Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 – “Team Missions” Co-op (with video!) and More

Hi readers, this is Hayashi from Team NINJA checking in again. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is coming along very well and I hope our Challenge in our previous post kept you busy while you wait for additional information on the game. Just in case you weren’t able to spot the differences, they are:

Ayane

1. The dagger with the iris is stuck on the bridge
2. Team NINJA logo on the side of the flying vehicle (the left one)
3. One less bump on the Buddha’s head

Rachel

1. A scar on the Buddha’s cheek (hammer attack by Rachel)
2. Bullet cases on the bridge (instead of flower petals)
3. Bullet holes on the handrail of the bridge

Momiji

1. A good luck charm on the handrail of the bridge
2. Maple leaves (instead of flower petals)
3. Ryu’s image (looks like a billboard advertisement) on the lower level of the red tower

In the previous post (and ever since we announced Sigma 2 back in March), there were many comments about the violence/gore level in this game compared to NGII, which we released over a year ago on the 360. As in our response, our goal is to create one of most challenging action games and we believe that can be achieved without all of attention going to the amount of blood that is used throughout the game. (Not to mention the fact that ESRB advertising guidelines do NOT allow decapitation in trailers even if the game is rated “M” for Mature, so we haven’t been able to include any footage of that in our trailers…dismemberment is allowed, but no decapitation.)

Going back to the playable characters in Sigma 2, we’re going to give them some flavor by throwing in some costumes! Ryu and Rachel will each have four unlockable costumes, while Ayane and Momiji will have two.

A sample of the costumes are:

Ryu: “Falcon” (from Ninja Gaiden II), clear the “Path of the Ninja” or “Path of the Warrior” once

Ayane: “Ninja Gaiden Sigma” (from Ninja Gaiden Sigma), clear the “Path of the Ninja” or “Path of the Warrior” once

Momiji: “Training” (from Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword), clear the “Path of the Ninja” or “Path of the Warrior” once

Rachel: “Long Flowing” (from Ninja Gaiden Sigma), clear the “Path of the Ninja” or “Path of the Warrior” once

Speaking of unlockables, there will be over 50 trophies to earn in Sigma 2: 38 bronze, 10 silver, 2 gold and 1 platinum. And for those who played NGII, yes, there are new trophies in Sigma 2 which involve the new playable characters as well as the co-op mode.

Now, onto the all-new “Team Missions” co-op mode. We introduced “Mission Mode” in the original Sigma where the goal was to simply destroy all enemies in sight…but that was you playing alone. In TEAM Missions (no “I” in TEAM!), it’s all about teamwork (2 players; Online 1P+1P or Offline 1P+CPU) and how well you perform with another partner. There are more than 30 missions, categorized by difficulty level. Once you select your mission, you then select your character’s weapon, ninpo and costume. In Team Missions, you are prohibited from using items and may not change weapons. You will encounter situations that do not occur in Story Mode, such as facing multiple bosses at once!

The rule is simple: if one of the two players dies, it’s game over. Team up with your partner to execute an Ultimate Ninpo attack, where players, if timed right, can combine their Ninpo attacks for superior destructible power against the enemies. A warning will go off when your partner is low on health, so get closer and rescue them using the Critical Save command.

If you decide not to team up with another fellow Sigma 2 player, you can play alone, using an AI-controlled character. Partner up with a friend or other super ninjas around the world and take on the toughest challenges. Here’s a look at Team Missions in action:

In Team Missions, you and your partner can select the same character, so it will be possible to play missions with two Ryus, two Ayanes and so on. Since there are different difficulty levels, I encourage everybody to beat them all for ultimate ninja bragging rights! To prove those bragging rights, you can view your playthrough in Ninja Cinema (available for Team Missions) and share it online. To view, you will be prompted to save the record at the end of each mission. Your Karma points and rankings will also be available to view online.

So, when will all of this be available, you ask? September 29. Not only that, but we also have a GameStop-exclusive pre-order costume that will be available to download via PSN at the time of launch, as well as a special Collector’s Edition package! The Collector’s Edition package will include an 80-page book featuring a “Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Prologue” comic, a mini-strategy guide and an art gallery. The comic, written and designed by Team NINJA’s artist, is actually a printed form of the digital comic that has been integrated into the game. Here’s a peek:

We’ll be sharing details on a few more new features next time, so stay tuned!