Ninja Gaiden has been around for ages. From the first games on the NES until the newest title on the PS3, we’ve been through a lot with Ryu Hayabusa. Ninja Gaiden Sigma is the current culmination of the journey. The game isn’t a sequel, nor is it a port of the Xbox game. Sigma falls somewhere in between. With enhanced graphics and tweaked gameplay, there’s something for all fans of the series. Here is a breakdown of some of the facets of Ninja Gaiden Sigma for the PS3:
Presentation and Graphics: There’s no other way to say it, Ninja Gaiden Sigma is flat out beautiful. The game runs at 1080p at a constant 60 frames per second. Character models and environments are very crisp. Animations are some of best we’ve seen in any action title. Comparing the game to the Xbox version (upscaled on the Xbox 360), Sigma simply blows it out of the water. In fact, it blows many next-gen titles out of the water as well. 5 of 5
Sound and Music: The sounds haven’t seen much change since the original Xbox version. Cut-scenes have the same audio, and all sound effects have been slightly enhanced for 5.1 channel uncompressed Linear PCM audio. Not much enhancement was needed, as the sound was great in previous iterations of the title. Something I would have liked to have seen was better dialog sound. Listening to characters speaking in the cutscenes required me to crank my receiver a bit with 5.1 channel Linear PCM. Otherwise, the sound in the game is great. 4 of 5
Gameplay: Ninja Gaiden Sigma has some of the most responsive controls I’ve ever used in an action/adventure game (only the God of War series feels better). The camera works as well, if not slightly better, than previous iterations of Ninja Gaiden. Because of the game’s 60 frames per second, the controls feel even more responsive than the Xbox versions of the game. The only downfall to the controls that I found are the SIXAXIS additions in the game. To increase your Nimpo power, you shake the SIXAXIS controller from side to side. This feels awkward to the point where Team Ninja just threw this into the game to say they’re using motion controls. Otherwise, the game controls brilliantly.
Sigma sports enhanced and added levels from the Xbox versions of the game. The new level designs add depth to the play. There were certain areas of the game where I was surprised and what came around the next turn, as I was expecting the same elements from the Xbox versions. This added a lot to the feel of the game. The new chapters where you get to play as Rachel are well designed and very fun. I prefer Ryu myself, but Rachel is a huge addition to Ninja Gaiden Sigma. 4.5 of 5
Lasting Appeal: There are many new gameplay elements from the Xbox versions of Ninja Gaiden which provide hours of fun for fans of the series. However, there is little replay value once you’ve run through Sigma the first time. The Mission Modes allow for a decent amount of replay value, but not enough to keep going back. This is to be expected though, as virtually all Ninja Gaiden games have been straight up single player titles. 3.5 of 5
Final Word: If you have a PS3 and like action/adventure titles, you owe it to yourself to pick up a copy of Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Even if you’ve played through the game before, the additions and new level designs give more than enough reason to play again. Even if you just rent the game, it’s a must play for the PS3.
Overall: 4 of 5
1 = Not worth the bandwidth.
2= Demo is enough, not worth your money.
3= Game is good, depending on the price, seriously consider picking it up.
4= Worth your money. Should provide some good times for quite awhile.
5= Buy the game. Lock your door. Pick up a case of beer. This could take all night.
