GamesRadar: Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Cuts Back Gore

Xbox 360 owners have been enjoying Ninja Gaiden 2 for a whole year already and until now PS3 owners have had to settle for their 'Sigma' version of the first game for their ninja killing fix. Finally an updated version of NG2 is heading to the Sony machine, but while it's bigger and better in almost every respect, there's one thing that's certainly not. Gore.

[sonarus]

Lack of gore is still quite disappointing but oh well. Overall its still a better deal all things considered.

Besides god of war 3 will satisfy every desire for gore my silly gaming mind can come up with

[TheHater]

"Journalist" and certain fanboys are complaining with the lack of over the top gore in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 on the PS3. However, they are also complaining about the fact the God of War 3 has too much gore. Would they make their minds up already?

I do not get why certain site pull out the Hubble Space Telescope when it comes to PS3 exclusives.

[sonarus]

As a HUGE God of War fan i have to say that yes GOW3 has way too much gore for its own good. Pulling out a titans eye and getting bathed in the fukin blood that gushes out is not normal.

That being said i'll be buying special edition GOW3 i just hope its worth while

[Kurylo3d]

You know whats strange about this? Its the fact that you guys are mentioning God of WAR... which will be a hot game. But it has nothing to do with ninja gaiden 2. There trying to show that the ps3 version lacks the gore the 360 version has.... God of war doesnt even enter that comparison...

What makes laugh about ps3 fanboys is that when they see a multiplatform that looks worse on their console... they will immediately show a game that is an exclusive in the same category like it justifies that hte multiplatform is worse. So ninja gaiden 2 is less gory... u gotta mention god of war to make u feel better... Prototype looks better on 360? no problem u will just mention infamous... but that still doesnt show that infamous and god of war would probably look better on a 360 given the chance to port it lol.

[PirateThom]

Actually, Prototype looks better on PS3, inFamous is just the better game.

[The Meerkat]

The PS3 version of Prototype has a vaseline filter.

[thereapersson]

The PS3 version of Prototype features shader effects not found on the 360 version

[El Botto]

And they use NG2 to back this up.

The reality is that gore had NEVER been in any previous NG series with the exception of NG2. NG2 is the anomaly here and not NGSigma 2.

And not only did the gore add absolutely nothing to NG2, NG2 was also considered to be less than the previous titles by many NG fans.

NG Sigma 2 is to redeem this.

[Syronicus]

One day the games for PS3 have too much gore and now they have too little... Seems like that hypocritical journalism is coming out in full force again.

It would not be so bad if the media these days did not make it so easy to see there hypocrisy but my god they just can't seem to cover it up enough to make it subtle in any way. Pathetic if you ask me.

I am a fan of all game consoles but it is amusing to see just how pathetic the media is these days. You would think that the PS consoles managed to physically abuse these crack journalists as children...

[The Meerkat]

Yes it does.
But look at the sharpness and detail in the 360 images and the V-lock.

[El Botto]

They also complained about HOME and all the other social features, Sony added. And many said and I quote: "not needed at all, Im still not buying a PS3!"

But they danced around like little monkeys when Facebook and the other social featuress were announced by MS 2 years later.

They also said that 360 was for gaming and that PS3 is a Blu Ray player and that they dont want to watch movies on it.

But then they danced around like spoiled little children when MS announced movie downloads.

They also said PS3 lacked games in 2006 and that the majority of the games on the PS3 is also available on the 360. Now that the roles are reversed and 360 owners have to literally wait a whole year for just one hyped up exclusive while everything else is also available on the PS3, not one of these journalist see the need to complain.

They also said PS3 is a "waitstation" and that there are no games to justify the PS3. Now that PS3 has TONS of triple A and TONS more to come, suddenly "PS3 has to many games" and its all coming down to fast.

When PS3 games can be finished in 10-15 hours, its "too short" and not enough to justify the PS3, but when 360 games can be finished in 8 hours, its the best thing ever since sliced bread!

When PS3 games show low res in close ups, the PS3 is suddenly equal or less powerful than the 360. But now that PS3 games look like state of the art CGI graphics, suddenly graphics arent important anymore. Well thank you for that fine observation, bottos, I think Ill take gameplay AND CGI graphics (yes, since its PS3, I can have both cakes) ...like only possible on the PS3.

The hypocrisy of these fine gentlemen who are for sure either 1) paid by MS or 2) try to suck up to MS as much as possible and hope that maybe one day, they will get a job at MS, or 3) are genuine, blind, hardcore fanboys who are void of any logic.

[lordgodalming]

Personally, I prefer the toned down gouts of blood. The moves are still plenty brutal, and as long as the controls are perfectly responsive and the gameplay is tough as nails, it'll still be Ninja Gaiden for me.

Besides that, anyone who really wants to see fountains of blood and amputee enemies crawling grotesquely after Ryu can still buy the 360 version. The existence of Sigma 2 doesn't erase the orginal NGII.

I also echo that GOWIII is so absurdly violent that it should slake any gamer's bloodlust.

[Rainstorm81]

you are exactly right its the hypocrisy of the gaming media but you forgot all about Natal...... Where was the Eyetoy hype or even hype for the new ps3 motion. bbbut Natal is the best ever. Even when sony showed more variety in their controls but ooops they did didn't show a flashy promo vid. I like all things games but i speak on all thing PS3 because MS has legions of journalists spinning the truth.

PS3MOTION = advanced Wiimotion
Natal = advanced eyetoy

whats the difference hype then both or condemn both.

@Kurylo3d

the guy above you brought up GOW because he said he will get his fix on gore with that game. PS3 fans feel the need to bring up exclusives because half the time exclusive game "X" is better than most multiplats in its genre. If you do a list of top games in their genres alot of PS3 games will top the lists the only argument you will run into is FPS.

[sonarus]

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 lacks the same bloody nature of the original but even in that video its clearly evident the game looks

Sporting better graphics, more content and coop play i have to say despite having to wait for over a yr, Sigma 2 is simply worth the wait.

I would prefer if gore was present but the gore being toned down for better graphics and more content plus coop is a thumbs up for me

[Trebius]

Ps3 gamers have to "Settle" for their sigma version. They act like we're getting a bad version. Of course it's bad since it's on Ps3 right?

Even though it has better graphics, more content, co-op, damn we have to settle for sigma? :\ lol.

I feel bad for 360 owners that see their exclusives go to ps3 with loads of extra content...then they act like it's not a big deal because (insert nitpick fanboy reason here)

[FamilyGuy]

We're still getting the better version of this game and the graphics have been upgraded too.

Wasn't the blood in NG2 the cause of a bunch of visual glitches? This new version irons that out and makes more sense as it was mentioned above, NG2 was the first in the series to have over-the-top blood and gore.

We can still dismember enemies and now it'll look even better.

[dragonyght]

they cut back on the blood maybe in the latest video i notice you can still dismantlement body par of the enemy

[ptotoy]

seriously, though, i would rather have less gore than the choppy framerate on the 3fixme version..

oh yeah, this author is an xbutts.. notice how he used "settle".. yeah, the ps3 will "settle" for the bigger and better version with all the bugs fixed.. buddy is probably butt-hurt because they lost another exclusive..

EDIT: holy sh!t, the article from gaysradar. the site that gave infamous a 7 and prototype a 9.. LMAO, this is a xbutt site for sure..

[-MD-]

Never had FPS problems on my 360 version sorry yours was bad.

[Too_Hyped]

Yeah, gamesradar is one of the 2 or 3 websites in the world that didn't acknowledge Infamous was superior to Prototype.

It's definitely one of the last existing biased xbots sites, along with Kotaku and Edge.

[RedPawn]

Oh No! This can't be true, because my enjoyment is now ruined.

The NES Gaidens were way more bloody, S*** time to sell my POS3 for sure/sarcasm w/ a hint of lime.

[DarthMoose]

I never played ninja gaiden 2 before since I never owned a 360 so less gore doesn't bother, plus its the gameplay that interests me. I you haven't played ninja gaiden 2 before you most definetly going to enjoy this.

[devilhunterx]

"Xbox 360 owners have been enjoying Ninja Gaiden 2"

I dont know why, but that line made me smirk.

[Too_Hyped]

Yeah, what is sure is they'll never enjoy the enhanced versions of Ninja Gaiden 2 (Sigma), Tales of Vesperia or Bioshock.

The 360 is the beta testing console nowadays.

[k jules]

You didn't just say Bioshock on PS3 was superior did you?
Don't know about Vesperia, maybe it is better, but Bioshock was definately not xD

[devilhunterx]

Did you enjoy the Survivor Mode on the XB2 version?

[El Botto]

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is the definitive version of Ninja Gaiden 2.

Suck on that bots. Suck on that.

[sinncross]

I honestly don't see it as a problem.
So the gore has been cut down but the PS3 version still comes with tons of other extra bonuses that will increase the longevity of the game by many hours.

I can see why ppl might not welcome less gore, but I'm all for extra content over it.

[Halo3 MLG Pro]

Why would they do that? Ninja's and sprays of blood go hand to hand.

[gamingisnotacrime]

Before NG 2, the NG series had little blood and gore and still it was one of the best experiences around. The extra gore in NG2 was amuzing withing the first hour of gameplay, but later on it became meh. But i dont like the purple mist either, it looks way too magical (fake)

[Tomonobu Itagaki]

There is a simple reason for that. Playstation 3 cannot handle Ninja Gaiden 2 with gore and bloodbaths.

They had to cut it out to avoid any framerate problem;
because let's admit it, beside its awesome graphics, epic boss battles, great challenge and the best gameplay available, one of the biggest quality of Ninja Gaiden is its fluidity, and no one would forgive any framerate drop.

[mynd]

It's called alpha blending, and the PS3 isnt as good at it as the 360, it's as simple as that,

Before you all complain, I aint saying it's inferior, it's just not as strong as alpha blending thats all. Look at the blending in Prototype (Lens of truth) where the marking fade out on the 360, on the other hand the PS3 seems to have a good self shadowing detail mapper.

Half a dozen of one six of the other.

[onanie]

That is a ridiculous comment. The reduction of gore is purely an artistic choice.

God of War III simply proves you wrong.

[El Botto]

its filled with sarcasm.

Although I agree, if people want to make sarcastic comments, they should make it more obvious. People cant read minds here yo.

[solidjun5]

What the hell are you two talking about? If that was the case, GOWIII shouldn't be possible. It's purely cosmetic and is up to the discretion of the developers and Team Ninja decided not to use it. Seriously, you guys must be sarcastic or something.

[ZuperAmazingCooKie]

"It's called alpha blending, and the PS3 isnt as good at it as the 360, it's as simple as that, "

What does BLOOD SPRAYS have to do with alpha blending? It's not like you have to blend it several colors, blood is red and everything it touches turns into red. That has probably nothing to do with alpha blending, it's probably something else. But again, it's highly doubtful that the PS3 can't handle the blood whereas the 360 can, just look at how bad the 360 version runs even @ 585p, while PS3 can pull off God of War @ 720p @ 60FPS with even more gore than Ninja Gaiden 2.

"Before you all complain, I aint saying it's inferior, it's just not as strong as alpha blending thats all. Look at the blending in Prototype (Lens of truth) where the marking fade out on the 360, on the other hand the PS3 seems to have a good self shadowing detail mapper. "

Uh, this is probably because the developers didn't use the PS3 hardware properly, if at all, and I doubt that it is because the PS3 is bad at alpha blending. RSX is as good as Xbox360's GPU at pixel shading, if not better, as that is its strength. So definitely not that; if devs complain, it's because they're not used to PS3's complicated architecture, more than not being able to do something with PS3 because of hardware reasons.

The exclusive games prove this point

[mynd]

Ok,Blood sprays are created by "billboarding" a sequence of alpha mapped textures over an area to give you the impression of volume. The actual modelling is a square "billboard" but it uses alpha mapping (i.e. clear, slightly clear) textures to simulate the blood spray.

As for the PS3, they could have actually used the SPU's as to track proper particles, it might not have been as "thick" but would have looked pretty amazing.

In terms of RSX and 360, I'm not getting into that debate, but the 360's GPU has several bandwidth advantages that it can use. Conversly use the SPU's correctly and you can negate most of those advantages

[MriownBOTH]

thats lame that x-men is going to have more gore than ninja gaiden....kinda dissappointing.

[JoySticksFTW]

Uh, so what normally happens when you pull out a titan's eye?

People, it's make believe. Knowing Greek Mythology and older fairy tales in general (like the old school version of Hansel and Gretel)were ultra-violent before there ever was a Clockwork Orange's Alex, I tend to believe the violence in God of WAR III would be more like what we should see.

Now if you are saying that it's "over" violence may get negative attention from politicians and special interest groups, then I might agree. But controversy sells. It did wonders for GTA...

[ukilnme]

I'll be happy with the additional content. Gore would have been nice but oh well. If I want a gore fix I'll just pop in the 360 version which was fantastic by the way. I just wish they would have done away with that piece of crap dash move and put the roll back in.

[Jihaad_cpt]

Made up and multiplied by like 200 in GOW III. Don't you think? Enough gore in GOW, I say

[ApocalypseShadow]

just like gamesradar doesn't win with their usual dogging of ps3 games.

anyone trashing sigma2 for ps3 because of lack of blood had might as well trash all ninja gaidens for lack thereof before hitting ps3.

as for their take on detail,it's smoothing versus 360's version of anti-aliasing.

difference is,ps3 fans get MORE for their $60 dollars.more characters,coop and more game.and as a bonus,we get 3 things:

1)we get quantum theory as an exclusive to ps3.

2)we get games from team ninja after that f#ckhead itagaki leaving.a total smash to his face for lack of ps3 support and claiming 360 was more powerful,but now the team says ps3 is more powerful.

3)the look on 360 fans faces because their games are coming to ps3 in better form,more content and without terrible cameras and rushed games hiding behind BLOOD.oooohhh weeee!......BLOOD!as if blood makes an action game better.

how about "MORE ACTION" for "AN ACTION GAME" being "BETTER?"

apocalypse..................

[PirateThom]

I feel sorry for people bashing this for lack of gore ignoring, you know, the fact there's more actual game content.

How sad.

What's even worse is the fact is still contains blood and will probably still get an M rating.

This is how Ninja Gaiden will be in the future, more focused on the game, not the gore.

[thereapersson]

They play numbers, and the nitpicking game

[ultimolu]

Oh no Thom, did you just make sense again? Stop doing that! D:

[jay2]

@@@@s.

[na2ru1]

WH@T?

[ultimolu]

There is still gore in the bloody game. It's just not gushing out like a damn fountain. Ninja Gaiden wasn't just about the gore. It was about the difficulty and skills to pull off certain moves to defeat enemies.

Gamesradar needs to kindly stfu and sit down.

[Pizzagaki]

As no other i know that Ninja gaiden was about being hardcore, this includes both difficulty AND GORE!

Ninja gaiden without gore, is like DOA without boobs, or mario without shrooms.

[ultimolu]

There's still gore. -_-

[nycredude]

Did you like just turned 18 or something? Maybe you just never played a NGgame until NG2? Either case your comment, "Ninja gaiden without gore, is like DOA without boobs, or mario without shrooms." only proves it.

Every NG game before that one featured no significant gore, just violence and blood. That comment would be more accurate if you were describing GOW! Now run along and play nice and make sure you get home in time for supper.

[Pizzagaki]

Ninja gaiden 1 is full of hardcore, obviously the old nes ones where not, as the current ninja gaiden series is a reboot of the old one.
But i am sure your smart enough to know that.

[RedPawn]

Please go look Gaiden up.

[ultimolu]

stupid double post.

[Salta_nelas]

We dont need more gore as long as we have Kratos pwning.

[Information Minister]

According to Gamesradar, the "Xbox 360 version is still the better-looking" one. And they use 2 low res screenshots to exemplify.

Interestingly enough, Eurogamer sates exactly the opposite. And they use 2 higher res screenshots to exemplify ( http://www.eurogamer.pt/gal...

Considering the PS3 version runs in native 720p and the 360 version runs in 585p, which site should I believe?

[Unicron]

BUT BUT... teh Ghostbusterz!

Silly, isn't it?

[Rainstorm81]

NGS2 will probably be better received than NG2 by real NG fans

[na2ru1]

Like we were that desperate at all for an incomplete broken half arsed game right?

I didn't bother clicking the link after that.

[Rhezin]

I really loved the gore in the 360 version when I played it back then. But at least the camera issues will be fixed, and all the invisible walls too. There was a part in the game where yuou try to wall run to another wall, but he just WOULDN'T do it. I hope they fixed those annoying a$$ bugs. And to say there was no problem with the 360 version, murder, is just wishful thinking and denial setting in.

[unbiasedgamer251]

At first I was disappointed in the lack of gore, but now (at least for this game) I'm actually enjoying the the purple mist. I respect Team Ninja for not making gore the main part of this game.

[likedamaster]

1. No gore

2. Online co-op (none for campaign)

3. "There's also the fact that the Xbox 360 version is still the better-looking, with far fewer jagged edges and higher quality special effects and textures."

This is not what PS3 fans wanted to hear.

[TheBand1t]

Eurogamer says NGS2 looks better than NG2. Who am I gonna believe here?

I can live without gore in a game, I consider it a tradeoff for more content on the disc.

[Obama]

The 360 version is definitely inferior with lack of coop, weapons, characters, and additional missions. The best that some 360 fanboys can come up with is no gore? I can only laugh.

[Enterprise-E]

Ninja Gaiden 2 didn't run well with the gore and blood on either. Unless you consider dropping frames to almost under 20 FPS normal for any game.

Besides the gameplay that makes Ninja Gaiden not the gore affects.

[likedamaster]

As many times as I played through NG2, there's only one incident that I'm aware of (or on record, for that matter) where it drops fps and that's in the "stairs" level. Nowhere else does it drop in frames to that level. Thanks for weighing in though.

[Figboy]

God of War would be just as awesome if the gore was toned down, because it's the GAMEPLAY that is the standout feature of the game.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma was awesome (as were the Xbox versions).

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 will, at the least, be as fun as the Xbox version, with the added features making it a more complete package.

i think it's ridiculous that people think that just because a game is chock full of blood and guts (ie, Prototype and Mad World), it makes up for things like repetitive gameplay, or bland design. and developers should be just as ashamed of themselves for thinking that by adding such excessive content, they are making up for their mediocre game.

with that said, i dont mind blood and gore in games, but they certainly aren't a requisite, and the lack of it in games most definitely aren't indicative of a games lack of quality.

i'll gladly take the enhanced, not overly gory Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, than the original Xbox version of Ninja Gaiden 2, with blood.

[ZOMBIEMAN1]

is disappointed in the replacing of fountains of blood to purple stylish mist but with all the content ( and by content i mean the extra set of cleavage ) there still keeping the gore but i do hope it's true that what they showed at E3 was a toned down version of the final game and that it would retain the blood & gore from the original but this game still looks kick ass and the guy writing the article needs glasses the X360 version does not look better they look identical except the PS3 version has some extras going around in the background and that the camera is closer to Ryu in the X360 version and what jagged lines i didn't see any jaggies unless they want me to go get a microscope to find jaggies

[kewlkat007]

Yes plenty did...Gore/Violence is essential to the type of game being played.