Review by _BlueMonk561 "Ninja Gaiden Makes False Promises"
The high point of my life so far, surpassing even my marriage to the beautiful Alyssa Jones, was last Wednesday when I walked into my local GameStop and purchased a copy of the game Ninja Gaiden 2. I clutched the game to my heart as I left the store, hoping that the anticipation I had harbored for years now would indeed be expended in a magnificent cathartic release upon my turning the console on and beginning anew the adventures of Ryu. Little did I know that that very night I would cry myself to sleep in disappointment. Ninja Gaiden 2 is published by Microsoft Game Studios, and being the maniacal dictatorship Microsoft is, I had assumed that once again I would be rejoined with many of my Microsoft IP friends. But as sure as the sun is blue, and the sky bellows fire every night, I was let down again. You would think that Microsoft, being the software giant it is, would know what true gamers want. Gamers don't want to be riddled with trivial things like plot, gameplay, or any sort of evolution in the gaming industry. We want our old friends back. Maybe I was wrong to assume that that Ninja on the front cover was the antagonist of the title, and that Gaiden didn't mean "4" in some sort of lost Asian language. And I guess I was wrong to assume that "Ninja" wasn't a misspelling of "Spartan" due to the fact that this game was produced in Japan. Apparently, this game has you playing as a Ninja fighting demons, and not Master Chief's return to glory fighting the Covenant. Way to drop the ball, Microsoft.That's right, contrary to reviews advertising this fact, the player does not control Master Chief in Ninja Gaiden 2. The dismay I felt upon being put into control of a ninja, and not Master Chief, after the first cutscenes is indescribable. I consoled myself with the thought that beneath that hood, Master Chief lurked. And I waited for the moment when "Ryu" would unmask himself to reveal that famous, heart-stirring, unique helmet. But alas! it never came. So I played on. And on. And on. And five hours in it hit me - Master Chief is not in this game. I had been lied to once again by Microsoft.
Graphics - 4/10 Not up to par with the standards set by the first Halo for the rest of the world.Where are the equivalents to the Covenant's mysterious runes? To the beaches and caves of that planet Master Chief crashlands on? To Cortana's bewitching body? They don't exist, that's where. Microsoft apparently doesn't want anyone to equal the sheer genius of Halo's graphics. Instead we're stuck with graphics that look like they were created on an SNES. Yes, that bad!
Gameplay-1/10. This is where things get really bad. First of all, the game features no gunplay, whatsoever. Instead, we are given a sword, some sort of light post, and a scythe. None of these weapon fire bullets, or even a laser beam. This is the year 2008, and ever since the 80s we've had weapons more sophisticated than a light post. Why would you fight with a sword, when you can shoot from afar using the Needler? I would have forgiven them if it was the Energy sword, but no. It's made of weak metal and has no energy at all. Second of all, we can see the Ninja we play as on the screen. Why Microsoft would choose to ruin the game by not making it in first person view is beyond me. This is a huge step backward as far as gameplay goes. When first person view was first introduced in Halo, we were now able to be the character we played, and were able to actually feel emerged in the world. No longer were we a character on the screen, we were ourselves, but holding a gun. It's so completely unrealistic as well. If this were to happen in real life, I wouldn't be the person 10 feet away fighting, I'd be the person fighting. Not to mention that Micro$oft forgot to include a way to strafe! How can I evade my enemies without being able to strafe?
Plot - 2/10 This is probably the best thing in the game. Ryu is a ninja (NOT Master Chief) who travels around the world trying to make money so he can get a plane ticket. No, I am not making this up. He needs the ticket so he can fly to the headquarters of Genshin, who rules the Black Spider Ninjas and hates dragons (who doesn't? Ryu). He's allied with the Four Fiends and together they try to summon Chaos. This nearly works but Ryu kills him and saves the day after some help from a CIA agent named Sonia who is not nearly as smart as she thinks she is and who is trying to find Ryu because the CIA asked her to and she works for the CIA. There's also a blacksmith named Muramasa who forges things but he's irrelevant to the plot and has only been included as a token blacksmith character.
Master Chief Presence- 0/10 Master Chief not, again, not in this game. Don't make the same mistake I did and assume that this was Halo 4. Sure we don't know who Master Chief is, but we do know this: he wouldn't waste any time jumping around fighting spiders with swords. He has more important things to do, like protect Earth from the Covenant. So obviously, this can't be Master Chief. I only kept playing hoping that at some point, Master Chief would make a cameo and swoop in and save me, like the daring action star he is. But alas, again I was let down. Microsoft has made the same mistake they made in other horrible, badly made games, such as Bioshock, Dead Rising, and Mass Effect: they left out Master Chief. They got it right with Unreal 3, but foolishly thought that was enough.
So again, don't buy this game if you're expecting to see Master Chief in action again. In fact, don't even buy this game, as it was obviously made with the "Wii-mentality" in mind. Maybe grandma would enjoy this horrid showcase of everything wrong with gaming today. It's the perfect game for the elderly, as they love telling people what to do from the back seat (3rd person view), have an archaic view of violence (swordplay), and love prostate exams (thats what this game felt like).
2/10
Reviewer's Score: 2/10, Originally Posted: 06/09/08