February 20, 2008 - At Microsoft's Keynote held during GDC 2008, Tomonobu Itagaki showed a new level from Ninja Gaiden 2. The "GDC Special Edition" demo gave us a glimpse at the Temple of Sacrifice and revealed an exciting new feature for Ninja Gaiden 2.

For those who have had doubts about the visual fidelity of Ninja Gaiden 2 -- stop worrying. The Temple of Sacrifice is a gorgeous level. Set inside a gigantic gave, with bats fluttering about and dozens of enemies standing in Ryu's way, the Temple offers something not scene in the first Ninja Gaiden -- the sense of an epic scale. This is a sprawling level that makes the greatest ninja in history look like little more than an ant. Jaws dropped. And then Ryu started lopping off heads.

The combat in Ninja Gaiden 2 is fast. Yes, even faster than in Ninja Gaiden Black. And body parts and blood are everywhere -- and none of it disappears. Team Ninja has clearly kicked the creature design up a notch. The fiends in the Temple of Sacrifice are cooler than most anything seen in the previous iteration. The stars of the demo were a set of horrific eight-foot-tall beasts with a chainsaw for one arm and a gun for the other. At one point, Ryu was knocked to the ground and the fiend began sawing into his chest.



Some ninpo was also shown off. The Tornado Ninpo is particularly effective. It creates a radiating wave of wind that tears enemies apart and sends body parts across the screen. We also got a look at one of Ryu's ultimate attacks. Drawing in the energy from fallen enemies, Ryu then released a flurry of sword strikes that left the assembled crowd dazed. Ninja Gaiden 2 is guaranteed to remove wrinkles from your pants.


When Ryu reached a save point, we learned of a new feature. Ninja Gaiden 2 has a record feature. You can record yourself tearing through a level and then upload your efforts to Xbox Live. Itagaki didn't discuss any other functionality with replays -- such as independent camera controls. For now we'll just have to be satisfied with knowing it exists in some form.

As Ryu made his way towards the temple, we caught a glimpse of a cliff in the background and a river of blood flowing down its side. Then, using the D-Pad to quick-select weapons, Itagaki switched to the Tonfa. This new weapon is an old standard for ninja. It's basically a plank of wood, strapped on each forearm. Ryu's tonfa are a little more extravagant with some luminescent green element on the ends. It's fast, like the nunchaku, but appears far more effective.

The demo ends with a gorgeous cut-scene as Ryu reaches a new boss. A fiend, perched atop the temple, has thin wings and bones protruding from his back. He blathers on and on about some nefarious plot to bring some evil being back from the beyond. We can't wait to lop this dude's head off.

Ninja Gaiden 2 ships in early June.