Ninja Gaiden Sigma Review
Jul 3, 2007
Ninja Gaiden is and always has been a tasty treat for gamers. Those who dine at the Xbox table have been enjoying it for years as one of the best things on that console's menu. After a re-serving with new features and a cheaper price as Ninja Gaiden Black, Tecmo is taking the series to a new generation and a new audience. Some may feel like they're getting leftovers, but most will salivate at what's put in front of them.
The sooner you realize Ninja Gaiden Sigma is a remake of a game that's already been remade, the less bitter of a pill you'll have to swallow. If you've become familiar with Ryu Hyabusa recently, you'll be trudging through a lot of familiar territory. That's not to say Sigma doesn't offer anything new, but at its heart this is the same Ninja Gaiden game you know and most likely love.
Of course, Ninja Gaiden was one of the best action games of the previous console generations, and it quickly slots itself in right at the top of the next-gen food chain as well. Sigma features all the sublime swordplay and frenzied action you could hope for in a ninja game: imposing bosses, gravity-defying moves, and even a little bit of a story come standard. Ninja Gaiden is deep enough to be considered an action game with fighting-game depth. This genre really doesn't get much better.
It's no walk in the park, as experienced players can attest. Rookies will die early and often. When this happens, the game will (almost mockingly) offer to bump down the difficulty level. It's a tad insulting (who wants to be a Ninja Dog?), but if you can't stand the heat get out of the kitchen, right? What's amazing is how rarely the game can be accused of being cheap: If you died, chances are it was your own fault. Enemies are tough, but can be overcome with savvy skills.
The main reason to order a serving of Ninja Gaiden Sigma is to see its amazing visuals. An already-gorgeous game has been made to look even better on PlayStation 3. While much of the environments and characters show marked improvements, where the graphics really shine is in the animations. When you watch Ryu wielding his katana like a true martial artist (focus on "artist"), it's a sight to behold. It's smooth like a silk scarf wrapped in butter -- or, if you want to get technical, it's running at 60 frames per second even in 1080p.
Of course, Ninja Gaiden Sigma serves up a few side dishes of new gameplay content as well. Ryu can now dual-wield swords for an even more dizzying flurry of razor-sharp death. It feels a little more button-mashy than the other weapons, but definitely deserves a place in every good ninja's arsenal. You'll use the Sixaxis's motion control when executing ninja magic, and the reward is worth the exertion. A subtle but appreciated enhancement allows the d-pad to access healing items, eliminating the need to pause to replenish life.
The cherry on top, however, comes in the form of Rachel -- Sigma's new playable character. She's built like a brick outhouse, and hits as hard as one. With a totally different feel and a sweet grappling hook, players will have a unique experience during Rachel's three new levels. It's more appetizer than entree and betrays Ryu's whole "lone-wolf" image a bit, but nobody's going to kick Rachel off their PlayStation 3.
Being the third iteration of the same game, you come to expect perfection. Ninja Gaiden Sigma does not deliver this in every aspect. While the camera has undergone a makeover, it now requires more babysitting. Often, it will settle on a view that is either looking too low or too high to be intuitive. Also, it's shocking that Team Ninja hasn't fixed the problem of using the same button to attack and open doors. Nothing literally takes you out of the fight like battling a bunch of enemies, then accidentally passing into an adjacent, empty room.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma is an excellent, polished game, and those who haven't rocked it on Xbox are urged to put it on the top of their to-buy list. Those who have put it through its paces before have a more difficult decision on their hands. This is no budget-priced update, but rather an expensive, refined piece of software. At the end of the day, though, it's the same meal you've eaten before -- albeit with lots of garnish, a prettier server, and some extra helpings of dessert. Those are all great things if you're hungry, but don't do a whole lot of good if you're already feeling a bit full from Ninja Gaiden's cooking.