Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Review

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is the first Playstation 3 game I’ve ever reviewed. I jumped into the game quickly to experience the power of the cell processor and immediately ran into a problem. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is a challenging game. Not challenging in the sense that the computer outsmarted and you fell for one of there clever traps, so you’ll give the level another run. Nope, its one of those situations where the AI has cheated its dirty demon hands off way too many times now, which will probably lead to myself going on a rampage in real life. First I would smash the PS3, People’s Elbow my TV and work my way through the neighborhood. Despite the challenges you face with Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, its a very good game. Its one of the few times an extremly frustrating experience isn’t screwed over by its cheap tactics.

Sigma 2 is a remake of Xbox 360 game Ninja Gaiden 2, with a couple of upgrades. Your blessed with a better camera, new characters and levels, an online co-op mode and a bunch of goodies. Running around with Ryu Hayabusa you will quickly realize something is missing. You will notice after your first decapitation, the blood was toned down. I was expecting a shower of blood and demon guts but was greeted with purple light. Its noticeable but only if you played the Xbox 360 game. It shouldn’t turn you off from the game, as its still fufilling to see the purple glow.

The game is a Beat Em Up but there is strategy and technique to everything about the game, but most people playing it will probably smash the buttons, hold block a lot and try to dodge attacks. But it’s so satisfying, you won’t care that you’re hammering two buttons for 12 hours. Now if you’re skilled enough then there’s an even deeper, even more satisfying game ready for you to get your hands into. It may be hard, it may be very much hardcore, but even those lacking any great skill will be able to get to the end of the game but expect the last boss to kill you at least 30 times.

Although Ninja Gaiden 2 Sigma is hailed as an upgrade of its Xbox 360 counterpart, there where still some problems that should have been fixed. The camera is better but is awful at the worse moments. You will be given a disgusting view in a fight and routinely getting stuck on scenery or behind an enemy’s body. Another issue is invisible walls all over the levels. Why can’t I scale the smallest of fences but others I can? It may sound like I’m nitpicking but this issue adds restrictions that can potentionally prevent you from escaping the wrath of a boss and you end up dead, again. Combine that with the the cheap enemies. Well, not all the enemies are cheap but all the bosses are cheap. It seems like every boss has unblockable attacks, the super ability to dodge every thing you throw at it and overpowered. You can look at it as challenging, but challenging shouldn’t invoke an uncontrolable rage that I faced in every boss battle.

As I mentioned before, Sigma 2 includes Co-operative multiplayer. Players able to choose from a list ofcharacters, abilities and weapons, and team up online to take on a couple of challenges. The mode can also be played offline, but no split screen here. Your partner has to be controlled by the AI, which is a huge disapointment. The mode is a great addition to the game, giving it more of long lasting appeal. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is a very good game, very much worth a play through. While the intense difficulty and camera hurt it, the experience isn’t completely ruined by it.

Buy Rent Demo: Buy

AnalogHype Rating: 8 out of 10