Peench's Thoughts on Xbox 360's Spring Showcase.
I'll have to break this up among a couple different posts, but to say I was amazed is would be an understatement. I had the opportunity of seeing the incredible titles that MS has in store for us this year and playing almost all of them. I can say that this Fall will be an expensive time to be a gamer. There was not one single game that I saw that I would not enjoy owning. I also had an opportunity to speak with Shane Kim. Enough cursory stuff, lets get on to the games.
NINJA GAIDEN 2
The first game I saw and played was Ninja Gaiden 2. From what I saw, I imagine fans of the series will not be disappointed. Personally I could not play through the first title because it was too difficult and I got too frustrated. Between the funky camera angles and the all-but too difficult gameplay, I set it aside for fear of breaking my controller.
Thankfully the developers have grown up a bit and now offer the Path of the Acolyte. Playing the game with this option will allow pseudo-n00bs like me to get through most of the game with only minimal frustration. I played for about 15 minutes and did not die. That is a record for me in any Ninja Gaiden game! For you seasoned Ninja Gaiden veterans, the Path of the Warrior offers a more difficult game and perhaps a more rewarding challenge.
The game itself is bloody as hell. There were limbs, blood and gristle everywhere. The lost limbs, however, are not simply a parlor trick or slick graphics. A lost limb on an enemy actually affects the gameplay. Let’s assume that you cut off an opponent’s legs. Contrary to medical belief, they won’t bleed out right away. Instead, they will slowly crawl their way towards you. Unless you dispatch them with further bloody swordplay, they will grab on to you and pull the pin on their grenades as a last ditch effort to take you out. Yes, kamikazie ninjas have arrived.
I still found the camera angles funky and had a hard time figuring out who was throwing ninja stars at me or attacking me. From what I understand, however, the camera angles have been improved.
New to this rendition is the constant dynamic feedback provided to the AI. This makes them smarter, more reactive and more able to lull you into traps and/or coordinate attacks. Bow wielding ninjas will throw down their bows and pull out their swords if you get close enough where ranged attacks are no longer effective. The interaction between the AI opponents is coordinated and responsive to how you are playing. You can approach the same situation multiple times and get multiple different reactions.
New to the franchise (from what I understand) are better tutorial hints at the start of the game. This (along with the Acolyte option) represents a paradigm shift in how the game is presented and how accessible it is to the general gaming public.
Also new is the ability to download clips of the top players in the world to see how they have approached any given situation to learn from their tactics. Additionally, the fighting mechanic has been tweaked to allow better fluidity in attacks and to avoid the need to use “cheap” tricks to pass certain levels (e.g. wall attacks only at later levels). This should lend itself to better and more cinematic gameplay through the entire game.
There will also be available a costume pack with 5 costumes for 200 MS Points. These change the appearance of your character through the entire game and can be changed at the load in screen. As more costumes become available they will be available on a spinning reel for your character to wear.
While I enjoyed my time playing Ninja Gaiden 2, this type of game is simply not for me. It is a very pretty game (if you like blood and guts and awesome Japanese style architecture), but the camera angles were still a bit too wonky for me and I felt like I was getting sea-sick trying to keep track of my character. While the Path of the Acolyte would allow me to likely play through the game without destroying my controller or my TV, I likely will not pick up this title. If you are a fan of the series don’t let my personal preference sway you. Everyone I talked to who had played and enjoyed the prior Ninja Gaiden games said this one was awesome.
