Ninja Gaiden Sigma review

By now you should all know the story behind Ninja Gaiden Sigma on PS3. You should know that it's a remake of one of the best games on Microsoft's big black box. You should know that tons of new stuff has been added and you should also be aware that it's all been wrapped up in bright sparkling HD graphics that only PS3 can do. If you liked the idea of Genji: Days of the Blade but were disappointed that the game sucked, we guarantee that Sigma will plug that gap.

As well as a complete graphical overhaul, Tecmo has included Rachel as a playable character. Previously you only got to drool over her in cutscenes, but in Sigma she plays a side-quest besides the main one with Ryu. 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. 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.

What sets Ninja Gaiden apart from other third-person games is its intense combat system. Many of those Xbox people moaned and groaned that it was just too hard and as a result a lot of players lost interest and put the pad down a few levels in. If they’d had any patience at all they would have realized the combat system requires you to know what you’re doing. Randomly hammering buttons will only get you killed. God of War II, this isn’t.

The key to Sigma’s combat is in blocking, moving around the environment and picking the right moment to strike. R1 is block and you’ll to get to know that button really well - it’ll quickly become your best friend. A good rule of thumb is to have R1 pressed whenever you’re not attacking. That way, any new incoming strikes - that you might not have even seen - can be parried giving you a split-second to counter. Ryu can swipe enemies into the air (a bit like Kratos) and this is where he’s most effective.