THIS REVIEW CONTAINS SPOILERS! IF YOU HAVE NOT PLAYED NINJA GAIDEN 3 TO COMPLETION, REFRAIN FROM READING UNLESS YOU ARE WILLING TO ACCEPT THEM!
The good:
⦁ The graphics. Everything looks like a Team Ninja-quality video game even without those who left that developer studio and formed Valhalla Studios.
⦁ Jack the Ripper is an interesting villain.
⦁ The settings: Different weather conditions from city fog to dry deserts to blizzards, there is good variation in environments for a game where a ninja travels throughout parts of the world. Also good was going back to locations in Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2 which strengthens the story.
- The action: There is one thing Ninja Gaiden 3 has plenty and it is this. Fighting against a spider tank or alchemist warriors, and jumping from high positions then gliding into battle with nothing but technique and ninja powers is worth experiencing. You are playing as the guy who destroyed the Vigoor empire almost entirely by himself in open combat, after all. I can only imagine what this would be like in first person with Oculus Rift.
⦁ Variety in gameplay. There is open combat, stealth, and some platforming.
⦁ The combo system: The combo system is easy to use and its exciting to see your inputs put into action. That said, it is easy to use the same basic combos against most opponents and win a battle.
⦁ The story: This is Ninja Gaiden 3's best part. Even though the gameplay does not play to the strengths of its predecessors, the sequence of events does. I say that this game addresses the "super ninja" status of Ryu Hayabusa in a way that is almost esoteric and faithfully keeps the story of the previous games relevant. Irene Lew is referenced and Robert T. Sturgeon (from the original Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos) has a cameo.
The bad:
⦁ The high amount of weak enemies. In contrast, Ninja Gaiden 1 story mode features enemy types that have been balanced to fit the stages. For example, In a small space, there would be two ninjas and later in bigger areas there are three cat fiends and two big ogre-like fiends. In Ninja Gaiden 2, there are more enemies more often, but they too are balanced to fit stages and Ryu's abilities since he a super ninja, after all. In many areas of Ninja Gaiden 3, you beat enemies in waves like they have no sense and then proceed. They are like Marvel Comics Hydra units in a sense. In the later missions, stronger opponents that are more of a match for the Dragon Ninja, but that is a bit late.
⦁ The flow of combat is repetitive. The standard process given in the tutorial of the first stage is melee attack to charge up Ryu's ultimate technique and then use ninpo. The order of the ultimate technique's and ninpo's usage may vary depending on the player, but the repetition of those three methods of attack is there regardless.
⦁ Shuriken seem to be nothing more than a stun attack now and besides the rolling throw, Ryu is vulnerable while throwing them, so they are better left unused.
⦁ Lack of weapon variety. Ryu has a sword, shuriken, and a bow. At least his clone can use some of his weapons from Ninja Gaiden 2.
⦁ Combos seem to be for show like Dynasty Warriors, but with less opponents. On normal difficulty setting, the gameplay is simple.
⦁ I surmised that Hayabusa's one ninpo, Inferno, now consists of him turning into a fire dragon and devouring his enemies thereby restoring his health. I thought Ryu was a good guy who fought for human kind and not someone who cannibalizes. For those wondering, he devours fiends, too. It is very odd.
⦁ Technically, this game is buggy at times. Sometimes, a character will move away after death as if lagging in an online multiplayer match. Wall boundaries are not perfect with some being moved through during critical hit animations. During executions, camera errors occur occasionally.
What could have been great:
⦁ Enemies talking in battle. They comment in battle, but there seems to be no difference in their mental state whether they are healthy or critically injured. This aspect of Ninja Gaiden 3 seems unfinished.
- One particular combo I made up in Ninja Gaiden Black worked in Ninja Gaiden Sigma, 2, and Sigma 2 is impossible in Ninja Gaiden 3. It is "forward Y, X, B, then as soon as you touch the ground, hold Y for an instant and release." It makes use of Hayabusa's aerial superiority and finishes an enemy (or multiple enemies) with a quick beheading. Since the ultimate technique has been simplified into a sure-kill for almost every opponent and the enemy A.I. has been simplified and compensated for by sheer numbers, the underlying issue I have with that is not just that combo's impossibility in NG3, but the focus on it brings attention to the my next point.
⦁ The combat system. Ninja Gaiden Black is great and Ninja Gaiden 2 is good. Three could have been more of the same and I would have enjoyed it more than this, I think. To be even more clear, I would buy an High Definition remaster of Ninja Gaiden Black instead of this if I had the choice. The combat has devolved into hacking and slashing. Blocking and counters are all but meaningless when I can quickly build up a Ki meter to fully restore my health mid-battle. In Ninja Gaiden 3, the more technical combos are mostly for show. The AI does not do much besides attacking (and blocking if it particular enemy types).
⦁ Achievements: The moments achievements are earned are apparently points in stages the player reaches and that is it. Casual players were obviously focused on which would be fine if the previous two games had not been designed as difficult games.
⦁ The difficulty: If this were the start of a new trilogy, the difficulty of normal could be what I view as easy and I would not be as disappointed. Ninja Gaiden 3 does not play to the strengths of its predecessors and for that reason, it cuts short. I was blowing up assault helicopters one after another. It felt like I was being taken on an amusement park ride or seeing an action film more than actually playing a signature Ninja Gaiden installment.
What could have been the grand finale of the Xbox and Xbox 360 Ninja Gaiden games with a fantastic balance between great game mechanics that players (previous buyers) had become proficient at over the course of two games and a challenging, but well designed difficulty is instead an okay game that has been casualized for the sake of bringing new players in at the finale. Ninja Gaiden is now a hack 'n slash when it used to be comparable to high level fighting game matches in complexity. The decision to make it as such does not show much respect for the gamers who put effort into mastering the previous two games. However, the cameo of an original character, previous game locations visited, and Ryu Hayabusa with emotions besides anger make the lore of Ninja Gaiden more likable. Team Ninja could have finished this off in a superior way and made a Ninja Gaiden-style game with Hayate as the main character. At this point with Itagaki gone, a new game with him as the lead is only a dream. Even still, I had fun which is a major factor in recommending a game and for that reason, I do.