Well kids, it turns out that the "Brutally Fun" countdown was indeed counting down to Ninja Gaiden 2 (sorry Schafer fans), and the first trailer is now available online and on Xbox Live Marketplace. Along with the new trailer comes the official page on Xbox.com, which reveals something a little disturbing to hardcore gamers. You see, it looks like Ninja Gaiden 2 has been bitten by the "casual bug." According to the game's description on Xbox.com, it features "a newly implemented auto-healing functionality and save point system" that restores "semi-permanent damage" at save points. The new health system -- apparently coupled with numerous save points -- is obviously a nod to the more casual gamers out there, but it also serves as a warning sign to the hardcore gamers who found the original Ninja Gaiden's extreme difficulty to be a blessing. The official description notes that the game will be accessible to casual fans but also "challenging to even the most demanding gamers." We hope that's true, or else it could mean the last vestiges of old-school difficulty have finally been wrung from mainstream video games.
by Richard Mitchell @TheRichardM on Sep 12th 2007 9:30AM