Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1067 in Computer & Video Games
• Brand: Eidos
• Released on: 2007-07-06
• Rating: Parental Guidance
• Platform: PLAYSTATION 3

Amazon.co.uk Review

The old NES Ninja Gaiden games might be little known in Europe (where they were called Shadow Warriors) but on the Xbox the series found itself a whole new generation of fans with its stunning graphics and intense combat. This is a remake of the Xbox game Ninja Gaiden Black - itself a re-release of the original game with extra content. It's essentially a third person fighter not too dissimilar to Devil May Cry, although the combat is more technical than Capcom's freeform style, with every enemy putting up a considerable fight. Indeed without significant amounts of practise the game seems almost remorselessly difficult, even on the disparagingly named "ninja dog" mode.

The major addition in terms of content here is a new player character called Rachel, who trades the graceful combat of ninja Ryu Hayabusa for a gigantic hammer. In the end though the most import changes to the game are the apparently endless series of small refinements to each stage, with almost every element of a level tweaked, from different power-ups to new bosses, enemies and even weapons. Naturally the graphics have also been improved and despite the Xbox origins this is one of the best looking games on the PS3.

Despite the difficulty this features some of the most graceful combat seen in any game, against a surreal array of different backdrops and enemies. Once you start to master the controls, and realise that almost every attack can be blocked or dodged relatively easily, the whole experience becomes almost balletic.
Harrison Dent

Manufacturer's Description
The ultimate ninja is back more challenging and more beautiful than ever. Ninja Gaiden, the game that Gamespot called about so close to perfection as action games get, is making its debut on the Playstation 3. Play as Ryu Hayabusa, a young master ninja who seeks vengeance against those who attacked his village and stole the Dark Dragon Blade. Featuring exclusive new features including dual wielding weapons, deadly new enemies, and the ability to play as Rachel.

Customer Reviews

Overrated
Just another ninja gaiden game, does not bring a thing of interest to my taste, you'll look good whatever you do, not that you'll always do what you want though... Better off buying DMC4

A Farewell To Thumbs.
When talking of Ninja Gaiden Sigma, there are those who wish to talk about how the game differs from the original XBOX versions (especially Ninja Gaiden Black (2005)), on the one hand, and those who wish to talk about Sigma as simply a great PS3 game. I would like to focus on the latter point. Sure, NGS is more polished graphically than its predecessor, and has a new playable character -the heavily bosomed Rachel- but it is fundamentally the same game to any but the most fanatical Ninja Gaiden fans. Of course, Tomonubo Itagaki, who was Producer of the XBOX Ninja Gaidens, would disagree with this point: he has publicly denigrated the PlayStation 3 version of the game, perhaps because it was left to his understudies to make whilst he worked on the XBOX 360's Ninja Gaiden 2. But let's put that down to ego and move on.

Sigma is a beautiful game, but its real beauty lies in the complexity of the combat system. The game is quite simply a masterpiece of fast-paced control and combat design. It edges ahead of games such as the excellent Devil May Cry series because of its wonderful balance of defence and attack, magnificently fluid controls and ultra-demanding difficulty level. Its lasting brilliance is shown by how it is able to instil a feeling of pride in a gamer who succeeds in defeating a boss, or mastering a combo move: it is the gaming equivalent of learning a martial art. It is Ninjitsu for thumbs.

Sigma, whilst not significantly "better" than the previous versions of the game, is wonderful despite -or perhaps because of- that. Most significantly, it gives PlayStation 3 owners the chance to play the greatest hardcore action adventure masterpiece of the last twenty years.

One of the hardest and more complex titles available these days
What I love most of this game is that it will not only put your skills to the limit but it will always make you want to start the game over again and again to perform each fight in a more elegant way: fighting feels a lot like dancing with the enemies. There will always be room for improvement and space to develop your very own style along with a broad set of weapons to pick from.

This was an amazing game made by the "Ninja Team" developers.