Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2's team missions

Chopping up fiends in the Ninja Gaiden series is inherently satisfying; chopping up fiends with a friend is even better. That's the idea behind Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, the enhanced release of the original Xbox 360 action game on the PlayStation 3. Mind you, not every addition in this new version is an important one. Was anyone truly begging for the ability to jiggle the female leads' enormous breasts using the Sixaxis motion functionality? (Or at least, anyone in his right mind?) But pointless new mechanics aside, Sigma 2 adds three new excellent single-player levels to the campaign featuring three different heroines, each of which is terrific fun to control. Even better, you can join another player online in a substantial number of cooperative arenas, where you'll find double the flash and double the entertainment. This version of Ninja Gaiden II is notably better, and it offers enough extra content that even those who have already played and enjoyed the initial release should consider adding it to their game libraries.

Fewer flying limbs doesn't make decapitating ninjas with Momiji any less fun.

If you aren't familiar with Ninja Gaiden II, you can check out GameSpot's review of the Xbox 360 game here . Most of that game's delights and idiosyncrasies hold true in Sigma 2--incredibly satisfying finishing moves, difficult (and rewarding) boss fights, and a camera that might send you into occasional fits. If you played that game, don't expect to find every frustration and foible addressed. The camera oddities are on full display during a level featuring returning heroine Rachel (the buxom beauty from Ninja Gaiden Sigma), and while the visuals have been improved, many environments still look sterile, as if a sanitation crew has buffed everything clean and removed all superfluous objects. Yet while certain fundamentals have gone untouched, others have received clear attention. The liberal sprinkling of cherry blossoms and greater color saturation in the more idyllic locales make these areas look more vibrant, and the new cutscenes are great and mesh well with the existing ones. Some players may also find the diminished gore and less gruesome de-limbing to be noteworthy changes, though the action is so loud and lively that the limited bloodletting has little if any effect on the satisfaction of battle. Overall, this version clearly looks better, though it isn't devoid of quirks, such as occasional but noticeable screen tearing.
The other additions are far more pronounced. The aforementioned Rachel is joined by two other heroines, and each member of the trio has an entire level dedicated to her. These levels aren't noteworthy on their own; all three occur in Ninja Gaiden's typically disinfected environments, throw hordes of meanies at you, and conclude with surprisingly easy battles against big, blustery bosses. Yet while the levels are otherwise standard for the series, the characters are a total blast to play. Ayane, a character familiar to both Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive fans, is fast and agile. You'll use her dual blades to slice up giant winged demons while the butterfly bow on the back of her outfit flutters about. Momiji, protector of the Hyabusa children, isn't quite as agile as Ayane, but using her naginata to impale Black Spider members is pure pleasure. And then there's Rachel, whose figure is so impossibly curvaceous that it is a wonder she can stand upright, let alone wield her heavy hammer with such aplomb. She attacks more slowly than the other two women--more slowly than Ryu, the game's main protagonist, in fact--but while her moves are more deliberate, they pack a hearty punch. These three short levels occur within the main campaign and provide an excellent change of pace, because these characters play so differently from Ryu. And you can revisit each of the game's 17 levels in Chapter Challenge mode, which will score you based on your performance and hold your tail-kicking prowess up for all to see via online leaderboards.
These three lovely ladies aren't the only characters offering gifts: Ryu's levels have been tweaked as well. You'll encounter new fiends and new bosses, such as the first level's twice-encountered monstrosity. They're mostly great additions, though even in the context of the usually tough Ninja Gaiden challenge, a fight against a famous looming landmark is more unfair than you'd want it to be. On the other hand, Ninja Gaiden II's lesser bosses have been jettisoned or improved (remember that cheap explosion at the end of the armadillo fight? Gone!), and there are fewer enemies onscreen at any given time, though the enemies themselves seem better at dodging and countering. A few other additions enhance playability: improved aiming makes the bow easier to use, and if you're unsure where to go, you can hold R1 to get pointed in the right direction. Additionally, Ninja Gaiden II's frustrating projectile barrages have been minimized, which is a noteworthy change.
If you've played the Xbox 360 version, you'll probably find Sigma 2 to be easier on Warrior difficulty as a result of these changes, though you shouldn't assume it has suddenly become a cakewalk. The game is still quite a challenge, but the original's frustrations have been tweaked, while certain mechanics have been improved, and the action feels almost always fair--yet still tricky--as a result. (Nevertheless, veterans longing for a tough-as-nails challenge will wish to start at a higher difficulty.) Other changes include the removal of incendiary and windmill shurikens, the addition of an enormous sword called Enma's Fang and a lovely ranged powerhouse that's best to experience for yourself, and recalibrated enemy encounters, among many other subtle differences, additions, and subtractions.
It's a shame that the heroines don't get more face time in the campaign, but fortunately, you can use them to show off your prowess in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2's team missions. There are more than two dozen such missions, but you don't tackle them on your own: you are joined either by an AI companion or by another player online. And what a blast it is to carve up fiends and activate team ninpo attacks with a friend. Demons swarm forest glades and murky waters while you and your cohort jump, zip, and flail about the screen, slashing everything that moves and attempting to bring a little order to the chaos. The addition of another player makes team missions move at a different rhythm than you may be used to, but the team battles are breathless fun, particularly when a swarm of fiends is followed up by a boss fight. It's easy to hook up with someone online, though the stability of your experience may depend on the Internet connections for you and your partner. Some online missions we played were silky smooth, while others were a bit jittery; no online games we played were unbearably laggy, however.
Ninja Gaiden II was great, but it wasn't on the level of Ninja Gaiden--and in the same way, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 doesn't quite reach the heights of Ninja Gaiden Sigma. But thanks to its heady new co-op missions, it comes awfully close. Forget any worries you had about diminished blood and embrace the fury that the game's comely trio brings to the table. Taking control of one of them while slashing up fiends with a friend is a total riot, as is guiding them through their single-player levels. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 may not have addressed every shortcoming of its Xbox 360 predecessor, but it does a great job of making up for them with raw, unparalleled swordplay.

Iron Chef America

is an American cooking show based on Fuji Television's Iron Chef, and is the second American adaptation of the series, following the failed Iron Chef USA. The show is produced by Food Network, which also carried a dubbed version of the original Iron Chef. Like the original Japanese program, the program is a culinary game show. In each episode, a new challenger chef competes against one of the resident "Iron Chefs" in a one-hour cooking competition based on a theme ingredient. The show is presented as a successor to the original Iron Chef, as opposed to being a remake. The Chairman is portrayed by martial artist Mark Dacascos, who is introduced as the nephew of the original Japanese chairman Takeshi Kaga. The commentary is provided solely by Alton Brown, and Kevin Brauch is the floor reporter. The music is written by composer Craig Marks, who released the soundtrack titled "Iron Chef America & The Next Iron Chef" by the end of 2010. In addition, regular ICA judge Ted Allen provided additional floor commentary for two special battles: Battle First Thanksgiving (Symon/Flay v. Cora/Morimoto) and Battle White House Produce (Batali/Lagasse v. Flay/Comerford).
Per the introduction fiction from the Battle of the Masters miniseries (and ignoring story elements from the 2002 Iron Chef Japan Cup Special), Chairman Kaga (the character) has ordered his nephew to continue the tradition of Kitchen Stadium, initially in Los Angeles, where the Battle of the Masters took place, before establishing a permanent Kitchen Stadium in New York's Chelsea Market. For the Battle of the Masters, the elder Chairman dispatched two Iron Chefs: Hiroyuki Sakai and Masaharu Morimoto.
Unlike the original Iron Chef or Iron Chef USA, Alton Brown, rather than the Chairman, is credited as the show's host.

Giada De Laurentiis and Rachael Ray

ICA will occasionally stage special themed battles, generally during the holiday period. The first of these was held on November 12, 2006. A special 90-minute episode of Iron Chef America pitted two guest Food Network personalities, Giada De Laurentiis and Rachael Ray, the latter of whom does not consider herself a chef, against each other after they each received tips and training from Iron Chefs Bobby Flay and Mario Batali, respectively. While the early part of the episode made it appear as though it would be a head-to-head battle, the Chairman announced just prior to the secret ingredient reveal that it would in fact be a tag-team battle, with each of the women joined by the Iron Chef who trained her. The secret ingredient for the special was cranberries. The expanded timeframe allowed for longer cuts of the competition hour and the tasting segments to be presented, and the show as a whole had a more laid-back feel than regular ICA episodes. Plenty of joking and good-natured ribbing took place on both sides of the kitchen, such as Batali's effort to "bribe" the judges with cranberry bellini cocktails. The battle was won by Iron Chef Batali and guest chef Ray.
A second special holiday episode premiered on Sunday, November 25, 2007. This special, titled Iron Chef America: All Star Holiday Dessert Battle, paired Iron Chef Cat Cora and popular Food Network personality Paula Deen against fellow Food Network chefs Tyler Florence and Robert Irvine, with sugar as the secret ingredient. While this special was the usual 60-minutes in length, the tone was similar to the previous ICA special, with lots of "smack talking" and teasing among the four chefs. Iron Chef Cora and guest chef Deen's team emerged victorious.
On October 26, 2008, a Halloween battle took place between Iron Chef Michael Symon and former Next Iron Chef competitor Chris Cosentino. The theme ingredient was offal (organ meats, pig trotters, coxcombs, etc.), an ingredient with which each of the chefs is known to cook routinely. Igor and the Monster from the Broadway production of Young Frankenstein also made a special appearance, assisting with the presentation of the secret ingredient. The victory went to Iron Chef Symon.
A 90-minute "Thanksgiving Showdown" premiered on November 16, 2008. The secret ingredients were foods that might have been used at the first Thanksgiving feast: duck, lobster, heritage turkey, venison, leeks and walnuts. This battle marked the first time in ICA history that the American Iron Chefs competed against each other, with the team of Bobby Flay and Michael Symon battling against Cat Cora and Masaharu Morimoto. There were two floor reporters for this special: regular floor reporter Kevin Brauch covered Flay and Symon while ICA judge Ted Allen covered Cora and Morimoto. In addition, Mark Ecko appeared early in the episode to present the new Iron Chef jackets and describe the design process. Iron Chefs Flay and Symon defeated Iron Chefs Cora and Morimoto by one point.
First Lady Michelle Obama's White House Kitchen Garden was featured in a new special episode on January 3, 2010. The episode, called "The Super Chef Battle", featured Iron Chef Mario Batali and Super Chef Emeril Lagasse against Iron Chef Bobby Flay and White House Executive Chef Cristeta Comerford in a battle that required the chefs to create an American meal, with the produce from the White House garden as the secret ingredient. First Lady Michelle Obama made a special appearance, welcoming the chefs to the White House, and announcing the secret ingredient.^[8] This battle was also notable as the first for which the Chairman was not present in Kitchen Stadium. Although the Chairman appeared on video, and presented a supplemental range of sustainable foods to be used in the battle, it fell to announcer Alton Brown to start the battle with the traditional "Allez cuisine!" This battle was also the first that carried a prize: $25,000 was donated to City Meals, a New York charity similar to Meals on Wheels in the names of the winning team. Iron Chef Flay and Chef Comerford defeated Iron Chefs Batali and Lagasse.
On January 2, 2011, "Battle Deep Freeze" aired. The show featured Iron Chef Michael Symon and Chef Anne Burrell faced off against Iron Chef Cat Cora and Chef Robert Irvine. There was no formal secret ingredient, just the theme "deep freeze." The chefs had to prepare 5 dishes, each with a frozen component, on the following five themes: Fruits and Vegetables, Meat, Aromatics, Seafood, and Alcohol. The dishes were either served in or accented by ice carvings.

New York City, Iron Chef America'

Located at the Chelsea Market in New York City, Iron Chef America's version of Kitchen Stadium has a more modern appearance than the one from Iron Chef. Much of the equipment in the kitchen is top-of-the line; appliances include six burner stove tops, an infrared grill, blast chillers, convection ovens, deep fryers, cutting boards, a plethora of small electrical appliances like blenders and food processors, as well as pantry stations. Both kitchens in Kitchen Stadium are set up with the same appliances, and each pantry station has the same food items including expensive items like saffron. Challengers may also sometimes bring their own equipment to their sections; most notably, postmodern chef Homaro Cantu brought a Class 4 Laser, liquid nitrogen, and an inkjet printer with edible inks and paper for his signature dishes.^[9] One of the most infamous appliances in the kitchen is the ice cream machine (dubbed by the commentators as the Ice Cream Machine of Doom), which is often used to create unusual and abstract flavors of ice cream when chefs attempt to make a dessert course with the theme ingredient.^[10]
The commentator's station has Alton Brown standing in front of two large monitors providing several camera views of the action. The station is much closer to and on the same level as the cooking stations, allowing Alton Brown to converse with the competitors and ask brief questions. Alton Brown has made frequent comments about Kitchen Stadium being "an orbiting space station" or "an underwater facility."
There is a small section in the back of the stadium reserved for the studio audience, which is mostly composed of guests of the chefs. During the first two seasons, the audience is almost never mentioned or shown on camera unless there is a special guest in the audience. Starting with season 3, the show again takes a cue from its predecessor and gives a little more attention to the audience, particularly when someone close to the challenger or special guests are present. The audience is also now sometimes heard applauding the chefs, although they are ignored by cameras.
Despite Kitchen Stadium America's state-of-the-art appearance, problems arose during the first season. In her battle against Mario Batali, Chef Anita Lo had trouble getting her burners hot enough to cook her food. At one point, one of Lo's assistants took a pot over to Mario Batali's side of the kitchen to use his stove, to which Batali happily agreed.^[11] In several battles contestants have experienced technical problems with the ice cream machine. Though there have not been serious injuries in Kitchen Stadium America (unlike Iron Chef Bobby Flay receiving an electric shock as a then-challenger on the original Iron Chef), several contestants have suffered minor cuts from knife slips.
In the Behind the Scenes: Iron Chef America special, Iron Chef Hiroyuki Sakai voices his distaste for the modern look of the American Kitchen Stadium. Sakai referred to the kitchen as "cold."