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Ninja Gaiden II
After the brief cutscene featuring the red-winged demonic fiend, you'll assume Ryu's role. You won't encounter Zedonius immediately, because you'll be preoccupied with an array of smaller enemies to dispose of. The setting is a snow-laden city, reminiscent of Russia. You'll have to proceed through narrow streets and open courtyards, over sandbagged defences, and around deserted tanks as you progress through the level on your mission to stop the archfiend.
Hindering your progress will be wave after wave of soldiers equipped with rocket-propelled grenade launchers. They usually appear two at a time and unleash a series of rockets at you in quick succession. It certainly pays to dodge these barrages--if you're a sitting duck your health will quickly diminish. While sprinting straight towards your assailants is one way to avoid staying put, it's a challenge to dodge projectiles en route as you try to get within striking range without being hit. Another option is to hide behind cover, wait for the soldiers to reload, and then use your bow to take them out from afar, which works well if you value your life. Although your health bar will regenerate, it will happen only once you've cleared an area of enemies, and each time you bear the brunt of an enemy's attack, your health bar capacity will be permanently reduced by a small amount. Thankfully, full health can be restored by using health packs or by finding restore points.
In addition to foot soldiers, we encountered some pesky dogs, which looked to be armed with explosives (but of course!), and some larger enemies, including one that resembled the queen from Aliens. Although we didn't see them, we're sure the Spider Clan, as well as more unworldly enemies, will still be on the lookout for Ryu.
While Ninja Gaiden was a challenging game for even hardcore gamers, Ninja Gaiden II's difficulty has been dropped a notch so as to cater to a wider audience. Despite that, there's a range of difficulty levels, and even the easiest one (acolyte) will be a challenge for Ninja Gaiden novices. Thankfully, we were able to play through the first couple of levels before attempting level eight, but even with a bit of gameplay under our belt, it certainly wasn't a walk in the park.
The idea is that you'll unlock new moves, abilities, and ninpo (magic), as well as level up your weapons, as you progress through the game. Once you've gotten to the harder and more advanced levels, therefore, you should have the appropriate training to be able to vanquish any foe that stands in your way, though it still might take you a few attempts when it comes to the more challenging situations and boss battles.