Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Review Page 2

15 Oct 2009 at 16:52:28 by Tim McDonald
Systems used to review this title: (PS3)

Not all of those are bad changes, however, and a lot are down to opinion; a lot of the changes, like the removal of keys, do little but streamline the gameplay. In the end, Sigma 2 feels more like the action-adventure Ninja Gaiden 2 should have been, with a focus on the fast and brutal action rather than trying to work out where the hell to go next and with the more annoying aspects of the combat removed.

Which all means that the combat itself is largely more glorious than ever. In order to rack up gigantic combos you still need to stay on your toes, and there's still a sense of vicious glee on the occasions that you clear a hard encounter without a scratch. Dodging every blow, counter-attacking, and ripping an entire group to shreds in seconds gives much the same feeling as it used to, and there's even a new weapon – and a superb one, at that – to play with. The new gargantuan bosses, like the Statue of Liberty, somehow feel more structured and less epic than the original ones, but they're nonetheless a welcome and fun addition.

Also added are sections featuring the female cast, with Ayane from Dead or Alive, Rachel from Ninja Gaiden, and Momiji from Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword making appearances. Each has a level and a new boss to themselves, mostly set around locations Ryu has already passed through, but each has a signature weapon of their own which forces you to play differently than you would normally. Ayane is all about getting in close with quick and devastating combos, while Rachel has a slow but powerful warhammer capable of shattering skulls in a single blow. These sections, while great fun in terms of the change of pace, can feel a bit half-arsed: one level for each character means that you lose control just as you're getting used to them, and only one really plays into the main plot in any way.

No, the real reason they're present is to get your used to the characters for the all new co-op mode. There are a wide range of missions for two players (or one player and an AI, in the event that you don't want to play with people online – no split-screen, here) to tackle, with the selection of characters and abilities increasing as you progress through the campaign. If you want to take on one of the Greater Fiends, with a tonfa-wielding Ryu and a naginata-wielding Momiji, then that's exactly what you can do. It's a nice feature, but not as nice as it perhaps could be. The problem with any co-op mode inevitably comes down to the quality of the people you play with, and it's all too easy to bump into lone wolves who insist on using all of the essence (which you may well need for healing) to power their ultimate attacks, getting you both killed. It'd be nice to have the option to play these sections solo when offline, too, so that you don't have to deal with the glory-hogging (and utterly useless, on the harder missions) AI.

Which means that Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 feels very much like two steps forward, two steps back. Some changes are for the better – the streamlined feel gets you into the combat more regularly and lets you focus on ripping apart the forces of evil – while others, like the lack of gore and the lower difficulty, detract from the hardcore Ninja Gaiden feeling. The fact that a few major issues, like the Ninja Cinema mode letting you acquire trophies while watching videos of other players, still exist despite being known about since Ninja Gaiden 2 hit shelves over a year ago is gob-smacking in its stupidity.

There are excellent new features and changes, as well as a few mind-bogglingly silly ones. It's a good game and you'll feel like a total badass on occasion, but, again, it's two steps forward and two steps back, and calling this anything akin to the definitive version of Ninja Gaiden 2 is a step too far. Newbies to Ninja Gaiden 2 will enjoy it, but it's impossible to recommend it to those who've already tackled the original game.

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