Ninja Gaiden Sigma.

Shazam! I have returned and with a very late set of reviews. Most of these games are well over due for reviews by me but hey I've been busy and this is a hobby.

First up:

Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Which claims itself to be a remake, when really its graphical update with stuff taken out and a few new things put in.

The game is essentially just a graphical update of the previous versions. No MAJOR differences. Yes, they added a new weapon. Yes, they added new bosses. Yes, they took out features and a cut scene. And added new enemies. Made Rachel more then a throwaway character (not by much and her boobs are still far too prominent for my tastes. But hey thats how Tecmo gets its audiences attention who am I to judge.) That doesn't mean it enhanced the game experience a great deal. Not enough for the game to be considered brand new, or a proper remake.
However that doesn't make the game inferior to the previous games by any means. In fact the game play experience has been enhanced, but just a bit. Enough for a difference to be felt. Notably, the controls are more responsive. And that brightens my eyes a bit more.

The graphics have been improved, enough so that you really can call this a PS3 game. It isn't a marginal upgrade. The graphics for this game were already phenomenal, and they just got better. The colours are vibrant and strong. The enemies though generally generic in feel, they are not visually more generic then you'd expect from any game. They look good, move well, and fight commendably on any difficulty. There was slow down in a few moments where the battles became extremely hectic. Such as an early boss on a burning bridge, if you manage to get a screen filled with all the enemies launching attacks at you, and you are launching your UT at max well, expect a moments freezing if you are unlucky.

The sound hasn't changed significantly. It isn't poor but it isn't the outstanding sound you'd expect from a PS3 game. But that is neither here nor there at this point. The game is still a port. You cannot expect anything very new or earth shattering. It's just essentially an update with some graphical enhancement. Really there is no point in giving this game a fleshed out review.

The controls however did have a little bit more life in them. It did not take as long as expected to get acclimated to the control scheme again. Comparing it to the original version of the game yields a very interesting result, the controls have been tightened. Movements aren't as stiff initially which is a great boon to the rare player who HASN'T already experienced this game numerous times. To returning players, this game will be easy on you. The difficulty is about the same. I don't think it has changed, but thats the catch it hasn't changed. So if you are like the legions of gamers who also felt the game was too hard on normal, well...It hasn't changed so get ready to get mad all over again.

This game is the same as before.

Just prettier and the controls are cleaner.

Sounds the same as before.

Content has changed a fair bit, depending on what you like. Certain features have been cut. The opening cut scene about the two swords has been cut.

Good game.
But not new.

Graphics: 8/10 - Strong but not awe inspiring.

Sound: 7/10 - Same as before. Still good though.

Controls: 8/10 - Tighter, smoother, cleaner. Like fresh apples.

Fun Factor: 9/10 - If you've never played it.
8/10 - If you have.

Reviewer's Lean - 7/10 - Just because there is nothing new offered and very little feels updated for what feels like the jillionth re-release. (Well it is only the 3 time NG has been released.)

Total: 7.6/10 (B) - It's a good game. But it's not enough. Not enough to be a game that people have to go out and get if they already own one of the previous incarnations.