Ninja Gaiden II is an incredibly difficult game. Despite what you may have read regarding Director Tomonobu Itakagi's long-awaited sequel to 2004's Ninja Gaiden being more accessible, Ninja Gaiden II isn't any easier than its predecessor - thankfully, the game doesn't insult you for not basking in its masochism this time around. In an era of developers emulating Hollywood-style presentation, NGII proudly remains a video game in every sense possible. The story is unimportant, eschewing narrative for a complex fighting system, and rather than create realistic enemies, baddies range from lesser ninjas to massive flying beasts. Unfortunately, combat is marred by poor camera control, producing a game more frustratingly difficult than challenging.

As for the story, unsurprisingly, the Spider-Clan is out to destroy the world and only Ryu Hayabusa (and his busty cohort Sonia) can stop them. More specifically, Sonia is a CIA agent trying to stop the Spider-Clan from getting their hands on the "Demon Stone", a statue possessed by the Dragon-Clan which holds the power to re-awaken "The Archfiend." Right from the outset, the cutscenes are unintentionally outrageous and campy, and the seriousness with which it takes itself will have you quickly skipping them. Predictably, Sonia manages to get captured, the Demon Stone gets stolen, and Ryu is once again tasked with slicing his way through piles of empty-headed enemies until the world is safe again.

The time-tested combat system remains deep and entertaining.

Luckily, this is where NGII shines. Though not quite at the Tekken or Virtua Fighter level of complexity, NGII's combat system drastically outpaces its competitors. Combos require you to actually learn the correct button sequences, though the first half of the game can be button-mashed to completion on the easiest difficulty setting. The biggest gameplay change from the first title is clearly the vast array of unique weapons available, and you'll quickly realize that Ryu's Dragon Sword isn't always the best choice anymore. Different types of enemies respond in different ways to the variety of weapons, spawning an almost metagame when it comes to combat.

Ryu can now wield two blades at once and the scythe from Sigma returns in its first appearance on the Microsoft platform. While some weapons feel strong and well-placed from their first use, others offer more subtle introductions, requiring enhancements before showing their true ability. As such, while Ryu cuts through enemies, his ability to improve weapons and magic abilities increases. Offering a reward system for strategically eliminating foes has long been a staple of the hack-and-slash genre and NGII handles this well. On the other hand, somewhat problematic is Ryu's magic, called "ninpo." Though the game offers a variety of different kinds, you'll find yourself employing the trusty "Art of the Inferno" throughout the entirety of the game, as all other types are far less effective. Applying level upgrades have little-to-no effect on each ability and even less on Ryu's theatrics as he performs them. Projectiles remain an unresolved issue in NGII as well. Arrows take too long to charge and are otherwise useless, shuriken serve only as a defensive measure, and exploding shuriken come too few and far between. Worse is that several boss fights require the use of Ryu's projectiles, forcing the player to concede to bad controls during especially challenging parts of the game.

On the bright side, major changes to this installment come in the details: Ryu's health bar now recharges when he's done brutalizing enemies and those same enemies' limbs are entirely removable. In fact, after removing said limbs, one option is to perform a finisher via an appropriately timed button press, generally removing any other body parts still left attached. This last addition, known as the "Obliteration Technique", has the potential to cause hardcore fans of the series to balk. Once mastered, this attack can be manipulated in such a way as to infantilize the otherwise complex battles, but does serve as a means to help reduce some of the difficulty.

While Ninja Gaiden II's battle system has been and remains one of the best in its genre, puzzle elements seem forced out of requirement rather than anything else, which can be a major problem with the games' pacing. The first five hours of NGII feel natural and progress as such. Puzzle Elements are mixed equally with combat and essentially serve as a means to teach you how command Ryu effectively. Unfortunately, as the game progresses, puzzle elements do little more than confuse the player with their inclusion at seemingly random times. Jumping puzzles are infinitely harder as well, as the games' finicky camera system forces you to babysit it with the right analog stick without allowing enough flexibility as to actually help. This becomes a major point of contention in NGII, especially during the more difficult fights. More often than not, you'll find yourself not at fault for Ryu's death after getting hit by yet another off-screen exploding shuriken.

On the multiplayer front, it's still notoriously missing. Though "Mission Mode" can be found in both Ninja Gaiden Black and Sigma, it has also been omitted here, instead offering leaderboards for chapters within the game rather than specific missions. A new "Ninja Cinema" mode has been added, which allows you to take video of your gameplay, edit the footage and upload it for the world to see. This addition may provide die-hard's with some extra replay value, but everyone else will likely wonder what's left to do once the credits roll.

While quite bloody, the graphical presentation isn't very impressive.

As for the graphics, there just isn't much of a difference between Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden II. It comes across like a launch title for the current generation of consoles, and Ryu Hayabusa nearly parallels his Dead or Alive 4 appearance. What's worse is that the developers seemingly spent so much time on the fighting system that they forgot basic tenants of graphical design: blood can be spotted as paper-thin sheets floating unsupported in the air, characters appear as if dipped in a vat of clear-coat, and bosses give little-to-no visual clues as to how you should approach them. This final flaw is nearly debilitating, as boss fights become a measure of guess-and-check rather than a test of skill.

In fact, without the luckily forgettable audio cues, you'd be hard pressed to know whether you're making any headway at all. And while the sound design is unremarkably predictable, it is also spot-on. Characters eliciting death throes are immediately apparent, while traditional Japanese music intermixed with raucous Electronica makes up the games' soundtrack. If you've ever played a game like this before, you'll find yourself right at home with Ninja Gaiden II's sound design.

At the standard MSRP, Ninja Gaiden II feels like too little for the average gamer's money. While replay value is certainly there with regards to four levels of difficulty and the promise of future downloadable content, there haven't been many strides made toward evolving the series. By not making enough basic improvements to usher NGII onto the current generation of consoles, only hardcore fans will appreciate the "more of the same" approach, while average game buyers will likely trade it back in for something more rewarding. Still, flaws and all, Ninja Gaiden II provides nearly sixteen hours of unabated mayhem and bloodshed, so are there are definitely worse ways to spend your time and money.