Shadows crawl across the streets, making the night that blankets the city all
the darker. But it is not merely the darkness that sets the senses aflame and
begs for caution; within the darkness there is something more, something
malevolent, something or things thirsty to kill. The city sits on the edge of
evil-driven madness, and within that moment is thrust the warriors who have a
chance to stop it.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, for the PS3 home console system, is a stunning visceral
experience, with some of the arcade-style play that one would expect from a
third-person action-adventure title. Enemies die and leave life residue behind
that is absorbed by the hero.
Tecmo sent out a demo disk of the game, featuring three heroes, fixed levels
that only went so far before ending with the cliffhanging message of “coming
this fall” (the game is actually slated for a late September release). It was
too little in a game that featured several jaw-dropping moments; especially when
it came to the finishing moves that your protagonist can pull off in sometimes
delightfully slow motion.
And writing of which, it needs to be mentioned that the game is a bit on the
bloody side. Ryu Hayabusa can swap out to clawed weapons as you play through his
pro-offered level, and during the course of his slice-and-dice combat, the
glittering metallic blades become rather bloody. Pause a moment and Ryu will
shake the blades, leaving pools of blood at his feet.
Game features, according to the Tecmo official release, include:
-
Team Missions
that allow for online co-op play with voice chat, 10 different stages, four
difficulty settings for each stage, with results posted on an online
leaderboard -
There are more
than 30 unique characters in 17 levels and a total of 70 cut scenes to drive
the stories -
Each level,
even the ones you repeat, has variable AI, which means that you can’t bank on
the level playing out the same way it did the previous time -
Upgradeable
weapons and new battle techniques; additionally, the weapons can be leveled up
to improve their attributes -
Full 1080p
output and 5.1 surround sound
While there were several playable characters in the build received (Ryu, Ayane
from the Dead or Alive series and Momiji, from Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword), each
has his or her own story arc with bosses that require some thought before you go
plowing in. Only one of the characters had a boss to battle and the straight-up
attack was useless, while the special Ninpo attack (you accumulate red orbs to
power it up and then release it with the triangle and circle buttons, creating a
whirling vortex of fire that does – to most enemies – impressive damage) did
damage but seemed to infuriate the level boss.
As mentioned, the game has arcade attributes, including health meters and such,
but the action is so fast and furious that it is possible to forget about all
that in the effort to block and counterattack the enemies that swarm towards
your character. And yes, you can pause the game, pop a health herb to replenish
your health, and then return to the battle.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is clearly one of those games that is immersive, and
visually impressive. The controls are intuitive, and while there is a certain
amount of button mashing initially, as you unlock battle moves, the game takes
on a fast-paced strategic element that has you thinking an attack sequence, or
two (or three), in advance.
Ok, so it was only a small taste, but it was clearly enough to whet the
appetite, and start to look forward to the end of September when this game will
ship. While Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 may not be an innovatively defining moment in
the next-gen console games, it clearly has taken some of the best elements and
personalized them to create a game that certain to please fans of the Ninja
Gaiden series as well and wow newcomers to the franchise.
