I'll agree NG2 lacks balance and all that. But fuck, that game was so fucking fun. I haven't played past Normal mode yet, although I've been meaning to, but compared with my experience with Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black I just enjoyed NG2 a whole lot more despite the blatant lack of balance. The one thing I'd praise NG over NG2 are the boss fights. Oh, and mission mode.