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Ninja Gaiden II First Look

We take a peek at Team Ninja's upcoming sequel to one of the Xbox's best action games.

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Now that the dust is settling from the fall releases and the masses are working their way through the plethora of stellar content for the Xbox 360, thoughts are already turning to the next big thing on Microsoft's console. While we're sure there are a few heavy-hitters not yet announced for the platform, we expect Ninja Gaiden II to be high on any list of big 360 titles in 2008. The game is the proper sequel to Tecmo's superb revival of its classic franchise from the Xbox and caused quiet a stir when it debuted a few months ago in Japan. The game's visuals are complemented by blistering gameplay speed and a generous helping of blood--because no ninja game is complete without blood, and lots of it. We had the chance to check in with Team Ninja leader Tomonobu Itagaki about the upcoming game, which looks set to rock the 360 next year.

The game once again focuses on ninja Ryu Hayabusa, but a younger version of him. Apparently, Ninja Gaiden II will focus on the butt-kicking hero's formative years in adventure, set before the action in the original NES and arcade Ninja Gaiden adventures. The specifics of the story aren't available yet, but longtime fans can look forward to some interesting twists and new faces, along with all kinds of stabbing.

Evidently there was no shortage of blood during Ryu Hayabusa's formative years.
Evidently there was no shortage of blood during Ryu Hayabusa's formative years.

So how does one go about topping one of the best action games out there? For starters, it helps to have a borderline-masochistic team of perfectionists with a notoriously ambitious leader. While the basic framework of the action remains the same--you'll work your way through levels, basically mowing down anything in your way with your hands, weapons, and magic--the action is just nuts now. Ryu moves like greased lightning, and his array of moves, while still elegant, are just brutal. The speed turns out to be quite a necessary thing, due to the aggressive mobs of enemies that seem fixated on murdering you. Ryu's fleet feet help him hack up foes good, with a creative array of weapons that draws on familiar historical arms, plus stylized weapons such as the wicked pair of claws he uses. Finally, when Ryu's ninja skills and weapons won't do, he's got his trusty, deadly ninja magic to tap into to take out his foes.

From the look of things, Ninja Gaiden II is a fast, chaotic experience that is a good deal more intense than its predecessor. The mobs of foes hit fast and furious and seem to come out of the woodwork. We're curious to see how this will all work out in terms of pacing. The frenetic pace we saw in our demo looks to offer a meaty challenge and positions the game as one of the front-runners for "Game Most Likely to Take Your Lunch Money and Make You Cry in 2008." Masochists that we are, we're eager to see just how challenging the game is going to be.

Ninja Gaiden II already looks like a game that means business.
Ninja Gaiden II already looks like a game that means business.

As seen in the trailer and live demo, Ninja Gaiden II looks pretty slick, even in its work-in-progress state. The character models look very sharp and move with a fluid grace that almost makes it a shame when they're cut down (but you get over it). Ryu looks incredibly sharp and every bit the badass you'd hope he'd be in a 360 appearance. The environments look lush and break apart quite nicely. The game's look also has a decided differently flavor thanks to a varied array of locales that span the globe and include some well-known places such as New York and Venice.

While what we saw was still far from done, Ninja Gaiden II is looking like an impressive sequel to the Xbox game that should stand tall amid the Xbox 360's 2008 lineup. The game is fast, looks very sharp, and seems to be maintaining, even topping, the cool factor of its predecessor. The big question is how the gameplay and camera system will shape up. High-speed combat and in-game cameras tend to not get along well, but Team Ninja has a pretty good track record when it comes to making Ryu Hayabusa look his stabby best, so we're excited to see how the whole adventure comes together. Look for more on Ninja Gaiden II in the months to come. The game is slated to ship next year exclusively for the Xbox 360.

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