Customer Reviews

Ninja Gaiden Sigma

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If you enjoy games where you have to learn to cope and adapt to different opponents, this game is for you. It is quite challenging, so this is not for casual gamers - it very much tests one's reflexes. The game is rarely cheap (only when the camera is being crappy, as does happen a few times throughout the game), so if you lose, it means, 99% of the time, that you aren't using the right tactics to defeat an opponent. Remember that if you put your mind to it and concentrate, you will become better at playing the game, and that's how you mainly level up, not through increasing statistics like in D&D based games, but by improving your own skill as a player, although you do increase the strength of weapons and the size of your life bar throughout the game.

But if you enjoy everything about the game with the exception of the difficulty, if you die three times in a row in the beginning of the game, you can switch to an easier "Ninja Dog" mode. I also recommend this game for those who enjoy anime, specifically those who like ninja and/or crazy monster designs - the game is full of them. I first played the the original version of the game on the first xbox, not long after watching the anime "Ninja Scroll" for the first time, and although they are significantly different, there were things which overall I found familiar between them; so if anyone enjoys that anime or others like it, they should try out this game, although the story of the game is very simple and doesn't compare to NS.

Concerning this iteration of the game, it looks significantly better than the original Ninja Gaiden on the first XBox. Is it worth getting the system just for this game? - no. That's not to say there's anything wrong with this version of the game, but it isn't leaps and bounds above its predecessor, the original game. Graphics are sharper and more detailed, and the addition of next-gen lighting effects (like bloom) make the game significantly more enjoyable to watch, and thus play; this is an action game and therefore a very visual-based game, and for its time, the original version of the game had superb graphics on XBox (2004). This version had great graphics for 2007, but there are games with significantly better graphics out right now, including the sequel Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (but this game's graphics are sharper than the original sequel Ninja Gaiden 2 for 360). Having said that, I recommend people play the original version of the game first, "Ninja Gaiden Black" (which is the original, although polished) if they also own an original xbox or 360. If people liked that version of the game and want to play it again, I recommend playing this one too if they have access to a ps3.

Getting on with extras, let's talk about Rachel - if you enjoy the heavy weapons of the game, like the Warhammer or Dabilaro, she actually handles the Hammer better than Ryu does, so I'm one of the few who found her fun to play (she only has 3 shorter levels, but can be played in at least 10 challenge modes you unlock upon beating the game). The only thing that annoyed me, visually, is how much the animators made her breasts jiggle - downright silly. It's stupid because it takes away from the serious, albeit over-the-top, atmosphere of the game. It took away a lot of the seriousness of a few in-game cutscenes, one notably where she is struck and then falls - the camera then shows her fallen, and her boobs are swaying up and down - very dumb decision Team Ninja. One may argue that they look more 'natural' that way...but they're supposedly bound tight in her leather outfit...go figure. Anyway, enough about Rachel and her too over-the-top assets.

What I enjoy more about this game, although I love the 2nd one as well, is the fact there is more of an 'adventure' feel. There is platforming and a few puzzles, whereas the 2nd one is a straight run through of slaughtering and obliterating limbs, which although fun, doesn't have nearly as much re-playability as a game where you have to find the key to a door, unlock a gate by going through two other rooms, etc., on top of the great action. Having played the original version so many times, I was slightly disappointed at the fact one puzzle and one platforming challenge were taken out, no doubt, so that people wouldn't get frustrated and stuck, and to speed up the game's pace. Beneath the level with the catacombs, where the architecture is Egyptian, there are two rooms, a red and a blue room, where the player has to carefully go through a path, filled with giant swinging maces, in order to push a button on the other side of the room. The red room was significantly more difficult, with the player having to also avoid spikes on the path, along with the maces. The red room challenge has been virtually eliminated in this version. The other challenge that has been eliminated is a puzzle where the player had to move platforms around with levers in the correct sequence, in order to get to the next stage.

Although the first encounter between hero and nemesis has now become a playable part in the game, I personally found the pre-rendered CG cutscene of the original to have a lot more impact on the viewer. It introduced the baddy Doku (flame spirit in-cased in big samurai armor)in a far more atmospheric way because of the visual detail and even the subtle, more nuanced movement of characters and background elements (namely the fire), which in-game graphics still aren't able to achieve. Not to mention that in the original cinematic, we first see a ninja fall at Doku's feet, first the head, followed by the body spurting out a geyser of blood, in true Kurosawa/Ninja Scroll fashion; and there are further more impressive things about the original cut-scene. His entrance is definitely more menacing and leaves a more lasting impression in the original version of the game.

Also, as always, I recommend people at least try, in the options menu in the game's main menu, the original Japanese audio with English subtitles. There is hardly any dialogue here for those who are lazy to read some subtitles, but the main character, along with the other characters, emotes in a far better and more believable way in the original language (and I'm not biased because I've heard both.)

So my final verdict - Ninja Gaiden Sigma is a great game, even evaluating it 2 years later and comparing it to the first version. If you have access to the original, play it, and if you like it, you will no doubt want to play it at least a second time. In that case, pick this one up if you have access to a PS3. Enjoy!