Ninja Gaiden 2

Nov 8, 2007

Team Ninja's figurehead Tomonobu Itagaki knows how to work an audience, but we'll forgive him for his cryptic, controversial and occasionally downright bizarre media snippets because this fella also knows how to create the best fighting games on the planet. Welcome to the 360 exclusive that's going to rip out PS3 Ninja Gaiden Sigma's throat.

An undoubted genius he is; it's Itagaki's immense ego and maddening desire for everyone else to be as darn super at beat-'em-ups as he is that resulted in Xbox classic Ninja Gaiden being so freaking difficult that most gamers never got the opportunity to appreciate its manifold brilliance. We mean, Alma? What a bitch.

Thankfully, after Team Ninja's slightly more forgiving 'ninja dog' difficulty option patronized as many gamers as it appeased in Gaiden Black, Itagaki has learned his lesson, promising this sequel will retain the series' edge while at the same time welcoming amateurs. Case in point: a regenerating health bar - though you will have to dispose of every enemy before that meter will start to go up.