This made me really upset. Inevitably, some people will think that this is an accurate representation of the original Ninja Gaiden 2 which is so unfortunate. In a vacuum, Sigma 2 is a decent action title but in the context of the series as a whole, this kinda sucks. The original Ninja Gaiden 2, for all it's faults, did still absolutely succeed in it's attempt to make the most bat-shit insane, challenging, absurd, and intense action game ever. While Sigma 2 does smooth over some of it's faults, it also lacks the direction and intent of the 360 version. On top of that, it makes a few baffling changes that only serve to undermine what it's going for. How unfortunate.

Itagaki`s final Deathmachine
After TECMO stole his unfinished Dead or Alive 2 prototype and take it to production without him knowing, being acussed of sexual harassment and fall into depression and drink,the Michael Bay movies and Aerosmith songs made him resurge as a Chad-rockstar human-hater (also he began to shout that those who play videogames in easy mode are nothing but dogs xd)
And so Ninja Gaiden 2 was created (actually, Doa 2 Hardcore was created first, but that's not important now) a non-stop action videogame made by insane and horny people, taking the movement and management dilemmas of the reboot and black version and multiplying the pivoted combat while leads the action through relentless pressure due to the insane avant-garde bunch of enemies which any of they can potencially end you.
Nothing impossible tho, there is already a Chinese guy who has completed the game without taking damage ,and how the hell has done it is what I wonder in my lonely nights.
I presume this emphasis in bolt action ,explosions and high numbers beyond human limits of cocaine is the result of the overdose of Bay movies that Itagaki was exposed during his depression.Or maybe not.
I buy it anyway.
With a great sense of energy, complex streets built for bouncing, jumping and acrobatics, the game is an ode to digital topography and stunts.

at one point of the game the classic flamboyant-demon-Boy falls in love with the statue of liberty (yes) and you have to fight both. Yes, you fight the Statue of Liberty with a katana. Allegory.
Maybe videogames are too good for us.

"I admire its purity. A survivor... unclouded by conscience, remorse, or delusions of morality." - Ash, Alien(1979)

Character action games tend to get a lot of mileage from their... well, characters. Dante and Bayonetta are both larger-than life flamboyant quipsters, styling on whatever bizarre monster dares stand in their path. But as for Ninja Gaiden's hero? According to instruction manuals and the occasional cutscene, Ryu Hayabusa is best described as a thoughtful young man, wise beyond his years. Though you'll never see any of that during gameplay.

In-game? He has specific animations for performing executions on people who have already been decapitated. Because this isn't about Ryu, not really. It's about how every single enemy in the game wants you dead more than they want to live. Cut off an arm, they'll stab with the arm they have left. Cut off a leg, they'll crawl your way with a knife between their teeth. Even the game itself will throw enemy after enemy at you until the engine starts to break under the strain. Self-preservation is for the weak.

If this game is about anything, it's about being a ninja, and being a ninja means murdering other ninja until the second you drop dead. It's no wonder that when Yosuke Hayashi took the reigns of the series for the third entry, he admitted to wanting to take a different approach to the violence. To explore the consequences of Ryu's taking of human life. Except, the second you try to step outside Ninja Gaiden's relentless kill-or-be-killed attitude, it falls apart. In a world focused on human consequence, Ryu's a maniac. But for the franchise's take on ninjas? He's the only kind of person who gets to stick around.

One more thing: a story that often gets passed around is how Itagaki got frustrated during development of the first game when he learned that ghost fish were being modeled for use as background decoration. He was quoted as saying "This is an action game. You can't just put something in there for atmosphere that is taking up memory and disc space. You either take it out or make it an enemy and do what I say because this is an action game." And that's Ninja Gaiden's attitude in a nutshell. If it doesn't want to kill you, what's the point?