Ninja gaiden 2 general discussion.

I beat sigma so now onto NG2. I used to 2's gameplay, I've played it more than I can remember, sigma baffles me but I'm familiar with 2. Doing warrior, might try mentor after. Wearing the type 20 camo spandex, now I'm a tactical ninja too.

EDIT 1:
Beat chapter 1, getting used to it, adjusting from sigma I'm rusty but I'm understanding ng combos more now. I always get confused and hold a direction but that causes certain moves to happen, sort of a habit from dmc and bayo I guess; you really need to know what move to use and when against who.
I'm doing much better now, ng combos are pretty simple actually it's the hold/tilt forward to use certain moves/combos that gets me, no other game seems to do it quite like NG.

EDIT 2:
I'm watching Bi..Dick benedicts 3rd ng2 guide. I watched his NGblack and Sigma guides when I first played sigma to compare the two. I'm learning some tips like use certain moves for iframes in a pinch especially against IS ninja. So use guillotine throw for iframes and quick escapes from groups, and easy dismembers. 
NG many moves seem to have i.frames in them so I need to find what moves have those. NG is all about being pragmatic so I need to keep that ninja efficiency in my play style. I really love that the mechanics incentivise that,though I prefer a mix of style and efficiency as doing what works for pure practical function is not as fun to me; I think that's why I love vanquish and god hand so much; Mikami brand of action really hits that sweet spot of stylish but practical for me.

EDIT 3:
So I also have sigma 2 but haven't touched it, haven't looked at sigma 2 much but I know they made some odd and questionable choices beyond just no gore and less enemies at once.

EDIT 4:
Did chapter 3, Gigadeath is a weird boss, love their goofy mech fish face.

On chapter 6 now. Love that track in the starting ghost fish area. I'm using the lvl3 tonfa, I haven't used it before it's odd weapon. It has a dash cancel which seems unique to it which I really like as an ability. I love being able to cancel my attacks it gives me more control and confidence since I can cancel them to safety and will give me more options. Is the tonfa a good choice? That dash cancel seems super useful but it's got short range like the claws which I also love. Scythe is also a big favourite.

Warrior mode isn't too hard, I might try mentor but i don't like the look of all the bullshit spamming IS ninjas and such, I'm not very good at ng so I think I'll find it more frustrating than fun. I don't like playing pure efficiency and perfection I like leeway to mess around and experiment.

Bosses are pretty easy which I find odd, I don't like their super fast attacks they so hard to dodge and predict and they spam them like alexei's grab.They all die so fast at least on warrior. Ninja gaiden bosses don't really have that dynamic that really clicks with me, I prefer a boss like azel or bogeys that have that dynamism and interactivity I love.

Honestly you're judging a game in the wrong sense, most Ninja Gaiden games were built for the highest setting and then downgraded for lower settings so you're not getting the 'real' experience just yet. Bosses can be quite the experience on Master Ninja as they are insanely fast and have a lot going on. Elizebeth and Fiend Genshin are my favorite as they both ask the player to really think on his feet and keep in mind that not every punish will work the way they thought it would.

On the topic of IS ninjas, that is mostly Master Ninja. Mentor is filled with the Tactical Ninjas (those with guns). The tonfa is amazing though, easily among the best weapons. It's dash-cancel works wonders and its level 1 Ultimate Technique (UT) is the best in the game almost.

It's funny though, I'm talking to a few people recently about Ninja Gaiden and their experiences with it and all are starting with the broken games. Ninja Gaiden 2, 3 and Razor's Edge are all pretty broken. I'd honestly ask you if you can get it to play Black or the original first. The Alma fights in that alone show you just how wrong you can be about a boss in this series.

How is ng2 broken? I've never looked into it but see and here stuff that say it's bullshit/broken. Could you break that down for me?

Is alma designed differently in sigma?

I'm not really against ng. I'm not very good at it and I prefer and understand others(dmc,god hand,vanquish) more is all. I can never really get used to the combo inputs, the whole tilt forward for different moves confuses me and I often end up doing the wrong move. The whole gameplay I'm not too comfortable with so I can't enjoy it as much as others, which is to say I do still enjoy a lot :).
The bosses I like overall it has a good variety.
Also I'm not touching master ninja that's not fun to me, I don't care to get that good that's way too stressful haha. Ng has tons of shit going on at once I can barely deal with it already.

If you can, and have an XBOX, I highly recommend the original the most. It's pretty easy to get into and doesn't have all the 'bullshit' that came with later entries. It really is among the most fun games I've played in my life : )

@Royta, so are you still playing NG2 vanilla? Comments? Highlights?

OT: sorry, I still have to figure out how to tag properly...

Don't worry, nobody knows how in God's name the tagging in this site setup works, you are not alone haha! I'll add it to my list of things to figure out.

I haven't played it a lot yet. Halfway through Chapter 3 again. Will probably finish my NGB Kitetsu run first.

I will add that it plays very much like God of War for me now. Very efficiency based, I pull no punches. No style, no combos, just go for the delimb and an UT finish for max essence. Very min-max playstyle. I saw another playthrough online of a style-player (Iconoclast) but he did note this was one of billion recordings.

Why do all those combos exist if it's impractical to use them most of the time? It's best to use UT, OT and spam the flying swallow type moves each weapon has.

I like using them for the sake of variety, but it takes more skill to use them more than UT, OT and spam flying swallow moves.

Royta/Raeng wrote:Don't worry, nobody knows how in God's name the tagging in this site setup works, you are not alone haha! I'll add it to my list of things to figure out.

I haven't played it a lot yet. Halfway through Chapter 3 again. Will probably finish my NGB Kitetsu run first.

I will add that it plays very much like God of War for me now. Very efficiency based, I pull no punches. No style, no combos, just go for the delimb and an UT finish for max essence. Very min-max playstyle. I saw another playthrough online of a style-player (Iconoclast) but he did note this was one of billion recordings.

Imo it plays very differently from GoW aside from the focus on efficiency, because NG2 has more complex AI and a different type of combat and movement. Though if you play using ninpo and UT's you probably won't notice it that much. Especially if you played GoW doing PAIN runs, you should play NG2 doing no UT no ninpo runs like KazamaJin/Susamajii to make a fair comparison.

Though, for my taste, I think I prefere Sigma 2, which is still based on efficiency but has a different playstyle compared to NG2, more balance between attack and defence and less dependancy on certain attacks. But the beauty of NG2 vanilla is the incredible sense of accomplishment for overcoming such a brutal challenge.

Gabe wrote:Why do all those combos exist if it's impractical to use them most of the time? It's best to use UT, OT and spam the flying swallow type moves each weapon has.

I like using them for the sake of variety, but it takes more skill to use them more than UT, OT and spam flying swallow moves.

It's there mostly for variety and bigger and badder players to show off. But a lot of moves are, imo, just filler. You can make the same argument for NGB and NG3:RE where only one or two moves really matter, the rest are just to show off.

Imo it plays very differently from GoW aside from the focus on efficiency, because NG2 has more complex AI and a different type of combat and movement. Though if you play using ninpo and UT's you probably won't notice it that much. Especially if you played GoW doing PAIN runs, you should play NG2 doing no UT no ninpo runs like KazamaJin/Susamajii to make a fair comparison.

I don't see it honestly, the AI is pretty braindead and predictable in my eyes. They run up to you, auto dodge if you attack them while they are not in an animation, they all have a few attack-patterns. I know you don't hold God of War in high esteem, but NG2 isn't a master class in AI by any means. A lot is really hard coded and predictable. It's more the combination of attacks that get me at times.

The downside for me for such a handicap run, which I might do in the future, is that it's still efficiency based. I don't see myself doing a style-run because it's impractical. If I do No UT No Ninpo I'll just abuse >Y with the Claws and laugh as the game melts before me. So far my style is >Y with Claws to delimb everyone, then kill them all with a manually charged UT for max Essence. Ninpo I haven't really used outside of maybe for lulz against Ratetsu. My opinion may change the more I play the game, but honestly I doubt it. If Sigma 2 didn't have those horrible Girl Chapters I'd probably play that.
And yes, there are videos like this:



But to quote Joe the Button (NG master): "You are only seeing one of a million failed attempts", as he is obviously editing the video and using excessive retries. It's a showcase of what is possible, but no player will ever play this perfectly consistently. Which I consider both a plus and a negative, the plus is that the game always challenges you, the negative is that no matter how good you are, you are never completely in control.

the AI is pretty braindead and predictable in my eyes

I mean, it may very well be that I just suck at the game so I think it's more special than it is XD
Maybe that's why I prefer Sigma.

Maybe braindead wasn't the apt term, but very scripted is a better one. Ninja Gaiden is very good as a series to make you feel like the enemies are smart and dangerous by using certain methods. Like the constantly avoiding Crow Fiends in NGB to the circling for blood IS Ninjas in NG2. But once you look under the hood they are very strictly designed, and exploitable. They really operate under a "if A, then do B" style of play if you know what I mean.

They really operate under a "if A, then do B" style of play if you know what I mean

...I'm simply incompetent, trust me XD

Though, off topic, how much I love Sigma 2. I remember this game has never been much popular on the Archives, to the point I was convinced that it was trash (same for RE). Now it's becoming my favourite, because it's actually the only one that can be played in the style I would like to play a Ninja Gaiden game. I suspect that a lot of people just try to play it like NGII and then say the game is boring in comparison (same for RE). Though, everyone has his own preference, mine it's just specualtion.

Don't discredit yourself

That aside, I've always held it as my firmest opinion that Sigma 2 is by far the better game, but not necessarily better. The style is drastically different, but as a game it can actually be played in a way that I feel becomes Ninja Gaiden. Ninja Gaiden 2 is a mess of a game, Sigma 2 actually feels finished. The Archives is a great place, but they are also very stern. They love NGB and NG2. Some really enjoy RE as well and actually consider it the best, but they are a vocal minority. 

I am not sure where you live, but if you can: try the online. It is still active and once you get a buddy that lives closeby (the netcode is attrocious) with your own skill level it is a joy to behold and still holds the two most well respected challenges in the series: Ultimate Ninja 01 and Ultimate Ninja 02.
To give you an idea. UN01 is you fighting Eli, Volf and Alexei at the same time in the second Alexei battle arena from the main game. Once two are killed, Zedonius joins in. UN02 isn't too hard until the final wave which consists of three Fiend Genshin's at once. Most were sadly exploited, but I am still proud to say I dodged two Fiend Genshins for nearly 2 minutes while my partner killed the third. The adrenaline was real.

Really glad you are enjoying it man!

Well I have many problems with the connection actually, that's the problem... I have like three arguments a year with the provider...

The Archives is a great place, but they are also very stern. They love NGB and NG2. Some really enjoy RE as well and actually consider it the best, but they are a vocal minority.

Sounds like the opposite of a great place, at least to me lol. Do they at least treat people who put certain NG games above others with respect, or is it like the Zelda fanbase where you get abused or made a joke of for liking Spirit Tracks?

Sounds like the opposite of a great place

In reality it was a very friendly place in which high level players and noobs could hang together and exchange opinion. Most of the regulars there seemed to prefere the Itagaki NG games (which are great games), but they've always respected other people opinions and they have always been very friendly to regulars and newcomers as well. You can find discussions about other games too, like DMC, Platinum and GoW as well, also shooters and action rpg's. A safe heaven for people into action games, not only NG. The real issue is that since NG as always been the main focus, after the NG3 fiasco people didn't find any motivation to post there with their old NG companions, so the place started to be more and more quiet. Right now it's at risk, the founder doesn't find any motivation to keep it up and running.

Started playing this because I forgot to charge my PS4 controllers.

Just did the first fight. I'm on warrior difficulty. I've actually done this before but something about signing in and saving stopped me from progressing so I'm probably going to repeat whatever I said last time. Can't even remember.

Enemies seem to have insane tracking. I dodged out of a few strings and they still caught me.

There's the flip dodge and the dash. Not sure which to use in any situation yet. The flip sends me across the room so it might be good for getting out of corners or when surrounded. I tend to use the short dash a lot more though.

I'll just mess around with the starting movelist and try to figure out what's useful. I'm making some notes because I tend to forget movelists.

I noticed there's some kind of counter attack move after blocking. Do you block at the last second then press attack?

These basic enemies are pretty brutal. It's only the first fight and I could barely move without being assaulted continuously. I love it. Even with no legs they try to crawl and grab you.

Might sell Sekiro and look into buying the other NG games. I only have the original Xbox version and NG2.

Great to hear you got back into it!

Some notes:

> warrior
Atta boy! Warrior is pretty doable, and I suggest sticking to it and not lowering to Acolyte.

> tracking
Indeed, but this is also because a lot of strings are just really long. You won't see enemies do a mid-air correction of 180 degrees or something like that, not a lot anyway.

> flip dodge
You mean the jump? The jump doesn't have i.frames from what I recall but great for repositioning. If you press Jump and Light attack you do a homing-jump to the nearest foe. If you press Jump when in the air near a foe, you do a headstomp to stagger them. If you press the Homing Jump buttons while in the air near a foe, you grab and throw them.

> movelist
It's important to note the key elements of a move, namely how wide their arc is, damage and delimb%. A move like LLH (light light heavy) with the dragon sword is fast, but only really hits one foe for high damage. On the other hand the running Light attack has high delimb, but low damage, but hits more foes.

> counter
If you press Block + Attack just before a move hits, you counter. Even works on most bosses.

> brutal fights
Just imagine Master Ninja where the limiters are removed, they are actually holding back right now. I love how merciless they are. When you cut of their legs they don't care, they will crawl to you if need be and blow themselves up just to get you down. Since I know you don't care about spoilers, this is Master Ninja on New Game Plus (so, easier): https://youtu.be/eChAiK6K3_E

Game does not let up which really makes it fun to play, even if you get good.

> buying others
Stick to this one for a bit before you go shopping. See if you can beat Warrior and catch the NGII itch.

Warrior
Is this the 'normal mode' equivalent or did I just choose hard? I wanted normal.

You mean the jump?
Yeah. It looks weird like some kind of dodge so I just called it that.

Jump and Light attack you do a homing-jump to the nearest foe.
Is that Flying Swallow? The one where he turns blues and flies at them, sometimes decapitating?

Also, I keep doing this other blue move. It's from a jump and he just comes down with a powerful slash. Looks kind of like the normal air Y attack. This might be from a wall jump but right now I'm bad and everything is so chaotic I keep missing what I'm actually doing.

key elements of a move
A lot of these longer strings don't seem useful. I get slaughtered attempting them. So fair I've been sticking to the running light you mentioned, the throw, the flying dash and the launcher, but that seems a bit dangerous without the drop. Haven't done any ultimates yet other than by accident upon landing.

delimb%
Totally missed this. Is it in the command list?

counter
I'm watching enemy strings and countering when I see a gap. Is this the correct way to use it?

video
FFS

It's easy to see why DMC can never have any serious level of aggression and camera tricks, and even the so called 'children's' game, Knack 2, has enemies that put up a better fight on VH. Combos would not be possible.

So on Master, normal shurikens are replaced with exploding ones? Also, what decides when they throw? Distance? I think we discussed avoiding them before.

What is the best way to use my own shurikens? I see you can link them quite freely and they can cause a brief stun on enemies.

Buying
Good idea. Might dedicate this weekend to getting as far as I can.

> Warrior
It is Normal. Mentor is Hard, Master Ninja is Master Ninja.

> homing jump
No that's Flying Swallow, done by pressying Heavy Attack while jumping towards a foe. The homing jump, called Wind Path I think, is just a regular jump except you leave those 'phantoms' because you move so fast so to speak.

> powerful slash
That's from a walljump yeah!

> longer strings
They are situational. Great against tougher foes or large groups depending on the move. Lunar Staff's XYYYYY is fantastic against packs of weaker foes for instance. You have to just think about the string, apply it to the corresponding situation. Some require lots of testing though. For instance the Dual Katana XX>XXXX is fantastic against Striggans since it delimbs their left arm (canon) pretty consistently. Some other longer strings take apart whole groups. Others, like Falcon Talon's XX>XYYYY are insane single target nukes that have high i.frames.

You kind of have to build up to using longer strings though, in terms of skill. At first you'll mostly stick to grabs, short strings and Ultimate Techniques (UTs). The more comfortable you get, the more you'll experiment.

> UTs
Done by either holding the button down, or holding it down and absorbing essence that way, or doing it on landing to instantly absorb essence.

> delimb
Not in the command list, got to experiment! :)

> counter
The absolute best way to use it is if you finish an attack and know you cannot do anything except counter to escape the pain. Note that you can also counter most of the grabs in this game.

> shurikens
It's random. They have one move they like to do when pressured in which they flip back and throw a ton at you.

> shurikens
They have two uses imo. One is a stun. For instance you are doing XXY on one foe and shuriken cancel against a foe creeping up behind you to slow him down, then finish off the foe you were fighting. Another is just pure cancels to speed up gameplay. XXY Shuriken XXY is faster than just XXY pause XXY.

Ugh, now I want to hook up my 360 and play this. I’m seriously horrible at this game though.

I consider myself fairly good at this game at this point, really want to just dive into it again but I really also want to finish Sekiro and start NG+ on that title.

I finished chapter 2. I'm still on my first playthrough. I'm good at taking down enemies but it is the bosses I have trouble with. This applies to every Ninja Gaiden game I play.

Bosses just require practice to learn their patterns and punish accordingly. You'll get there!

Played a little after work while my controllers charged.

Still in the first stage. Got to a part with fire arrow ninjas above and had to fight a group of regulars and that was enough to reduce the game to slow motion. It was abominable. Never seen it this bad before.

Got the staff but hated it. Couldn't do that air dash attack anymore and it's slower than the dragon sword. 

So far if I dare to use anything that isn't the air dash attack (can't remember, is it Flying Swallow?), the jumping throw or jumping shurikens, I get hit. There is no point where I can stand still.

If there are like 1 or two enemies left I can use different moves or strings.

Still not using ultimates. I tried once and they could hit me while charging so I just avoid them now.

Birdman wrote:
Still not using ultimates. I tried once and they could hit me while charging so I just avoid them now.

You probably know this already, but just in case: If you hold Y while essence is floating around, the UT will charge a lot faster which will significantly reduce your chances of getting hit. If you do this immediately after landing from a jump, the animation is even quicker and the attack becomes near-instantaneous and extremely safe to use.

UTs are one of NG's most useful and defining features. Don't write them off just yet.

> slowdown
Be sure to install the game via the Xbox menu and have the game fully patched, this fixed a lot of slowdown for me outside of the absolute biggest fights.

> staff
It's a crowd controle weapon for groups that ironically has one of the highest damage single target attacks, but held back by low delimb%. XXY is the attack I'm referencing, absolutely drains boss's healthbars. You can do a Flying Swallow off the wall with it as I recall.

> i get hit
This is the point though, if you're not taking damage in NGII you're kind of playing wrong in my book. You'll want to dash in, go on the offensive. Your healthbar regenerates for a reason. There's nothing more dull than playing this game No Damage. So really, try to set that out of your mind if you can. Wise man once said "playing Ninja Gaiden II is about dying slower than your enemies".
That said, it takes a while haha. It took me a few runs through multiple difficulties to get comfortable playing this way. I cannot blame you. My first run was me just constantly doing Ultimate Techniques.

> ultimates
Basically what Ksub said.

> example
https://youtu.be/gZdno-EIYFY

Royta/Raeng wrote:> slowdown
Be sure to install the game via the Xbox menu and have the game fully patched, this fixed a lot of slowdown for me outside of the absolute biggest fights.

It can also lead to the game freezing a lot! I had to replay the last chapter five or six times in a row (on Mentor) because the game kept freezing after the credits. Uninstalling and playing directly from the disc fixed it instantly. So I wouldn't recommend it based on my own experience, even though it does alleviate some of the slowdowns.

The 360 install function is a half-measure at best and a lot of games haven't been optimized for it. NG2 being one of those, unfortunately.

That's really weird, I had the exact opposite experience! The title would keep crashing and slow down, until I installed it. A mystery...

Does flying swallow go to the closest enemy? I'm having trouble directing it. Sometimes it seems to go where it wants. Or maybe it's because these guys are jumping around so much.

>ultimate
Yeah I read about how they work here in the tactical forum, I just keep forgetting how to use them.

>Staff
I got it to level 2 but every move just seemed really slow and I was getting hit all over the place. Normally, I'd like weapons like this for the range but it just didn't work out. Maybe on level 3?

>Throw
Does this move have serious i-frames or something? It's so good that I can wipe out groups with it and they can't do shit about it. Every time they hit a wall they lose a body part and I swear I've seen it instantly kill. Maybe it got their head? They can be thrown into other enemies too.

Just beat the first boss, that spider mutant guy. Kind of weird that it went down so easily with one ultimate attack. I shouldn't have done that because I wanted to learn its moves.

I noticed he auto blocks Flying Swallow, which I suspected he would, otherwise I would have been able to do it all day. Strange that he made no effort to avoid the ultimate, and it took his entire health bar. It was basically a cut-scene lol.

I really like how there's no flashing lights to designate attacks. You just have to learn what shit looks like. I got caught by his grab a few times before I figured out what it was.

I really need more time because in chaotic fights with multiple ninja I keep doing things or thinking I see things happen but I can't catch it all when just trying to survive.

Is there mission select?

> FS
Goes to the closest enemy in your jump-path, so if there's 30 enemies close to you and you jump the other way, you'll target that foe despite there being 30 ones close to you.

> UT
An easy setup is doing Level2 FS, have it hit, do shurikens in the air and then On Landing Ultimate Technique (by dragging essence)(called OLUT).

> throw
It's insanely good. It, the Lunar and its 360UT are basically the easy way of clearing NGII on Master Ninja. If you throw a person against a wall they'll lose a limb, if you're lucky its the head.

> first boss
Minor spoiler alert, he'll be a semi common foe later-on. So don't worry too much about it. On higher difficulties that fight is very different as well. I think I can pretty much dream his moveset by now, he's a really popular foe in NGII and especially NGS2's mission mode.

> blocking FS
Only if you do it raw. Most bosses tend to auto block it which leads to cool setups since it forces them into a block. Later-on the boss Zedonius has a really nasty fire-ball attack on Master Ninja that you can shut down by using a FS.

> no flashing lights
Love that too. Game is all about you getting better at it.

> large fights
It tends to help to 'just go with it' for me, don't think too much about your next move, just focus on staying on the offensive and using whatever move comes to mind. The game is too fast for you to actively 'think' like in let's say Dark Souls.

> Mission Select
Sadly, no. I just always make a save for each stage. NGS2 fixed this.

Most bosses tend to auto block it which leads to cool setups since it forces them into a block.
I noticed it puts you in an aerial state too. I'm guessing there's stuff possible from there?

Oh and ninja dogs can fuck right off.

If your sword is leveld up to level 2 you'll 'bounce' and end up in the air, great for transfering to wall attacks or on landing attacks or aerial ranged attacks (like kunai later-on). Fantastic system in just one single move.

Any updates on your run Birdman?

On and off. Not sure where I'm up to now. Not far after the ninja dog intro. Those things were annoying.

Note that there's no shame in retreating or skipping fights, you can. For the dog encounter I tend to use the corner to lure them, so I don't have to deal with the archers at the same time. You can also use Ninpo or some OLUTs if you need them.

Though this is for Sigma 2, everything mentioned here works in regular NGII as well:


Personally just started my OLB No Ninpo run (OLB stands for Original Life Bar) on Master Ninja. I did choose to start with all weapons, I just like toying around with them. Almost finished with Chapter 2 now.

Raeng, I have a weird question: how do you approach blocking in this game? Some enemies I can block and counter pretty consistently but others just destroy me with grabs. I’m assuming I should adjust depending on enemy type and composition but I need your sagely advice haha.

No problem!

Blocking is best done at range if you want to wait enemies out. Let's say you are surrounded by IS-ninjas and you want to see what they'll do, wait for one to approach of want to wait for them to stop spamming their ranged attacks: block. It is also a fantastic tool against bosses where you can hold it down when waiting for an attack to happen.

Enemies are programmed to grab you if you block too much, so beware. If they get close it is usually better to jump on their heads, dodge or just attack them instead since a grab will be coming.

Note that the Gaiden series has something called Guard Resetting:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?time_continue=1&v=ho8GWy3VI58

Basically what you do is, when your guard is broken you let go of the block button and press it again. Your guard will now be restored.

Personally I tend to hold block just to take in the area and then quickly stay on the move. You're better off attacking and dodging in this game. If you block, make sure you can counter and know the timings.

Cool, thanks. I always figured having continuous movement was better in this game but I was still being reckless with blocking. It looks like I have some enemy studying to do!

Would you say there’s beginner/advanced weapons?

Absolutely. Some weapons can be extremely mindless to a point if you let them, while others really require expert play to get right. Vigorian Flails are pretty hard to use right, while the Falcon Talons and Lunar are very pick up and play (reason why you get them so early). Dual Katanas are the hardest I feel, since they have such a low Delimb% tied to them.

Tonfa has a bit of a learning curve, but once you know what moves you can cancel with Jump for that little dash, you can just Flying Swallow the whole game with it.

I would argue that the Kusarigama is by far the most difficult weapon to use properly. It's certainly the one I feel the least comfortable with, even after hundreds of hours spent on this game.


I would rank them like so:

Dragon Sword / Falcon's Talons / Lunar: beginner-friendly.

Eclipse Scythe / Tonfas / Dual Katanas : intermediate.

Vigoorian Flail / Kusarigama: advanced.


But in the end, the beautiful thing about NG2's weapons is that despite their varying skill floors and unique pros and cons, they are all equally deadly in the right hands. You can play through the entire game using only your favorite and never feel forced to switch.

The game has one of my favorite arsenals of any game, honestly.

Yeah that's very true, and also what makes the game so fun, every weapon is usable and fantastic. Which is why it is so cool that there is an achievement for each weapon that you get by beating the game using just that (sadly there are exploits to cheat this).

About the Kusarigama, I sort of agree. But it also has access to one of the safest, highest damage moves in the whole game (Jump XXY) which sees a lot of players abuse it. If we grab your list I'd personally swap the Dual Katanas and Kusarigama, but that's just my view on it. I agree on the rest of the list easily!

Okay Roy, you have converted me to your creepy Ninja Gaiden 2 cult haha. Downloading on 360 now.
I checked my achievements and I totally played this the week it came out in 2008, made it to chapter 9 apparently. So is there any hidden tech I should know about that the game doesn't tell me? I've read about blocking at the last moment to block strings that are normally unblockable, is that on every move? Any tips are appreciated.

Hahahahahah!

Drink the cool-aid. Join the group.

Jokes aside, watch the video I linked above that shows most of the bare basics on how the combat works (basics tutorial). And you can repress block when your guard is broken to 'remake' it. Very handy against longer strings. But honestly, just watch the Basics video and play the game. The challenge starts at Mentor Difficulty. So you first have to beat Warrior which is pretty easy.

Example of me playing the game yesterday: https://xboxclips.com/Raeng15/34afaf62-9d61-4097-8b3e-bfd612ac7728

I am already having a blast. I feel like this game is going to have the same effect God Hand did for me when I randomly played trough it as a joke years ago, and it quickly became one of the best games in my eyes. That game reignited my love of action games and I am feeling the same way with this. The DS alone has so many moves and ways to use it, it is insane. I can only imagine how rewarding it is to learn every weapons movesets to play around with. I am going to find a copy of the first game, but I won't touch it until I am done with this. All of the shitty platforming and key hunting/backtracking in that game I have seen would frustrate me to hell right now. I love how straight forward 2 is. Kill these dudes, grab an item if you want but yo there is more dudes over there to kill. Don't know why I dropped this back in the day.
Also, is there a reason to play OG NG over Black?

OG Ninja Gaiden is a nice time capsule. It has a few different things that can be enjoyed if you're a purist like a different UT system (cannot manually charge, you need essence) and the Kitetsu draining your HP and an armlet that auto-heals.

Great to hear you're having a blast man, does me a lot of good! NGII can sometimes be a tad intimidating or 'bullshit' very fast if you're not in the mood for it. But when you do. Man. Man.

And yeah the weapons are fantastic. I did a Dual Katana run few months ago and it is insane just how well crafted the weapons are. A lot of moves will make you think "but why does this exist" and then suddenly it hits. There's a level of combat-genius behind this title that you won't find anywhere else, at least for me.

I can't think of many reasons to play NG04 over NGB.

NGB is more polished, more balanced, has better enemy AI, has all the additions from the DLC packs right on the disc (especially the fantastic Mission Mode), but thankfully removed one completely broken technique that turned the entire game into proto-Sekiro. The game has adventure elements that aren't present in the sequel, but I'd rather have those than the completely mindless encounter design of NG2's late-game chapters, honestly.

NGB is love, NGB is life.


PS: Oh, and if the clip of Roy getting owned and reloading the checkpoint doesn't quite sell you on the games for some reason ( ), maybe this might help:







(1:45 on the last one)