Ninja Gaiden II

Ninja Gaiden II is the sequel to Ninja Gaiden released worldwide on Xbox 360 in June, 2008. It was developed by Team Ninja and published by Microsoft Game Studios, marking the first time a Team Ninja developed game was not published by Tecmo. While sharing the same number as the Nintendo Entertainment System game Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos, it is not a conversion of that older title. The game will not be released in Germany, due to lack of a USK rating.

Gameplay

Ninja Gaiden II keeps most of the core elements of its predecessor, Ninja Gaiden. Protagonist Ryu Hayabusa (voiced by Josh Keaton) engages the world in a third person over-the-shoulder perspective, beginning the game with basic, low-level abilities and weapons that can be upgraded as he progresses by discovering or buying items. Ryu can interact with the game environment by running along and jumping off walls, swinging from pole to pole, or running across water. Unlike its predecessor, which used a city designated as a hub, Ryu travels around the world, ranging from New York, Tokyo, the familiar Hayabusa Village, the Aqua Capital (with an environment similar to the canals of Venice), and regions of non-human origins, such as the Northern Purgatory, Lifeblood Shrine and Niflheim in a progressive stage-by-stage setting, reminiscent of the style of the original Ninja Gaiden platformers. Aside from fighting enemies, Ryu will need to find keys and solve puzzles in the various environments, so as to progress through the game.

In-game cut scenes serves as the narrative to the story, and dragon busts can be used to save player progress, permitting gameplay to be resumed at a later time. Certain busts enable the player to record films of gameplay and upload the videos onto Xbox LIVE for users to download and watch. Ninja Gaiden II uses the same scoring system, based on the player’s speed in clearing encounters, the number of kills achieved, the number of unused magic spells (or ninpos) remaining at the end, and the amount of essence collected. Players can compare their scores on online ranking boards.

Grand Theft Auto IV

Grand Theft Auto IV (abbreviated to GTA IV) is a sandbox-style action-adventure video game developed by Rockstar North.It is the ninth title in the Grand Theft Auto series and the first in its fourth generation. Grand Theft Auto IV was released worldwide (except in Japan) on 29 April 2008 for both PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360.Two episodic packs will be released exclusively for the Xbox 360, the first of which has been delayed until the first quarter of Take-Two’s 2009 financial year.

The game is set in a redesigned rendition of Liberty City, a fictional city based heavily on modern day New York City. It follows Niko Bellic, a war veteran from Eastern Europe,who comes to the United States in search of the American Dream,only to find his cousin has lied about the wealth that was promised to be awaiting him. Like other games in the series, GTA IV features “open-world” gameplay that gives the player more control over their playing experience. GTA IV is the first console game in the series to feature an online multiplayer mode, which contains fifteen different game types.

A major commercial and critical success, Grand Theft Auto IV broke sales records by selling about 3.6 million units on its first day of release and grossing more than $500 million in its first week.The game received overwhelmingly positive reviews, becoming the highest-rated video game of all-time on review aggregator sites Metacritic and Game Rankings for over a month after it was launched.