Following its initial release in 2004, Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox was almost universally praised for its tight gameplay, and quickly gained a reputation as one of the most difficult games to be released in the modern gaming era. The follow-up, 2005's Ninja Gaiden Black, offered a host of improvements over Ninja Gaiden, and is now often cited as being among the top "must-have" games for the original Xbox.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma seeks to improve even further upon Ninja Gaiden Black's foundation. This week's edition of the regular Critical Reception column examines online reaction to Ninja Gaiden Sigma.
In the conclusion to a three part series, CV takes a look at the most recent Ninja Gaiden games, for better and for worse.
They need to make a true sequel to Ninja Gaiden 2, that was the most satisfying combat I've experienced in a hack n slash game.
been playing 1&2 on and off since they were released. I usually will play until I get frustrated then take another year off lol. Nver tried 3 or the 4th one even though they are in my backlog.
I tried to go back to Sigma but good god those controls are just insufferable. Couldn't do it.
It’s a big month for the PlayStation Now Subscription, with new games and new devices to play on.
Is PS Now fairly consistent with a good internet connection? Do the games offer trophy support?
yes and yes. Go read on forums, you only hear good things once your connection is good enough. (and you don't need a very fast one)
Trophy support is there.
did you even watch the vid?
on 20 seconds they tell you about trophy support :P
No, i was mainly concerned with hearing a users opinion of the service so i just commented. But I will be giving this a try tonight
Yes it works and works very well. Trophy Support is there as well as cloud saves for any game progression.
@abzdiine,
As of January, no 3D support. Now is not set up to properly detect your 3D display and manual choice is off since 3D requires a massive amount of bandwidth. Frame packing doesn't work well of bandwidth that currently supports smooth play in standard mode.
I would think it could be done without a hit but they would have to substantially increase the intial cache size during the game launch on the resident system (PS4, PS3, Vita, PS TV, or Sony TV) that is running Now.
yeah. I have never tried it with a fighting game yet. But the games I've tried worked just fine. Never tried multiplayer either though. I didn't eve know you could also play multiplayer games on PS NOW.
It works great on my vita. My internet connection is fairly good, but not the best.
I have 18mb/s download and it worked pretty well for me. The game I played was a simple hunting one though.
Thanks everybody for feedback, i was pretty intent on believing that streaming a game to my ps4 would work like crap, but after streaming shadow of the colossus to my ps4 im actually pretty excited about it. Its definately going to help me knock out some of my backlog!
I love ps now, think about 100 + ps3 games streamed right away to your tv. Don't have to wait for gamefly, don't need to get up and go to the store. Instantly streamed to you from an internet connection. Think about it. gamefly two disc plan runs you 22.00 a month for two disc and sometimes you have to wait. 2-4 days for a game. $44.00 for 3 months gets you unlimited access to ps3 games and soon ps2 and ps1. If you are an mmo player you pay 15.00 a month just to play that one game. i think the value is perfect. Even when psn goes down. Think about mmo's when they go down or go down for maintenance you still pay 15.00 a month for that one game. Not trying to fanboy here but ps now will be a good investment. Think about it you don't have to hook up your old console just to play a game.
Playstation Now won't include Playstation 4 titles while the Ps4 remains on the market, it doesn't make any sense.
@andresegr,
"Playstation Now won't include Playstation 4 titles while the Ps4 remains on the market, it doesn't make any sense."
why not? sony already mentioned this along with ps1 and ps2 games.
http://www.gamespot.com/art...
rental outlets are becoming harder and harder to find. they may not see much value adding it to the pay by the month plan since they have the plus service and it's monthly free give-aways but it could be a great option to rent games.
"Playstation Now won't include Playstation 4 titles while the Ps4 remains on the market, it doesn't make any sense"
Not sure what you mean. PS now has PS3 titles on PS3...
Not sure why you wouldn't have PS4 titles on PS4. I say this based on with PS4 you have buttons, features etc that make more sense to only be streamed from another PS4.
I very much see them streaming PS4 games in the future as I see no reason not to.
I'm not trolling either, but what would make you think the couldn't or wouldn't?
As a core gamer. Would you consider it going forward even though you might already own a PS1,PS2 and PS3?.
I am actually surprised that its getting good reviews from core gamers.
I tried PS Now for a month and am now really intrigued by the games on demand model, the convenience of such a massive catalogue at your fingertips is awesome. But I have ps3 so the value just isn't there at the moment. Also I couldn't help but wonder why there aren't more Sony exclusives featured on Now?
Agreed. That and games from previous generations besides PS3. Where are all the PS1/PS2 classics?
The best games to play on PSNow would be RPGs, Card Games, Board Games, pretty much anything turn-based or non-reflex related. On the opposite side, Fighting games, for example, are absolute trash on PSNow because if you're even half serious about them you don't want any interference, period. Normal online tends to be bad enough as it is for serious players.
I would also stay from anything like 1001 Spikes or Shmups.
Also, when is the price going to drop to a reasonable $10 per month/$100 per year?
You can tell by your comment you either never really tried PSnow or your internet sucks.
A Change.org petition to bring all three titles in the new Ninja Gaiden trilogy to Steam is gaining traction.
Ya'll can't say nothing about Itagaki and his pupils no more.
He and his student(The one who made NGS.)They are the one saving grace this Month for PS3 owners. Now please don't think for a Sec this is going to be a on going thing. When Part 2 Come out don't think its Going to be on PS3 no time soon.
please learn English and stop trolling.
Note to all future PS3 Troll Cookie Eaters: This article is titled, "Tecmo / Team Ninja's Ninja Gaiden Sigma", not Ninja Gaiden 2.
As a matter of fact here it is so that you can stay relevant:
This week's edition of the regular Critical Reception column examines online reaction to Ninja Gaiden Sigma, an upgraded PlayStation 3 port that critics are calling "an immersive action romp full of original challenges, incredible environments and interesting characters."
Following its initial release in 2004, Ninja Gaiden for the Xbox was almost universally praised for its tight gameplay, and quickly gained a reputation as one of the most difficult games to be released in the modern gaming era. The follow-up, 2005's Ninja Gaiden Black, offered a host of improvements over Ninja Gaiden, and is now often cited as being among the top "must-have" games for the original Xbox.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma seeks to improve even further upon Ninja Gaiden Black's foundation, featuring an additional playable character and numerous gameplay tweaks and enhancements. Though the title has not yet earned the level of critical praise achieved by Ninja Gaiden or Ninja Gaiden Black, Ninja Gaiden Sigma ranks in at a still-impressive average review score of 89 out of 100, as reported by Metacritic.com.
GameSpy's Gerald Villoria scores Ninja Gaiden Sigma at 5 out of 5 stars. "If you've never played Ninja Gaiden or Ninja Gaiden Black, then you've missed out on one of the finest experiences in gaming," he writes. "While this release doesn't necessarily innovate, being a dolled-up port of a game that originally debuted in 2004, the graphics, gameplay and sound remain top-notch."
"There are some gameplay enhancements that end up making this a more enjoyable adventure, although some changes may have you wrinkling your nose in confusion," Villoria elaborates. On the negative side of things: "Some of the lighting effects in Sigma were pulled off better in Black," and "You'll still have to fight your way through the normal difficulty mode before unlocking the missions or harder difficulty settings."
"On the other hand," Villoria continues, "some puzzles and encounters have been modified or removed entirely, and we found the game's progression to be smoother this time around, although the game is still quite difficult, and there are still some places where you can easily hit a brick wall if you aren't consulting a strategy guide."
Villoria also notes that Sigma represents a step back from Black in a few areas. "One interesting thing we found was that Sigma didn't just add new content to the game, but it also ended up removing some of the great features that were in Ninja Gaiden Black," he says. "Gone are the Ninja Gaiden NES games that you could play in Black, and gone as well is the movie player that allowed you to check out cinematic sequences at your leisure."
Overall, however, Villoria's review is largely positive. "The decision to remake the game for the PlayStation 3 was a sound one, since the game's greatest strengths still hold up against anything else available today," he states in conclusion. "This is easily one of the best games to play on your PlayStation 3, so don't miss out."
Gavin Ogden at Games Radar predicts that Ninja Gaiden Sigma's gameplay will resonate especially well with PlayStation 3 owners. "If you liked the idea of Genji: Days of the Blade but were disappointed that the game sucked," he remarks, "we guarantee that Sigma will plug that gap."
Rating Sigma at 9 out of 10, Ogden finds that the PlayStation 3-exclusive playable character is integrated well into gameplay progression. "In terms of new stuff for the PS3 version, the addition of Rachel the Fiend Hunter in playable form is by far the biggest draw," he says. "Her quest to find her sister is intertwined with the main adventure. So you'll do a few levels as Ryu then skip over to Rachel's part in the adventure. Sweet."
Ogden also cites Sigma's "intense combat system," and impressive enemy AI as being among its greatest assets. "Ninja Gaiden Sigma is an action game like no other," he emphasizes. "Getting your head around the combat is key to having a good time. Once mastered, you'll find an immersive action romp full of original challenges, incredible environments and interesting characters."
Kevin VanOrd at GameSpot begins his 9-out-of-10-rated review by addressing concerns as to whether Ninja Gaiden Sigma is less of a game than what fans are expecting. "No, Ninja Gaiden Sigma isn't a true next-gen sequel, nor is it a simple port of the Xbox release," he reasons. "But it does add a good deal of new content, both subtle and obvious. If you're a Ninja Gaiden enthusiast, you'll want to see the new chapters, reworked levels, and slicker graphics. And if for some reason you missed it before, this is a must-play game."
The modifications to Ninja Gaiden's storyline work well, according to VanOrd. "Ryu's chapters are shifted and reworked to give greater context to Rachel's," he says. "In fact, every level offers unexpected surprises, both big and small. In some cases, it's as simple as different items found in treasure chests. In others, the significance of the adjustments will catch you off guard, but pleasantly so."
"The changes are great, and they do more than throw in stuff for the sake of stuff," says VanOrd, though he notes one exception: "The only questionable one is the ability to shake the Sixaxis controller to give more power to your ninpo skills. It feels needlessly tacked on, and shaking the controller doesn't really jibe with the general slickness of the other controls."
In all, however, VanOrd appears satisfied with Ninja Gaiden's PS3 debut. "Whether you're a series veteran or a newcomer, the in-your-face action of Ninja Gaiden Sigma is as exhilarating now as it ever was, and the new, slickly embedded content is surprisingly meaty," he concludes. "Play this game."
Despite earning a slightly lower average review score than the original Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black, Ninja Gaiden Sigma appears to be a safe bet for those looking for a solid action game. PlayStation 3 owners should be especially appreciative of Sigma's appearance, given the console's currently limited software library, and the title could prove to be one of the PS3's top sellers for weeks to come.
POSTED: 06.36AM PST, 07/04/07 - Danny Cowan - LINK
Well there ya go. =]
Cheers
P.S. - King of PS3 nice touch with the word "Critical" in the title. Isn't that funny? Troll bait he, he....
Overfiend must feel threatened that he has to come here and troll to feel better about his feeble 360. This game is kickass to.
2?
But lets hope and see if Tecmo adds some of those things on those downloadable features that I've heard from the developer.