and would unleash doom upon the world if they were to succeed in finding and utilizing it. The grim reality is that the Black Spider Ninja Clan should reach the village at any moment, and Sonia has yet to find Ryu to warn him. The cinematic wraps up, and the game opens up with Ryu standing in an undisclosed area of his village. Within moments of the opening, however, Ryu ends up being ambushed by Black Spider Clan Ninjas, the very same ones that Sonia spoke of during the cinematic.

As Ryu slices and dices his way through his village, he finds that the Black Spider Ninja Clan has been going on a rampage during their hunt for the relic, leaving virtually no stone or hut untouched, and causing severe damage to just about everything in their path. Ultimately Ryu ends up reaching his father who has already been defending the Demon Statue with his life, despite being weakened from his previous battle in the last Ninja Gaiden. The two main villains seeking out the statue are then revealed - Genshin, the leader of the Black Spider Ninja Clan, and Elizabet, a cold and twisted woman that is using Genshin as a pawn. As Ryu soon discovers, he arrived too late, and his father has already been defeated while attempting to defend the statue. Without Ryu being at his father's side when he was most needed, the Black Spider Ninja Clan succeeded in their quest to find the Demon Statue, and according to Sonia's warning at the opening cinematic, all hell will soon break loose if Genshin and Elizabet are not stopped. Thus begins the hunt that drives Ryu through the rest of the game - Ryu must save the world by retrieving the Demon Statue before it can be fully utilized.

As the game progresses, Ryu will end up journeying through a ravaged New York City, ancient castles and keeps and even semi-active volcanoes in his quest to retrieve the Demon Statue. Many enemies will also cross paths with Ryu including the likes of rocket launcher-armed Ninjas, sword-wielding ninja dogs, gigantic werewolves and hellish sea creatures that are bound to make you temporarily afraid of going into any murky body of water outside of the game. Bosses come in all shapes and sizes, and are definitely impressive and interesting. Whether you're fighting a human-sized magical nuke machine or an enormous, giant, lava-fueled turtle, you're bound to be satisfied with the variety that the game constantly throws at you on every front.

Join our discussion on this topic