Review by: Tony Mitera



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Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is an enigma in that it manages to both improve and detract from the original Xbox 360 version. The game offers both new and improved features that address some criticisms of the original, but they come at a curious expense of either not fixing or outright removing features in other areas. Far from the definitive version of the game, Sigma 2 ends up doing little more than tread water rather than genuinely improve upon the original material.

The storyline centers on Dragon clan ninja Ryu Hayabusa, whose clan gets attacked by the Black Spider ninja clan while he is away in Tokyo. Ryu returns home only to find the clan compound in flames, his father locked in a duel to the death, and a mysterious woman named Elizébet making off with a clan relic called the Demon Statue. Thus, the story centers on Ryu chasing after Elizébet, and cleaning up all of the demons and fiends that have been awakened by the statue’s passing.

The game consists of 17 levels, 14 of which are played through as Ryu and three are played as one of the new playable characters. The levels themselves are quite varied, hopping along from a futuristic take on Tokyo to the feudal design of the Dragon clan compound to a contemporary gothic castle. This variation keeps gameplay lively, which is also due to how each one features its own unique set of foes to slay. Levels can often get complicated in their design, and thus the new feature of holding R1 while stationary to have the camera pan to show the proper path is extremely welcomed. .

The three new playable characters each have their own levels interspersed regularly within the “normal” ones and each character plays differently from one another. The trio of women are Momiji, Rachel, and Ayane; all of which should be familiar faces and figures for fans of the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive series. Every time these character levels pop up it comes as a breath of fresh air, as the relatively easy and shorter nature of their levels is almost a form of stress release from the often quite difficult challenges Ryu must face during his.

It wouldn’t be Ninja Gaiden without copious amounts of combat, and carving up foes in a vicious manner makes up most of the gameplay. The combat basics haven’t changed much and still primarily consist of using combinations of weak attacks, strong attacks, and ranged attacks in conjunction with all of the blocking, dodging, and countering that is needed to stay alive. Many of the original weapons have made the jump to the remake, while other weapons have gotten replaced; for example the Fiend’s Bow has been replaced with the Howling Cannon rocket launcher. A new weapon called Enma’s Blade has been added to the mix, which is a massive sword capable of dealing heavy damage at a slow speed.

The level of difficulty is still comparable to the original in that enemies will often swarm you and stab you in the back if you fail to block their attacks in time, making combat a matter of keeping your back clear and trying to either stagger or avoid nearby enemies as you carve one up and avoiding getting stuck in a pack. However, enemies don’t play by the same rules as you do when it comes to combat. Getting hit by an enemy instantly stops your current attack combo, while conversely you will be carving an enemy up with a giant scythe only to have him wind up and punch you with a combo of his own while yours is still in progress. It makes the combat feel cheapened to some extent to have enemies get such shots in at all, let alone in the middle of a combo that you can’t block.