Ninja Gaiden 3

 PlayStation 3
User Score
5.1

Mixed or average reviews- based on 172 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 60 out of 172
  2. Mixed: 34 out of 172
  3. Negative: 78 out of 172
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  1. Ironbat92
    Mar 20, 2012
    4
    I'm a fan of action games. I love games like God of War and Devil May Cry were your given a budging weapon, like a sword or duel-wielding daggers, and force you to kill X amount of enemies in the most bloody, over-the-top violence that only video games can do. One of my favorite action franchises has to be Ninja Gaiden. Now Ninja Gaiden 3 has been released and it's the first in the seriesI'm a fan of action games. I love games like God of War and Devil May Cry were your given a budging weapon, like a sword or duel-wielding daggers, and force you to kill X amount of enemies in the most bloody, over-the-top violence that only video games can do. One of my favorite action franchises has to be Ninja Gaiden. Now Ninja Gaiden 3 has been released and it's the first in the series to not be any fun at all. The story of Ninja Gaiden 3 has Ninja-badass-extraordinaire, Ryu Hayabusa, as he joins the Japan Self-Defense Force to save London from an unknown terrorist group. While there, he's confronted by someone calling himself "the Regent of the Mask," who forces Ryu's trusty Sword, The Dragon Sword, to be absorbed into his arm, cursing him to feel the anger, pain, and suffering it's dished out over the years. Ryu must now go on a quest to find the Regent of the Mask to undo the curse and save the world from him. Ninja Gaiden games have always had plots so ridiculous, they're fun to experience, but the plot here is so ridiculous it's just downright bad. It tries to play itself straight and serious, rather than accepting the goofy camp, and the results are poor. The story is so badly written, you'll want to skip every cutscene as it goes off into generic and poorly done action movie story plots. It shame, as the idea of Ryu feeling the suffering of his enemies could have been interesting, but it sadly comes off as a missed opportunity as he just goes off and kills more enemies. The game looks decent enough. The game runs on the same engine that powered Ninja Gaiden 2 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma, but somehow looks dated. Animations are fluid and fast passed and there's a lot of blood being spewed by enemies, but the frame rate drops here and there, the environments are bland and uncreative, and invisible walls are abound. Enemy variety is also lacking as you'll mostly be facing the same enemy types over and over again. Yeah, they may look different, but most fall in the same pattern of weak enemy soldier or ninja to enemy soldier or ninja with something like a gun, rocket launcher, jet pack, shield, and magic. Some of the bosses look cool, but you'll be fighting Robot Spiders, T-Rexes, and Helicopter to the point where you'll be sick of them. The audio fares a little better, but not that much. The music is your typical techno punk rock and it's completely forgettable. One the positive side, the voice acting is decent, but enemies will constantly yelling at you to the point where you'll want an option to mute them, which there isn't. Ninja Gaiden has always been about razor sharp, fast passed combat with difficult enemy A.I that could take out 2/3's of your health bar in mere seconds. Here, the developers took out the difficult A.I, and replaced it with dumb as all hell A.I. Enemies try to attack you, but you can dodge and counterattack so easy it's not even funny. You also have so much health, and when you use your magic attack, your health regenerates. In past games, you could switch up your weapons by purchasing new ones at a shop or get them on the way, weapons like Talons, nun chucks, battle staffs, scythes and more. But no, all you get is a sword and an auto-targeting bow and arrow. You also can use your Magic attack, which is just a dragon is made of fire that eats most enemies. It's cool at first, but loses its appeal as you're forced to use it multiple times. Outside of that, that's it for weapons. Nothing more, nothing less. There are weapons coming in the form of DLC at the time this is being written, but there's no excuse to have like that. Either give me the weapons through game progression, or don't at all. It's insulting that new weapons aren't in the finished product, and even more insulting that you have to wait to download them. Level design is even worse, as all you'll be doing for 8 hours is walk down a path, get stuck in area till you kill x number of enemies, and boss fights that are just "hit the glowing weak point x amount of times." Ninja Gaiden 3 has all but lost the essence of the series in an attempt to streamline the gameplay to make things more accessible for the casual audience. However, the creators streamlined too much for its own good, and have created a soulless, repetitive, and just plain boring action game.… Expand
  2. cimerians
    Mar 30, 2012
    0
    A complete and pathetic failure.

    - No gameplay from the original two games. Think Dynasty Warriors. REPETETIVE button mashing combat. - No weapons - Enemies are cannon fodder - Normal = Easy - With so much violence there is no dismemberment. Just doesn't feel right. (This is minor but it does DETRACT from the feel of the game) - ridiculous and convoluted story. - Average online play. MOVE    A complete and pathetic failure.

    - No gameplay from the original two games. Think Dynasty Warriors. REPETETIVE button mashing combat.
    - No weapons
    - Enemies are cannon fodder
    - Normal = Easy
    - With so much violence there is no dismemberment. Just doesn't feel right. (This is minor but it does DETRACT from the feel of the game)
    - ridiculous and convoluted story.
    - Average online play. MOVE support = Why??
    - $60 bucks day one price tag.

    Doesn't even deserve a 1 rating.
    Nuff' said.    … Expand
  3. Jbrizzy
    Apr 8, 2012
    3
    WHOA, Ok, dont take my word for it, but this is probably going to be in the running for the worst and most disappointing game of 2012.The title on the box says Ninja Gaiden 3, but this is just a huge step down. Somewhere Itagaki is sitting in his chair sippin Champagne and Laughing at the poor reviews this game has gotten, and it rightfully deserves them. Team ninja without Itagaki is justWHOA, Ok, dont take my word for it, but this is probably going to be in the running for the worst and most disappointing game of 2012.The title on the box says Ninja Gaiden 3, but this is just a huge step down. Somewhere Itagaki is sitting in his chair sippin Champagne and Laughing at the poor reviews this game has gotten, and it rightfully deserves them. Team ninja without Itagaki is just lost. This game is repetitive as hell, and there are Quick Time Events everywhere. And did i mention only one weapon, like is this real cause the Ninja Gaiden i know supplied us with new weapons, FOR FREE. Dont play this there is sooooo much better out there. Play the other games in the serires and you'll be satisfied… Expand
  4. Thorgal
    Mar 20, 2012
    0
    As a Ninja gaiden fan this is a major disappointment. I am so angry and sad they killed this game. Everything what made NG and NG2 good games is removed, and what they have added is dull, like stupid kunai climbs (30 or more), QTE and a dull stupid non ninja story. I was really bored when playing this game. I was glad when I finished it. I will never pop it in my console again.
  5. MrMoon360
    Mar 21, 2012
    3
    This game is not Ninja Gaiden. Its garbage.
    You will become absorbed in a world filled with easy kills and profuse QTE events which don't belong in Ninja Gaiden.
    This is betrayal to any true fan and a quick buck on Team Ninja's part. That explains the gimmicky and bland multiplayer mode added here in this installment.
  6. MenjiCA
    Mar 20, 2012
    4
    As a long time Ninja Gaiden fan this game is a let down. I pre ordered both PS3 and Xbox 360 versions months ago, it shows how much i love this franchise. I own all other version of ninja gaiden on Xbox, Xbox 360, and PS3 and played the hell out of them. The controls are unresponsive and feel detached from the action on screen compared to previous NG games. I hate the zoom in that theAs a long time Ninja Gaiden fan this game is a let down. I pre ordered both PS3 and Xbox 360 versions months ago, it shows how much i love this franchise. I own all other version of ninja gaiden on Xbox, Xbox 360, and PS3 and played the hell out of them. The controls are unresponsive and feel detached from the action on screen compared to previous NG games. I hate the zoom in that the camera does when a "Steel on Bone" Technique randomly triggers it's disorienting also slows down the momentum.

    The finisher move are way too long to execute and trigger randomly, they can be 4-5 seconds long.

    There's no more Health bar in BOSS fights, and they are now loaded whit QTE.

    Dismemberments are gone, it would have been awesome to have dismemberment after a finisher move and/or a Steel on bone.

    I also encountered many slowdowns when there's lot of action on the screen.

    The only good thing about NG3 that I can think of are the Graphics, they are very good compared to previous NG. I hope that these issue can be fixed in the Wii U version or maybe in a Ninja Gaiden 3 Sigma release if that ever happened.

    20th March 2012 is a very sad day for a Ninja Gaiden fan.

    Marc-Etienne Fournier
    Quebec, Canada    … Expand
  7. epicveggie
    Mar 21, 2012
    0
    Does this game deserve a zero based on quality? Heck no. Does this game deserve a zero based on its betrayal of longtime fans' trust? ABSOLUTELY.

    If this were any other fighting game, i would've given it a 5 or 6, but the fact that they had the audacity to call it Ninja Gaiden 3 astounds me. Fans, this is NOT a Ninja Gaiden game. The Tecmo team had a chance to prove they could excel, free    Does this game deserve a zero based on quality? Heck no. Does this game deserve a zero based on its betrayal of longtime fans' trust? ABSOLUTELY.

    If this were any other fighting game, i would've given it a 5 or 6, but the fact that they had the audacity to call it Ninja Gaiden 3 astounds me. Fans, this is NOT a Ninja Gaiden game. The Tecmo team had a chance to prove they could excel, free from the chains of Itagaki. Instead, they've proven what a genius and asset he was to the company. I'm sure I'm not the only fan who'll wish Itagaki would make a true Ninja Gaiden sequel. Whatever they call it, I'll buy it. Because we've all been cheated of the genius that was Ninja Gaiden. Now, if only there was some way to get my $70 back....    … Expand
  8. Selaphiel
    Mar 20, 2012
    0
    Poorly designed casual trash. This is the Cars 2 of Team Ninja. Ninja Gaiden is terrible without Itagaki, let's hope Nu-Team Ninja doesn't do the same to the Dead or Alive franchise.
  9. sumguitardude
    Sep 8, 2012
    0
    No decapitations, DLC weapons, easy combat and overall **** graphics.
    And thats just the start, i wouldn't even pay 1 dollar for this mess of a game if i knew what i was inn for !
    They totally raped and shafted this series with Ninja Gaiden 3 "We want you to feel how it is to cut someone" they said. Yea cant say the feeling is there when you cant even **** decapitate anybody!! The    No decapitations, DLC weapons, easy combat and overall **** graphics.
    And thats just the start, i wouldn't even pay 1 dollar for this mess of a game if i knew what i was inn for !
    They totally raped and shafted this series with Ninja Gaiden 3
    "We want you to feel how it is to cut someone" they said.
    Yea cant say the feeling is there when you cant even **** decapitate anybody!!

    The only feeling i have is disgust, bring back Itagaki and make him make a proper game like Ninja Gaiden game next time or consider this series dead!    … Expand
  10. misterdouche
    Mar 24, 2012
    1
    i played all ninja gaiden, i bought both consoles' ninja gaiden as well. i finished all ninja gaiden even in NES version. and this is no doubt the worst game I have ever played. wtf is with those quick time **** and the walking omfg. what were they smoking when they developed the game. 0 progression, boring enemies. they even cut the combos. you only get 3 weapons with DLC and multiplayeri played all ninja gaiden, i bought both consoles' ninja gaiden as well. i finished all ninja gaiden even in NES version. and this is no doubt the worst game I have ever played. wtf is with those quick time **** and the walking omfg. what were they smoking when they developed the game. 0 progression, boring enemies. they even cut the combos. you only get 3 weapons with DLC and multiplayer sucks. come on Team ninja, you just lost a loyal customer.… Expand
  11. Makaveli
    Apr 12, 2012
    4
    I have played ALL Ninja Gaiden games, even on the NES. Coincedentally the 3rd installment for the Nes was the worse one out of the 3. The reason why the 3rd version of the NES sucked was they changed things like the jumping etc... And it was wayyyyyy too hard, not hard in the good way, but cheap hard. Now the 3rd Ninja Gaiden for this gen is the total opposite, the game is TOO easy andI have played ALL Ninja Gaiden games, even on the NES. Coincedentally the 3rd installment for the Nes was the worse one out of the 3. The reason why the 3rd version of the NES sucked was they changed things like the jumping etc... And it was wayyyyyy too hard, not hard in the good way, but cheap hard. Now the 3rd Ninja Gaiden for this gen is the total opposite, the game is TOO easy and more for casual gamers. All of us hardcore gamers are getting shoved into a corner. Next gen systems will probably be even more for casual gamers. Think I'm crazy, but I blame all this on the Wii. The Wii is for casual gamers, and almost everyone bought one, and is selling more than X360 and PS3, so now Sony and Microsoft notice that there is more money in casual gaming as opposed to hardcore and even gaming developpers picked up on this so they are trying to be more casual. Now WTF is up with this QTE stuff? QTE hasn't been cool since Shenmue, why use it in this game? Every game I play these days insults my GD intelligence, why not just have the games play itself? It's a slap in the face to all the hardcore Ninja Gaiden fans, that paid money to have a Ninja Gaiden experience, but instead got a game like duck tales. Casual gaming is getting horrible, it' getting to the point where you just have to start up your system, and you get an achievement for it. I guess it's to make the retards feel like they accomplished something. Another thing is a lot of games are trying to be like CoD, and I'm sorry but CoD sucks too, and takes no skill. I always thought games were suppose to be a challenge, why play a game if it will not challenge you in anyway? There is no such thing as gaming anymore, it's just all about money now. What the devellopers dont realize is, is it's the hardcore gamers who got them where they are today,and how do they repay us? With crap like Ninja Gaiden 3.

    F-U Gaming...    … Expand
  12. Kadeemluvmusic
    Mar 27, 2012
    3
    With a new development team and a few plenty of changes, I think Tecmo eventually killed Ryu Hayabusa, seriously. I thought this was going to be the best Ninja Gaiden yet until I haven't heard anything about why the gameplay and the controls just aren't improving that much. I want a real Ninja Gaiden game like a third Sigma game, although I've played the best Sigma 2 game in the series. NoWith a new development team and a few plenty of changes, I think Tecmo eventually killed Ryu Hayabusa, seriously. I thought this was going to be the best Ninja Gaiden yet until I haven't heard anything about why the gameplay and the controls just aren't improving that much. I want a real Ninja Gaiden game like a third Sigma game, although I've played the best Sigma 2 game in the series. No items, no story-based campaign through past games, and no upgraded weapons. I think it's about time for a reboot and let the fans know who Ryu Hayabusa is. Sure, he's from the Dead or Alive series. But I don't want to see him unmasked in a bad way. I don't know when Dead or Alive 5 will be coming out soon, but I'll probably wait till E3 this June. Ninja Gaiden III is a forgotten game and one of the worst hack n' slash games of this year, so far. Fans will be so disappointed and probably still I'm saving some money for Lollipop Chainsaw on June 12th.… Expand
  13. Darkeffect777
    Mar 26, 2012
    4
    Ninja Gaiden 1-2 hardcore game and this moments very interested in series. Blood in Ninja Gaiden 1-2 very cinematic and funny. Nice story for Ninja and his friends very interested too. What on Ninja Gaiden 3?
    Hero stupid and bad story. Casual gameplay and bad level. QTE very, very bad, camera horrible and light AI kill this game. What Tecmo do with great series? Your are crazy studios!    Ninja Gaiden 1-2 hardcore game and this moments very interested in series. Blood in Ninja Gaiden 1-2 very cinematic and funny. Nice story for Ninja and his friends very interested too. What on Ninja Gaiden 3?
    Hero stupid and bad story. Casual gameplay and bad level. QTE very, very bad, camera horrible and light AI kill this game. What Tecmo do with great series? Your are crazy studios! All game with slogan "Die, stupid,Die". Oh my god...    … Expand
  14. x3leggedracerx
    Mar 31, 2012
    1
    Note to everyone that reads this, I've played Ninja Gaiden Black,2, Sigma and Sigma 2. Nothing or no where near like the old ones and everyone who thinks this is better clearly never beat any of the games or fully understood them. This is dumbed down polished piece of trash. Was a huge fan of the series and this game made me lose all respect for it. I had to make an account just to sayNote to everyone that reads this, I've played Ninja Gaiden Black,2, Sigma and Sigma 2. Nothing or no where near like the old ones and everyone who thinks this is better clearly never beat any of the games or fully understood them. This is dumbed down polished piece of trash. Was a huge fan of the series and this game made me lose all respect for it. I had to make an account just to say not a whole lot. Dull and repetitive combat. No use of even looking up the move list when most of it is just spamming square or X depending which system. One ninpo. Story is ok. Ryu is soft. The unmasking and "sword to bone" gimmick gets old. It seems like you obliterate technique enemies in every single fight and the dumb idea of not having items and depending on wash, rinse and repeat gimmick of getting ninpo to heal and kills enemies gets really old. Most of the game is fighting almost never ending humanoids stuck in rooms full of them seems like more of a chore than playing a game. Glad I rented this instead of buying it.… Expand
  15. jj350
    Mar 20, 2012
    0
    So awful! I don't know how or why this happened, Tecmo really screwed up beyond belief on this one, which comes as a major disappointment to me considering the fact that I have always been a fan of the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden fan. No joke, stay with the old Ninja Gaiden, Amazingly even the original is a better looking game if you get the PS3 version. If you've already played throughSo awful! I don't know how or why this happened, Tecmo really screwed up beyond belief on this one, which comes as a major disappointment to me considering the fact that I have always been a fan of the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden fan. No joke, stay with the old Ninja Gaiden, Amazingly even the original is a better looking game if you get the PS3 version. If you've already played through that, get Ninja Gaiden 2. If you have played through that, then tough luck, as Ninja Gaiden 3 is a broken mess of a game. I can't get over how bad this thing is, I thought for sure there's no way it could disappoint considering how much I enjoyed the original 2, but sure enough they found a way to screw everything up. Avoid by all cost unless you want to be disappointed.… Expand
  16. THE_COCONUT_MAN
    Apr 1, 2012
    1
    This review contains spoilers, click expand to view. You may notice that Ryu is a lot slower and clunkier than previous which takes game play a hudge step back. The vast array of enemies that NG2 and Black boasts is gone, as is the uniqueness that comes with each level. Boss fights are also an embarrassment, ranging from generic robot spiders to probably the most laughable T-Rex I have ever seen in a game. There is also one point where the game literally rips off God of War, having you fight waves of enemies on the arm of a giant boss fight whilst looking for weak spots, although unlike God of War said boss fight is an untextured, lackluster encounter. A stripped down arsenal only heightens repetition, as when you clear an area of enemies the game throws the same bunch of enemies at you before you can advance, as if it is saying "Here, now do it again!", this breaks the flow of the game as you find yourself in the same area for lengthy period of time. Not that people flock to Ninja Gaiden for the most riveting story but, the plot, cut scenes and dialogue are all so embarrassingly written and the back stabbing that surfaces from one of the characters would only of been shocking if it hadn't happen. Moments where Ryu clutches his arm in pain and slowly attacks each enemy feel suffocating and leave you open to severe blind-siding. All in all the game is a trashy step back from the table which previous installments set.… Expand
  17. glasscut
    Apr 1, 2012
    0
    Okay this game fails on too many levels to mention please do not bash me.. Check my psn trophy list - psn - glasscut. The reason i gave it a zero is because, for 4 days now i haven't been able to play clan battles the game just gets stuck on - joining lobby screen. I have time warner cable 50Mbps connection. with a Motorola DOCSIS 3.0 router. So i know its not my connection.Okay this game fails on too many levels to mention please do not bash me.. Check my psn trophy list - psn - glasscut. The reason i gave it a zero is because, for 4 days now i haven't been able to play clan battles the game just gets stuck on - joining lobby screen. I have time warner cable 50Mbps connection. with a Motorola DOCSIS 3.0 router. So i know its not my connection. Furthermore, The level design seemed like they didn't know what to do they added the kunai climb. and Steel and bone and stripped the other great things from Ryu Hayabusa. Took his weapons, no healing items, When you can use the ultimate technique is determined by the computer now ( roughly after about killing 5 enemies if that ). Your Ki gauge makes no sense really. Then the you only have one ninpo. So the variations of combos you can use are gone. i found myself only using the Basic izuna drop and the air - blade of the mind looking izuna drop.. not only that i mean did they forget that Ryu Hayabusa was a ninja ??.. no Kusari gama ?? I mean i can go on about how terrible this game is your are supposed to add on to a game no strip it of what makes it a game.. God of Wars - kratos was no stripped the developers added on. I hope the developers learned from this seriously i really want my money back for purchasing this game. I mean on disc its only about 3gb if that then you game an option in the in game menu to install it. But whats the point ?? reason i say this is even after you install it.. you can't play the game without the disc ??? the game seems like they just copied it from the xbox360 and changed a few file and extensions and gave us a ps3 game at 720P with framerate issues sliding enemies.. NGS2 was 1080P looked beautiful i rarely experienced any framerate issues.. So bad combat, repetitive combat, lack of weapons, bad stage design, too many QTE's.. Cmon he's a ninja. its almost they tried to copy from God of War 3 and failed.. Reason they took away everything that made Hayabusa.. The legendary ninja he is.. Adding on is better than taking away.. I hope they remember this.. i am done i am selling this piece of trash.. Please to everyone that bought the game do the survey on the first page of the manual - http://www.tecmokoeiamerica.com/survey/ng3/… Expand
  18. grassninja
    Apr 20, 2012
    2
    As a successor to Ninja Gaiden 1 & 2 this is a tragedy. I am extremely disappointed with this purchase. Note: I started playing the story after the claw and scythe were made available, but while they definitely do add to the game it's simply not enough. This is not a Ninja Gaiden sequel. This is Call of Duty: Ninja Gaiden. The game plays like this. Walk forward, respond to quicktime eventAs a successor to Ninja Gaiden 1 & 2 this is a tragedy. I am extremely disappointed with this purchase. Note: I started playing the story after the claw and scythe were made available, but while they definitely do add to the game it's simply not enough. This is not a Ninja Gaiden sequel. This is Call of Duty: Ninja Gaiden. The game plays like this. Walk forward, respond to quicktime event (QTE), walk forward, mash the X button to defeat wave of enemies, climb wall, mash X some more, jump down, mash X even more,defeat boss, watch uninteresting cutscene, repeat ad nauseum.
    At no point did I feel like I was truly in control of Ryu. The combat has been extremely dumbed down. It's almost impossible to pull away from a group and target a single enemy since the game pretty much decides that for you. Seriously, all you have to do is hammer X repeatedly for 8 hours with a few slides thrown in here and there- there's absolutely no challenge. On the higher difficulties I found myself dying constantly, but only because of my inability to triage thanks to the games autotarget taking nearly all of the control out of my hands. I have no idea how many times I would go out of my way to rush the guy with the rocket launcher only to have Ryu spin on his heels and the attack the dude chasing directly behind me as soon as I made an attack input simply because the game decreed it so.The skilled and tactical approach to each encounter from the previous games has been entirely erased. Slam on the X button, if you get surrounded slide out of the huddle, then slam X even more. When your arm glows red hit Y. You just beat the game. There's no need to jump off of walls for more powerful strikes, no need to memorize combos, no need to know what weapons work best in what scenarios - just beat the living hell out of the X button.
    There are WAY too many QTEs and they seriously break the game's flow, and even a few hours in the game constantly reminds you to press LT to block/X for light attack/Y for heavy. If you turn these off in the menus it also turns off the QTE prompts leading to you having to guess whenever one pops up (every 2-3min). Kunai climbing is annoying, rope climbing is entirely pointless, I could go for days.
    On top of all of this the framerate is horrible, the camera is way too close making it worse than it ever was, some parts of the game are extremely underlit and it took forever to get the brightness settings correct, the game is so easy the only way you'll really die is from enemies with cheap and unblockable throw attacks, there isn't much variety to the enemies, etc etc.
    It's obvious this game was simplified and streamlined to attract the casual crowd which was a failed attempt unless you're looking for a completely mindless action game, and a ton of emphasis was placed on actually telling a story. Unfortunately that doesn't bode well either as this one, like the previous two, is nonsensical and forgettable.
    This game sucks and doesn't deserve to bear the Ninja Gaiden name. What little fun to be had here is marred by extremely shallow combat, technical shortcomings, an asinine attempt at a story, and complete lack of legitimate challenge. The first 2 NGs were deep, challenging games that I initially sucked at only because I wasn't good enough... yet. As the games went on they seemed to get easier, but the truth was that I was just getting better. NG3 lays down and spreads its legs for you as soon as you put the disk in the tray without making you earn it. Just keep pressing X. I want my money back.    … Expand
  19. zaz234
    May 13, 2012
    1
    When I first heard about this game I was really excited because the ninja gaiden series always annoyed the sh** out of me. Problem now is the poor execution. The game seems to be all about running into an area, killing some dudes, rinse and repeat with an occasional boss or quick time event shoehorned in. The biggest complaint I had and the point at which I became nervous the this gameWhen I first heard about this game I was really excited because the ninja gaiden series always annoyed the sh** out of me. Problem now is the poor execution. The game seems to be all about running into an area, killing some dudes, rinse and repeat with an occasional boss or quick time event shoehorned in. The biggest complaint I had and the point at which I became nervous the this game would fail was when the Dev's said they were taking out the gore because it wasn't realistic (when a sword goes through someone's body they should not remain intact) and the "our fans don't want to see this anymore" load of sh**. Another giant piss-off was the multiplayer that felt completely forced and out of place, but I must sadly admit that this was probably the most enjoying mode in this lousy game. Overall this game sounded like it would be a nice introduction to those who were turned off by the massive difficulty of the original ninja gaidens but it took too many wrong turns and was not able to successfully deliver a ninja gaiden experience for the longtime fans and the newcomers alike.… Expand
  20. Kurgan
    Sep 1, 2012
    3
    Friends, this is a Ninja Gaiden game. That means it's hard. That means it's spotty. Just like the other ones. What this installment does NOT share with the other Ninja Gaiden entries is .....fun. The other games kick you right in the mouth right in the first level. So does this one. What the other entries also do is promise you that if you keep going, you're going to have a greatFriends, this is a Ninja Gaiden game. That means it's hard. That means it's spotty. Just like the other ones. What this installment does NOT share with the other Ninja Gaiden entries is .....fun. The other games kick you right in the mouth right in the first level. So does this one. What the other entries also do is promise you that if you keep going, you're going to have a great time. This one does not. I can't believe I'm saying that. It looks great. It sounds great. The gameplay is good. Not great. It tries to improve on everything established in Ninja Gaiden 2. Yet everything that was good about "2" doesn't actually need improvement...or, it does, just not in the way that "3" does it. I wanted to like it. I dropped it for a few weeks, came back to it, expecting to prove myself wrong, and still, nothing. It felt like kissing someone that you know you're not into. It's still a kiss. It's just not the kind of kiss that has you saying, let's keep going, let's see where this takes us. In this game, you're kissing someone that you are only obliging to be nice. He's just not that into you. That's how I'd characterize my view on this game. You know what? It's not terrible. It's just not my type. I know these developers tried. Probably tried to meet some hasty deadlines. And you can feel the rushed work in this one. I like this game.............but only as a friend.… Expand
  21. Marfedelom
    Aug 10, 2013
    0
    This is possibly the worst game I have ever played. The game mechanics are clunky the movement of the character are that of a Novice karate not even close to being considered a ninja let alone a ninja master or what is suppose to be veteran ninja master renowned for his skills. He can side step an attack he can't jump over a railing that is maybe 2-3 feet high his ability to fluidicallyThis is possibly the worst game I have ever played. The game mechanics are clunky the movement of the character are that of a Novice karate not even close to being considered a ninja let alone a ninja master or what is suppose to be veteran ninja master renowned for his skills. He can side step an attack he can't jump over a railing that is maybe 2-3 feet high his ability to fluidically pass from one weapon to another is nonexistent over all, If Hayabusa Ryu were a real ninja in the real world he would be taken to a back room and given a dagger to prevent any further disgrace on his family's name. The game itself is a joke and should never have even been allowed to be published/distributed.… Expand
  22. ninjagaidenfan2
    Jul 27, 2018
    0
    Awful garbage. I really do hope this isn't the end of the ninja gaiden series.
  23. Raknner44
    Mar 21, 2022
    0
    Sinceramente es un mal chiste de juego. Que la dificultad sea peleando con un control pésimo no es la idea de jugar un videojuego. Es que el personaje tiene un retraso mental inconmensurable, siempre ataca para el otro lado de donde apuntas el analógico porque no atiende s los movimientos rápidos de este siendo un NINJAAAAA.
  24. HuevoAlce
    Jun 27, 2022
    4
    Ninja Gaiden 3 fails to contain any of the magic from the previous Ninja Gaiden games.

Awards & Rankings

28
#28 Most Discussed PS3 Game of 2012
53
#53 Most Shared PS3 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

All reviews »
Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 43 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 43
  2. Mixed: 25 out of 43
  3. Negative: 11 out of 43
  1. PSFocus
    May 15, 2012
    43
    Boy, this game is a big disappointment. When an established franchise like Ninja Gaiden sinks this deep, it would be wise for the developer to turn off its life support. The game is graphically strong, but fails on every other level. An absolute shame.
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  2. Pelit (Finland)
    May 11, 2012
    63
    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]
  3. Impulsegamer
    May 7, 2012
    65
    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.
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