Team Ninja's 2004 Xbox hit, Ninja Gaiden, wasn't just a franchise reboot for the 3D era - it helped to define the template for the melee combat games to come across two further console generations. You can play that seminal release locked to 60fps at extreme resolution via Xbox One X enhanced backwards compatibility - and now its sequel has received the same treatment to spectacular effect. Ninja Gaiden 2 launched as a platform exclusive designed to highlight the strengths of the Xbox 360 architecture but it was compromised by several technical problems - aspects that are entirely cleaned up ten years later on Xbox One X. Quite simply, it's the best way to play the game - and when it comes to Ninja Gaiden 2, users certainly have plenty of choice.
There's only one warrior brave enough to avenge his clan: Ryu Hayabusa. Guide him on a mission to save the entire human race in Ninja Gaiden II. Follow Ryu through an extensive Story mode and struggle to survive in a world filled with peril.
Ninja Gaiden 2 is actually one of the most fascinating cross-platform development projects Digital Foundry has looked at across the last decade. A year after its Xbox 360 debut, a PlayStation 3 version emerged, dubbed Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. It featured a vast array of visual changes alongside a fundamental shift in gameplay, all designed to better suit the capabilities of Sony's hardware. This was followed by a PlayStation Vita port of the PS3 game, which doesn't really work as a Ninja Gaiden game, but it is fascinating to take a look at, nonetheless.
But why is Ninja Gaiden 2 so fascinating and why is the X-enhanced back-compat support such a big deal? It's all about the gameplay. To my mind, the original Ninja Gaiden redefined 3D action games: the gameplay was fast, fluid and challenging but it was the brilliant level design and hub system that really pushed it to the top. In many ways, it almost feels like a much faster progenitor to the space that Dark Souls would come to inhabit years later, not just because of its challenging melee combat, but also because of its overall flow and level design. It still works brilliantly today - and it's awesome on Xbox One X.
Four years after its Xbox reboot, Ninja Gaiden 2 for the 360 arrived and while there were some improvements to the core combat system, the game had become completely linear, lacking the original hub system, while many areas just felt unfinished. One moment you were exploring a beautiful city while 30 minutes later, you'd find yourself in an ugly, featureless tunnel. Some sections were brilliant, others were filled with rocket spamming soldiers. It was good but unbalanced, lacking the refinement and perfection the original attained four years prior.
Beyond this, the technical side of things took a dive. The 2004 entry was a state of the art achievement on Xbox with a non-wavering 60fps frame-rate and gorgeous worlds to explore. In 2008, however, Ninja Gaiden 2 exhibited severe performance and screen-tearing issues alongside one of the lowest rendering resolutions on Xbox 360 - which is where the X-enhanced Xbox One X version comes into play. The original runs at just 1120x585 but on Microsoft's enhanced console, the resolution sees a 9x boost to 3360x1755. Thankfully, while the original resolution was very low, 2x MSAA was also utilised and applies to Xbox One X too, embellishing image quality still further.
Curiously, the game's visual style is well suited to higher resolutions. Rather than pushing then next-gen effects and post-processing, Ninja Gaiden 2 evolves the simple and clean style Team Ninja had become known for. As a result, at 1755p, the game is now a sight to behold. Texture filtering is massively improved, aliasing is nearly erased and character models are super clean. It just looks excellent in a way that the original on Xbox 360 does not. While it's not cutting edge, I feel the visual style works well enough that this could exist as a native Xbox One title. Of course, users of the standard Xbox One and the S model don't get these additional back-compat refinements, but there is still a good bump to performance and the complete elimination of screen-tearing.
With Xbox One X, I feel it's finally possible to appreciate the improvements implemented in building Ninja Gaiden 2 for Xbox 360. This is a game designed around huge polygon counts and lots of alpha transparency. It takes advantage of the super-fast eDRAM connected directly to the GPU allowing for lots of these effects, in fact. There's also a focus on dismemberment - limbs can be severed in combat and you'll find yourself ripping enemies to literal shreds during gameplay. Not only is the effect impressive, but blood decals remain all around the stage after a long battle, lending to the sense of surviving a massive battle. The Xbox 360 also pushes huge enemy counts, flooding the scene with foes at every turn. It's this ratcheting up of enemy density, the increased level of detail in general and the dismemberment system that results in the greatest enhancements over the original Xbox game.
Perhaps predictably though, the cost comes in terms of performance. The battle on the stairs in Chapter 10 is especially well known for this - while making your way to the top, the game floods the screen with enemies in huge numbers. It's a showpiece battle that original hardware couldn't handle - but Xbox One X pulls it all off flawlessly. Performance is now basically locked to 60 frames per second throughout this entire scene and no matter how many enemies appear throughout the game, the Xbox One X never seems to struggle.
The reason that this is so important comes down to the game speed. Like many titles in the past, the actual game speed is tied to frame-rate - drop below 60fps and everything starts moving at a slower rate. So on Xbox 360, this scene plays out in slow motion while Xbox One X delivers the proper full-speed experience instead. With this being one of the heaviest scenes in the game, it should come as no surprise that the rest of Ninja Gaiden 2 fares equally as well - performance is locked to 60fps at all times during gameplay and never lets up. Of course, some cut-scenes employ a 30fps cap, but that's by design and the back-compat system cannot overcome this.
Struggling on the very system it was designed to exploit, Team Ninja wisely adjusted its focus for the PlayStation 3 version of the game. In many ways, this is one of the most fascinating ports of the last decade in that it's nearly a different game. New content was created for the game while other elements were removed, while level designs were tweaked and visuals updated. From a gameplay perspective, the PS3 version sees a massive reduction in overall enemy count - the world feels a lot emptier on Sony's machine and enemies that do appear sometimes take more damage than they normally would, likely to make up for the reduction in enemy density. This has a significant impact on the overall flow of the game and I feel it's for the worst - while the added content is a mixed bag, to say the least.
While many elements were cut or changed, it's the approach to visuals that fascinates the most. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 runs at a higher resolution than on Xbox 360, hitting 1280x718 - the top rows are blacked out so it falls just below the full 720p but users would've been unlikely to notice. It looks cleaner than Xbox 360 in this sense but if we compare it to the new upgraded Xbox One X edition, it falls far behind - as you would expect. But this isn't just about rendering resolution - Ryu's character model has received a subtle boost in polygonal detail during cutscenes while lighting has been modified and bloom added. The changes are fascinating in that it's difficult to say whether it looks better or not. It's really a matter of opinion and I think both have strong points but obviously, there is no way to play Sigma 2 at high resolutions right now in the way you can with Xbox One X.
Curiously, the violence level changed too - which seems to have been a technical decision rather than a change in content direction. The dismemberment system and blood spray has been ripped out and replaced on PS3 with a more ethereal solution. I suspect this change is the result of optimisation decisions for Sony's machine - the extra alpha effects and limb removal would tax the RSX resulting in more significant slowdown. Then there's the infamous battle on the stairs which runs a touch better on PS3 compared to the Xbox 360 original, but only because the number of enemies has been reduced significantly. The battle now feels somewhat empty and less intense as a result of this change and yes, there is still plenty of screen-tearing.
Regardless, Sigma 2 is a fascinating conversion. Gameplay tweaks, modified content and huge changes to the presentation result in a game that feels decidedly different to its older sibling. After playing them both again, I definitely prefer the Xbox 360 original, especially on Xbox One X - but I do appreciate Sigma 2 and the ways in which the development team adapted the game to work well on very different hardware. In an even more bizarre twist, Sigma 2 received its own port - this time to PlayStation Vita and, well, perhaps some things just shouldn't be. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2+ on Vita is a scaled down adaptation of the PS3 game and it doesn't work very well at all.
The first major change involves cutscenes - unlike the other versions of the game, the Vita version relies on full-motion video clips captured from the PS3 version. It looks OK on a real Vita screen, though to be fair but it's not optimal. In-game, a lot of cuts have been made as well, starting with resolution which is now dynamic. From what I can tell, it often drops as low as 408p during busy scenes. Detail in general takes a hit - textures are reduced, models appear simplified and the game looks washed out and blurry. That said, for a handheld system released so many years ago, it's really not that bad and the drop in detail would be acceptable if it ran smoother - but the Vita delivers a 30fps game with plenty of performance drops below the target. Ultimately, it's a huge step down but it's also kind of impressive that it exists at all. The PS Vita is nowhere near as capable as Xbox 360 or PlayStation 3 in terms of raw processing power and it certainly isn't well suited to a game like this - yet there it is.
The sub-par Vita experience was the final release for Ninja Gaiden 2 - at least until its recent reappearance, enhanced for Xbox One X, which is exactly where you should be replaying the game if you're interested in checking it out. Personally, I consider Ninja Gaiden 2 as something of a flawed gem. It's not the perfectly refined action game that the original was but it's still a great game to play and it feels so much improved with all of its visual flaws eliminated. The frame-rate is now perfect, image quality is completely cleaned up and the in-game loading is even faster. Of course, it can't solve any of the level design issues that pop up later in the game but that's OK, it's still worth checking out.
I can say that I've had a lot of fun revisiting the game this week and its flaws are less bothersome today than they were back in 2008. In fact, I think I prefer the level design here to something like Devil May Cry 5: while Capcom's latest was an excellent game in terms of combat, it was lacking when it came to environments to explore. It's just a shame that the Ninja Gaiden series is unlikely to receive any further instalments. Ninja Gaiden 3 was a step down and Razor's Edge couldn't fully solve that. It's unlikely we'll see Ninja Gaiden return anytime soon and even if we do, will it even be the same? That said, it's always been an uneven series - even going back to the arcade original and NES titles. Some conversions were great, others less so, but the series was always memorable - and with both major series entries now available in X-enhanced editions, it's well worth revisiting. And who knows? The Ninja Gaiden series has prestige, it has heritage and a reputation for pushing hardware - perhaps we'll see another series reboot at some point in the future.
.: 1991Mode(s)Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, known in Europe as Shadow Warriors II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, is a side-scrolling developed and published by for the (NES). This is the second installment in the trilogy for the NES and was released in North America and Japan in 1990, and in Europe in 1994.The events in Ninja Gaiden II take place one year after the events in the.
It is about an evil emperor named Ashtar who, after hearing of Jaquio's defeat, devises a plan to take over the world and engulf it in darkness through an evil sword called the Dark Sword of Chaos. Army agent named Robert T. Sturgeon recruits the game's protagonist and tells him that he is the only person who can stop him. The game received praise in previews from and and continued to receive high ratings and coverage, being nominated for several awards from Nintendo Power in 1991.
Reviewers said that visuals and controls of Ninja Gaiden II improved over its predecessor while maintaining a high level of difficulty for players; the game was criticized for having a more generic and predictable plot. The game maintains lasting appeal among players, with one reviewer saying that Ninja Gaiden II is 'a challenging experience the likes of which gamers in the 8-bit era lived and died for'. Contents.Plot One year after the events of the first Ninja Gaiden game, in the Realm of Darkness, Ashtar, the evil lord who controlled Jaquio, is informed of Jaquio's defeat; he devises a plan to rule over Earth by opening the Gate of Darkness. Army Special Intelligence unit member named Robert T. Sturgeon is sent to find Ryu to take out Ashtar. Robert informs Ryu that Irene Lew has been captured and that he must go to the Tower of Lahja to save her. After hopping on a freight train and then battling up the mountain in which the tower lies, he is ambushed by a figure who describes himself as a tribesman of the World of Chaos, led by the Emperor of Darkness Ashtar.
After making it to the top of the tower, Ryu finds Irene, who has been captured by Ashtar. Ashtar then blasts Ryu with energy from his own sword; before Ashtar can finish off Ryu, Robert appears and shoots Ashtar in the back, stopping him. Robert orders Ashtar to hand over his sword and give up, but Ashtar escapes with Irene, telling Ryu to follow him into the Maze of Darkness.After Ashtar escapes into the Maze of Darkness, Robert tells Ryu about Ashtar's plot to take over the world by using the full power of his sword, the Dark Sword of Chaos. Robert implores Ryu to stop Ashtar before his Dark Sword reaches full power. After battling through the Maze of Darkness and into the World of Chaos, Ryu hears echoes of Ashtar's plan in the distance. Ryu then catches up with Ashtar.
He releases Irene, but immediately after releasing her he stabs her with the Dark Sword. Robert then shows up, only to find out that Irene has been mortally wounded; Ashtar then blasts Robert with energy from his Dark Sword and then challenges Ryu to battle. Ryu defeats Ashtar, and before he dies, he says that the forces of Darkness will soon awaken and implores the forces of Chaos to engulf the world into darkness. While he is saying this, the Dark Sword of Chaos vanishes into thin air. After Ashtar's death, Irene tells Ryu that an evil altar that Ashtar prepared to open the Gate of Darkness must be destroyed. Ryu then leaves Irene behind and tells Robert to take her and leave the World of Chaos.As Ryu enters the World of Darkness to destroy the altar, Irene and Robert, while traveling back, are stopped by a shadowy figure that Irene has seen before.
Meanwhile, after defeating Kelbeross whom he noted he fought in his fight against Jaquio (in the previous Ninja Gaiden game), Ryu finds Robert on the ground and mortally wounded. He tells Ryu that Irene has been captured again and that he must prevent the Gate of Darkness from opening. Robert then tells Ryu to leave him behind while he fends off the demons.
Ryu eventually makes it to the evil altar where he finds Irene and the shadowy figure who captured her; the figure reveals himself as Jaquio – the antagonist from the first installment – who was reborn after his first battle with Ryu.Jaquio tells Ryu his master plan of using Ashtar as a pawn, used to awaken the true evil. He plans to use the Dark Sword of Chaos to use Irene's life force to open the Gate of Darkness and call up all the demons, while Ryu awakens them from their sleep. Jaquio then challenges Ryu to a showdown in which Ryu defeats him. Before Ryu and Irene can destroy the evil altar though, Jaquio's blood awakens the Dark Sword, which opens up the Gate of Darkness, shocks Irene and Ryu with its energy. The Demon Jashin arrives through the Gate of Darkness and reanimates the corpse of Jaquio. He then turns into a demonic wall, which Ryu, after borrowing strength from his Dragon Sword, defeats. Jashin is once again sealed away, the Dark Sword then breaks apart, the Gate of Darkness closes and disappears, and Ryu flees with Irene out of the temple just as it collapses.
He then begins to mourn for Irene, who is presumed to be dead, when the power of the Dragon Sword revives her. Irene tells Ryu that she felt like she had been dreaming for a long time. Ryu tells her that the incident is over, and the game ends as the two watch the sun set.Gameplay. Ninja Gaiden II introduced the ability of Ryu to split his body into multiple forms. Here Ryu's double (the orange ninja) is being used to defeat the boss Naga Sotuva.As with the previous, the player controls through a series of called 'Acts'. Players have the ability to jump and latch on and off walls and ladders. Two new abilities that Ryu can do in Ninja Gaiden II are climbing up and down walls and attacking with 'Power Boosting Items' while on walls and ladders.
Ryu has a on top of the screen that decreases whenever he takes damage from enemies. The player loses a life if Ryu's strength meter runs out, Ryu falls off the screen or if the timer runs out; the game ends if players lose all their lives. The player can and restart the game from the beginning of the level in which they lost all their lives.Players dispatch enemies by either thrusting at them with his Dragon Sword or by defeating them using Power Boosting Items. These special items consume Ryu's 'ninja power', also located on the top of the screen. Power Boosting Items include the following:; 'Windmill Throwing Stars' that move back and forth like a; 'The Art of the Fire Wheel' which hurls fireballs diagonally upwards; 'Fire Dragon Balls' which hurls fireballs diagonally downwards; and the 'Invincible Fire Wheel' that creates a barrier of three fireballs around Ryu, destroying any enemy that touches them.
These items can be found in various crystal balls scattered throughout the levels, and they can be switched out by collecting another Power Boosting Item. The amount of ninja power used depends on the type of Power Boosting Item used. At the end of each Act Ryu fights a which has its own strength meter, located on the top of the screen. The boss's strength meter decreases every time the player damages it, and the boss is destroyed when the player completely depletes its strength meter.Along the way, the player can collect items that are found in crystal balls scattered throughout the levels.
These items include the following: items that increase Ryu's ninja power; bottles that increase the player's score; 'Scrolls of the Spirit of the Dragon' that increase Ryu's maximum ninja power; medicine that partially refills Ryu's strength meter; Power Boosting Items;. Another new feature in Ninja Gaiden II is the ability for Ryu to 'split his body' and clone himself when the player collects an orange ninja symbol. Collecting this symbol creates for Ryu an orange shadow of him that follows behind and copies every move Ryu makes, including climbing walls and ladders and attacking enemies. Using this technique, the player can strategically position Ryu and his clones to more easily defeat enemies and bosses.
Release previewed Ninja Gaiden II in late 1989 and early 1990. The game first appeared in its September–October 1989 issue and again in its November 1989 issue; they noted the new levels, power-ups, and an 'explosive story that's loaded with twists and turns'. In the magazine's January issue, Steve Harris praised the game for its new, and more detailed. He said that the game was going to take the series 'one step further than before'. The game was shown to the public for the time at the Winter 1990 in Las Vegas, in which gave 'four star ratings for its great cinema scenes and challenge'.
The same magazine previewed the game in its 'Pak Watch' section in their March–April 1990 issue. They said that at first look the game had better cutscenes than the first Ninja Gaiden game, and they noted the great and diverse gameplay and high level of challenge.It was released in Japan on April 6, 1990 ( 1990-04-06), in North America in May 1990, and in Europe on October 27, 1994 ( 1994-10-27). The game was later released for the and -based by in 1991. It was then released for the North America service on October 15, 2007 ( 2007-10-15) for the, on August 22, 2013 ( 2013-08-22) for the and on February 18, 2016 ( 2016-02-18) for the. Reception ReceptionReview scoresPublicationScore9/9/9/825/407.5 of 108.5 of 108/10AwardPublicationAwardGame Player's NES Excellence Award, 1990After the game's release, it debuted at #4 on Nintendo Power magazine's 'Top 30' list for September–October 1990. In March 1991, the game was nominated for the ' Nintendo Power Awards '90' in the following categories: 'Best Theme & Fun'; 'Best Play Control'; 'Best Hero' (Ryu Hayabusa); 'Best Bad Guy' (Ashtar); and 'Best Overall'.
It did not win any of those categories. In a 1991 issue of in its list of Annual Awards, the game received the ' Game Player's NES Excellence Award' as one of the best NES games of 1990. Founder Steve Harris said that the game improved on its predecessor's gameplay, graphics, and cinematic cutscenes; he praised the diverse level environments and the new abilities that Ryu has received, but he noted that some power-ups from the first Ninja Gaiden game were missing in this one. A reviewer under the pseudonym 'Sushi-X' echoed Harris's praise but pointed out that some of the bosses in the first game were reused; he added afterwards that 'it's still worth the price of admission'. Ed Semrad called Ninja Gaiden II one of the best video game sequels to ever be released; he referred to the graphics, difficulty, gameplay, and storyline as 'near-perfect', though he pointed out that the game does get very difficult in the latter levels. Martin Alessi called it one of the best NES games ever and one of the best video games of 1990.
In the same issue, Ninja Gaiden II was featured on the front cover and was denoted as the 'Game-of-the-Month'.In 1997 Nintendo Power listed Ninja Gaiden as the 49th on its '100 Best Games of All Time' list. It was also listed as having one of the best 100 of all time, which was pressing a series of buttons on the title screen to enable various. The same year, Electronic Gaming Monthly listed the NES version as 88th on their '100 Best Games of All Time', saying it was 'easily the best' of the three Ninja Gaiden games which had been released at this point, citing its gameplay, storyline, music, and the body-splitting ability. They said they were not including the compilation in the listing because they felt the changes it made to the gameplay and music made the game worse. In 2012 ranked it the 20th best NES game ever made. The staff felt that it was a large improvement over its predecessor due to improved gameplay, audio, visuals, and control.Ninja Gaiden II was reviewed again in 2007 when the game was released for the Virtual Console and received some praise as well as criticism from reviewers. Austin Shau from compared the game with the first Ninja Gaiden game as examples of 'mean-spirited games' on the NES with high, unforgiving difficulty and excellent controls and gameplay.
He applauded Tecmo's artistic detail in the cutscenes, saying that it enhances the storyline and offsets the tedious dialogue. He said that the visuals are better than those in the first game with the usage of 'dynamic environments' such as speeding trains, and he praised the game's fast-paced sound. He and 's Lucas Thomas praised the improvement in the controls from its predecessor, more specifically Ryu's ability to freely climb up and down walls and use special weapons while on the walls.
Thomas enjoyed the game's 'chief innovation' of Ryu's ability to clone himself and use them to take care of enemies – something in which he says 'make progressing through levels and taking down bosses much easier and quicker'. Reviewers said that the game's difficulty remains high for players as with the previous Ninja Gaiden game. Shau noted that the game is still difficult as was its predecessor but that the sequel is slightly easier. Thomas stated that the sequel is not any easier to beat than its predecessor and that players will still get frustrated, especially with new environmental features such as blowing wind and rain and absolute darkness in which flashes of lightning illuminate the platforms. Thomas's only criticism of the game was that the storyline is not as good as its predecessor, saying that the plot seemed more predictable and that the cutscenes seemed more generic the second time around. He noted the lasting appeal of the game, saying that Ninja Gaiden II is 'a challenging experience the likes of which gamers in the 8-bit era lived and died for'. ^ Thomas, Lucas M.
(October 15, 2007). From the original on September 23, 2014. Retrieved July 2, 2013. Strategy Guide, pp. ' Ashtar: The time shall come. When the Gate of Darkness is cast open. All men shall kneel before me.
And shall hail me, Ashtar, as their new master!' . Strategy Guide, p. 9. Strategy Guide, p. 19.
Strategy Guide, pp. ' Baron Spider: We are tribesmen from the World of Chaos, led by the Emperor of Darkness Ashtar.' . Strategy Guide, pp. ' Ashtar: Ha, ha, ha!
If you want the sword, you'll have to follow me. Into the Maze of Darkness!' .
Strategy Guide, p. 41. Strategy Guide, p.
55. Strategy Guide, pp. 58–61. Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos. ' Ashtar: The Force of Darkness shall soon awaken.
No one will be able to stop it. Join forces, Shadows of Chaos. Swallow this world into Eternal Darkness.'
. Strategy Guide, p. 64. Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos. ' Ryu: Alright. I'll go, Irene. But I'll come back for you as soon as I can.
Robert, take Irene and get out of here now.' . Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos. ' Robert: Ryu. If the Gate of Darkness is opened, the Tribe from the dark world will cause chaos. That'll be the end of all mankind. They're coming again.
And there are quite a few of them. I'll stay here and hold them off. Ryu, you get going.' . Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos.
' Jaquio: The spirit released after our battle flowed into my body. And I've got the dark Power of Evil.' . Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos.
' Jaquio: The spirit you defeated before was nothing more than a pawn. Your battle served only to awaken the ancient, true Spirits of Evil. The Sword of Chaos simply sucks up your life force. And when the Sword awakens, the Gate of Darkness shall be thrown open. And the demons shall come back to life. Her life force shall be used to call up the demons.
You shall awaken them, she shall call them back to earth.' . Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos. ' Irene: Ryu.
What happend sic to me? I feel like I've been dreaming. For a long time.' . ^ Instruction Manual, p.
11. ^ Shau, Austin (October 31, 2007). From the original on July 10, 2013. Retrieved July 2, 2013. ^ Instruction Manual, p. 8. Instruction Manual, p.
21. Instruction Manual, p. 16. Strategy Guide, p. 13. Instruction Manual, pp. 13–15.
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An ongoing analysis of Steam's player numbers, seeing what's been played the most. STEAM CHARTS An ongoing analysis of Steam's concurrent players. 
^ Harris, Steve; Semrad, Ed; Alessi, Martin; Sushi-X (July 1990). ' Electronic Gaming Review Crew – Ninja Gaiden 2'.
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November 1997. Note: Contrary to the title, the intro to the article explicitly states that the list covers console video games only, meaning PC games and arcade games were not eligible. From the original on 2015-08-03. Retrieved 2013-12-05.