One Ninja enters, thousands of others lose their heads.

Ninja Gaiden 2 marks what will apparently be Itagaki's swan song to the budding Tecmo action franchise, and all together, it's a pretty good note to go out on. Some things still remain true from the previous games, and while not all of them are positive carry-overs, the end result is a lot of fun to play thru again and again, despite its technical issues.

Let's get the negatives out of the way first. Yes, the camera is still a bit of a chore, and it doesn't want to always focus on what you're attacking at any given moment. In part you can blame that on just how quick the action in NG2 actually is, but it's also something that Team Ninja really should have tried to pin down a bit better for this newest installment. It's been one of the constant complaints in the series since the first Xbox entry, so I would have liked to see a bit more improvement here. That said, I rarely had much difficulty in attacking even when I couldn't constantly see what exactly I was facing, it's simply a matter of pointing your analog in the direction of enemies and slamming down some combo's. One nice thing about Gaiden 2 compared to its predecessor is the sheer amount of enemies you can be facing at one time, so it's hard to actually have an attack completely miss everything.

Also, the story isn't going to win any awards. There is a plot, there are cut scenes, but it's all a bit goofy and the VA isn't fantastic. However, the real reason for playing the game is to actually PLAY it, and that's where you'll have the most fun. Hacking away at Ninja's and monsters alike is where NG2's strength lies, and it does a great job of giving you plenty of options to satisfy a bit of digital bloodlust.

The projectile enemies can feel a bit cheap at times, and especially so if you managed to get pinned down by a lot of them. As you play a bit more though, you'll come to realize that it is possible (with practice) to avoid, defend, and counterattack. However, it also slows the game down when you're faced with a lot of them, since your only real option is to hit them with ranged attacks as well, which just has Ryu standing there firing off volley's of arrows. My biggest issue with the projectile guys is that it slows the action down more than I'd like, and I'd rather be able to melee them to high heaven if given the chance.

Those are the biggest issues I had with NG2, and none of them managed to kill the experience for me. There are also some framerate issues (that are oddly inconsistent), and with a bit more polish I'm sure some of that could have been ironed out, so while I do deduct this stuff from the overall score, it doesn't make enough of an impact to really drive my overall enjoyment down very far.

Now for the things I really enjoyed! The boss fights are a blast, and a lot of them feel larger than life, and actually challenging. Even some of the mid level bosses you fight will give you a pretty good run for your money, and the satisfaction you achieve from finishing these enemies off is palpable. Even the normal foes you encounter come off as more than just standard fodder, making each fight feel a bit more memorable than other action titles. Combine that with the amount of enemies that can show up on screen at any one time especially compared to the previous Gaiden, and you can quickly end up in combo heaven.

Ryu is also introduced to a few new weapons for his arsenal, all of which end up being great additions. In particular the chain blades make a great visual, being able to cut large paths thru various enemies, filling the screen with some signature over the top violence that amps up the excitement of the game.

To go along with the enhanced gore factor, quite a few attacks will decapitate or simply maim your foes, but watch out for the guys that hold a grudge. If just sever a limb of an opponent, he can manage to crawl up to you and unleash a final, explosive attack. In a battlefield that is already pretty hectic, these guys can go unnoticed often, so you'll want to keep as close an eye on your surroundings as possible.

The difficulty feels just right this time out; with nothing that felt frustratingly hard like in the original Xbox Ninja Gaiden. That's not to say that the difficulty here has been dumbed down (and I haven't even touched Master Ninja yet), but I never felt like I was being aggravated or that things were getting too cheap. If I died I was always eager to restart and try again. I imagine the true vets of the original will want to start off on a slightly higher difficulty, but playing at the Warrior level felt really great.

Visually the game is a definitely treat for fans of the genre, with over the top executions and violence that'll bring out the slightly deranged kid in all of us. As I said early, there are some serious framerate issues that pop up, and you will notice slowdown when the screen gets to busy. It can be aggravating, but it was something that honestly didn't bother me a great deal. Team Ninja hasn't gone for a "realistic" approach when it comes to their character models either, instead everything looks a bit plastic, but I appreciate that they have their own design when it comes to these titles and manage to stick to it.

In addition, the environments are absolutely gorgeous, and definitely varied. From jungles to cities, you'll put Ryu thru the motions in a number of locales, all of which are full of vibrant, beautiful color schemes. It would have been fun to see a little more interaction with the areas than some platforming elements here and there, but overall they produce an incredibly suitable backdrop for the combat playing out on screen.

All together, I really enjoyed the time I've spent so far with Ninja Gaiden 2, and I absolutely look forward to going thru the harder difficulties. It's a game that has an addictive quality to it that ends up being a bit hard to define, but there's a great satisfaction to climbing the leaderboards and pulling of the higher rankings on various levels. I personally have a long way to go before I end up coming close the upper echelon of skill that other players possess, but I look forward to improving. So despite its technical flaws, it's a game that is absolutely worth playing for 360 owners, and while it could have used a bit more time in the virtual oven, I'm happy with the overall experience it provides.