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Just like the original, the “Only on Xbox 360” Ninja Gaiden II is hitting the PS3 later this year as the rebranded Ninja Gaiden Sigma II. Although technically the same game as the 360 version, Tecmo has made a number of changes for the PS3 release, including new characters, modes and a few welcome gameplay tweaks.
For me, the big news involving Sigma II is the addition of both local and online co-op. To accompany the new mode, you’ll get a slate of new playable characters: Momiji (Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword), Ayane (Dead or Alive) and Rachel (Ninja Gaiden). The show floor demo featured both Ryu and Ayane. Both feature the same basic actions, but Ayane handled a little faster. The Tecmo rep said we could expect slight differences between the four characters in the final game, but not to expect drastic differences in play style.
During co-op games, characters will earn the ability to pull off combination magic attacks and cause other general mayhem. Of course, to do this, they’ll need co-operation from the camera system, which has been completely reworked. The new system is able to keep up with even the quickest of gameplay shifts and doesn’t get caught up on objects. Based on the new camera alone, I’m excited to get back into the game, even if it means dealing with the giant worm again.
The core game still follows Ryu’s quest to recover a magic statue, but now he’ll have help from the girls. The Tecmo rep couldn’t offer too many details about how the three new characters would play into the main storyline, but he did say it would make sense (well, for a Ninja Gaiden game).
The PS3 version also sees a number of visual upgrades. It isn’t a completely new game visually, but the PS3 version looks much cleaner and sharper than the 360 version. It could have been due to the new character I played as, but it looks like some special effects have seen some new tweaks as well.
Ninja Gaiden II was one of the better action games on the 360 last year and its great to see that PS3 owners will get the chance to play it. Look for Ninja Gaiden Sigma II (and a possible PSN demo) this Fall. |
