.: The Official Ninja Gaiden II Thread (Reviews are coming in!) :. (56k warning)

[QUOTE="Jbul"][QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"][QUOTE="Jbul"][QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]

[QUOTE="Jbul"]I can see I'm late to the party on this one, but what are the Valor Trials? Hidden areas where you fight a crapload of enemies, and are awarded with goodies like Talisman Of Rebirth, etc? I must've missed out on them. =/ I thought I'd been pretty thorough, too. I've gotten a few Lives Of A Thousand Gods so far (in hidden areas).Shame-usBlackley

You have to find an item in Chapter 2 to be able to see the entrances to the trials.

Gotcha. Oh well, there's always the second playthough. They sound pretty tough. :)

They are, but they're also a distraction. On the last one, I used items that caused me to have a really hard time with the rest of the game, so it's best to not let them ruin your enjoyment. Aside from the achievement, the bonus for beating them is usually something that can be bought in the store. I just like the challenge of them, but if it's going to gank the rest of the game for me, then screw that.

They sound like the hidden missions in DMC, but with more negative reprocussions. Like you said fun, but ultimately a distraction. Depending on how my first playthrough goes, I may play through on an easier difficulty setting and check those missions out.

For what it's worth, a good friend of mine already beat the game on Acolyte, and she says that Warrior doesn't feel all that different yet. She's only played the first level, though. Warrior has kicked my ass at times, and I have a hard time imagining Acolyte is as difficult. Doing some quick comparisons across the two difficulties we've discovered the enemies you face are either modified or different entirely. For example, in Acolyte, the dogs have shurikens in their mouths. In Warrior, they have exploding shurikens, which are a different beast entirely.

The valor missions are really good practice for getting better at the game, but they definitely aren't necessary to enjoy it. I'd say stick within your comfort zone on your first playthrough, and save the insanity for the other eight playthroughs required to get all the achievements. :P

That's good to know. I think sticking through the tough times makes playing on Warrior pretty rewarding so far. Your friend must be a pretty good gamer to have beaten the game in 2 days. :)

I can relate to your frustration. I almost restarted the game on Acolyte after the 2nd boss! It took me something like 40 minutes of retries to beat him, and I thought I'd be better suited (read: less frustrated) on Acolyte. I'm still enjoying the challenge of the game (I'm at the end of Chapter 5) on Warrior, but I hear the cheapness of levels 8-10 are mind-blowing. We'll just wait and see.

Jbul

I didn't notice ANY difference in the first two chapter bosses, to be honest. Chapter 2 boss took me about as many attempts as in Warrior, and I had to use a 1000 Gods to get more health. I don't know about the third chapter's boss as I stopped trying not too long after trying him. I don't think you lose quite so much on a shock, but not sure. The enemies themselves tend to be easier, as I beat the first two trials in one or two tries, which is not what I can say for the one in Warrior. And Shameus is right; the ninja dogs in Acolyte are the non-exploding variety, which makes them not QUITE as annoying as the Warrior versions.

And yeah, I found that bow trick Shameus. I just don't know what to call those huge flying enemies. They're not bats. They're like those bright purple things, but bigger and with wings. Demon things. Which makes sense since fiends are essentially demons, but I have no idea what those things are called. I do like the extra enemies and just killing them and looking at the result when you're done, but I'm finding it a pain with the camera. In Sigma, I could adjust myself and the camera such that enemies are either all on the screen, or I can keep track of where enemies generally are off the screen. Here, no such luck.

I heard from one of my friends (who is an amazing NG player) that level 8 is where the cheapness factor goes into overload. I'd be curious to hear your impressions. He said it took him 2 hours to get past the first 1/2 of the level, and it soured the game considerably for him.

Jbul

Unfortunately, I have to agree with your friend on stage 8. I stopped at the mid boss (stage 4 mid boss with several enemies), but this is looking to be my least favorite stage right now. It's probably because I put myself in a bad spot because I had no items at the beginning, but it took me so many tries to get through the first half. Enemies with rocket launchers now fire a barrage of rockets, no longer just one. They flank you (i.e. spawn right behind you), and to top it all off, you have 4-5 giant enemies to contend with.

As I said, I put myself in this bad situation with my lack of items, but the constant barrage of projectiles makes me feel like the only move I can safely pull off is the Flying Swallow. There's also more emphasis on bow usage. Perhaps I'm making too big deal out of it, but this stage has made me feel like I slammed into a brick wall. I'm curious to hear everyone's impressions on 8 when you all get there.

Oh yeah, with all the projectiles and explosions going on screen, the framerate took quite a dip. Haven't had any issues before that.

[QUOTE="Archangel3371"]

I don't really think the story is that bad myself. I kind of like it. Sure it's not setting any benchmarks in story but it seems ok and works well enough for the game.

Shame-usBlackley

I don't either, that's what's weird, and I'm a huge story nut. I think it's actually better than DMC4's story so far. The thing with Gaiden is that the story is just a way of driving the mission progression forward. It wouldn't hurt the game much if the story was conveyed through text and still screens. Story is the last reason I play an action game, but if I were to give any action the nod on the best storytelling, it'd have to be God of War.

Yeah God of War told it's story very well and was really cool. Ninja Gaiden does what it needs to do kind of like your typical popcorn action movie, it's not great nor terrible but it does move you along for the rollercoaster ride. There are some interesting tidbits of story here and there told when you pick up some of the scrolls from the dead bodies holding them.

I'm a bit surprised to hear how some people had so much trouble with the second boss. So far I haven't run into anything terribly frustrating although Chapter 8 sounds things are pretty wild there. It'll be interesting to see what subsequent playthroughs are like because I remember very frustrating parts when I first played the original Ninja Gaiden but now when I play it I can't believe how much trouble I had had at first.

[QUOTE="Jbul"]

I heard from one of my friends (who is an amazing NG player) that level 8 is where the cheapness factor goes into overload. I'd be curious to hear your impressions. He said it took him 2 hours to get past the first 1/2 of the level, and it soured the game considerably for him.

_Dez_

Unfortunately, I have to agree with your friend on stage 8. I stopped at the mid boss (stage 4 mid boss with several enemies), but this is looking to be my least favorite stage right now. It's probably because I put myself in a bad spot because I had no items at the beginning, but it took me so many tries to get through the first half. Enemies with rocket launchers now fire a barrage of rockets, no longer just one. They flank you (i.e. spawn right behind you), and to top it all off, you have 4-5 giant enemies to contend with.

As I said, I put myself in this bad situation with my lack of items, but the constant barrage of projectiles makes me feel like the only move I can safely pull off is the Flying Swallow. There's also more emphasis on bow usage. Perhaps I'm making too big deal out of it, but this stage has made me feel like I slammed into a brick wall. I'm curious to hear everyone's impressions on 8 when you all get there.

_Dez_, I'm not looking forward to level 8, that's for sure. I seriously hope that's the only really cheap stage. According to Kevin-V, the last 1/3rd of the game is brilliant, so that sounds like levels 10-14. I guess everyone's experience is different to some extent, but I've heard tons of complaints about that part of the game.

[QUOTE="Archangel3371"]

I don't really think the story is that bad myself. I kind of like it. Sure it's not setting any benchmarks in story but it seems ok and works well enough for the game.

Shame-usBlackley

I don't either, that's what's weird, and I'm a huge story nut. I think it's actually better than DMC4's story so far. The thing with Gaiden is that the story is just a way of driving the mission progression forward. It wouldn't hurt the game much if the story was conveyed through text and still screens. Story is the last reason I play an action game, but if I were to give any action the nod on the best storytelling, it'd have to be God of War.

The problem I have with it is that they've obviously put a lot of work into the story, the writing is just really bad. They even make you to sit through the cutscenes. If you're going to force this stuff on a player, then it should be just as entertaining as the rest of the game. Otherwise, it should be minimalized.

[QUOTE="inoperativeRS"][QUOTE="Jbul"]

[QUOTE="F1Lengend"]Word of advice, on boss battles do not adjust the Camera..I died so many times on CH 2s boss because I had the manual camera selected, after 2 tries with it on default I beat the guy. Jbul

Chapter 2 boss kicked my butt. I don't know if it was his countering, the fact that he tends to blend in with the background, or something else that just unfuriated me. Level 3's boss is a comparitive cakewalk.

Chapter 5 is the only one I've had problems with so far (just completed chapter 7). And even then it's more about the environment in which you fight rather than the boss itself.

I heard from one of my friends (who is an amazing NG player) that level 8 is where the cheapness factor goes into overload. I'd be curious to hear your impressions. He said it took him 2 hours to get past the first 1/2 of the level, and it soured the game considerably for him.

Just passed chapter 8.

Spoiler tags aren't working for me so if you consider details about enemies spoilers, this is your warning.

Only cheap part about it are some soldiers with fully automatic grenade launchers IMO. They hit hard, often and are plentiful. However once you learn to evade their attacks (dodge towards them as they'll shoot above you) and time your attacks right you can easily take them down with a triple flying swallow which kills them instantly 90% of the time.

They mainly cause problems when they're teamed up with other kinds of enemies but you just have to learn to take them out first. Always.

Apparently I missed one of the tests of valor. I'm on chapter 9 right now (do yourself a favor and upgrade your dragon sword to use triple flying swallows before this one :P) and I should have completed 5 right now but IIRC I've only done 4. Too bad, will have to fix that next playthrough.

I'm really kicking myself for missing that item that allows you to do the Tests of Valor. I guess there's always next time... :x

Man, the chapter following the lame 5th boss was sweet. The battle at the end of chapter 6 was awesome -- a boss fight topped off with a new weapon and a mob of angry werewolves. The weapon is perfect for quickly dispatching enemies with the finisher after a dismemberment. Even the cutscene that followed the fight was awesome.

Really good stuff.

EDIT: 4th test of valor was much easier than the 3rd.

I know NG fans who loved NG2 at first, then they got to chapter 8 and their opinions took a 180.

I don't know. I just get the feeling that they increased the difficulty due to the cheapness factor, and always having a handful of enemies off the camera. When I died in Sigma, it was because I screwed up. Here, I sometimes scratch my head and wonder WTF just happened.

I know NG fans who loved NG2 at first, then they got to chapter 8 and their opinions took a 180.

I don't know. I just get the feeling that they increased the difficulty due to the cheapness factor, and always having a handful of enemies off the camera. When I died in Sigma, it was because I screwed up. Here, I sometimes scratch my head and wonder WTF just happened.

argianas

Same thing happened with Devil May Cry 3. It's impossible to make a game like this and make 100% of the people who buy it happy. Yeah, there are some pretty cheap deaths in the game that are caused by things you have no control over, but I think a lot of that is offset by the recharging health bar. Seriously, the way the game is paced is completely different from the original Gaiden because of that simple tweak.

There are some parts of the game that are just ridiculously hard, but that's Gaiden for you. It's a game designed to smack you down.

Just got to the fifth test of valor. Oh no. It's bad.Shame-usBlackley

Yeah even I'm thinking about just skipping it for now.

The boss fight in Chapter 6 was pretty cool as was the cutscene like you said. Chapter 7 is really cool as well as having a rockin' background music track. Reviewers said that the music in this game was just kind of average but I think that it has been really awesome so far.

[QUOTE="argianas"]

I know NG fans who loved NG2 at first, then they got to chapter 8 and their opinions took a 180.

I don't know. I just get the feeling that they increased the difficulty due to the cheapness factor, and always having a handful of enemies off the camera. When I died in Sigma, it was because I screwed up. Here, I sometimes scratch my head and wonder WTF just happened.

Shame-usBlackley

Same thing happened with Devil May Cry 3. It's impossible to make a game like this and make 100% of the people who buy it happy. Yeah, there are some pretty cheap deaths in the game that are caused by things you have no control over, but I think a lot of that is offset by the recharging health bar. Seriously, the way the game is paced is completely different from the original Gaiden because of that simple tweak.

There are some parts of the game that are just ridiculously hard, but that's Gaiden for you. It's a game designed to smack you down.

I know what you mean about the recharging health bar. When I first heard about it I thought it would just be something that made the game easier for some people and it would at most just be a feature that I would ignore. Instead this has turned into a great addition and makes my decisions of whether or not to use a healing herb a much more strategic affair. I can't believe how much I love this little tweak.

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]Just got to the fifth test of valor. Oh no. It's bad.Archangel3371

Yeah even I'm thinking about just skipping it for now.

The boss fight in Chapter 6 was pretty cool as was the cutscene like you said. Chapter 7 is really cool as well as having a rockin' background music track. Reviewers said that the music in this game was just kind of average but I think that it has been really awesome so far.

I just beat it. It took every health item I had and every ounce of ninpo. Dude, my hands are shaking. Seriously, that was one of the hardest things I've done in recent memory. Wow.

Just a word of advice: when you beat it two treasure chests will appear. One of them is booby trapped with ghost fish. Be VERY careful when you open them.

So I was wondering why I couldn't get to do the test of valor, all because I missed an artifact in Ch 2, :| Lame if you ask me.

As for Ch. 8, yes the beginning is ridiculous I had my fire ninpo to lvl2 and it still didn't manage to kill those giant mecs. The Booby traps are a little annoying, but what pissed me the most was that I decided to backtrack to stock up in Muramasa's shop only to have the soldiers with rocket launches reappear in the landmine area :|

The mid boss is easy, the rest is doesn't look as hard the beginning of the chapter. About the save system, I had to use Manual and Auto save to go back to stock items. I don't know, but like Shamus said you could get stuck if only using Auto Save and there's no way of starting the chapter, just your last checkpoint. Lame if you ask me, so I'll be cautious next time when I'm low in items. Chapter 7 boss, I found it cheap (the one with its minions) Anyone else agree? They launch incendiary shurinkens, as if they were inhaling/exhaling breath :|

[QUOTE="Archangel3371"]

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"]Just got to the fifth test of valor. Oh no. It's bad.Shame-usBlackley

Yeah even I'm thinking about just skipping it for now.

The boss fight in Chapter 6 was pretty cool as was the cutscene like you said. Chapter 7 is really cool as well as having a rockin' background music track. Reviewers said that the music in this game was just kind of average but I think that it has been really awesome so far.

I just beat it. It took every health item I had and every ounce of ninpo. Dude, my hands are shaking. Seriously, that was one of the hardest things I've done in recent memory. Wow.

Just a word of advice: when you beat it two treasure chests will appear. One of them is booby trapped with ghost fish. Be VERY careful when you open them.

Woah, congrats. Sounds like it was a very rewarding victory. I have to try it now because I know if I leave it behind it will kind of sit in the back of mind and bother me. Thanks for the warning too.

Just got to the fifth test of valor. Oh no. It's bad.Shame-usBlackley

Which one is that? If it isn't one those I missed I can probably help you. I didn't even use healing items in the ones I found :P (missed 2 I think). Also, I laughed when I first found out some of the reward chests in the test of valors contain ghost fish. Itagaki knows that the ladies like.

I'm on the last boss right now. Ugh. First time I'm getting angry at the game. They already did this "throw boss after boss at the player even if he doesn't have any healing items left" thing in the end of the first NG :(

Chapter 10 and 11 are probably the best chapters in the series. Completely amazing. The boss fights are much more fair in this game than the first IMO. I even got a bit disapppointed when I realized there wasn't going to be an Alma moment in the game :P

Also, Warrior is definitely easier than Normal in NGB. Or then I'm just so much better at the series now. I have all my weapons maxed out, the max amount of healing items and ninpo refills and a scroll of resurrection (before the last battles). On top of that I have about 20k essence unused. At one point in chapter 9 I had over 120K essence :lol:

So I was wondering why I couldn't get to do the test of valor, all because I missed an artifact in Ch 2, :| Lame if you ask me.

As for Ch. 8, yes the beginning is ridiculous I had my fire ninpo to lvl2 and it still didn't manage to kill those giant mecs. The Booby traps are a little annoying, but what pissed me the most was that I decided to backtrack to stock up in Muramasa's shop only to have the soldiers with rocket launches reappear in the landmine area :|

The mid boss is easy, the rest is doesn't look as hard the beginning of the chapter. About the save system, I had to use Manual and Auto save to go back to stock items. I don't know, but like Shamus said you could get stuck if only using Auto Save and there's no way of starting the chapter, just your last checkpoint. Lame if you ask me, so I'll be cautious next time when I'm low in items. Chapter 7 boss, I found it cheap (the one with its minions) Anyone else agree? They launch incendiary shurinkens, as if they were inhaling/exhaling breath :|

D3s7rUc71oN

The mechs are easy IMO. Just use swallows on them for a while until they start showing signs of breaking down (sparks etc), then move in and finish them with an obliteration. Takes about 5 swallows IIRC. The best part is they can't block the swallows and as long as you dash away fast once you land after the swallow they won't be able to hit you either. With this method I've defeated 3 or more mechs without taking a single hit.

I don't know, I died once or twice before the midboss in chapter 8. I found the parts in the castle before you got to the werewolf boss much harder (not frustrating though).The werewolves were kicking my butt hard. I died at least 5 times in the same encounter. Then I tried out the kuriga-wasa thingy's (or whatever it's called :P) ultimate technique. Craziest crowd control ever!

The chapter 7 boss was actually one of the easier ones IMO :P. I izuna-dropped some of the minions, blocked his attacks and did a XXY (+ continuation depending on the level of the sword) combo on him with the dragon sword. Dodged some more and killed some ninjas, block and XXY again. He hasn't got any dangerous guard breakers and never used any grabs on me at least so there was no real danger in blocking all his attacks.

Remember to only take out the ninjas that get separated from the group though. Otherwise you will get problems with incendiary shurikens.

So Ch. 9 is a little annoying so far, probably my least favorite so far.

@inoperative sounds like the auto save system is the reason why you're stuck?

So Ch. 9 is a little annoying so far, probably my least favorite so far.

@inoperative sounds like the auto save system is the reason why you're stuck?

D3s7rUc71oN

Not really, I could just go back to the last "real" save and start from the beginning again. It's just that I've always been the kind of NG player that prefers fighting normal enemies and tries to take down bosses as fast as possible even if that means wasting lots of healing items. I simply don't enjoy fighting bosses (due to many reasons, for example the fact you only can use a fraction of your moves against them) and when you have to fight 5 or so in a row I get frustrated.

Edit: And I'm using manual saves (even if the statement above would be true even if I used auto as autosaves before bosses don't overwrite the actual autosave file). In fact that's something I forgot to say before, change to manual ASAP. Enemies apparently sometimes get spawned behind walls where you can't kill them and if this happens in a spot where you have to kill all the enemies you will have to start over from the beginning of the game if you're using autosaves and the area already had loaded when you saved. With manual saves you can prevent this by using 2 or 3 save files and alternating. This hasn't happened to me but I've heard of a few who had to start all over because of it.

The saving situation sounds bad, people had to start over?

BTW I love reading the impressions, keep them coming.

dvader654

Yeah, the game definitely isn't as polished as you'd expect from Team Ninja. This seems to be an issue that is easily patchable though. The save system is very robust in general in fact, I've yet to get into a situation where I would have felt it screwed me over in any way (that's more than I can say about most games). The real problem is the spawning issues.

Oh and fun fact about chapter 10: you get to fight waves of at least 30 basic ninjas (the ones you face in chapter 1 and 2) in a small but completely open environment. Now mix that with the stormblade and black hole ninpos and you'll have plenty of fun. Or should I say plenty of loose arms, legs and heads. The framerate did take quite a beating but it's the only place I've really noticed it and TBH I think it was completely worth it to give the players a chance to play around with crazy amounts of easy enemies. They won't be able to hurt you anyway so the slowdown doesn't cause you problems or anything.

The end of Chapter 7 makes me hate this game. Definitely surprised something that cheap would come from Team Ninja.

As for Ch. 8, yes the beginning is ridiculous I had my fire ninpo to lvl2 and it still didn't manage to kill those giant mecs. The Booby traps are a little annoying, but what pissed me the most was that I decided to backtrack to stock up in Muramasa's shop only to have the soldiers with rocket launches reappear in the landmine area :|

D3s7rUc71oN

I found the Scythe to be particularly effective against the Mechs.

Slow down guys, Im only on chapter 5. CH 4 boss was ridiculously easily, I can tell I will have to fight him 10 more times. That guy in ch 2 was 10x harder. F1Lengend

I'm on Chapter 5 myself. Agree with you, Chapter 2 boss is by far the hardest so far. Having problem not coming across enemy and level spoilers in this thread. :D Not anyone's fault, I just tend to skip anything referring to a level beyond where I'm at. From the little I've gathered, Chapter 8 and 9 kinda suck. :(

I'm on Chapter 10 now and this game just keeps on rockin'. Chapter 7 boss was pretty easy. Chapter 8 really didn't give me too many problems. The guys with the rockets were easy to get up close to so you could just finish them off quick. The 5th test of valor was pretty tough though. Cool boss at the end of the chapter.

Chapter 9 was cool, when you were above ground, underground was kind of bland. Pretty freaky enemy in this chapter. Test of valor number 6 was a cakewalk which was very nice to have. Boss fight was a little tough.

Just started Chapter 10 and it looks like it should a really sweet chapter

I'm surprised that no one here has mentioned the dramatic spike in difficulty in Chapter 6. (Chapter 6 Spoilers Ahead) A fairly tough boss 1 minute into the level, tons of respawning crabs and demons in the caves and tunnels... and now huge rooms of Ninja's with exploding shurikens.

I suppose this is when things get serious. :)

Wow this game is a serious epic. I'm currently on Chapter 12 and this game keeps blowing my mind from one chapter to the next. For those of you who were having problems in Chapter 8 the game has gotten back to be a little tamer then that. The tests of valor have also really become highly manageable in the last few as well.

Framerate took quite a hit at one part in Chapter 10 but there were a ton of enemies so it's understandable. No need to worry about them as they are basically just fodder to pull off Ultimate Techniques on and the carnage is extremely satisfying when you do.

Itagaki may have said that he was finished with Ninja Gaiden because he was leaving Tecmo but from my experience so far with this game is that there is just so much in this game I truly can't imagine how on earth they could top it. The gameplay is just so over the top crazy intense, lots of different locations to visit, graphics look great and the music really good as well.

Wow this game is a serious epic. I'm currently on Chapter 12 and this game keeps blowing my mind from one chapter to the next. For those of you who were having problems in Chapter 8 the game has gotten back to be a little tamer then that. The tests of valor have also really become highly manageable in the last few as well.

Framerate took quite a hit at one part in Chapter 10 but there were a ton of enemies so it's understandable. No need to worry about them as they are basically just fodder to pull off Ultimate Techniques on and the carnage is extremely satisfying when you do.

Itagaki may have said that he was finished with Ninja Gaiden because he was leaving Tecmo but from my experience so far with this game is that there is just so much in this game I truly can't imagine how on earth they could top it. The gameplay is just so over the top crazy intense, lots of different locations to visit, graphics look great and the music really good as well.

Archangel3371

I mostly agree with you there. Even though I'm earlier in the game than you, I'm not the least bit disappointed.

I finally completed the game. Got a master ninja rating but my karma rank was only something like 950 worldwide.

I decided to start the boss streak all over to save healing items for the last ones. I must say the 3 first ones were very fun and rewarding once you had to fight them without loosing almost any health at all. I died a lot but I never felt they would've been cheap, just very punishing and fast.

When I completed them and faced the later ones I realized how easy the later ones were and completed the game just like that. The last boss didn't even hit me a single time when I killed him. Lots of wasted time there. I had died 34 times before I started the last level and got the 100 deaths achievement during the second of the 3 first end bosses :lol:

Just got to the chapter 8 mid-boss (at least that's what I think it is -- Giant, two mechs, rocket dudes), and the camera just breaks again. It's really too bad because this is otherwise a superb game. The camera at times is one of the worst I've seen in any game ever. It lodges itself behind a brick wall and leaves you to watch as your life bar dwindles.

I was leaning 9-ish on the game, but with the camera issues, there's no way I could give this more than a 7.5, even if the rest of the game is as awesome as the first half. Ninja Gaiden has always been about finesse and depth of combat, and this game jabs a stick right in the eye of that, because of one simple thing: you can't fight if you can't see.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this game, but it's severely flawed in the one area that an action game shouldn't be, which makes it sting all the worse. Maybe they'll patch it.

The Scythe is full of awesomeness. When I first obtained it, I thought it'd be slow and cumbersome, but it's so fast and fluid I think I prefer it over the Dragon Sword.

The Scythe is full of awesomeness. When I first obtained it, I thought it'd be slow and cumbersome, but it's so fast and fluid I think I prefer it over the Dragon Sword.

Dutch_Mix

The scythe is awesome. Best weapon in the game next to the DS.

Wow, this camera thing is getting bad. I'm beginning to consider it game-breaking. It's swinging around so wildly trying to keep up that it starts switching the controller inputs up, so now instead of jumping away from the boss' swings, you're jumping into them.

It's bad. It's like, Maximo bad. Maybe even worse. Very disappointing.

EDIT: :lol: It just got lodged into the corner and started to spazz out like a wild animal caught in a trap. Just sat there for ten seconds trying to sort itself out. What made it even funnier is that all the fighting stopped. The boss, the mechs and I all sat there watching the camera tear itself loose from its hinges with a big WTF bubble over our heads.

Seriously, it's gotten so bad that it's now getting comedic.

[QUOTE="Dutch_Mix"]

The Scythe is full of awesomeness. When I first obtained it, I thought it'd be slow and cumbersome, but it's so fast and fluid I think I prefer it over the Dragon Sword.

Shame-usBlackley

The scythe is awesome. Best weapon in the game next to the DS.

Yeah. I will say that I'm disappointed with the Lunar. Maybe I just haven't upgraded it all the way, or practiced with it enough but it isn't nearly as fun to use as it was in Ninja Gaiden Black.

By the way, I checked your scores last night, and I saw you've died 166 times! Holy crap, man. And I thought I was dying a lot. :P

Just got to the chapter 8 mid-boss (at least that's what I think it is -- Giant, two mechs, rocket dudes), and the camera just breaks again. It's really too bad because this is otherwise a superb game. The camera at times is one of the worst I've seen in any game ever. It lodges itself behind a brick wall and leaves you to watch as your life bar dwindles.

I was leaning 9-ish on the game, but with the camera issues, there's no way I could give this more than a 7.5, even if the rest of the game is as awesome as the first half. Ninja Gaiden has always been about finesse and depth of combat, and this game jabs a stick right in the eye of that, because of one simple thing: you can't fight if you can't see.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE this game, but it's severely flawed in the one area that an action game shouldn't be, which makes it sting all the worse. Maybe they'll patch it.

Shame-usBlackley

Just wait until the Ch. 9 mid boss in the tunnels, the boss is easy but the damn camera makes it hard to see and its a fight that requires precision. I tried a couple of times and turned off the console and called it a night. That part REALLY turned me off.

[QUOTE="Shame-usBlackley"][QUOTE="Dutch_Mix"]

The Scythe is full of awesomeness. When I first obtained it, I thought it'd be slow and cumbersome, but it's so fast and fluid I think I prefer it over the Dragon Sword.

Dutch_Mix

The scythe is awesome. Best weapon in the game next to the DS.

Yeah. I will say that I'm disappointed with the Lunar. Maybe I just haven't upgraded it all the way, or practiced with it enough but it isn't nearly as fun to use as it was in Ninja Gaiden Black.

By the way, I checked your scores last night, and I saw you've died 166 times! Holy crap, man. And I thought I was dying a lot. :P

Yeah, I earned around 100 of those due to the chapter 5 boss incident I mentioned earlier in the thread. I saved after dropping down in the tunnel with no arrows, no healing potions, and half health. I had to beat him with no assists at all. I actually almost started over during that.

Word to the wise: TURN AUTO SAVE OFF.

Okay, people must be playing a different game than I am. With the exception of the horrible camera in the chapter 8 mid-boss fight, I found chapter 8 to be pretty easy and immensely cool. The whole level was actually pretty easy, the test of valor was actually cake, and the boss was just ridiculously easy with the scythe -- I finished him off in less than a minute.

It guess that's what's cool about action games -- everyone has their own challenges and cakewalks.

The 5th test of valor is INTENSE. I think I lost circulation to my hands.H3LLRaiseR

Indeed. The 6th is much, much easier.

Okay, people must be playing a different game than I am. With the exception of the horrible camera in the chapter 8 mid-boss fight, I found chapter 8 to be pretty easy and immensely cool. The whole level was actually pretty easy, the test of valor was actually cake, and the boss was just ridiculously easy with the scythe -- I finished him off in less than a minute.

It guess that's what's cool about action games -- everyone has their own challenges and cakewalks.

Shame-usBlackley

I think I beat the Chapter 8 boss in 2, maybe 3 combos. Literally. Easiest in the game since chapter 1 so far. The scythe is just the physical avatar of pure awesomeness concentrate.

What I don't like about chapter 8 is that I can't move. I have to block and just shuffle bit by bit across big areas or face instant death. When a quick evasion move meant to avoid a melee hit is used to nagivate most of the chapter, it's just silly.

But yes, the camera in the chapter 8 midboss is just so weird, along with the chapter 5 boss. Actually in one trial, I got stuck near a wall and log, and Ryu was in his falling animation and moving around like he had a seizure, the camera was centered right on his back so that's all I could see, and in my peripheral I saw all the enemies just standing there, probably trying to find me. Lasted a good 15 seconds when I warped to the middle of the trial.

I'm done with this game for... now, the ch.9 end boss battle pushed it for me. The camera is so SUCKY its not even funny, I don't even know where I'm getting attacked from. I just can't put up with **** like this, the boss isn't tough but how can I fight when I don't even know where am I getting attacked from? I'm VERY dissapointed, I'll just wait and play DMC4 Heaven or Hell mode until MGS4 releases. D3s7rUc71oN

Grreeeat. :( Wrestling with the camera is the worst part of the game, I swear.

Watch out for the censor bypasses, bro. ;)

[QUOTE="D3s7rUc71oN"]I'm done with this game for... now, the ch.9 end boss battle pushed it for me. The camera is so SUCKY its not even funny, I don't even know where I'm getting attacked from. I just can't put up with **** like this, the boss isn't tough but how can I fight when I don't even know where am I getting attacked from? I'm VERY dissapointed, I'll just wait and play DMC4 Heaven or Hell mode until MGS4 releases. dvader654

Its that bad, really. Is it cause the size of the areas, the camera worked fine in NG1 I thought, went went wrong in this one.

The camera hits its apex of SUCK on smaller environments. It just falls apart like the house in The Money Pit, complete with the turkey blowing out of the oven and statue peeing on your head.

He's not joking, dude -- it's BAD.