Ninja Gaiden 2 // Xbox 360
Hack 'n slash

// The skinny: After legions of demons have been set loose on the world, it is up to Ryu Haiyabusa to kill everything.

// Review: The last Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox was so incredible that they made 15 versions of it; including one for the PS3. Mega Man should be so lucky. It was one of my all time favorite games so when its sequel was announced for the 360 I was so excited [insert your own katana phallic metaphor here].

/ At first blush the graphics don't look all that much better. But that's just a testament to how amazing it was on the Xbox. Closer inspection will reveal improvement on the character models and a huge upgrade on everything else.

/ The controls are still as tight as they ever were but this time around you can be battling anywhere between a half dozen to 50 enemies at once instead just 2-3. It's still the same difficult Ninja Gaiden as well, but you can manage with strategically timed Ultimate Techniques and very liberal use of the near broken Flying Swallow move.

/ If you thought the original's story was generic, I can't say it's worse this time around. Actually because there really is no story; there's not even a pretense of one. For some inexplicable reason demons are running amok all over the world and apparently you and some CIA agent that's falling out of her shirt are the only ones who can stop it. But you don't play this game for story, you play to look completely badass while slicing off heads.

/ Gone are the environmental puzzles which is a shame. Without them, running from intense fight to fight is draining and I couldn't play more than a couple hours at a times. But laying waste to other enemies is immensely satisfying especially using the new weapons- the ginormous Eclipse Scythe in particular.

/ Like in the previous Ninja Gaiden, the camera is not your friend. It doesn't hate you like Tomb Raider: Angel of Darkness does. It's more like contempt, which is surprising given the quality of this title. Be prepared to hold block a lot to avoid scores of cheap off screen hits.

// Wrap up: Fans of challenging action games should definitely check this one out. Huge fans of the first Ninja Gaiden will find things to complain about, but will also find much to love.

Entertainment rating: 3.5