Ninja Gaiden Sigma

Developer: Team Ninja
Publisher: Tecmo
Release Date: July 3, 2007
System: PS3
Official Web page

In a nutshell: "My friend Mark said that he saw a ninja totally uppercut some kid just because the kid opened a window" the game.

0:01 "In the mountains of autumn, there is one who walks the path of the Ninja." Concise, to the point, and utterly unnecessary.
0:02 Holy crap! Just running around and hitting the jump button unleashes an amazing acrobatic fury. The animation is amazing.
0:04 Do we really need the bad voice acting for the instruction scroll? Also, what the hell is an "elixir of spiritual life" supposed to be? Will I find an elixir of secular life later?
0:06 The excessive splattering blood seems unnecessary in a game that's so focused on stylized violence rather than realism. I guess GTA has raised the bar for everyone.
0:08 While jamming on the square button to battle a group of foes, I accidentally open a nearby chest. The animation is so incongruous I bust out laughing.
0:10 The camera could use a little work in the close quarters. Still, what it shows is beautiful and fluid.
0:11 Why is there a short loading pause every time I collect an item. Annoying!
0:12 I just did some sort of spinning death move and I have NO IDEA HOW.
0:15 I love the ability to use items by tapping the d-pad. The interface is intuitive and quick.
0:16 A camera should never lose view of your character, but this one does it regularly.
0:19 Falling into the same Underground storehouse three times = not fun. How many of these Ninjas are there.
0:20 Charging up your charge attack gets you an "Ultimate Technique." My nutshell description wasn't so far off, I guess.
0:23 I have trouble envisioning the situation where enemies leave you alone for the five seconds needs to charge to Ultimate Technique.
0:25 Five trips to the underground storehouse now, still looking for the key I need to advance. This is no longer remotely funny.
0:27 Six.
0:31 Seven. Where the hell's that key?
0:33 I finally get the bright idea to go back to the odd looking samurai statue I saw before. I know, I'm a genius. Still, what's the point of this "puzzle"? Couldn't they have just given me a key and not forced me to backtrack/get stuck? Where's the fun in this?
0:35 "I see you have made it this far." Gripping dialogue from the boss
0:36 I just lit myself on fire. Whoa.
0:37 I die to the boss, and choosing "continue" sends me back to the beginning of the level. Um, why is it called "continue" then?
0:40 I take back my statement about the charge attack. If you stun the enemies first it's very effective, and fun!
0:44 More slashing and killing things, but faster than before.
0:47 I suppose I shouldn't be able to run past the more difficult white ninjas without a scratch, but that's what I do on the way to the boss room. If they lock me up I'll fight. If not, why bother?
0:50 Nothing ruins a good boss battle more than a cut scene where you stop to talk with the guy. Come on, we want violence!
0:53 The voice acting is pretty convincing here. I can sense that this boss guy is hiding something.
0:54 The game ranks me as a Lesser Ninja. It's more than I deserve.
0:56 Time to try a special mission as Rachel
0:57 Rachel's nice to look at, but she's no ninja. She moves like an ox compared to Ryu.
0:59 I'm getting the hang of Rachel now, but I still think she's an ox
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Would I play this game for more than an hour: Probably.
Why? The balletic action is smooth and enjoyable, but the camera threatens to ruin everything.

This review is based on an early, downloadable demo from the Playstation Network.