Yesterday, stealthy screenshots made their way around the 'net, showing us just enough to get us excited. It seems like the newly released Ninja Gaiden 2 trailer is out to do the same thing; sneak up on us, surprise us, and then disappear.

If nothing else, this video is solid confirmation that Ryu Hayabusa has added a new weapon to his arsenal. Aside from the regular katana and kunai, it looks like Ryu will be toting a huge scythe around. It also looks like fun to use. No complaints here!

[Update: The freshly launched Xbox.com Web page mentions the addition of water-based gameplay (on-water battles?) to mix up the action. They also talk about new "finishing blow" system, which is supposed to add more gore, hopefully involving the scythe. Finally, the auto-heal system is there to bring a bit of accessibility to newcomers -- it restores semi-permanent damage at save points.

Team Ninja promises a compelling story in this 30-hour quest, which will lead players from Tokyo to New York to the Netherworld. There's also Xbox Live leaderboards for Karma scores as well as a new Master Ninja Tournament.

If the name Ninja Gaiden 2 wasn't enough to sell you already, these screenshots and this video will do the trick nicely. 

We look forward to more scythe-to-limb action soon.]