Ninja Gaiden 3 Review: Unfortunately Disappointing

Ninja Gaiden 3 Review: Unfortunately Disappointing

Ninja Gaiden
PlayStation 3, Xbox 360
Tecmo Koei
Action

Ninja Gaiden 3 is a hack and slash action title that didn’t come off like I would have expected from a Ninja Gaiden title.

Unfortunately for Ninja Gaiden 3, one of the major issues I have with the game was its presentation and storytelling. It was awful – to the point where I had no idea what was going on or why it was happening. It was simply just happening and you just have to role with it. It’s also never a fun experience when you can’t connect with the characters or with what’s going on in the story and it doesn’t help when you struggle with what’s going on and why your character is even there in the first place. The story simply wasn’t told well and the parts you could somewhat follow still left you slightly puzzled. Another one of the game’s faults are the sound clips from the enemies. As you fight your way over and over again through countless enemies there are very short and frequent sound clips that ring in your ears repeatedly, becoming very annoying.

The gameplay certainly isn’t like any other Ninja Gaiden game we have seen. It’s not nearly as difficult or as fun compared to what we once knew. The fighting can be a little frustrating at times and it doesn’t feel as if you have complete control on where your guy is moving to. It doesn’t have a lock-on feature to target enemies so you pretty much just get in the vicinity and start hacking and slashing. It doesn’t feel solid or smooth at all. It isn’t horrible, but again, it’s certainly not great and it can cause for some frustrating moments. The hacking and slashing also gets a little tiring at time as you progress through the game. It gets to the point at times where you know more enemies are about to jump out at you and you simply don’t want to fight any more – but you do and you move forward. The boss fights are at least better and gain your interest a lot more, they almost feel extra special after the countless guys you slash your way through. Unfortunately, I still wasn’t overly impressed by them.

When it comes to multiplayer in Ninja Gaiden 3 there are two modes to play in. You have clan match mode which is a versus mode and you also have Ninja Trails co-op mode. When it comes to playing this game in versus online you can play with up to 8 players, but I must say that it isn’t much fun, especially for the newer guys. You’ll be going up against players with higher level rankings, different weapons and they won’t hesitate to show you who is boss. Now if you want to play, play and play again until you rank up and acquire better abilities then by all means go for it. I just have to say that it isn’t that much fun nor does it seem worth it. Now when it comes to playing Ninja Trails co-op that is much more enjoyable. You have many different trail stages to play in and when you are playing with someone who has a higher ranking they can easily get you out of trouble. If you play with someone that is at a lower ranking you guys will have a challenging time dealing with a number of enemies that keep coming wave after wave. I actually enjoyed playing the Ninja Trails cooperatively with someone, but it still doesn’t make up for anything and the battles aren’t that much more fun.

To sum things up I was really disappointed by this title. It’s not at all what I would have expected from a Ninja Gaiden title. With a not-so-great combat system and poor story telling this game ends up falling flat on the ground. For me, playing the Ninja Trails cooperatively was the best part of the game. It doesn’t make up for the lack of a good combat system, but it’s something to hack and slash away at with a friend. I can’t by any means recommend this title, but if you end up getting it, at least it works.

Score: 5/10

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  1. I was always a bit turned off by Ninja Gaiden’s difficulty- shame that the gameplay is a little janky. I’ve always enjoyed the easier entries in the series.