I didn't like Ninja Gaiden II much. From what I saw of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, though, I like it a lot better. Amazing what an extra 12 months development time can do for a game, isn't it?
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is a remake of Ninja Gaiden II, first released around a year ago on the 360, only this time it's bound for the PlayStation 3. It has a few new game modes (including online co-op), some new characters and a whole range of fixes for the problems that plagued the 360 edition. While I didn't get any hands-on time with the game, I did sit down and watch new Team Ninja boss Yosuke Hayashi play through a few levels.
Firstly, and most importantly, the camera has been vastly improved over NG2's shoddy system (which was the main reason I never really got into the 360 game). No longer will it get stuck behind walls, or lag too slowly behind your character; it's crisp, maintains a constant following distance and zooms in and out of the action smoothly.
Also improved are the game's visuals. You'd expect this, with the remake coming a year after the original, but the fact remains, this looks better than the 360 edition. Cleaner textures, better effects, that sort of thing.
The one other significant change to the original is the addition of some extra characters: Ayane, Momiji and Rachel. Hayashi spent most time showing off Ayane, and using her makes for quite a different game, her shorter reach and greater speed changing the way you approach the game's enemies.
Aaaaaaannnnnd that's about all I could gather from the demo: the fact this is Ninja Gaiden II, only with an extra 12 months' worth of polish, fixes and a few new additions. Since the game went down so well on 360, it should be received just as well on PS3 when it ships sometime this Fall.