I mean coming from NG2,  I'm expected all kinds of ememies to show up and I never get it. The boss fights are super easy and usually one on one. They took away the trials and the new bosse are cool looking but offer nothing really new. It doesn't even seem like NG at all. Maybe Sigma means Easy and Gutted in Japaneese

---

FAITH + FAMILY + COUNTRY = WHOLE

Gaiden means side story. And all that rebalancing and tweaking is a direct response to all the people that complained about how it was too hard. While I haven't messed Master Ninja yet on Sigma 2 I have beaten Mentor. I think people tend to forget how utterly ridiculous and intimidating NGII was especialy on MN. From what little I know of Sigma 2's MN mode, enemies have more health and do not delimb easily. And certain moves do a ton of damage. You can still die within one or two hits in the first level of MN. They just rebalanced it. All this was most likely done to bring in more players. More players equals more money and success. Most people don't like doing things for themselves and would rather ride a tricycle than attempt to ride a unicycle.

 JamoDOA wrote:

Gaiden means side story. And all that rebalancing and tweaking is a direct response to all the people that complained about how it was too hard. While I haven't messed Master Ninja yet on Sigma 2 I have beaten Mentor. I think people tend to forget how utterly ridiculous and intimidating NGII was especialy on MN. From what little I know of Sigma 2's MN mode, enemies have more health and do not delimb easily. And certain moves do a ton of damage. You can still die within one or two hits in the first level of MN. They just rebalanced it. All this was most likely done to bring in more players. More players equals more money and success. Most people don't like doing things for themselves and would rather ride a tricycle than attempt to ride a unicycle.

Unicycles are more fun though.

---

if olive oil comes from olives, then where does baby oil come from

Sigma 2 is a joke.
1. Unlimited projectiles.
2. No Windmill Shuriken.
3. The enemies basically avoid you instead of constantly attacking you.
4. IS Ninjas will throw an IS about once every 10 minutes.
5. If you are charging an ET/UT getting stuck with an IS will not stun you.
6. No blood (Very little).
7. WAY less enemies.
8. Unnecessary new bosses (statue of liberty and buddha?) and characters.
9. At level 1 DS/Lunar, you can do an Izuna drop and even do a 360 Lunar UT.
10. Free weapon upgrades. (I know only one upgrade per shop, but seriously... [see # 9] the only thing you have to spend your essence on is health items. And the game is easy enough.

I fear for future NG titles.

Aslo the removed hug chunks out of the game, The big worm fight has been completely removed, The three dragon fight has also been replace with a single none flying dragon. Wow

---

FAITH + FAMILY + COUNTRY = WHOLE

ah well. good thing I don't have a PS3.

---

http://ca.youtube.com/acidglow

 EAT ZEPPELIN wrote:

Sigma 2 is a joke.
1. Unlimited projectiles.
2. No Windmill Shuriken.
3. The enemies basically avoid you instead of constantly attacking you.
4. IS Ninjas will throw an IS about once every 10 minutes.
5. If you are charging an ET/UT getting stuck with an IS will not stun you.
6. No blood (Very little).
7. WAY less enemies.
8. Unnecessary new bosses (statue of liberty and buddha?) and characters.
9. At level 1 DS/Lunar, you can do an Izuna drop and even do a 360 Lunar UT.
10. Free weapon upgrades. (I know only one upgrade per shop, but seriously... [see # 9] the only thing you have to spend your essence on is health items. And the game is easy enough.

I fear for future NG titles.

This sounds like a very watered down version of our original. What makes it even the more worse is, Those who would have rather had the version we have or would have endured the challenges we faced are not going to have that opportunity on the PS3 unless they own an Xbox. I too fear for future NG releases if any are released.

---

Never argue with an Idiot. He'll only bring you down to his level and beat you with experience.

Don't buy any of that Mkadt. I just started Master Ninja on Sigma 2 and it's no slouch. While Acolyte through Mentor were relatively easy compared to NGII, the Master Ninja mode feels more akin to what Black's was like. You die in one or two hits but it's fair. Tough as nails but fair. For the two little bits that were removed from the game, the worm fight for example, you get three new chapters each with a playable character of its own. Rachel is a far cry from what she was in Sigma 1, now I like her. Momiji too is very fun to use. Ayane is the big draw here and is the best and most enjoyable. I personaly thought the added bosses were a fun addition while not a big one. The izuna drop... come on? You can buy that almost immediately in NGII anyway and it's Ryu Hayabusa. Why waist room making a scroll in the game for it for you to find and purchase and waist room in the menus when he should already know it? It's pretty much the same reason the keys were removed from the game. Oh and no you can't do a 360 UT at lvl 1 I already tried it numerous times out of habit. IS ninjas? Oh yeah they don't throw IS as often, but they have a TON of health, do a lot of damage (on MN) and can dash out of some of your combos. Weapons upgrades, you know the first chapter was harder on MN without being able to upgrade anything not even to level 2. I do admit though I wish there were more enemies on screen. The blood issue has already been beaten to death numerous times, it was done to make it different, it's not a big deal, and it has been stated that the blood will come back in the next NG. Basicaly Mkadt, don't draw any conclusions unless you played it for yourself. It's kind of hard to gauge how good or bad the "PS3" version of an "Xbox 360" game with "added features" is on the "Xbox" forums. NGII and Sigma 2 are two different ways of playing the game. I welcome it as a breath of fresh air from the insane IS fest that was NGII. But I love them both. On a side note I love how the Tengu boss fight theme is a remix of Tengu's theme from DOA2. lol

I have beaten both NG2 and NGS2 on Master ninja.

Accolyte, warrior AND mentor are a joke compared to NG2. Esp. mentor is really easy compared to the Xbox version. Mentor is much more alike warrior from NG2.

Master ninja is another story though. I found it much harder on NGS2 then NG2. NG2 on MN was hard up till ch4, after that was really easy for me. The brutal part was ch1 and 2, but after that i found it very similar to mentor.

On Sigma2 tho, it is much harder. Reason? You ALWAYS die if you get grabbed. It's insta death. All bosses kill you in 2 hits. Some bosses become brutally hard. For example: the Armadillo. You cannot use IS on him, his fireballs deal a ton of dmg, his turn does 85% of your HP bar.

Van gelfs insta kill you with 1 (ONE) fireball. If you block it, it does 50% of your life. Immagine the part before Gigadeath when Van Gelfs fireball spam form ahead and behind.

Oh, and the girls chapters are also insanely hard.

Don't get me wrong, it is doable, hell even i did it and i have no ''ninja'' reflexes, but it is harder then NG2, which was hard for me just up till ch3 or 4.

Well, i hope it helps ppl to decide whether to buy the game or not. All in all, i really enjoy this game, eventho i already finished NG2 countless times on Xbox.

OK, Yes Mkadt. Do buy into that, because it's all true. Except for the Lunar 360 UT at level 1. I was wrong about that, sorry.

But my opinion on NGS2 still stands.

I don't doubt the girl chapters are hard on MN. They are underdeveloped, unneeded characters thrown into the game just for the sake of having "more content". So let's throw those useless chapters out and compare the parts that are similar to both games. The boss fights in Sigma 2 are cake compared to NG2. You'll never have to fight any additional enemies other than the main boss.  Not once. Even the first two Rasetsu fights, it's just you and him. You can even Izuna Drop Genshin for God's sake. In fact you can chain Izuna Drops one after another so he almost never gets a chance to hit you:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TuaGW3nLUms#t=03m20s

As far as these deadly boss grabs, here are a few examples:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=80GWQGle0CI#t=02m05s
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xpqfl6wHjSw#t=01m015s
You're telling me those are hard to dodge? You get a lifetime to get out of the way.
That guy has uploaded all the boss fights in the game, take a look at them and compare them to NG2.

This one you have to see: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yrd39hbj2ww
 Gigadeath was one of the more challenging boss fights in NG2, arguably the most challenging. Now, having unlimited arrows, and auto-aim, you just sit there and spam arrows at him until you are forced to move. In NG2 he had an electric shock that would hit you if you got too close to him. Gone in NGS2. The mini Gigadeaths used to home in on you. Gone in NGS2. Instead they just shoot in a straight line. His giant blue face attack comes after you as well in NG2. In NGS2 it just immediately slams into a wall.

Van gelfs insta kill you with 1 (ONE) fireball. If you block it, it does 50% of your life. Imagine the part before Gigadeath when Van Gelfs fireball spam form ahead and behind.

This fight?: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vT83NBdyv6I#t=02m52s
Since you really only fight no more than 2 at a time, doesn't seem very tough.

But that brings me to the rest of the game. You'll never fight more than 6 enemies on screen at a time throughout NGS2. And since the enemy count is so low, and game is so easy on the other difficulties, they have to do something to make Master Ninja at least reasonably challenging right? So for the people that say NG2 was cheap and unbalanced, and the IS spam was out of control, how do instant-death grabs change that? That's not cheap? That to me isn't balance at all, it's just lazy design. I much rather have a chance to use I-Frames when I'm stuck with an IS, than just let go of the controller and await my inevitable death. And by the way, you really don't die in one or two hits. That's a major exaggeration.

But I didn't want to write a novel here, so I'm gonna stop. But please, watch the entire game on Master Ninja here if you don't believe me: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SFlA9vbetew
Or even better, play it. But the majority of people that have played both agree that NG2 is much harder than NGS2. And I'm one of them.

Sigma 2 has it's merits. I like the higher resolution textures, and I'm a fan of the new depth of field change during OT's. But with all useless stuff they added, and all the important and challenging stuff they took out, Sigma 2 is definitely not the definitive version of Ninja Gaiden 2.

P.S. Hayashi  also gave Ryu a hand cannon.

NGII in it's entirety was underdeveloped and anyone who denies that is turning a blind eye to the issues it suffers from. That's one of the big reasons many Sigma 2 got reworked. A youtube video doesn't prove much since there are also similar youtube videos of experts making MN on NGII look like cake. The guy just said he played both on MN and considers it harder in Sigma 2. He knows first hand. Yes the grabs and heavy damage are better compared to an endless barrage of explosive shuriken that you can barely get away from even if you know what you're doing. Lets put it this way. You're playing a fighting game, you have a heavy hitting character that doesn't do a ton of damage, and another character that's broken. The heavy hitter does a ton of damage but you'll live provided you're smart and have enough health. If you're good you can get around whatever he/she does. The broken character has a move that puts you in the air and then insert health bar killer here. The move is so over powered and ridiculous it's nigh impossible to avoid and once you're hit by it you might as well lay down the controler. That is how the IS pretty much work in NGII. I'd rather make a mistake and get grabbed than die because I'm getting nothing but IS thrown at me. That's the issue here. Not whether or not some of us can put up with that kind of crap (I did), but the majority (the consumers and I guarantee you many a NG player) feel that was unfair. And I have to side the other guy on this one. Once you pass the first couple chapters and horde your money for two weapons and then nothing but health items, you can breeze through it. I personaly had more of a problem with Mentor at first because I didn't turn off autosave. That will not happen with Sigma 2. But here I go writing my own compare and contrast report on the subject. So rather than debate when no one is going to win we're just gonna have to agree to disagree. P.S. arguing that it should only be Ryu or that he has a hand canon is rather pointless. ALL games change over time and we as gamers should embrace it rather than fight it. And there is nothing to fear for the future of NG as this was a remake/reworking of a prexisting game. Wait until Hayashi makes NGIII before passing judgement.

@Eat Zeppelin:

Zedonius grab was made MUCH slower then the Xbox version. Whoever did NG2 on MN will notice that in a split second. In fact, it costed me my life, since i am used to the faster grab from the Xbox version, so i usually dodge to early, lol :D
But let's be honest, Zed grab wasn't hard to dodge even on the Xbox ;) He does that specific voice before grabbing so it's easy to recognize.

More annoying are the Alexei grabs, Obaba grab (this one is REALLY fast and esp nasty to dodge), Tengus and Dagra Dai (this one has insane reach that's why the timing has to be ideal). But bosses are a problem due to the fact that even regular attacks kill you in 2 or 3 hits. So you must do a ''perfect play'' to beat them.

But i had more in mind regular ninja grabs or dog grabs (which is somewhat annoying per se).

Oh, and thank god Gigadeath was changed, it was the most retarded and annoying boss fight ever, now it is enjoyable (and much easier, which i found it ok, since it's boss of ch3).
And the fight before Gigadeath with Van Gelfs IS HARD. On Youtube is one thing. Try it, come back and say it's easy. It is not, since you get fireball spammed from behind and from ahead at the same time. I actually find it luck dependant, since even if you do the fight perfectly, you die due to some (actually not some, i mean ONE!) unlucky fireball.

Oh, and btw: fighting gold (yellow) Van Gelfs is also hard because you are NOT guaranteed a delimb with standard moves, such as XXY with lunar. They have a TON of HP and you cannot delimb them 100% with any move. Sometimes you do delimb, sometimes not. A few times i did 4 lunar XXY and it did not delimb them.

There are a lot of other minor changes, for example minions always spam on Zed (in fact when he has 100% HP, 50% and 25% HP), same goes for Marbus and Dagra dai.

Bottom line, no one said NGS2 on MN is impossible or really really really hard, i just pointed the fact it was harder to complete then NG2 on MN, at least for me, due to the insane dmg everything (!) does when it hits you. Get used to instant deaths or 2 shot deaths. Oh, and i finished the game with 400k essence, due to the fact i almost never use HP items, but mostly you don't use them, because you die anyway in 1 shot :P

Before drawing conclusions i would suggest to beat MN on Sigma2 first. I had a similar feeling to yours, but after finishing MN difficulty it changed drastically, since MN really is challenging even for who did already MN on the Xbox or at least it will give you a different challenge then the Xbox version (which was challenging due to the IS spam).

Anyway, people have different tastes, so i cannot guarantee that Sigma2 is for everybody. I definitely like it more then Xbox version, also due to the fact they ''revamped'' most of the level zones and completely dropped some annoying parts, like in ch9 (the amazon woods) and the super *** water mines.

I personally find that the IS ninjas have to much health, they take forever to de-limb. It kinda makes it feel like devil may cry. Aside from that i really enjoyed singma 2, i didn really enjoy the extra content and it annoys me how retarded your partner is on mission mode, im glad i picked it up though. It makes no sense to me how they took the blood out yet its just as violent, i mean he stabs people in the spine and cuts there head off...not quite sure why they took it out, kinda lessons the satisfaction of killing stuff. On an aside i cant figure out how to turn outsave off on sigma 2, can someone help me out please?

It goes without saying that both versions are challenging? I'm sure all can agree on that. I don't think one can expect exactly the same for both versions since one is an Xbox exclusive while the other being a PS3 exclusive. I do like the change in characters as well as the graphics. One reason why I believe the Gigadeath battle was changed is due to it being too challenging for some while others are able to battle the original with lesser health used. To make both the same would mean that PS3 was not getting their own version. Making it too much of an Xbox style game.

The Boss battles may as well be too challenging for some with minions around while others find it equally challenging without them around and the Boss dealing a bit more damage to try and keep a closer level playing field. To take the blood and gore out may have been their way for this to seem more like a ninja game rather than another Mortal Kombat sequel? Either way, The fun seems to still be there. Although I'm sure most can agree that watching blood fly from those pesky IS ninjas after getting your butt handed to you makes defeating them much more the while.

Each game seems to be in a class of it's own. Sigma 2 definitely is worth getting to give a fresh new feeling of the game I would think. To ID Genshin would be priceless IMO. He is one of the hardest Bosses I have seen that most has had trouble with defeating. To give Ryu the ability to perform this maneuver on him gives them a slight upper hand on battling him.

Everyone can agree that NGII itself has a steep learning curve. While Sigma 2 also appears to have a steep learning curve (maybe not as steep as NGII) it still requires a person to learn the techniques taught to advance in higher levels of the game. This was one of my main concerns about NGSII. NGB doesn't have blood but was nonetheless very challenging and fun. I'm sure there are quite a few that would have rather had the same challenge in NGSII as there is in NGII. But where would the difference in platforms and game be then? Why offer the exact same game for another platform with a different title if there is no significant difference? NGSII will definitely be on my list for me to play.

Thanks for the links and feedback.

---

Never argue with an Idiot. He'll only bring you down to his level and beat you with experience.

I got one last link for you all. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-ninjagaiden2-faceoff-article Now lets give it a rest. lol

 EAT ZEPPELIN wrote:

Sigma 2 is a joke.
1. Unlimited projectiles.
2. No Windmill Shuriken.
3. The enemies basically avoid you instead of constantly attacking you.
4. IS Ninjas will throw an IS about once every 10 minutes.
5. If you are charging an ET/UT getting stuck with an IS will not stun you.
6. No blood (Very little).
7. WAY less enemies.
8. Unnecessary new bosses (statue of liberty and buddha?) and characters.
9. At level 1 DS/Lunar, you can do an Izuna drop and even do a 360 Lunar UT.
10. Free weapon upgrades. (I know only one upgrade per shop, but seriously... [see # 9] the only thing you have to spend your essence on is health items. And the game is easy enough.

I fear for future NG titles.

trolls will always be trolls.

Don't buy the next NG, stick to the unfinished version troll!

---

PSN: Blackxino
www.youtube.com/xin0 over 200+ vids

 JamoDOA wrote:

I got one last link for you all. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-ninjagaiden2-faceoff-article Now lets give it a rest. lol

Great info. Thanks JamoDOA.

---

Never argue with an Idiot. He'll only bring you down to his level and beat you with experience.

 EAT ZEPPELIN wrote:

Sigma 2 is a joke.
1. Unlimited projectiles.
2. No Windmill Shuriken.
3. The enemies basically avoid you instead of constantly attacking you.
4. IS Ninjas will throw an IS about once every 10 minutes.
5. If you are charging an ET/UT getting stuck with an IS will not stun you.
6. No blood (Very little).
7. WAY less enemies.
8. Unnecessary new bosses (statue of liberty and buddha?) and characters.
9. At level 1 DS/Lunar, you can do an Izuna drop and even do a 360 Lunar UT.
10. Free weapon upgrades. (I know only one upgrade per shop, but seriously... [see # 9] the only thing you have to spend your essence on is health items. And the game is easy enough.

I fear for future NG titles.

I kind of agree with Eat Zeppelin. Although I have not yet played NGS2 on Master Ninja, I did find what is mentioned above accurate except for 9. I'm not sure I remember being able to do a 360 Lunar UT on level 1....

 Black Xino wrote:

trolls will always be trolls.

Don't buy the next NG, stick to the unfinished version troll!

With all due respect, calling others a troll for disagreeing with you is unnecessary.

I hardly think NGS2 is the complete version. Not only did the game get significant tweaks so much that many of the original intentions no longer are there. Just look at his list, it clearly shows you how the game is different. The game now is more like the original NG i.e. defensive than offensive which is the basic premise of this game.

 JamoDOA wrote:

I got one last link for you all. http://www.eurogamer.net/articles/digitalfoundry-ninjagaiden2-faceoff-article Now lets give it a rest. lol

That is a great article and a very enjoyable read.

 Mkadt wrote:

This sounds like a very watered down version of our original. What makes it even the more worse is, Those who would have rather had the version we have or would have endured the challenges we faced are not going to have that opportunity on the PS3 unless they own an Xbox. I too fear for future NG releases if any are released.

I think NGS2 is a watered down version, but it has much better graphics, fairly consistent framerate, additional content and co-op mission mode for free. Some of the tweaks are positive and others are completely game breaking.

Some issues I have that isn't mentioned above:

- IS ninja is no longer fun, because I feel like I keep hacking at them with little effect. They take tons of damage!
- The gun or should I say cannon allows you to constantly spam enemies to thin down already fewer enemies. That thing is completely over powering with unlimited ammo! I know, I know, you don't have to use it, but it makes the game overall easier. The bow is similar...
- It also seems like the camera now is worse as I keep staring at at the top of a fence or rail. Maybe it is the distance of the camera from Ryu. I don't recall this  being an issue in NG2. However, the camera has always been somewhat problematic.
- *** spoiler alert*** I spent 30-45 minutes fighting the buddah boss, because I didn't know you had to execute a obliteration on exactly the left eye. I tried obliterating the head over and over. *** spoiler alert end ***

If you are a fan like me, don't discriminate and play them both. However, I think the soul of Team Ninja no longer is there, good or bad!

I got NGs2 Day 1 on a kneejerk impulse buy as a diehard fan.  After playing it through several times including it's MN, I realize just how much I should not have even bothered with it. 

First of all, the gold health bar reward is quite underwhelming.  It's not even a bar per se, but rather a vaguely visible gold frame around the standard health bar, which is normally silver. Not the same as Tribal Spirit + the Master Ninja Gamerpic.  I think on the same setup, NGs2's graphics are better in some cases but worse than NG2 in others. The girls are useless.  Period.  They feel tacked on just for the sake of covering up the compromises they had to make to the game's story mode.

Some say enemies have more health, but to me they really made Ryu's attack strength weaker on a lot of the enemies. This because the enemies are so fewer in number in the overall game.  If he was able to kill enemies as quickly as he can in NG2, then NGs2 would be a MUCH shorter game on Story mode. Look at NGs2's final kill count on MN and compare it to NG2's to see what I mean. 

MN on NGs2 seems to have been given a cheap damage multiplier at the last minute just to make it artificially hard.  The attacks do more damage than NG2's MN but there are less enemies to manage strategically and the most dangerous attacks are a lot easier to avoid due to the slower pace.  The content they took away from NGs2 really is dealbreaking.  I found the list below on another forum. I have since gone through one by one to verify that all of the below is true:  Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

"NGS2's missing content =

No incendiary shuriken
No windmill shuriken
No Tests of Valor challenges
No Single Player Mission Mode
No limbs and blood decorating the stages like in the original
No UT's with projectiles like the original
No manual saving at our favorite battles or chapters
No New Game Plus
No Successive Play
No karma runs possible with original Level 1 weapon stats
No difficulty compared to the original besides Master Ninja (and still easier than NG2 MN)
No Shadow Walker costume or selectable Biometal
No more extras skins for the existing costumes (ex. no more Tribal Spirit or Gold Fiend suit)

No way to max out weapons when you want to

Items like LotTGs and SPoDs used automatically when opening chests
MUCH lower enemy counts per each battle
Some encounters taken completely out with no enemies added to compensate
Some bosses completely removed instead of redesigned"

It's also interesting to note that some of the big changes to the game were made due to the PS3 console not being able to run the game as it existed on the 360 hardware:

http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2009/10/26/ninja-gaiden-2-sigma-ps3-not-so-superior-after-all/

If they had just kept NG2 intact while increasing the resolution, then I would like NGs2 better hands down, extra content or not.  But I think it's clear that some of what they changed was due to PS3's limitations and the rest comes down to the former TN members that knew what they were doing being gone and unable to stop the NGs2 crew from making dumb choices; like taking out options like manual saving, subweapons and such. 

People who wanted a kindler, gentler NG experience will naturally prefer Sigma 2 and try to legitimize it. Notice the number of people here who have completed MN on NG2 and NGs2 confirm that statement to be true. There are also fanboys on both sides who are doing their usual on every site you go to.  The fact is, I wouldn't recommend NGs2 to a person who has completed NG2 on MN legitimately without exploits.  It's more of a "step to the side" in all aspects and I just think the overall experience is inferior to NG2.  Take that for what you will. A defintive version = everything good about the original + more.  NGs2 is not that by any means. 
 

 Black Xino wrote:

trolls will always be trolls.

Don't buy the next NG, stick to the unfinished version troll!

To be honest, you're on an Xbox forum, Xino.  This is the Ninja Gaiden II forum not Sigma, not Black, not Sigma 2, nor NG for Nintendo DS.  You are the troll, Xino.  You always have been. 

Grow up, get a life, and let it go. I say that as a helpful gesture.

 Ipoo wrote:

I got NGs2 Day 1 on a kneejerk impulse buy as a diehard fan.  After playing it through several times including it's MN, I realize just how much I should not have even bothered with it. 

First of all, the gold health bar reward is quite underwhelming.  It's not even a bar per se, but rather a vaguely visible gold frame around the standard health bar, which is normally silver. Not the same as Tribal Spirit + the Master Ninja Gamerpic.  I think on the same setup, NGs2's graphics are better in some cases but worse than NG2 in others. The girls are useless.  Period.  They feel tacked on just for the sake of covering up the compromises they had to make to the game's story mode.

Some say enemies have more health, but to me they really made Ryu's attack strength weaker on a lot of the enemies. This because the enemies are so fewer in number in the overall game.  If he was able to kill enemies as quickly as he can in NG2, then NGs2 would be a MUCH shorter game on Story mode. Look at NGs2's final kill count on MN and compare it to NG2's to see what I mean. 

MN on NGs2 seems to have been given a cheap damage multiplier at the last minute just to make it artificially hard.  The attacks do more damage than NG2's MN but there are less enemies to manage strategically and the most dangerous attacks are a lot easier to avoid due to the slower pace.  The content they took away from NGs2 really is dealbreaking.  I found the list below on another forum. I have since gone through one by one to verify that all of the below is true:  Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 /* Style Definitions */ table.MsoNormalTable {mso-style-name:"Table Normal"; mso-tstyle-rowband-size:0; mso-tstyle-colband-size:0; mso-style-noshow:yes; mso-style-parent:""; mso-padding-alt:0in 5.4pt 0in 5.4pt; mso-para-margin:0in; mso-para-margin-bottom:.0001pt; mso-pagination:widow-orphan; font-size:10.0pt; font-family:"Times New Roman"; mso-ansi-language:#0400; mso-fareast-language:#0400; mso-bidi-language:#0400;}

"NGS2's missing content =

No incendiary shuriken
No windmill shuriken
No Tests of Valor challenges
No Single Player Mission Mode
No limbs and blood decorating the stages like in the original
No UT's with projectiles like the original
No manual saving at our favorite battles or chapters
No New Game Plus
No Successive Play
No karma runs possible with original Level 1 weapon stats
No difficulty compared to the original besides Master Ninja (and still easier than NG2 MN)
No Shadow Walker costume or selectable Biometal
No more extras skins for the existing costumes (ex. no more Tribal Spirit or Gold Fiend suit)

No way to max out weapons when you want to

Items like LotTGs and SPoDs used automatically when opening chests
MUCH lower enemy counts per each battle
Some encounters taken completely out with no enemies added to compensate
Some bosses completely removed instead of redesigned"

It's also interesting to note that some of the big changes to the game were made due to the PS3 console not being able to run the game as it existed on the 360 hardware:

http://www.sankakucomplex.com/2009/10/26/ninja-gaiden-2-sigma-ps3-not-so-superior-after-all/

If they had just kept NG2 intact while increasing the resolution, then I would like NGs2 better hands down, extra content or not.  But I think it's clear that some of what they changed was due to PS3's limitations and the rest comes down to the former TN members that knew what they were doing being gone and unable to stop the NGs2 crew from making dumb choices; like taking out options like manual saving, subweapons and such. 

People who wanted a kindler, gentler NG experience will naturally prefer Sigma 2 and try to legitimize it. Notice the number of people here who have completed MN on NG2 and NGs2 confirm that statement to be true. There are also fanboys on both sides who are doing their usual on every site you go to.  The fact is, I wouldn't recommend NGs2 to a person who has completed NG2 on MN legitimately without exploits.  It's more of a "step to the side" in all aspects and I just think the overall experience is inferior to NG2.  Take that for what you will. A defintive version = everything good about the original + more.  NGs2 is not that by any means. 
 

I think you hit it right on the nail. NGS2 is a gentler experience, overall. However, I did find the levels with the females quite frustrating. Especially the one with Ayane, because the new ninjas will attack you as you recover and you are so underpowered that the only way out seems to be ninpo or use life, but I don't use either. The enemy ninjas are very good at attacking you when there is no way out... So in some areas it could be considered more difficult.

 IdleLeesiulung wrote:

I think NGS2 is a watered down version, but it has much better graphics, fairly consistent framerate, additional content and co-op mission mode for free. Some of the tweaks are positive and others are completely game breaking.

I take back the consistent frame rate, because it appears to me that the frame rate decreases with certain enemy attacks. This means that if you want to respond, your controller gets unresponsive. Extremely annoying!

Also, the camera is worse on bosses as well because it no longer locks  you onto the boss. So you are left battling the camera and the boss, not fun. More often I get killed by the camera than the boss if you catch the drift of what I'm saying.

I'm saddened that obvious things that should have never been changed, like what is already listed has been.

With that said, I think Sigma 2 turned out far better than I expected and I do enjoy playing it. The improvement in graphics is very significant and the frame rate never slows down to a crawl like the 360 version.

I just beat NGS2 the other day on warrior and it was really fun but really easy. I didnt die once. I actually loved playing as Rachel and Ayane. I like that they handled very differently but they were very cool to use.

Mission mode is great too, but I couldnt see myself playing with an AI partner. Luckily I have someone to play with.

I personally like the 360 version of NG 2 better though. I'm playing on mentor right now and its really tough. I'm only at the Kenshin fight in level 2. I'm also trying to make my way through the missions.

Sigma 2 is a good game as long as you remember that it's a different experience. Yes NGII was harder but mostly for the wrong reasons. Sigma 2 wasn't hard, though MN did get really nasty at some points, and it wasn't perfect. But imagine the changes, while maintaining a high enemy count. Many of the changes took place after hearing complaints made about the 360 version. I say hold your breath and save your judgement for when NGIII actually comes. Oh and bank on additional playable characters having a more prominent role. Ayane is a blast, Rachel is fun and so is Momiji. And count on Kasumi being included on the action next time as well.

 JamoDOA wrote:

Sigma 2 is a good game as long as you remember that it's a different experience. Yes NGII was harder but mostly for the wrong reasons. Sigma 2 wasn't hard, though MN did get really nasty at some points, and it wasn't perfect. But imagine the changes, while maintaining a high enemy count. Many of the changes took place after hearing complaints made about the 360 version. I say hold your breath and save your judgement for when NGIII actually comes. Oh and bank on additional playable characters having a more prominent role. Ayane is a blast, Rachel is fun and so is Momiji. And count on Kasumi being included on the action next time as well.

I love NG2 on 260 , but i still really like sigma 2 as well. Why not? they are different beasts and are enjoyed differently. Why argue about them?

I had fun using the women in sigma 2, and I liked seeing kasumi appear in some scenes. I like the online co op mode and i look forward to playing the game a few more times on harder difficulties.

I think the real challenge will be the original NG2 though getting through mentor and MN as well as finishing the missions. I win though because I get to experience both games. as a  huge NG fan how could that possibly be bad?

Sigma 2 is downright alot easier. case closed

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