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A beautiful thing just got bloodier.

Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox still holds the record for the highest review score I've ever given; 99% out of 100. While I could never live with myself for giving a game the perfect score, I still contend that the 99% didn't do it justice. This game was a testament to how old school gaming could merge seemlessly with next generation technology and produce what is (in my opinion) one of the ten greatest video games of all time.

The title spawned three iterations; two for the original Xbox and most recently, Ninja Gaiden Sigma for the Playstation 3. In a somewhat surprising move, developer Team Ninja and Tomonobu Itagaki announced that the much anticipated sequel, simply called Ninja Gaiden II would initially be released exclusively for the Xbox 360. While Sony fans are left scratching their heads in confusion, Xbox 360 owners are already sharpening their Katanas in preparation for a June 2008 release.

To understand the true appeal of the sequel, you have to understand what a masterpiece the original game was and still is today. Contrary to popular opinion, Ninja Gaiden wasn't an overly difficult game. Challenging? Most definitely. But what the game did so brilliantly was expose a gamer's weaknesses. If you're impatient, if you try to hack and slash through every level and boss, the game punishes you harshly. Learn to block, use your combos, utilize Ninpo effectively, and you could succeed.

Now that we have that sorted out, let me say that all indications are that Ninja Gaiden II will at least match, if not eclipse the first title. While story elements are not of particular importance in this series, the balls-to-the-wall action is what really counts. Early game play footage shows that the theme this time around appears to be "more" of what made the first one so great.