There are some people out there who will remember Ninja Gaiden on the original Xbox fondly...most will wake up in a cold sweat at night, images of punishing gameplay, killer boss-battles and brutal defeats dancing across their vision as they tremble and weep. Say the words "Ninja Gaiden: Black” to the average gamer, and there's a pretty decent chance he will flee, soil his pants, or do both. Ninja Gaiden was a game from another era, before the casualisation of gaming, before "accessibility” was a buzz-word that marred the industry and its creations.

But to that minority of gamers who revelled in the extreme challenges and punishment the game dished out, Ninja Gaiden remains the pinnacle of its field; a pure, full-strength ninja adventure whose unwavering difficulty created some of the most satisfying victories they've ever experienced. They are the gamers who, when Ninja Gaiden beat them down and told them they sucked, got back up, and tried, tried again. Repeatedly. And then they replayed the game on harder difficulties. Repeatedly.

Ninja Gaiden 2 is a game for these people. Mere mortals need not apply.

In all fairness, some concessions to modern, softer gamers have been made; it starts off a bit easier for one, there's many more save-points in each level which can heal you, and Ryu will automatically regain his health out of combat. These gifts are what have been granted to so-called "casual gamers” to allow them to jump in to Ninja Gaiden 2...these are things you will no doubt recognise as pretty much standard in every other game on the planet, and no doubt they were changes made in spite of protests from Team Ninja to make the game more accessible. The point? Ninja Gaiden was a game that hated you...Ninja Gaiden 2 merely dislikes you intensely.

Still reading? Reckon you're up for the challenge? Great! Don't let Ninja Gaiden 2 fool you: the first few chapters are comparatively easy, slowly breaking you in before it breaks you down and rebuilds you as a granite-carved ninja warrior. The first two chapters really just serve to refresh your memory of the story and gameplay, as well as introduce some of the new elements to the game. The first of which is the Obliteration Techniques, which will also serve to allay your greatest fear: Ninja Gaiden 2 is uncensored, shipped complete to oft-deprived Aussies in all its bloodthirsty, gory glory.

As Ryu wields his Dragon sword or any one of a half dozen other implements of death, enemies will not simply gush blood! Oh no, now they will routinely lose arms and legs, which will of course spurt geysers of blood, but it also sets the poor bastards up for an Obliteration Technique! These disarticulated enemies are often as deadly or even more so than their whole and intact cohorts, so it behoves Ryu to really put them down hard and fast. Close the gap and hit Y and he will terminate them with extreme prejudice, slicing and dicing in a fountain of blood and body parts, the camera always managing to frame the most sanguinary shot possible. It's very, very satisfying, and the game practically demands you use the OT's to finish of maimed monsters as quickly as you can.

Sadly, this introduction also serves to introduce you to the worst thing about Ninja Gaiden 2: its camera. Put bluntly, it sucks, and you'll spend just as much time fighting with it as you will with spider ninjas and werewolves. Part of the problem is actually the Obliteration Techniques, which always move the camera to maximise your view of the carnage. Unfortunately, that often involves the camera facing Ryu and not the enemies around him, so it's not at all uncommon for them to land some cheap hits while you struggle to get your bearings. The camera is really at its worst indoors and during some boss battles (where you can only select an angle, not freely control it), and you will suffer at least a handful of extremely frustrating camera related deaths during the game, no matter how good you are.

The only counter for this – short of them fixing the camera in a patch – is rock solid controls, and Ninja Gaiden 2 redeems itself in this department. The original's controls did a phenomenal job of making you feel like a master ninja, and the sequel transplants those controls almost entirely to good result. The left-trigger is block, X is your basic attack, Y is a heavy attack, and B is used for projectile weapons. A true ninja knows patience, so you'll spend most of your time blocking or dodging attacks, waiting for the perfect time to strike. Ryu is incredibly agile and can run along walls and jump around like a cricket, but thanks to the shoddy camera, his skills don't make the game's jumping puzzles and platforming elements any easier or more enjoyable. Still, one of the handiest new skills he has picked up is also one of the most basic: you can now change weapons, projectiles and ninpos on the fly using the D-pad, which is nice.

That may sound like a pretty minor thing, but for the most part, Ninja Gaiden 2 really is just the culmination of a bunch of these minor tweaks, upgrades and adjustments, building on the near-perfect foundations of the original game, mostly for the better. It means that there's a real sense of déjà vu at play however, more so than most sequels even; familiar enemies, familiar weapons, even some of the settings are very familiar. There's nothing wrong with any of that really since these were all things that made Ninja Gaiden great, but it does mean that anyone expecting something radically different and fresh is probably going to wind up a little disappointed.

One area you'd probably expect some sort of advancement would be the visuals, and you'd be wrong. Ninja Gaiden 2 looks like a higher resolution version of the original with a few new visual effects. Of course, this is a testament to just how beautifully advanced Ninja Gaiden was on the Xbox and the fact that its sequel didn't need to do much to still look gorgeous, but a glass-half-empty sort of person might be left wondering if maybe there wasn't more that could be done to enhance this sequel. Everything looks great; particularly the models and the animations, but the levels themselves are a bit of a letdown. They're big and colourful and look pretty good, make no mistake, but you just can't shake the feeling they're a little too simple or barren in places. Even when there is detail to be had, there's virtually no interaction with the environment anymore besides the occasional urn to smash or barrel to explode, which adds to the lifeless feel.

Speaking of simple, Ninja Gaiden 2's plot isn't going to be winning any major awards; it basically involves Ryu avenging his clan and destroying some demonic fiends along the way. The story never really goes anywhere, although it does a good job of moving Ryu from one scenic location to another, while also ensuring you get to see a lot of your ridiculously busty offsider whenever possible. As mentioned, the first few chapters are pretty easy, but the difficulty ramps up quickly without warning and fluctuates wildly as you progress. Some of the chapters are great fun thanks to a combination of consistent difficulty and interesting level design, while others are a pure exercise in frustration.

In these moments, you'll be thankful for every save point you encounter, as the game devolves into a painful exercise of just wanting to slog through for long enough to hit a checkpoint, which is a real shame. The silver linings would have to be the Tests of Valour, which boil Ninja Gaiden down to its purest form: Ryu versus a legion of enemies in a nice, wide open arena where the camera can't kill you and only your skill can save you. There's nine of these challenges hidden throughout the story, and beating one will give Ryu a nice power-up like a permanent health increase, but the real reward comes just from the satisfaction of having beaten them!

That said, Ninja Gaiden 2 can be a lot easier than the original if you don't mind playing on an easier difficulty, although there's still the requisite insane levels of punishment to be had for fans. The game dishes out Achievements in a fairly consistent trickle, but like the choices in difficulties, there's some Achievements that will only be unlocked by truly dedicated ninjas. It's a metaphor for the Ninja Gaiden 2 experience really – torn between serving the casual audience while also making sure they don't disappoint their most hardcore of fans. There's plans for Downloadable Content though just like the original did though; so far we know about the mission mode and new costumes for Ryu, but who knows, maybe there'll be a Hurricane Pack or two down the road too?