The Ninja Gaiden franchise has been around for a long time, dating back to the 1980’s when it was a side-scroller on Nintendo’s NES, Sega‘s Master System, and even Atari’s old school handheld, the Lynx. But when it was released on the original Xbox in 2004, it put the “kill” in killer-app and became a huge success. Maverick ninja Ryu Hayabusa, slashed and sliced with a style and flair that got gamers so addicted, that the following year the game was re-issued with new features under the title Ninja Gaiden Black. Now, Tecmo has unleashed the world’s deadliest ninja into the next-gen console arena exclusively for the PS3 with Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Is the third time truly a charm? You’re damn right it is!
gameplay
Let’s just get this straight, Ninja Gaiden Sigma is not a sequel. It is a re-mastered version of the previous two games, which have been tweaked for high definition and given the George Lucas special edition treatment to show off a glossier look, expanded levels, faster gameplay, and the ability to play as Rachel, an unplayable character who made appearances in the last versions of the game.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma’s storyline centers on Ryu returning to his village to discover that everyone has been killed and --- yada, yada, yada --- whatever. Basically, Ryu is out for revenge and he’s going to kick the ass of anyone who gets in his way of finding the person responsible. For those who have played the previous version, the first thing you are going to notice in Sigma is the focus on speed. It runs smoothly at 60 fps in 1080p, making Ryu appear as a blur as he takes on multiple enemies at once. There were literally moments when Ryu is fighting on the left side of the screen, and with just a simple tap of the controller he was slicing someone down on the right side of the screen as smooth as butter without a hiccup. Adrenaline and swift button combinations are paramount if you want to beat this game. Ryu is not a ninja who waits in the shadows and sneaks around taking out his targets quietly. He is a bad mofo who jumps right into the middle of ten swordsmen and takes them on all at once.
The basic gameplay has not been changed, so features from the previous version are pretty much still intact here. After killing enemies you collect their souls in the form of yellow, blue, or red essence, which can be used to upgrade or get new weapons, healing potions and purchase special magical attacks known as ninpo. For the PS3 version, shaking the sixaxis increases the power of your ninpo once it’s activated. This feature is actually something that could have been left out, because it doesn’t feel right for this game. Just because the sixaxis offers motion sensing doesn’t mean developers should force themselves to slap it into gameplay.
Besides Ryu’s traditional sword, new weapons added for the PS3 are the Dragon’s Claw and Tiger’s Fang. These are twin swords that Ryu holds in each hand to rip through enemies faster and deadlier. Seeing Ryu dueling it out with multiple baddies using these dual blades is worth the sticker price alone. It would have been great if there were a bigger selection of swords for Ryu to unleash all hell with, but the combination of kills you can perform with the weapons available are still highly satisfying.
What makes Ninja Gaiden unique from all other ninja titles on the market is that he is not locked into an old world Japanese setting where he is limited to only villages and caves. Ryu fights futuristic baddies who attack with machine guns, rocket launchers, and swords that have typically been seen only being used by Jedi Knights. Some settings take place in secret hi-tech underground bases, enormous flying blimps, castles, and huge arenas, which are all the same levels from the original Xbox version.
Word of warning, this game is hard as hell and will bring you near tears on certain levels. The AI is top notch, with baddies who have been programmed to put a hurting on you by any means necessary. It doesn’t matter how good you think you are, this game will have you seeing the “GAME OVER – CONTINUE?” screen over and over again until you get it right. The boss battles in particular get crazy on some levels, because not only do you have to bring the boss down, but also the swarm of henchman who surround him. This is for hardcore gamers only. Everyone else can go play Paper Mario with their grandmas on the Wii.
The biggest addition to this version of Ninja Gaiden, are the levels that allow you to play as Rachel, a female ninja who is on her own mission of vengeance. Unlike the other areas of the game, the levels with Rachel have been designed specifically for the PS3. They don’t look jaw dropping, but do maintain the look of Ryu’s levels. While Rachel’s missions are a nice bonus and will fill in some of the gaps of the story, she just doesn’t have the cool factor that Ryu possesses. Her moves feel somewhat slower and are not as flashy. Rachel’s missions are also not very difficult, so after endless hours of taking on the bad guys as Ryu, you’ll be able to play through the Rachel missions with total ease.
The PS3 version of Ninja Gaiden is no doubt the definitive edition of the game. Even if you’ve played the Xbox versions you will want to pick up your sword again and slash through the action one more time. Sure, the game is not perfect, there are camera issues and some of the backgrounds look as if they were just lifted from the Xbox version without any upgrades, but these are minor flaws compared to the well-oiled machine Ninja Gaiden Sigma is as a whole.
graphics
Being that this is an enhanced version of an original Xbox game, these are not the most amazing visuals that the PS3 can offer, but they do look great. Some of the backgrounds look flat in places and the original cut scenes have not been re-rendered, but Ryu’s animations have been tweaked to perfection. He is possibly one of the best looking and swiftest characters that has ever graced a video game’s screen. Rachel also looks kick ass as she flips around and jiggles like a DOA girl, taking on a horde of baddies. One other compliment I must point out, is there are times when there are up to ten characters on the screen moving at once, and never was there an issue with slow down, which is very impressive and demonstrates what we can look forward to with future PS3 titles.
sound
When Ryu’s sword slices off the head of one of his enemies, you can hear the head spin in the air and then hit the ground, sounding like a melon rolling on the floor of a supermarket. The sound effects and music are top notch, giving you a total rush as you battle through level after level. There is an option to hear the game in English, but hearing it in Japanese is the way to go; delivering the anime experience that a game like Ninja Gaiden emulates.
replay value
Because of the difficulty, it is going to take you a good amount of time to finish the campaign story mode. In addition to Rachel’s side story levels, there are also a series of bonus missions to play through, which were featured in Ninja Gaiden Black. There are no online features, but throughout the game you collect Karma essence based on how well you completed levels, and this can be uploaded to a leaderboard to display who is the baddest ninja of them all.
bottom line
If you’ve played this game before, it’s like revisiting an old friend, and if this is your first time playing a Ninja Gaiden game you are in for the ride of your life. This is what an action game should be: fast, furious, and relentless. If you’ve got a PS3, you’ve got to get this game. Period.
Review by: Johnny McNair
Posted: 07/11/2007
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Gameplay:
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9.5 |
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Graphics:
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9.0 |
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Sound:
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8.5 |
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Replay Value:
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8.5 |
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Bottom Line:
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9.0 |
