Ninja Gaiden 3

Tecmo wants to seduce a new audience with Ninja Gaiden 3 and the game became so easy that the true fans will be totally disoriented. The others will at last appreciate a great ninja action game.

For those expecting a Tarantino-like exploration of the consequences of being a bad person, you're looking at the wrong series. It didn't take long for us to realise that Ninja Gaiden 3 has more cheese than a fondue party, but it works in the favour of this frantic over-the-top hack-and-slash title. [April 2012, p64]

Solo play is as forgettable as it is fun, then, but there's a razor-sharp silver lining in the form of multiplayer.

Ninja Gaiden 3 almost plays itself sometimes and generously gives you life and help throughout the adventure. Even if many old Ninja Gaiden fans most likely will feel betrayed, this third installment offers entertaining and fast-paced ninja action that stands on its own merits.

Overall not a bad game, if you are a fan or just curious about this game you should like it but otherwise you will most likely not favour this game.

Ninja Gaiden 3 is a spectacular (but not very pretty) slasher without a complex fighting system. Not everybody will like the changes and hardcore fans of previous games will surely be disappointed.

Only Ryu Hayabusa is left from the good old Ninja Gaiden games. The newest title lacks a cool story, real depth to the combat system and state-of-the-art graphics. A pitiful continuation – possibly end – for a once cool core action game series.

Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2 were impressive displays from Team Ninja. The third instalment in the series is not cut from the same cloth. The combat system has been dumbed down and the enemies do not pose the threat they used to. Ninja Gaiden 3 is a big letdown. [May 2012]

A huge misstep for a series that has provided a lot of good times over the years. It's oversimplified, boring and leaves the player feeling they're never quite in full control – a Very Bad Thing in the world of Ninja Gaiden.

Fans of the series will be dissatisfied by the stingy assortment of weapons, the overly mindless fights and the barrage of quick-time events. (…) If you're able to look past the many simplifications in comparison to earlier games in the series, just looking for a fast and undemanding slaughter, Ninja Gaiden 3 fits the bill just fine.

Itagaki's absence is evident in every aspect of this sequel that can barely carry the weight of the "Ninja Gaiden" name on its shoulders.

As with the previous titles, Ninja Gaiden 3's battles are fast-paced and boss fights are as epic as ever. Streamlining the gameplay, however, removed a lot of the depth that came with collecting dozens of melee and ranged weapons, and upgrading them at the Muramasa store. In the end, Ninja Gaiden 3 is a step back from its predecessors.

Team Ninja left the road Itakagi used to walk with such a bold attitude for so many years. The main problem with Ninja Gaiden 3 is that the new title is filled with problems and average gameplay.

It's great that Team Ninja made a new Ninja Gaiden, I just wish they stuck to what had worked so well in the past rather than try and take the series in this awkward new direction. It's still worth considering, just check your expectations and hopes at the door.

Ninja Gaiden 3 is not a complete train wreck, but it does suffer from a multitude of problems. The action can be fast-paced and engaging at times, but many design decisions significantly bring down the experience. Dumbed-down A.I., a limited arsenal, the series' notoriously difficult camera, no inventory/currency system, and an incoherent story combine to make this the most disappointing title in the series.

All flash and no substance: Ninja Gaiden 3 is a shallow action game with little of the series' challenge and depth.

All I can say to the dedicated followers is this- Play the game on Hard Mode. It's really the only way you'll make it feel like Ninja Gaiden. But even that can't erase the bad camera, occasionally faltering frame rate, disappointing visual presentation, the lackluster online, and oh yes, the disappearance of other weapons.

In trying to break free of Tomonobu Itagaki's considerable shadow, Team Ninja crafts a tepid take on Ninja Gaiden that satisfies no one.

The franchise to this point has been both slick and punishing, providing a variety of ways to hone Ryu's ninja craft; Ninja Gaiden 3's new direction simply doesn't cut it – especially when played alone.

A less accomplished but more immediate Ninja Gaiden, then, one that will temporarily distract newcomers and disappoint dedicated followers. Yet it feels destined to be forgotten by both audiences, chalked up as another casualty in the east's drive to conquer the west with bravado rather than its sought-after, ever-rarer Japanese steel.

Ninja Gaiden 3 has all of the telltale signs of a good game. Triple-A branding, fantastic dev team, worldwide support. Unfortunately, what could have been a fairly solid entry is plagued by backwards-innovation [No inventory? Japanese voice option?], absolutely mediocre and over-streamlined combat gameplay, and a predictable plot.

Please don't take this review as the ranting of a moody Ninja Gaiden fan. Remove the franchise name and the score would still be the same. Despite promising much at the start, Ninja Gaiden 3 misfires at almost every turn, and whilst it's not a bad game, it struggles to rise above average.

For all Ninja Gaiden 3 tries to pull sympathy from its players onto its protagonist, it seems to have lost its way. It's an example of a game that is less than the sum of its parts-each on their own are fine, perhaps even good-because the entire thing is just stretched too thin. A two-hour campaign for a fraction of the cost would have, ironically, been much easier to recommend. But with things as they are, Ninja Gaiden 3 will only satisfy people wanting the video game equivalent to the weekend popcorn action flick.