Well now to begin this review. I am Jarno from the Netherlands. I started to play the first 2D NG when I was young, I liked it allready. After that Ninja Gaiden on the xbox followed many years later, for me it is the number 1 game ever made. Now anno 2008 it's time for the sequel of Ninja Gaiden, Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden Sigma.

First short, the story:
The Demon Statue kept by the Hayabusa clan is the key to unleash the great archfiends and there are a few persons who want to make this happen. Also the feared Black Spider clan is again a enemy to watch out for because they want to make an end of the Hayabusa bloodline. Two groups you have to stop.

Important new things:
1 Weapons like the Tonfa and Falcon's Talons (Wolverine claws)
2 Combo's are bigger and better.
3 Graphics for sure, but he it's Team Ninja.
4 Healt regeneration, handy for the weaker players.
5 More savepoints, handy for everyone.
6 Recording you own moments in game to show online.
7 Much new characters for the new story.
8 Last but not least BLOOD and LIMBS.

How does it play?:
Well if you played NG, NG Black or NG Sigma a lot of combo's will be familiar, actually a big part of the gameplay is. The camera is better now, but even now some people will still don't like it completely, to me it's no problem you must learn to deal with it.
When you make a finishing move the camera zooms in for a good view of the great action. The ultimate technique can be reached also faster, building it up cost less time then before.
Enemys are harder now, they attack smarter and time there moves better, in NG they most of the times waited when your in a combo, now they don't give a f**k about it and interupt your combo with no mercy. The game itself starts easier (for the people who played NG, for the others it's hard from the beginning). Also the learning curve is better, but still the bosses are the biggest thread because they are sometimes very difficult. A thing I liked now is that you kill an enemy that is down when you want it, in the previous NG a lot of times a downed enemy that was still alive was left behind on the ground and Ryu focused on the standing enemy's even if you wanted to kill the downed enemy first.
All together it plays better but defend and move more then you did before only then you will have succes.

+:
1 Game is beautifull.
2 A lot of blood flows and limbs can be chopt of and stay on the ground together with blood and entrails, this makes the complete situation more spectacular.
3 Enemys are not simply defeated by chopping an arm or leg of, if you chop there legs of they will crawl towards you and sometimes attempt to do a suicide attack.
4 Camera zoom when doing a finishing move.
5 Great enemys and bosses.
6 The new weapons, my favorite the Falcon's Talons.
7 New Ninpo.
8 Bigger combo's.
9 Shorter build up time for ultimate attack, also keep loaded when damaged from weak attacks, so you don't have to start building up again and ultimate attack also for some projectile weapons.
10 More save points.
11 Health regenaration.
12 recording your own gameplay to show the world.

-:
1 Some levels don't look so good, at least not for Team Ninja.
2 You may not like some characters.
3 More shooting enemys, personally not good in my opinion.
4 Cutscenes could be better, sometimes it simply doens't look so good.
-- maybe more will follow.

Tips:
1. Rod of Trials is an item you must collect at the moment you are in chapter 2, this will allow you to do the tests of Valor.
2. Save the game at the complete end after the credits and you will get the + mode where you can do the game again from the start, with all weapons at there weakest level .
3. If you can fall into a hole or cliff, then do it, big chance you might find something.

Tricks:
1. Armadillo fire boss: This boss can be a nasty one, but there is a trick to kill this one simply. What you must do is the following thing: When he is walking get close to his back he will try to face you by walking in a cirkel, now get close to his hind leg that is on the inside of his walking cirkel, stay close to it and just begin hitting him on that leg and stay close to it this way he will keep walking in cirkels and doens't attack you. After he is on 15% of his health he gets red, then go to his head and bash him as quick as you can, he will drop down on the ground and then FINISH HIM.

FAQ:
1. What are the crystal skulls for?
Well you might think there the same as the scarabs in NG and it's the same idea yes, but they can't be traded at Muramasa's shop, the only thing these skulls do is that they give you achievements.
2. Can you escape from the explosion of the Armadillo boss?
I don't think so, but you can use a ninpo attack at the moment it happens, then you wont get hit.

Verdict:
The game is allmost as good as NG, gamplay is better and nicer, but area's could be nicer. The rest is pretty much the same as the old NG but expanded.

I would give the old NG an 9.8, NG Black an 10 an this new Ninja Gaiden 2 an 9.2.

Now if people have comments on this ore questions, I am allmost every day online to answer and discuss about it.

** Jarno on XBOX LIVE NFlyingDutchman **