Okay, now I promise I'm done with the game...
Just finished Ninja Gaiden Sigma on Master Ninja.
Holy hell, that was intense. Most of it actually was pretty much like Very Hard, enemy placement and stuff, but everything's buffed just enough to get on your nerves. Some bosses summon a third guy and that makes a whole lot of difference (blob tentacle with 3 cats... *shiver*).
The hardest part by far was Chapter 1. Red Ninjas with a crappy Dragon Sword and ridiculous health, not to mention the camera... whoa. Chapter 2 was difficult as well, especially the horsemen bit, but not nearly as stupid as Ch1. Chapter 18 took a while because I backtracked and saved after every step of the tower, but I did the boss rush on my first try (even discovered a relatively easy strategy for Ishtaros).
And man, a
fourth mandatory Fiend Ryu on Master Ninja? GAH. I couldn't tell if his Unlabored Flawlessness got stronger as he got weaker, but at least he was much easier than the katana version.
The Master Ninja-exclusive items (Ayane's and Fragrance) are so adorable. I read they appear in Black as well. Saved them for the boss rush.
It sucks that you go through all the pain and don't even get a congratulations screen...