![]() ![]() It was bloody, it was brilliant, and absolute masterclass in combat design. Enemy limbs could be amputated during combat, opening them up to a swift, bloody and beautiful execution known as an ‘Obliteration Technique’. Ninja Gaiden 2 (2008) was known for its brutality and excess, throwing waves upon waves of enemy soldiers at Ryu with reckless abandon. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, however, is a less successful reimagining of its source material. It’s unfortunate that side character Rachel’s missions are mandatory given that her combat style isn’t as fleshed out as protagonist Ryu’s, but I still enjoy using her, and her Biker outfit from the Vita version Sigma Plus is a nice little unexpected bonus. A few easy puzzles have been removed, some of the new enemies aren’t great and certain challenges have been reworked, but I certainly won’t be hurling bricks at Team Ninja’s offices protesting over any of this. While some may regard Sigma as slightly inferior when compared to Ninja Gaiden Black, in my view there’s not much of a gulf in quality between them. (PROTIP: if this happens, just block and roll!) It’s challenging, but rarely unfair outside of the occasional dodgy camera angle. Combat is more precise and measured than later entries in the series, and the semi-open world approach is a joy to explore. Ninja Gaiden Sigma is a strong start for the collection - it’s a graphically overhauled version of Ninja Gaiden Black (2005) with new and retuned content including new enemies, costumes and a fully-playable Rachel with her own missions. ![]() There are three games in this collection - Ninja Gaiden Sigma (2007), Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (2009), and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge (2013) and right out the gate, players are going to argue about which versions should have been included. There have been a few notable speed bumps along the way, but the core experience still stands as some of the finest action ever crafted. Ryu and Rachel are back to kill again! Not content with slaughtering thousands of evildoers since the series was initially revamped in 2004, they’re back to murder on PC after more than fifteen years of console exclusivity. WTF It seems a little suspicious that only the source code for the original Itagaki versions were lost… ![]() LOW It’s a barebones port offering few additional features or graphic options. Black (and the original 2004 release) was just a more thought-out game I feel.HIGH The Ninja Gaiden series is finally available on PC! I started with Sigma and was surprised by just how much of the puzzles and exploration was cut. In the end, it is mostly a more streamlined game with a larger focus on fighting than the actual adventure. New enemies were added but lacked the polish of the originals, lots of puzzles were removed to 'streamline' the game, a secondary playable character is forced upon you at random intervals and it gets a lot of the minor details wrong while, by accident, making some of the hardest fights a joke by some design oversights. Sigma 1 made the mistake of adding too much, which isn't always good. The re-release of Razor's Edge fixed a lot and makes it worthy of the series' name however. Beating it on Master and Ultimate Ninja without the overpowered DLC items is a nightmare. It is ironically though, thanks to bad design, also the hardest one. The result was a mess of a game with random QTE's, weapon DLC and move-support. The original version of 3 is a very flawed game, upper management got involved because they wanted the series to go big (it was never a strong seller like God of War). ![]()
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