Hardcore Finds Paradise in Ninja Gaiden II

Published July 11, 2008

At last! At long last, Ryu returns in Ninja Gaiden® II for Xbox 360®, and not a moment too soon. There are few games to rival Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black on Xbox for pure, hardcore gaming indulgence. Team Ninja's action opus delighted in the kind of ruthless difficulty few developers dare dream to release, and with Ninja Gaiden II, TECMO and company are at it again.

Smile while you can. Ryu's coming for ya.

Such a game hardly requires outside challenges. The pure, unrelenting difficulty that resides on the disc, seething in anticipation of any gamer hapless enough to show no respect, needs no further adornment. That said, no homebrew hardcore challenges would make for an abrupt column indeed. Try the following if you dare.

Boss Reload!
Remember the good ol' days where your ears bled with frustration and your controller cracked with the tension when you died in a boss fight? Remember that sinking feeling in the pit of your gut when you knew that failure meant you had to fight through five minutes of minions yet again on your way to tackling Alma for the umpteenth time?

Finish Ninja Gaiden II with nothing but Master Ninja grades and you can rest easy in your hardcore gaming status.
That's how the hardcore paid their Ninja Gaiden dues. If you want to sweat bullets, stop breathing and feel your heart thunder in your chest once more, manually reload to the most recent save point every time you die at a boss. You can only taste the sweetest success when you've dared to stare down agonizing frustration.

Test of Valor and Move On
Secreted away in every one of the game's chapters are the Tests of Valor. These balls to the wall challenges test every fiber of your ninja skill as you face off in arena-like environments against dozens of ill-tempered enemies slavering to tear through young Ryu and end the Dragon Ninja clan's reign.

You can identify these rare opportunities to showcase your ninja prowess by the large, glowing platforms surrounded in ethereal mist. Stand on them and press RB to launch headlong into battle. When you do find them, beat them. I don't just mean at some ill-defined point in the future, but now.

Bah, just one?

The hardcore can't let these Tests of Valor sit idly by while they march on to defeat the chapter. No, the level is only truly conquered when you've unlocked the chapter's related Tests of Valor achievement, so get comfy, accept the challenge, and continue on only when you've claimed victory.

Find, Don't Buy
Each of Ryu's trusty, gore-inducing weapons can be found hidden throughout the game by those patient and skilled enough to find them. If you happen to let one slip by, you may notice that Muramasa's shop will sell them to you in the next chapter.

That is, if the hardcore could bring themselves to spend Karma on a weapon they should have found in the first place. Leave that ignominious purchase to the casual gamer and bring only what weapons you have uncovered yourself to bear on your enemies.

Level One
So much of the joy of Ninja Gaiden II is found in each weapon's unique attack combinations. It would go against the spirit of the game then to encourage you to play through without leveling up your weapons.

You didn't need that leg, did you?

If you're up for a challenge post-Master-Ninja difficulty, allow me to suggest a level-one dragon-sword conquest on Path of the Warrior. Tearing through the game without the aid of a more potent weapon, to say nothing of the lack of advanced combinations, adds a welcome, hardcore twist to the proceedings.

Default Health
Gather what Life of the Gods gems you may, but only for the purposes of the hardcore gamer's satisfaction at finding every last goodie in the game. Whatever you do, don't indulge in their health bar-extending powers unless you're playing on Master Ninja difficulty. With Path of the Warrior or Path of the Mentor, your standard health bar should suffice.

Finish Ninja Gaiden II with nothing but Master Ninja grades and you can rest easy in your hardcore gaming status. Do so while shackled by these self-inflicted challenges and you will have accomplished a rare and exceptional feat. Make the Dragon Ninja clan proud!

Article by Hardcore