Ninja Gaiden Sigma

Ninja Gaiden Sigma is a video game that consists of 4 releases

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The second remake of the hit Xbox game, Sigma features enhanced visuals and a bevy of gameplay tweaks to improve on its predecessors.

Overview

Ninja Gaiden Sigma is an enhanced port of the action / adventure game Ninja Gaiden which was originally released on the Xbox in 2004. It is known for its incredibly fluid animations, deep fighting system, and intense difficulty as players guide protagonist Ryu Hayabusa through sixteen chapters worth of brutal combat, environmental exploration, and puzzle solving. Sigma represents the second re-release of Team Ninja's original Xbox game, and the first appearance of the modern franchise on a non-Microsoft system.

A free demo of Sigma is available for download through the PlayStation network. It includes the entire first level of the game, two higher difficulty levels which can be unlocked by defeating the end boss, and allows access to weapons which would not normally be available at that early stage of the game so players can experience some of the different fighting styles.

Gameplay

Played from a third-person perspective, Ninja Gaiden specializes in fast, visceral 3D combat against multiple opponents including black ninjas wielding explosive throwing stars, armored soldiers with submachine guns and electrified blades, huge dinosaur-like demons which can breathe fire, and many more. These foes are highly aggressive -- unlike many similar games, they will not hesitate to coordinate their attacks to strike from multiple directions at once, executing continuous combos or devastating grapple moves to exploit any opening in the player's defenses. Every enemy in the game is fast, strong, and capable of dealing out lethal amounts of damage to send the player back to the previous save point.

Fortunately, the player-controlled Ryu Hayabusa has a variety of upgradeable weapons at his disposal, superhuman agility which allows him roll safely away from enemy attacks and run several steps straight up most vertical surfaces, and the ability to cast a few different "ninpo" spells which can inflict heavy damage on one or more nearby foes. Fallen enemies also give off yellow essence which can be exchanged at shops for healing items, blue essence to heal up Ryu's wounds, and red essence to recharge his ninpo, and in the thick of battle, nearby essence can be absorbed to unleash immensely powerful "Ultimate Techniques" capable of slaying multiple enemies at a time.

Combat can take place at virtually any point in the game, but between battles, players explore each level to find hidden items and solve puzzles to proceed to the next area. There are many variations on the theme of finding a key to pass through a particular locked door, as well as environmental puzzles where Ryu must use his wall-running ability or ledge-shimmying skills to avoid damage and gain access to a hard-to-reach place. In addition to free hidden healing items, most levels also include Golden Scarab jewels which can be exchanged at shops for unique items which cannot be obtained any other way.

Weapons in the game include the Dragon Sword, a single katana considered the most balanced weapon in the game, nunchucks which sacrifice range for a greater attack speed, a quarterstaff which can easily hit multiple surrounding enemies with every swing, and a couple super-heavy weapons like the Dabilahro great sword which are ideal for dishing out heavy damage against some of the slower, more heavily armored opponents. Each weapon can be improved at shops in the game to unlock new and more powerful combos.

Story & Setting

While visiting Murai, the leader of another ninja clan, Ryu receives word from Ayane that his family's village has been brutally attacked. He battles his way to the village shrine, but when his desperate attempt fails to stop the fiend Doku from stealing the cursed Dark Dragon Blade, Ryu sets out on a mission of vengeance against the demonic forces of Vigoor who plan to use the blade to amass unstoppable power and wreak havoc throughout the world.

Some of the locales in the game include a traditional Japanese village, a futuristic airship, a modern military base, and ancient catacombs stretching deep beneath the evil Vigoor capital, evoking an anachronistic world similar to developer Team Ninja's Dead or Alive fighting game franchise. Enemy types vary in each level, and most chapters end with a particularly challenging boss encounter appropriate to the setting.

Improvements & Changes

Ninja Gaiden Sigma includes all the content from the original Xbox version of Ninja Gaiden as well as the additional features and unlockable Mission Mode introduced in the free "Hurricane Packs" on that system. Moreover, it included several new enhancements over its predecessors including:

the addition of much higher resolution textures on every object and character in the game
native 720p resolution (upscaleable to 1080i or 1080p)
higher polygon counts and additional character animations; new environmental features such as falling cherry blossoms
brief additional chapters in which players take control of Rachel, a fiend hunter who previously appeared only in cutscenes
some puzzles have been reworked and a couple particularly obtuse ones were removed altogether
a new weapon: a pair of twin katanas called the Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang
the sword Kitesu is now a viable weapon since it no longer leeches Ryu's life away whenever it's equipped
Ryu will now run on water automatically, an ability which previously required precise button presses
combat leaves bloodstains around the environment
several subtle gameplay tweaks, such as additional help text and golden scarabs are automatically turned in at shops
ninpo spells can now be "charged up" by shaking the SixAxis or DualShock 3 controller during casting

Conversely, Sigma has fewer unlockable costumes and is missing a brief introductory movie which was added to the previous remake, Ninja Gaiden Black.

General Information Edit

Game Name	Ninja Gaiden Sigma
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3
Publisher(s)	Tecmo, Inc. Eidos Interactive
Developer(s)	Team Ninja
Genres	Add a new genre Action Adventure Fighting
Themes	Add a new theme Fantasy Martial Arts
Original US Release	July 3, 2007 need a fuzzy date?
Original US Release	know the real date?
Aliases	Ninja Gaiden NGS
BBFC	BBFC: 15
ESRB	ESRB: M
CERO	CERO: D