PS3 gets an ass-kicking from Ninja Gaiden

Ninja Gaiden Sigma for PS3

After a long summer of enjoying the outdoors I'm back in to play some games for you all. Now that those who know me have had their laugh, all I do is game (and play music) in my spare time — screw the outdoors. I've still been addicted to Guitar Hero 2 (finished everything on expert, baby) and Halo 2, but I have been playing other excellent titles and am here weekly to give you the skinny on new games and hot gaming news.

I just hope I have time to write once Halo 3 is released in September…not to mention the other hot titles like Super Mario Galaxies, Metroid Prime 3, Guitar Hero 3, Rockband. I'm going to be busy…and broke. Here we go with the first review:

Ninja Gaiden Sigma for the PS3
I know what some of you are thinking already, “I've already played Ninja Gaiden (and/or Ninja Gaiden Black for the Xbox) and although it was an awesome game, I don't need to play this one again.”

Well, for some people, you may not want to. Ninja Gaiden was one of the toughest games of the last generation. Although I didn't have a hard of time beating it for the most part, there were many times when my controller went flying across the room. If you didn't like that kind of frustration, stay away from this tweaked game. For those of you who love getting your ass kicked, let's go.

Let's just start off talking about the difficulty of this version of the game. With some revamped AI, new enemies and bosses, the game is just as difficult (or a tad bit more) than the originals. The nice thing is that if the game becomes too much of a chore for casual gamers, there is an easier difficulty that becomes available. The game still isn't that much of a cakewalk, but it does ease up on the player. For those of you who want the ultimate beating, once you complete the game, an even harder difficulty opens up.

With the game now appearing on the “powerful” PS3, it looks better than ever. I have a pretty good TV, but it's only 480i. With that being said, the graphics blow me away. Everything is crisper and cleaner and a very noticeable difference from previous versions. The only thing I can't fathom is how wicked this game must look on a HDTV running 1080p resolution. If anyone wants to send me one of those TVs, please do so.

In addition, you get to play through some new chapters as the buxom blonde, Rachel (who I'm amazed can even stand upright). These new chapters fill in a little bit of the story between Rachel, her sister and the events between some of Ryu's missions. These missions were the most frustrating part of the game for me because Rachel does not move as fluidly as Ryu at all. When you become accustomed to Ryu's fluidity and magic attacks to get out of sticky situations, playing with Rachel becomes even more tedious.

One other thing that really bugged me about this version is the random loading that happens that never appeared in the Xbox versions. You'll be fighting some enemies and all of a sudden, the game freezes, loads and you lose the immersive feeling that you're supposed to be having with the game. It's a little gripe but it's something I found to be unacceptable on a next gen system.

With all the extras, better graphics, leader boards and unlockable ninja trial games that become available once you beat the game, Ninja Gaiden Sigma is indeed a game worthy of your money. While we wait for better and more exclusive games on the PS3, make the waiting easier with this one whether you've already played it or not.