Ninja Gaiden Sigma [PS3]

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.