Ninja Gaiden 3

 Xbox 360
User Score
4.5

Generally unfavorable reviews- based on 146 Ratings

User score distribution:
  1. Positive: 40 out of 146
  2. Mixed: 35 out of 146
  3. Negative: 71 out of 146
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  1. Deezie313
    Mar 20, 2012
    4
    This game is not terrible!! It's just not fun. As someone who best Ninja Gaiden 2 on master ninja difficulty (xbox) I enjoyed the punishing difficulty. This game is a dumbed down version. Those who thought the previous games erred too hard, are going to love this. One sword, one nimpo. I started the game in hard and I've yet to have one problem. All the gore is gone. You walk to one ares,This game is not terrible!! It's just not fun. As someone who best Ninja Gaiden 2 on master ninja difficulty (xbox) I enjoyed the punishing difficulty. This game is a dumbed down version. Those who thought the previous games erred too hard, are going to love this. One sword, one nimpo. I started the game in hard and I've yet to have one problem. All the gore is gone. You walk to one ares, press the x button, kill everyone and move to next area. Same thing over and over. Theres some stealth in the game, which is really cool. But there aren't enough moves. Fighting got boring during my first fight. Ultimate attacks are lame. They're just one hit one kill sword slashes. All in all, this new guy ruined this game. He removed everything that was fun. Like I said...its not terrible. Just not fun..wait until the price goes down. I forgot, online is ok......death match and team death match. Same thing...mash x.… Expand
  2. Xborn74
    Mar 21, 2012
    5
    Usually I write more about the games, but in this case no: I'm very disappointed ... the game is too generic, have lost almost all of what is a Ninja Gaiden game... the graphics are regular ones, the enemies have are all the same look, and no decapitations or cutting limbs off, now we have only blood spurts...why they take the later off the game? Because they were "violent and no oneUsually I write more about the games, but in this case no: I'm very disappointed ... the game is too generic, have lost almost all of what is a Ninja Gaiden game... the graphics are regular ones, the enemies have are all the same look, and no decapitations or cutting limbs off, now we have only blood spurts...why they take the later off the game? Because they were "violent and no one wanted to see anymore" (as the producer said)? And they left blood gushing?! Come on...Ryu in the game actually uses the Katana and some throwing knives, nothing of Shrukiens so far ... And when you fill your special bar, you can drop a nimpo, which is a fire dragon special, that attacks all on the screen. Innovative isn't it? The stages are linear, the action is generic (boring), NG II was much better... the Hack and Slash in the game is dotted with climbing sequences (RT, LT, RT, LT, RT ...) and nonsense QTE segments, just to watch some killing animations. The sound, is another one of my disappointments, there are parts that is raining and you do not hear anything. The Multiplayer mods I have not tested and I'm not planning to, a Online Pass for this game is a waste of money ... and the fact that an Multiplayer Mode is totally unnecessary - this is disappointing. Ok, is an regular to good action game, but something with the name "Ninja Gaiden" should be like this game... I really do not know why the producers are doing this to great games, it seem that they want to bury classic franchises like Resident Evil (another deception) and Ninja Gaiden. My score (this isn't a Ninja Gaiden to me, NGII and Ninja Blade are way better that this game): 5, 0 / 10,0 .… Expand
  3. MegWhiteley
    Mar 21, 2012
    5
    Wow, I think "Bad Critics-Good Game" But no, Ninja Gaiden 3 is really terrible, have much mistakes, the only good in this new title of Ryu Hayabusa are the graphics, controls and cover, but the biggest mistake is the change of difficulty, is very easy, I don't think that the title is bad, is a regular title, with much problems, but with some good things. Tecmo Koei destroy this game.
  4. RexReqz
    Mar 21, 2012
    5
    Well I was waiting on this release for a while and as soon as I got home I put it in my 380 and was so eager to jump in. After playing it I'm realizing that I'm out 60 dollars on a game that I should have rented. I've played Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2 and Black on the regular xbox and 360. NG3 is not reminiscent of its past accomplishments. Ninja Gaiden is about fluid combat, buttonWell I was waiting on this release for a while and as soon as I got home I put it in my 380 and was so eager to jump in. After playing it I'm realizing that I'm out 60 dollars on a game that I should have rented. I've played Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2 and Black on the regular xbox and 360. NG3 is not reminiscent of its past accomplishments. Ninja Gaiden is about fluid combat, button response, great targeting, speed, and the ability to dodge/evade/interrupt an attack with block. NG3 screws all that up. Responsiveness is laughable. Combinations are obsolete and serve no purpose since bashing X is all you really need to do. The targeting is aggravating it will emphasize attacking an enemy that is already neutralized instead of an enemy that you want to attack. I don't know how many times the guy I've wanted to target is replaced by some guy limping around, the attack shifts even though you're pressing to the left to attack who you want instead it shifts to the right and attacks the limping fool. Countering is worthless since it's attack isn't profound and only becomes a burden by exposing yourself. You used to be able to block and interrupt your attack so you could avoid an incoming attack from another enemy then shadow step so you could re-position yourself to attack again. You can't do that anymore instead you're stuck to a grapple or just getting hit. The combat's immersive experience is what is wrong with this game. Quick time events are just filler. I don't care about the story. Horrible, horrible, just horrible planning and development. Casual gamers and new fans might like this game but as for the fans from past games will be severely disappointed.… Expand
  5. BluStar48
    Mar 22, 2012
    5
    The action is cool but that's just about it. Basically take your normal Ninja Gaiden and dumb it down. Strip off all of the customization and inventory, different weapons and just about everything else that made Ninja Gaiden great and slap in more combo driven cinematics. It's not unplayable but it will have the true NG fan complaining the entire way through (no vigoorian flail!? WTF!?).The action is cool but that's just about it. Basically take your normal Ninja Gaiden and dumb it down. Strip off all of the customization and inventory, different weapons and just about everything else that made Ninja Gaiden great and slap in more combo driven cinematics. It's not unplayable but it will have the true NG fan complaining the entire way through (no vigoorian flail!? WTF!?). First time NG players will like this one but the faithful true NG fan will be and should be disappointed.… Expand
  6. 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 say notNote 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
  7. 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
  8. Lancerguy
    May 1, 2012
    2
    I don't know HOW people are giving this passing scores. This game is terrible as a Ninja Gaiden. And YES, I did play through to the end, on hard no less. In comparison to the other 2, it falls flat on it's face. It's designed to take a hard-core, combo-based, intense, intelligent battle system and mainstream it for the more casual crowd. There is no need to learn the combos at all, theI don't know HOW people are giving this passing scores. This game is terrible as a Ninja Gaiden. And YES, I did play through to the end, on hard no less. In comparison to the other 2, it falls flat on it's face. It's designed to take a hard-core, combo-based, intense, intelligent battle system and mainstream it for the more casual crowd. There is no need to learn the combos at all, the action is all based around cheaply exploiting big multi-kill moves, the story is terrible, any RPG element felt in the other 2 (upgrades and items and stuff) is completely gone....I could go on all day. Point is, terrible game. NG 1 or 2, pre-owned, will end up being more valuable than this bargain-bin game. Don't waste your money.… Expand
  9. GidBix
    Apr 5, 2012
    4
    This game blew me away with its ability to come on strong and make me think "Wow! This game is going to be awesome!' However, about half way through you realize you have learned all the moves, seen all the character types, and have experienced everything the game has to offer. You basically do the exact same thing for 6 hours! Absolutely one of the most repetitive games I have ever played!
  10. nguthomas
    Mar 30, 2012
    5
    Team Ninja thinks this game may be an improvement by making it TOO streamlined. However, Ninja Gaiden 3 is sadly the most disappointing Ninja Gaiden game I have ever played. Gameplay is shallow and is not as superior as that of its predecessor, and its difficulty is UNBELIEVABLY simple and less challenging. This can't be the final Ninja Gaiden game; Team Ninja needs to make Ninja Gaiden 4Team Ninja thinks this game may be an improvement by making it TOO streamlined. However, Ninja Gaiden 3 is sadly the most disappointing Ninja Gaiden game I have ever played. Gameplay is shallow and is not as superior as that of its predecessor, and its difficulty is UNBELIEVABLY simple and less challenging. This can't be the final Ninja Gaiden game; Team Ninja needs to make Ninja Gaiden 4 as an improved sequel.… Expand
  11. gordofredito
    Mar 26, 2012
    0
    the difference with this game and Mass Effect 3 is that: people are angry at ME3 because of it's ending, and they can't deny it was fun and intriguing from the beginning to the last 30 minutes of the game, THIS game on the other side... it's just not fun from beginning to end, and the camera glitches a lot. The only thing in common with this and Ninja Gaiden 2 is the main character
  12. Bjoggo
    Mar 29, 2012
    0
    All out disappointing game. Words canot discribe how bad this NG 3 is. This was my favourite game and waited months for this one. To bad I had to buy it on the first day. it came out. My advise to all the the real NG fans out there don't wast your money.
  13. SonicofEden
    May 20, 2012
    0
    I feel bad for the Ninja Gaiden series now that Itagaki left. I had a little bit of faith this game would be good, but I was wrong. Ninja Gaiden 3 is by far the worse Ninja Gaiden video game ever. In Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2, I absolutely loved the combat, weapons, and the frustratingly awesome and addictive difficulty. It made me feel like I accomplished something when I managed to getI feel bad for the Ninja Gaiden series now that Itagaki left. I had a little bit of faith this game would be good, but I was wrong. Ninja Gaiden 3 is by far the worse Ninja Gaiden video game ever. In Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2, I absolutely loved the combat, weapons, and the frustratingly awesome and addictive difficulty. It made me feel like I accomplished something when I managed to get through the tough, and sometimes cheap battles of both games. They were tough and made me what to rage quit but something about how Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2 played made me want to continue. However, Ninja Gaiden 3 ditches everything that made Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2 so great. Before you start making assumptions I'm a Ninja Gaiden fanboy and don't want anything to change, let me explain. This new guy promised Ninja Gaiden fans that NInja Gaiden 3 would be the best action game ever (which could never really happen but it translated to me that this game would at least be awesome) I was mad about the removal of dismemberment at first but then I began thinking I was being a little unreasonable. Then he stated that NG3 would retain the difficulty of the previous two while having something for newcomers. When the game released, I was going in thinking, well since there is Hero difficulty I'm assuming Normal is tough. I was wrong. Hero mode might as well be a movie for 10 hours that you don't do anything but watch. Normal is easy. NG 1 and 2 Normal might as well be called hard. I was playing NG3 like how a NG game should be played. Waiting for your enemy to attack, dodge, look for an opening and trying to survive. However, the trying to survive part was missing. The Steel on Bone none sense feels pointless. All it is is giving you either motion sickness or a close up view of what Ryu is doing. It really has no purpose but to make the game look flashy. After a while, I began to realize enemies take forever to attack. So I held the controller with one hand, mashing on the x button while on my iPod was in the other searching the internet. Guess what? I didn't get hit once. When I paid attention to the screen, enemies were literally lining up for Ryu to kill them. No vicious counters, no grabs, they ran up to Ryu and stood there waiting for him to kill them. I was bored within a few seconds of a battle simply because of how easy it was. Then the battles are all wave based. Once you clear out one group of enemies, ten more spawn from nowhere, then another ten. And the harder difficulties uses the wave combat even more. Face ten soldiers then another ten with rocket launchers, then three mages, then more mages with soldiers, and so forth. They attack just as much as on normal but do three times the damage. Gee, all of this sure sounds like Ninja Gaiden alright. (Yeah right) Also, the story is great....in how terrible it is. It tries to emphasize how Ryu is a coldblooded murder but a ninja who actually cares about who he murders....so why is he going through all this places to kill everyone? Not only that the story overall doesn't make sense. Stuff just happens to happen. Even if they wanted to use this story and made it make sense, it wouldn't work for an action game considering action games involve KILLING THINGS. If your looking for a good action game, get NG2 instead. Its miles better and really cheap since its four years old now. NG3 is just a terribly boring action game that tries too look cool to cover up how shallow everything is. This Hayashi guy is doing nothing but making a weak attempt to imitate the greatness that Itagaki created for the Ninja Gaiden series.… Expand
  14. willdun
    Mar 20, 2012
    5
    Let me first say this..... This game is not a bad game.....IT'S JUST NOT A NINJA GAIDEN GAME!!! When it was announced that NG3 would have been rebooted from scratch .As a fan i knew this could only mean one thing....either make or break. I don't particularly think that NG3 is a bad game, It just stripped out everything that made the previous NG games enjoyable and replaced it with poorLet me first say this..... This game is not a bad game.....IT'S JUST NOT A NINJA GAIDEN GAME!!! When it was announced that NG3 would have been rebooted from scratch .As a fan i knew this could only mean one thing....either make or break. I don't particularly think that NG3 is a bad game, It just stripped out everything that made the previous NG games enjoyable and replaced it with poor choices. Yes the combat is fast / but it took away all the weapons (yes... one weapon throughout the whole game) Yes it's easy / but NG is suppose to be challenging. Yes it's bloody Aha! / but it took away limb decapitation (d'oh). What you're left with is a generic hack n slash game which allows you to play with Ryu Hayabusa.
    It's fun but they really drop the ball with this. I am praying that they release weapon dlc's for this.    … Expand
  15. RaYsoms
    Mar 20, 2012
    0
    Worst NG game of the 3. Feel really ripped off. To bad they screwed up my favorite action game. Story wise its a really bad story. 1 & 2 didnt have a really good story but they made it up by killer gameplay. This time they `focus` a lot on the story but its horrible.

    Game has been simplified. If you enjoyed the first 2 games, stay away from this one. If youre a casual gamer that wants    Worst NG game of the 3. Feel really ripped off. To bad they screwed up my favorite action game. Story wise its a really bad story. 1 & 2 didnt have a really good story but they made it up by killer gameplay. This time they `focus` a lot on the story but its horrible.

    Game has been simplified. If you enjoyed the first 2 games, stay away from this one.
    If youre a casual gamer that wants to finish a game by only pressing one button, than maybe youll enjoy the game.

    I at least feel really ripped off.    … Expand
  16. Ninja_Gaiden_X
    Mar 20, 2012
    5
    Along with the rest here, I too am disappointed how this game turned out. Team Ninja, please... get a clue! Don't strip something that works and replace it with something that doesn't work... If you want to follow the western style game development, take a cue from Cliffy B and the Gears of War franchise, Jade Raymond and the Assassin's Creed series, the Uncharted series, Metal GearAlong with the rest here, I too am disappointed how this game turned out. Team Ninja, please... get a clue! Don't strip something that works and replace it with something that doesn't work... If you want to follow the western style game development, take a cue from Cliffy B and the Gears of War franchise, Jade Raymond and the Assassin's Creed series, the Uncharted series, Metal Gear series, Rocksteady's Batman games and of course, from your old mentor and the original Team Ninja which brought back the Ninja Gaiden 1 and 2 for the Xbox 360... All these games stayed true to what works and improved upon what worked and sprinkled in new game mechanics... not tear it down and discard the things which made these games fun to play with in the first place. I did like the Sigma games a little bit, but I didn't appreciate how the Sigma series ruined the flow of the series by alternating characters in the story mode and eliminating the dismemberment, the gore, and the number of enemies you fight on screen. Tecmo/KOEI: Take this as a lesson. Don't alienate the fans and expect to appeal to newer audience. Ninja Gaiden is a great franchise. Still, I won't rate it as low as the others... I will give Yosuke Hayashi and his crew some credit for improved visuals, great level design and the attempt for trying something new... but the mediocre score of "5" is deserving for reasons I had mentioned above. But do please remember the trademarks of what made the Ninja Gaiden series great: Fast-fluid-non-stop action, level progression, enemy and level variation, blood and dismemberment, brutal, relentless, weapon variation... Just bring Itagaki back for God's sake, Tecmo!… Expand
  17. McSteamy
    Mar 21, 2012
    3
    I'm so disgusted by this pseudo-Ninja Gaiden game. What a letdown! The developers ruined almost every aspect that I love from NG2. Big fail, Team Ninja!
  18. 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.
  19. rotsujin
    Mar 22, 2012
    0
    This game would be a light, inoffensive Ninja Gaiden clone, if only it didn't have the name on it. As it stands, it adds nothing to the core experience and takes away so much, even having the gall to hold some of it at arms length in the form of DLC, that it can only be viewed as an enormous step backwards for the franchise. People new to the series should go find a copy of the originalThis game would be a light, inoffensive Ninja Gaiden clone, if only it didn't have the name on it. As it stands, it adds nothing to the core experience and takes away so much, even having the gall to hold some of it at arms length in the form of DLC, that it can only be viewed as an enormous step backwards for the franchise. People new to the series should go find a copy of the original and play that to see what a real action game is.… Expand
  20. PsyEd
    Mar 24, 2012
    3
    When it comes to NG series this is the WORST one...not to mention the ugliest one strangely enough. It's not a bad game given that a gamer never played the previous titles but to a series follower it has EPIC FAIL written all over it. It's a complete bore to the end...apart from few boss fights the game feels like a chore. The sense of any adventure is completely gone...you move from A toWhen it comes to NG series this is the WORST one...not to mention the ugliest one strangely enough. It's not a bad game given that a gamer never played the previous titles but to a series follower it has EPIC FAIL written all over it. It's a complete bore to the end...apart from few boss fights the game feels like a chore. The sense of any adventure is completely gone...you move from A to B....kill the SAME bad guys over and over again till a boss shows up. Not to mention you now have ONE sword(re-skinned 3 times in the game) and magic/ninpo move....it's like ninja gaiden series got neutered or something.

    And ps3 was the lead platform...the game sucks in that too but on 360 it has added washed out gfx and vsync galore. The production value is extremely low when compared to previous titles. I just don't know how the hell Tecmo allowed such bastardization of the series which was regarded as the king of action games.

    This game is a rent at it's best and probably no will care about it in month's time.    … Expand
  21. bonobon
    Mar 26, 2012
    0
    THE GAME IS HORRENDOUS, the screen tear found in the xbox version is HORRENDOUS, the gameplay is like dinasty warriors, enemies attack with no grace and skill, all charging at you at once like DW, both versions looks and PLAY like crap, if you like to play with Ryu Hayabusa, from prevoius NG tittles, you wont see him in NG3 fighting with grace and acrobatic style, using button comnibationsTHE GAME IS HORRENDOUS, the screen tear found in the xbox version is HORRENDOUS, the gameplay is like dinasty warriors, enemies attack with no grace and skill, all charging at you at once like DW, both versions looks and PLAY like crap, if you like to play with Ryu Hayabusa, from prevoius NG tittles, you wont see him in NG3 fighting with grace and acrobatic style, using button comnibations to enjoy the huge combo list each weapon used to haveâ… Expand
  22. 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
  23. Johng4
    Mar 22, 2012
    8
    This is by far the worst ninja gaiden but its not terrible. It's fun if you give it time for the game to start to pick up. The steel on bone moves are stupid and a big step back from the obliteration techniques from ng2. The bosses are decent but frusterating, mostly fighting robots. The story is retarded. The antagonist is the worst enemy ive ever seen. You only get one weapon which uThis is by far the worst ninja gaiden but its not terrible. It's fun if you give it time for the game to start to pick up. The steel on bone moves are stupid and a big step back from the obliteration techniques from ng2. The bosses are decent but frusterating, mostly fighting robots. The story is retarded. The antagonist is the worst enemy ive ever seen. You only get one weapon which u cant power up. Over all its a different kind of ninja gaiden that wont appeal to everybody but i got used to the steps back and found a bit enjoyment with it… Expand
  24. Silversgreen
    May 11, 2012
    2
    I have now played through this twice with an open mind to see if I've missed something. I don't believe that I have. This game is extremely repetitive and without any of the leveling up of weapons, health bar or ninpo, lacks any sort of payoff. The control is sloppy and the enemies, when difficult (which is very rare) are only difficult due to what feels like AI cheapness. In the previousI have now played through this twice with an open mind to see if I've missed something. I don't believe that I have. This game is extremely repetitive and without any of the leveling up of weapons, health bar or ninpo, lacks any sort of payoff. The control is sloppy and the enemies, when difficult (which is very rare) are only difficult due to what feels like AI cheapness. In the previous games, when you died, you at least felt like it was fair. I didn't block in time. I should have dodged away etc. In this, I felt as though I kept cursing the design, rather than the enemies or their tactics. In my opinions, Ninja Gaiden Sigma was the best iteration of the original. It had all the content of Black with better graphics and tons of extras. They cut out nothing. In Sigma 2, you were given an extra sword and a few throw away levels but so much was cut out (including the blood). If this progression is to be expected from the new Team Ninja, Ninja Gaiden 4 will be an empty box with no game and you will have to purchase every level and pay with points whenever you want to save. This is a failure.… Expand
  25. 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    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 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
  26. kingchris1045
    Apr 5, 2012
    10
    why are you guys giving this game such a bad score????? because I honestly loved the game, i loved the story, the fighting, and the online. The only thing I can say that was stupid about the game was that they took off upgrading the weapon, when the enemy grab you I wish you can kick them off, and buying potion and that the only thing that was neg about the game but everything else I lovedwhy are you guys giving this game such a bad score????? because I honestly loved the game, i loved the story, the fighting, and the online. The only thing I can say that was stupid about the game was that they took off upgrading the weapon, when the enemy grab you I wish you can kick them off, and buying potion and that the only thing that was neg about the game but everything else I loved the game.… Expand
  27. Nykteas
    Mar 27, 2012
    7
    I understand why many people may feel cheated by the core changes Team Ninja made to the Game but there are some pretty solid aspects of the game to add to the fun. It all depends on what you're looking for in a game, sure story ain't that great but it never was, NG was always about the bloody, fast paced action you expect from a game with Ninja in it's name. What they've taken away byI understand why many people may feel cheated by the core changes Team Ninja made to the Game but there are some pretty solid aspects of the game to add to the fun. It all depends on what you're looking for in a game, sure story ain't that great but it never was, NG was always about the bloody, fast paced action you expect from a game with Ninja in it's name. What they've taken away by removing the upgrades and weapon variety they more than make up with endless slaughter and a surprisingly fun multiplayer aspect of the game. Bottom line is, the hardcore NG player may find it lacking but for all the fans of hardcore slaughter is a great choice.… Expand
  28. detox88
    Mar 21, 2012
    8
    I give ninja gaiden 3 an eight because the developer took some essential things out of ninja gaiden that i felt that was important because it has always been apart of the franchise, they took the ability to upgrade your weapons, they make you use the quick time in-game tutorials because you might get in a situation and you would not know what button to press,they made the move list hard toI give ninja gaiden 3 an eight because the developer took some essential things out of ninja gaiden that i felt that was important because it has always been apart of the franchise, they took the ability to upgrade your weapons, they make you use the quick time in-game tutorials because you might get in a situation and you would not know what button to press,they made the move list hard to understand, it use to be when you press the back button all of your items and move list come up, now that does not exist anymore, the lack of having more weapons is a big issue, Ryu has always been a versatile ninja to use other weapons besides the dragon sword. It seems like they mad fix the issue of the game being "too Hard", that people always complain and **** about for years, a true fan of the series always love a challenge of the ninja gaiden being hard, that is what made a better player of the previous ninja gaiden titles because i would practice and gotten better at ninja gaiden and ninja gaiden part two, no matter what you do in life, you are not going to be good at something to you full potential if a person expects everything to be easy, in this case ninja gaiden. People who complained about do not need to play the game and ruining for the rest of the real ninja gaiden fans, now that itagaki left the company, the new guy seems to not know how to make a true ninja gaiden game, ninja gaiden will not be the same with T. Itagaki, plain and simple… Expand
  29. Vicill
    Mar 21, 2012
    9
    This game has been reviewed so badly in comparison to what the game really is. It's a fast, fluid action game that isn't that bad at all. It doesn't deserve a 10, but it sure as hell doesn't deserve a user score of a 3.9. People are saying the game has been simplified, well try the game on Hard. I've started it on Hard and it's not that easy. Imagine that if Hard isn't easy, there will beThis game has been reviewed so badly in comparison to what the game really is. It's a fast, fluid action game that isn't that bad at all. It doesn't deserve a 10, but it sure as hell doesn't deserve a user score of a 3.9. People are saying the game has been simplified, well try the game on Hard. I've started it on Hard and it's not that easy. Imagine that if Hard isn't easy, there will be Master Ninja and Ultimate Ninja later on. This game will challenge you whatsoever. Also the problem people are talking about is the lack of weapons. Yes you have one weapon to use. (That doesn't include the bow and maybe other, yet unknown weapons for me) But later on there will be FREE DLC for the game which contains extra maps and extra weapons. In April there will be DLC for the Scythe and the Claws. So that's not that bad, just a bummer they didn't put it on the game in the first place. Also about the Health Regeneration. People are saying that it's too easy because your health will be constantly regenerated or something. Well, the health system is the same system that has been used in Ninja Gaiden 2. Instead of getting a red bar within your HP bar, you'll simply lose a certain chunk of your HP bar. So your HP bar will decrease. This makes it a lot harder. Yes, after your fight is finished your health will regenerate up for as long as your HP bar is at that moment. This also happened in Ninja Gaiden 2. The only way to increase your HP bar again is to either use Ninpo or save the game at certain save points. Ninpo doesn't fully increase your HP bar, but only increases it for a small part. Ninpo doesn't come in easy either. You have to kill a certain amount of enemies to get your Ninpo bar to fill up. Now about the Quick Time Events (QTE's). Yes, there are QTE's. Is it a bad thing? Maybe. In the beginning you'll be confronted with a few QTE's in the cinematics. Later on, you won't have them as much anymore. Even better, you can turn them off if you want. Also, you won't be confronted much by QTE's while your fighting. Actually almost none of the time. Something you have to press an extra button, but in the heat of the battle you'll probably won't even notice it. So all in all, the game really isn't as bad as a lot of people portrayed it. Maybe they started the game on Easy or Normal, or surely a lot of people didn't even play the game but just aren't happy with the changes that have been made. So play the game first, then judge it, and you'll come to notice it isn't a bad game. There have been better Ninja Gaidens, that's for sure. But it's not worth a 3.9!… Expand
  30. DANDEIN
    Mar 20, 2012
    8
    The good(+): massive bloody ninja action, very good graphics. The bad (-): No character/equipment upgrades. Awkward and confusing story. After a while gameplay feels VERY repetitive. Unapealing enemy bosses. Random bugs and glitches from time to time. In my opinion this game despite its major flaws it delivers very good non sense action. Perhaps as a Ninja Gaiden game this game feelsThe good(+): massive bloody ninja action, very good graphics. The bad (-): No character/equipment upgrades. Awkward and confusing story. After a while gameplay feels VERY repetitive. Unapealing enemy bosses. Random bugs and glitches from time to time. In my opinion this game despite its major flaws it delivers very good non sense action. Perhaps as a Ninja Gaiden game this game feels very poor, but for those who like me enjoy ripping apart hundreds of fiends with lots of blood over and over this might satisfy your needs. I feel those who gave a 0 or a 3 were looking for something that doesn't exist. Moreover I would only give a 0 or a 3 (IGN) score to something like a half finished game, with very horrible graphics and really bad controls. NG3 doesn't suffer form any of these flaws. I really hated FFXIII-2 but still I gave it a 6 because I could see some effort on trying to make something work. Really, how many people are involved on making a videogame (MANY!). On these days making a "good" game isn't easy at all and the hardest part is to please everyone. Scoring zero NG3 is just being rude and unfair with other people's work.… Expand
  31. ryanfrye
    Mar 20, 2012
    9
    As a huge ninja gaiden I too was disappointed at the degree to which the game is different. It ALMOST does not feel like Ninja Gaiden, but at the end of the day I feel like I am playing Ninja Gaiden. The only change that really bothers me is the removal of all the weapons, especially the lunar staff. Once you get over the changes, you are left with a very solid action game, better thanAs a huge ninja gaiden I too was disappointed at the degree to which the game is different. It ALMOST does not feel like Ninja Gaiden, but at the end of the day I feel like I am playing Ninja Gaiden. The only change that really bothers me is the removal of all the weapons, especially the lunar staff. Once you get over the changes, you are left with a very solid action game, better than most. Tight, lightning quick action, tons of blood, lots of Ryu wrecking fools. You really need to ignore most of the user reviews on the website as they are obviously submitted by heartbroken hardcore Ninja Gaiden fans, as is the review by IGN. OBJECTIVELY, the game is solid. Go into the game expecting big changes, play the game on hard mode since the default is too easy, I promise a game that will quench your bloodthirst. Also remember that no one is better at listening fan feedback a republishing an improved game than team Ninja. Expect a Sigma or Black or whatever edition to be released in the future which incorporates fan feedback. Heck, they already have the Claws and the Scythe on the way in a DLC. The game is an 8.5, not a masterpiece, but very good. Anyone giving this game a 0 or a 1 clearly needs a therapist to discuss their relationship with Ninja Gaiden and work out their lengthy emotional issues. The IGN review is puzzling as well. IGN is usually right on target with their reviews, but this 3 and the language included in the review is blatantly biased and rather unprofessional. I wish too the game played just like Ninja Gaiden 2, but I got over that in ten minutes and proceeded to spill the blood of thousands of foes. Pretty fun.… Expand
  32. gamefan
    Mar 22, 2012
    9
    The negative reviews are unfounded.This for one is an action game and it sticks to that oh well you dont switch weapons its telling a story about the sword. So you dont upgrade weapons or go looking for potions id like to re-iterate this is an ACTION game not an RPG.The difficulty is toned down well then dont play it on normal or hero start out on hard and later on master ninja or whateverThe negative reviews are unfounded.This for one is an action game and it sticks to that oh well you dont switch weapons its telling a story about the sword. So you dont upgrade weapons or go looking for potions id like to re-iterate this is an ACTION game not an RPG.The difficulty is toned down well then dont play it on normal or hero start out on hard and later on master ninja or whatever the hardest difficulty is. I also played and beat the original nes ng games,ng black on its hardest difficulty, but this is an excellent action game that should not be overlooked because of the aformentioned differences.… Expand
  33. dragonfire
    Mar 20, 2012
    8
    The thing about this Ninja Gaiden is that the setting begins in London! It's wonderful! I love it! I also feel like a ninja, flows smoothly and more importantly the end of the world, cultish story line is cool. NG3 has frankly surprised me in being a great ninja action game. I recognized the previous games were all showy offy about how terribly difficult they were, blah, blah, blah, ''I'mThe thing about this Ninja Gaiden is that the setting begins in London! It's wonderful! I love it! I also feel like a ninja, flows smoothly and more importantly the end of the world, cultish story line is cool. NG3 has frankly surprised me in being a great ninja action game. I recognized the previous games were all showy offy about how terribly difficult they were, blah, blah, blah, ''I'm awesome at ninja badass games''. Yeah whatever. This game is accessible and feels good, fun and has creativity. Silent hit of March.… Expand
  34. jamesweber
    Mar 21, 2012
    10
    lol @ everybody giving bad scores. what's wrong with you? this is the best thing that's ever happened to this console! idiots!!! the music and controls and gameplay are all really good. what did u expect it to be like the atari version? jeez
  35. sargent
    Mar 21, 2012
    9
    thia game is full game desighn is good sound and music is good Swap a full bar to transform into a dragon, killing everyone and refilling your health. What makes this tough is the long list of nameless combos, the sheer number of enemies and a loose camera that doesn't keep you the centre of attention.A once-branching tree has been pruned down to a trunk. Where you used to have athia game is full game desighn is good sound and music is good Swap a full bar to transform into a dragon, killing everyone and refilling your health. What makes this tough is the long list of nameless combos, the sheer number of enemies and a loose camera that doesn't keep you the centre of attention.A once-branching tree has been pruned down to a trunk. Where you used to have a collection of weapons to master and upgrade, now you fight with static swords, a bow, and shurikens… Expand
  36. poupy1979
    Mar 23, 2012
    8
    NG2 was the best one imo and NG3 does indeed falls short from it. NG2 was perfect, but it is very difficult to continue to develop a "perfect game" everytime. It will NEVER happen. Oh dont forget the challenge of trying new stuff without pissing off retarded fan boys. still the game offers many appeal for hardcore gamers and for the first time it opens up for a larger casual audience. TryNG2 was the best one imo and NG3 does indeed falls short from it. NG2 was perfect, but it is very difficult to continue to develop a "perfect game" everytime. It will NEVER happen. Oh dont forget the challenge of trying new stuff without pissing off retarded fan boys. still the game offers many appeal for hardcore gamers and for the first time it opens up for a larger casual audience. Try it for yourself, give this game to a casual player and ask him after 30 min - 1hour gameplay.… Expand
  37. sumguitardude
    Sep 8, 2012
    0
    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!
  38. ewall
    Mar 20, 2012
    10
    MULTIPLAYER IS AWESOME. Why would you not want to be able to battle other people online ninja gaiden style??? So there is no lunar staff or kusari gama in campaign mode. Whatever. Play ninja gaiden 2. So far multiplayer has been amazing and for that reason this game should get a 10. Ninja gaiden with a whole new angle.

    If you only want ninja gaiden for the campaign don't buy this    MULTIPLAYER IS AWESOME. Why would you not want to be able to battle other people online ninja gaiden style??? So there is no lunar staff or kusari gama in campaign mode. Whatever. Play ninja gaiden 2. So far multiplayer has been amazing and for that reason this game should get a 10. Ninja gaiden with a whole new angle.

    If you only want ninja gaiden for the campaign don't buy this game. IF YOU WANT TO BATTLE NINJAS ALL OVER THE WORLD BUY THIS GAME    … Expand
  39. cookiehour
    Mar 21, 2012
    8
    It's pretty sad how there's so much blind hatred for this game. It's not a bad game. Yes its not Ninja Gaiden but I respect the fact that Team Ninja tried to do something different. I can tell you the action is still there. Here are some positives and negatives about the game.

    + The charged Ninpo action is good addition to combat. +The graphics are detailed and stand on their own.    It's pretty sad how there's so much blind hatred for this game. It's not a bad game. Yes its not Ninja Gaiden but I respect the fact that Team Ninja tried to do something different. I can tell you the action is still there. Here are some positives and negatives about the game.

    + The charged Ninpo action is good addition to combat.
    +The graphics are detailed and stand on their own. Please do not listen to IGN and their nonsense.
    + The combat overall is solid.

    -The enemies talk way too much. They actually sound better with the Japanese audio so change before you play.
    -The bosses could have been better. Some bosses were plain cheap and you needed a good strategy to take them out.
    -I do miss weapon changing. But I think Team Ninja wanted to emphasize what was happening to Ryu regarding the Dragon Sword, which is why the different weapons is DLC (and free at that).

    Don't let Metacritic or negative reviews scare you away. Rent/buy the game and judge for yourself.    … Expand
  40. magnaxilorius
    Mar 22, 2012
    7
    I want to state for the record that Ninja Gaiden Black is the best in the series. But, Ninja Gaiden 3 is an enjoyable game in its own right
    .
    First, you need to play it right. By right I mean on the hard difficulty setting. I always recommend Jap. VOs too. Normal mode is easy mode this time. As a Ninja Gaiden vet you owe it to yourself to play this one in hard mode. You are Ryu Hayabusa,    I want to state for the record that Ninja Gaiden Black is the best in the series. But, Ninja Gaiden 3 is an enjoyable game in its own right
    .
    First, you need to play it right. By right I mean on the hard difficulty setting. I always recommend Jap. VOs too. Normal mode is easy mode this time. As a Ninja Gaiden vet you owe it to yourself to play this one in hard mode.

    You are Ryu Hayabusa, protagonist of all previous Ninja Gaiden titles. He is looking cooler than ever and very angry. The first stage starts you off leap off a building and plunging literally head first into the conflict below. As Ryu is flying through the air you're prompted to hit the Y button and plunge your sword into the unsuspecting target below. This game does feature quick time events. They add some cinematic flare to the combat and some of the cut-scenes. Ryu performs a pretty cool action when you input these QTEs. The combat feels quite different than before. Ryu starts committing brutalities with his blade. It may seem like it's out of your control. Once you get use to how different everything feels you'll realize that these brutal slashes are the new executions from NGII. You perform them almost the same way.

    These attacks look really cool and are more satisfying than they were in Ninja Gaiden II. During the first half of the game Ryu will close in automatically on a "downed" target to perform the execution. Performing these executions help build up your ki gauge quicker. Ninpo is handled differently in this game. You have your ki gauge that builds with successive attacks. Only when it's full can you perform a ninpo attack. You only ever have the one ninpo attack. It's a big AOE attack that will ALMOST wipe out everything around you should you feel cornered. It's really useful, and much like Street Fighter's super gauge, you better use it or lose it. The gauge empties into your health gauge when combat ends. This plays off tactically because the only way you can heal yourself in Ninja Gaiden 3 mid-combat is by using this ninpo attack. Your health replenishes after battle much like it did in Ninja Gaiden II, however not quite as much.

    The best time to use ninpo is when a ton of enemies are on screen. Which is often in hard mode. You will die repeatedly should you fail to use your tools correctly. And these enemy encounters are lengthy. Be prepared to fight intensely. In Ninja Gaiden II all I had to do was ult. tech. charges and let Ryu do all the hacking and slashing himself. You can't spam this in Ninja Gaiden 3. The game handles ultimate techniques almost the same way it does the ki gauge. With enough killings your sword burns red. Hold the Y button to charge your attack and release to see Ryu instantly kill three enemies within your combat zone. It looks really cool and it gets the job done. And that number varies to a lower set depending on the toughness of the target killed by the technique.

    The story this time around is the best it's ever been for a Ninja Gaiden title. The original Ninja Gaiden on the NES was the first game ever to have had cinematic cut-scenes to tell its story. Ninja Gaiden 3 finally embraces this fact. It wont win any awards for originality, but you get to experience more of Ryu's heart this time, and his new curse. You'll find yourself becoming pretty close with a couple of figures from the story, mainly a little girl name Canna.

    Ninja Gaiden 3 still has online modes, and more now. You have your trials to play as with previous Ninja Gaiden titles, but there are death match modes this time. Now, I've only played with the trials, which have been a lot of fun. I was able to level up several times and unlock some new customizable features for my ninja, as well as new moves and techniques. You're training your ninja to operate at Ryu Hayabusa's level from the campaign.

    The game is not without it's flaws. There are minor combat omissions here and there. And of course there are still camera issues within the game. Another thing that most will not like is the fact that you do absolutely no upgrading at all in Ninja Gaiden 3. "You have a katana, a ninpo spell, and a health bar, now do work!" The game says. Ryu is just as powerful at the end as he is at the beginning.
    Ninja Gaiden 3 is a good game. If you ask me, I will always tell you that Ninja Gaiden Black in the best in the series. And no other game has ever come close to accomplishing what Ninja Gaiden Black has for action/adventure games. It is my golden standard of what an action/adventure game should be.

    Ninja Gaiden 3 is a good game. Do not fret if you're a long time Ninja Gaiden fan as myself. This is a fun game. It will tide you over. It will have DLC soon, and hopefully it will be supported for a while. I've had more fun with it than I thought I would, and you will too. Don't let all these pessimistic reviews cloud your vision. A true ninja wouldn't let that happen.

    You can trust this review.    … Expand
  41. RedTincture
    Mar 25, 2012
    7
    This is not a bad game, and I probably would've given it an 8 if it wasn't Ninja Gaiden. However, they took a great thing and screwed it up, and I feel that's worth subtracting a point. Judging by a lot of these reviews some people feel it's worth subtracting more than one point. I played on Hard. Problems:
    - Instead of fighting a handful of engaging enemies which required you to    This is not a bad game, and I probably would've given it an 8 if it wasn't Ninja Gaiden. However, they took a great thing and screwed it up, and I feel that's worth subtracting a point. Judging by a lot of these reviews some people feel it's worth subtracting more than one point. I played on Hard. Problems:
    - Instead of fighting a handful of engaging enemies which required you to dodge, block, counter and combo attack intelligently like in the last games, for most of the game you fight respawning hordes of soldiers whose only purpose in life seems to be to die as quickly as possible while yelling things like "I dont wanna die!". Sprinkled in with these pushovers are usually 2 or 3 "hard" enemies.
    - I say "hard" because most of the difficulty from any enemy in Ninja Gaiden comes from their unblockable, uncounterable grabs. It really shoehorns you into having to hit and run to avoid getting grabbed.
    - I wouldn't even call this hard, except most of the time you can spot when they try to grab you, but this game's controls are a lot less responsive than its' predecessors'. I cannot even count the number of times I got grabbed even though I saw it coming well in advance and had time to attempt to dodge 3 or 4 times while Ryu just sat there, seemingly paralyzed. - 1 ninpo and 1 weapon for the whole game really screws with the strategy aspect of the game. I liked having to decide which weapon and ninpo to use for different types of enemies. Variety issues aside, instead of having to budget your magic use and try to decide whether its worth wasting health, magic and/or currency orbs on instant Ultimate Techniques it's basically best to just use your ninpo and UT whenever they become available (they both gradually charge as you attack enemies).
    - They reuse the same boss 4, count'em 4, times with extremely minor differences between each encounter. The story mode is at least half as long as the other games, maybe shorter. You can really tell they were splitting development resources to get the multiplayer and stuff done.
    - I hate QTEs. They are terrible. To be fair I even hate QTEs in games that people seem to like them in, such as God of War.
    I do, however, sincerely hope that they make another Ninja Gaiden in a couple years that learns from NG3's mistakes. As I said this game isn't terrible, it's just disappointing if you were expecting something of the same quality as NG1 and 2. The new combos system isn't as complicated and deep, but there are still a few situations where using certain combos really pays off, and although dodging can be slow you can still get into a rhythm and predict enemy movement to stay a step ahead. If you do these things it can be fun to hack through enemies that would otherwise repeatedly grab you and eat your face. Some of the boss fights remind me more of older NG boss fights. Sadly judging by the reviews and probable bad sales numbers it seems unlikely they will have the chance to learn from their mistakes and make another. RIP Ninja Gaiden, you were my favorite action game ever.    … Expand
  42. ZombiSnypr
    Mar 26, 2012
    7
    A good game reviewer critiques a game based on its own merits and does not draw its score based on comparisons to past iterations, self expectations, and certainly not because of who the game's director is or, in this case, is not. That said, Ninja Gaiden 3 is certainly not a broken game. The combat is good, the AI is good. The animations and cutscenes are striking. The camera can beA good game reviewer critiques a game based on its own merits and does not draw its score based on comparisons to past iterations, self expectations, and certainly not because of who the game's director is or, in this case, is not. That said, Ninja Gaiden 3 is certainly not a broken game. The combat is good, the AI is good. The animations and cutscenes are striking. The camera can be frustrating here and there, but it does not ruin the game. The story at times feels disjointed as if it's been created by different writers then thrown together. It sometimes seems to forget or scrap previous events. Online multiplayer has a decent foundation to build on, but know it can be brutal if you're entering it for the first time and are up against other players at much higher levels. The lack of weapons and upgrades in single player did not bother me at all here. This is a much slimmer Ninja Gaiden than what fans of the series may be used to, but that does not make it a bad game on its own. Ninja Gaiden 3 does feel more like Michael Bay's Ninja Gaiden. It's not deep, but it does make for an enjoyable ride.… Expand
  43. Edge_of_Now
    Mar 28, 2012
    7
    Ninja Gaiden 3 is a fun and frenzied action title in its own right. Though to be clear it is not the loyal, obvious next iteration in the Ninja Gaiden series. It is kind of an NG lite and if you can get over the lack of weapon variation and some of the other elements that have been stripped out you should find it enjoyable. The visuals are noticeably striking in terms of the characterNinja Gaiden 3 is a fun and frenzied action title in its own right. Though to be clear it is not the loyal, obvious next iteration in the Ninja Gaiden series. It is kind of an NG lite and if you can get over the lack of weapon variation and some of the other elements that have been stripped out you should find it enjoyable. The visuals are noticeably striking in terms of the character models and in motion, watching Ryu slice through hapless whelps is good stuff albeit if by slicing through fools means nothing actually gets sliced off. However, the environments in terms of sheer design are rather bland and generic fare. You will fight on streets, jungles, a dessert/sandy area and inside buildings and some of it is better to look at than others but I think an good opportunity was missed to deliver something really interesting. One of my personal criticisms is leveled at how weak and uninspired the environment is at the very start of the game. I think this was a poor choice to kick the game off on because right from the get go you feel a bit dissapointed.

    It is fortunate that the action is really fun. It is fast, bloody stuff and so satisfying that I didnt even mind having only one primary weapon to deal out the carnage. The camera can have some issues at times with the zoom but it is really no worse than NG2 or any other action game with slightly screwy camera work and by no means renders the game unplayable. The boss fights are a mixed bag. Some are really engaging whilst others can be repetitious and a bit draining. If you play the game on Normal difficulty and you are a king at NG or action titles you wont find the challenge sufficient so scale it up from the outset to get something more to your liking.

    All the sounds from the NG library are present and this is one area that attempts to tie NG3 into the series. Overall the game is a deviation from its own heritage but it still delivers a fun action title that requires an open mind for something a little different.    … Expand
  44. cesarcom
    Mar 29, 2012
    10
    Nao consegui parar de jogar ate o final do game, as cenas de açao sao surpreendentes e a historia e incrivel. Muitas pessoas estao dando nota baixa pois seu gameplay e bem diferente dos 2 episodios anteriores, mas, a franquia retomou a gloria dos tempos de NES! Ja esta na minha lista de melhores games!
  45. WyattTheAwesome
    May 30, 2013
    4
    This game was VERY disappointing and I'm shocked there would be a bad Ninja Gaiden game. Why is it so bad? The lack of weapons you had in the previous games, boss fights that fail to impress, showing Ryu's face and making him a pretty boy and the bland storyline. I liked Ninja Gaiden because I enjoyed saving the world from demons and stuff, but this game just took a dive in creek and isThis game was VERY disappointing and I'm shocked there would be a bad Ninja Gaiden game. Why is it so bad? The lack of weapons you had in the previous games, boss fights that fail to impress, showing Ryu's face and making him a pretty boy and the bland storyline. I liked Ninja Gaiden because I enjoyed saving the world from demons and stuff, but this game just took a dive in creek and is just inexcusably bad. The gameplay is the same, but this is a huge step back from NG1 and NG2. Don't buy this game unless you just want to finish its joke of a storyline.… Expand
  46. Cheatman
    Aug 1, 2012
    2
    Wether or not you compare Ninja Gaiden 3 to previous Ninja Gaiden game is a bad game, it is not only stripped from the elements that made NInja Gaiden such an awesome franchise, but as far as the game as a whole goes, it just doesn't work, bad controls, extremely repetitive gameplay, etc. Sometimes I even get the thought that somebody in Team Ninja simply decided to deliberatly mess theWether or not you compare Ninja Gaiden 3 to previous Ninja Gaiden game is a bad game, it is not only stripped from the elements that made NInja Gaiden such an awesome franchise, but as far as the game as a whole goes, it just doesn't work, bad controls, extremely repetitive gameplay, etc. Sometimes I even get the thought that somebody in Team Ninja simply decided to deliberatly mess the game up as hard as possible for some reason, i know it's weird thought, but the game is that bad.

    Compared to NG1 and NG2 the game simply isn't in the same league, but even then i'd grab most any'ol generic hack'n slash game over NG3 almost any day.    … Expand
  47. BGRadio
    Apr 6, 2012
    5
    It's been a while since I've been genuinely disappointed by a game, but Ninja Gaiden 3 really made me ask more important questions than if Ryu is a murderer or not. Why does this game feel smaller than the last one? The lack of weapon variety and dismemberment quickly leads to repetitive gameplay. Why is normal difficulty too easy and hard difficulty masochistic? Though the prequels wereIt's been a while since I've been genuinely disappointed by a game, but Ninja Gaiden 3 really made me ask more important questions than if Ryu is a murderer or not. Why does this game feel smaller than the last one? The lack of weapon variety and dismemberment quickly leads to repetitive gameplay. Why is normal difficulty too easy and hard difficulty masochistic? Though the prequels were much harder overall, I was eventually able to finish them through perseverance and honing my skills. Who was this game designed to please? It oversimplifies the Ninja Gaiden formula, lacks the grand scope of the God of War series and comes off as a bargain bin imitation of what makes the action genre fun. Half of the time, I was able to take amusement in what I was doing, but then it would all fall apart and I would go back to sighing. If there's a nice thing I can say about Ninja Gaiden 3, it's that it is a playable video game with tons of action that anyone could pick up. The problem is that there's a lack of depth and very little reason to care about the trails of blood running behind Ryu Hayabusa this time.… Expand
  48. kiwijinxter
    May 22, 2012
    3
    I'm not too unhappy about the linearity of the game. I'm not even unhappy about the repeate-and-rinse hack and slash. I'm REALLY unhappy about the cheap deaths. Some of the bosses are really cheap in that you only have 1 way to run, and that's what makes this a failure. If all bosses gave you much more room to move and out-think it a little, then I would've given this a 5 or 6. As itI'm not too unhappy about the linearity of the game. I'm not even unhappy about the repeate-and-rinse hack and slash. I'm REALLY unhappy about the cheap deaths. Some of the bosses are really cheap in that you only have 1 way to run, and that's what makes this a failure. If all bosses gave you much more room to move and out-think it a little, then I would've given this a 5 or 6. As it stands, it's just a game that's not worth the full price. Just rent it.… Expand
  49. g0ld2k
    May 16, 2012
    2
    An utter disappointment. Ninja Gaiden has always been a very elegant game when it comes to fighting. The fighting was almost graceful, where you had complete control over what you did. Ninja Gaiden 3 took a crap on that idea and produced a button masher with almost no control over what is really happening. Also I found the fighting to be so jumpy that several times I found myselfAn utter disappointment. Ninja Gaiden has always been a very elegant game when it comes to fighting. The fighting was almost graceful, where you had complete control over what you did. Ninja Gaiden 3 took a crap on that idea and produced a button masher with almost no control over what is really happening. Also I found the fighting to be so jumpy that several times I found myself completely confused as to where I was at in the fight. I have loved Ninja Gaiden since the NES, and I bought every version of the Ninja Gaiden reboot; but this was an utter disappointment and may spell the end of a great gaming franchise.… Expand
  50. narut0-san
    May 26, 2012
    6
    the game is very easy to play but we have repetitive game play. the character design is very bad and story do not belong to series. there is no way this game can Satisfied fans of the franchise.
  51. SILENT_harrison
    Aug 22, 2012
    8
    I really dont agree with all these reviews it is still an enjoyable game as any. However the game has been dumbed down considerably so it is understandable for the fans backlash but overall combat is still good if a little tedious and the story is as over the top as before plus multiplayer is ok. Also i bought this game for 10 quid new in asda so it helps that i did not pay 4 times thatI really dont agree with all these reviews it is still an enjoyable game as any. However the game has been dumbed down considerably so it is understandable for the fans backlash but overall combat is still good if a little tedious and the story is as over the top as before plus multiplayer is ok. Also i bought this game for 10 quid new in asda so it helps that i did not pay 4 times that for a dumbed down experience but if you find it for that price buy it , finish it, and trade it in you probably wont regret it.… Expand
  52. AdderTude
    May 21, 2015
    4
    I picked up NG3 expecting to have a similar frustrating experience at my own failure to do something (i.e. not being "ninja" enough) as I did back in Ninja Gaiden 2 (still haven't finished it on Path of the Acolyte because the game is *that friggin' hard*...and because of not being ninja enough). Here, the entire experience is, as everyone has said, incredibly dumbed down. What happened toI picked up NG3 expecting to have a similar frustrating experience at my own failure to do something (i.e. not being "ninja" enough) as I did back in Ninja Gaiden 2 (still haven't finished it on Path of the Acolyte because the game is *that friggin' hard*...and because of not being ninja enough). Here, the entire experience is, as everyone has said, incredibly dumbed down. What happened to chopping off limbs and heads? What happened to the level of ultra violence that was present in past games that the series was known for? What happened to the tight responsiveness of fluid combat present in Ninja Gaiden 2? All these questions can be summed up with one answer: they've all been cut out.

    In Ninja Gaiden 2, I've rarely had to yell my lungs out at the screen in frustration due to getting killed by the same attack I keep failing to dodge "that one time." Here in Ninja Gaiden 3, I've been repeatedly yelling again and again and again at getting hit by a myriad of attacks without being able to effectively dodge them. Case in point: boss battles. One of the worst offenders in this game are the barrages of homing missiles. These attacks in particular fake the difficulty by giving you a slew of exploding projectiles that are nigh impossible to escape from without a scratch. On top of that, the variety has been cut out, both in weapons and ninpo.

    After all that's been said and done, Ninja Gaiden 3 is supposed to be fun; it clearly isn't. It's a humongous disappointment. Play it if you want, but my advice is to simply skip it.    … Expand
  53. Basem101
    Aug 25, 2013
    6
    after playing Ninja Gaiden 2 which was a masterpiece ninja gaiden 3 is here and it is a complete disappointment the plot is not that good graphics are not bad but not as good as ninja gaiden 2, but this game is so so repetitive and that's its major fault
  54. zmmby
    Aug 25, 2013
    2
    Wow, just wow. I've completed the game now and im speechless.

    This has the be one of the biggest letdown i've seen. The game is just stupid. AI is just a big laugh, enemies misses you with the gun even if your standing still. The menu and the items are gone, no secret items. Nothing that gives you a rush to continue the game. Its just similar action for stupid rich kids who arent    Wow, just wow. I've completed the game now and im speechless.

    This has the be one of the biggest letdown i've seen. The game is just stupid.

    AI is just a big laugh, enemies misses you with the gun even if your standing still.

    The menu and the items are gone, no secret items. Nothing that gives you a rush to continue the game.
    Its just similar action for stupid rich kids who arent a real hardcore game. Its a huge copy of God of War.

    Just quicktime events on bosses and enemies, stupid events all the time.

    And i hate quicktime events, its the most stupidiest thing i've experienced. You just press X all the time in the entire game then finishes it off with some lame quicktime buttons.

    Im so dissappointed now and I WILL sell the game forward, im not usually someone who sells my game but this is just embarrassing to keep in my collection.

    Hands down, if your a true Ninja Gaiden fan you wont bother with this game.

    If your a incompetent little who likes everything served on a plate enjoy.    … Expand
  55. Alex_Pilgrim008
    Feb 22, 2021
    6
    Ninja Gaiden 3 is a fun disappointment. It's the Devil May Cry 2 of the series. Developed by the team that made the "Sigma" games, part 3 is a mindless button-masher with some stealth and QTE segments. It is moderately entertaining. Unlike the previous two entries, this installment attempts to tell an actual story with a more fleshed out Ryu Hayabusa. It's a noble effort, but is inferiorNinja Gaiden 3 is a fun disappointment. It's the Devil May Cry 2 of the series. Developed by the team that made the "Sigma" games, part 3 is a mindless button-masher with some stealth and QTE segments. It is moderately entertaining. Unlike the previous two entries, this installment attempts to tell an actual story with a more fleshed out Ryu Hayabusa. It's a noble effort, but is inferior to its predecessors. Combat is repetitive, stealth kills are unnecessary and the new "Steel to Bone" is a gimmick. The game also includes cooperative missions and boring competitive multiplayer. Overall, "Gaiden 3" feels like it was made just to keep the series going. It's okay, but the fans deserved much better. I would rate it with a 6.5 out of 10.… Expand
  56. shootingstars99
    Sep 1, 2019
    1
    Let's be real here, if you have any experiences at all with Ninja Gaiden 1 or 2, you will think this game sucks. This game's engine feels like Dynasty Warriors, and the difficulty feels artificial due to the sheer amount of enemies, and how many hits you have to land on them before they finally die. Making 10 basic enemies into total damage sponges doesn't make a difficulty that isLet's be real here, if you have any experiences at all with Ninja Gaiden 1 or 2, you will think this game sucks. This game's engine feels like Dynasty Warriors, and the difficulty feels artificial due to the sheer amount of enemies, and how many hits you have to land on them before they finally die. Making 10 basic enemies into total damage sponges doesn't make a difficulty that is engaging, challenging and rewarding to overcome, it just shows that since the Koei-Tecmo merger, the new Team Ninja does not understand what made the past titles instant classics. The combat feels like a slowed down and less deep version of what Ninja Gaiden 2 has to offer, so you are better off playing that, you know, a game that is actually fun and rewarding to conquer. Oh, and this game has quick time events galore, I hope you liked the Asura's Wrath boss battles more than the ones in Ninja Gaiden Black, because these follow the same spirit...

    On to the plot. My thoughts can only be summed up as, "Holy hell, whoever wrote this was just begging for Linkin Park and Papa Roach AMVs to be made of this game". Hayabusa's personality in this one is nothing like Ninja Gaiden 1 or 2, and he's actually made out to be kind of a dick in this one (something he is certainly not, anyone who has played previous Ninja Gaiden or DOA games would see the huge 180 in characterization). The plots of previous Ninja Gaiden games felt like an action movie and were simple fun; while the plot of Ninja Gaiden 3 feels more like a sh!tty Shonen Jump manga.

    With talks of Ninja Gaiden 4 rumors looming on the horizon, after playing this I don't even want it, just let the franchise rest. The post-Koei merger Team Ninja has proven themselves time and time again as inadequate in just abut every aspect of game design and marketing. Ninja Gaiden 3 sucked, Ni-oh sucked, Dead or Alive 6 sucked, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z sucked, the Dynasty Warriors games have always sucked; in fact, the only games I genuinely thought were great from the post-Koei merger Team Ninja were Dead or Alive 5, the Razor's Edge update to this game and Deception 4...

    Back to the topic at hand, if you like the old Ninja Gaiden titles, stay far away from this one, it's a worse blemish on the legacy of the series than Yaiba... However, if your favorite band is Linkin Park, you love Naruto and other generic shonen manga, and you mom doesn't quite understand you, this might be your new favorite game!    … Expand
  57. EalyLiu
    Feb 17, 2023
    10
    It's great. It's the best game I've ever seen. The picture is exquisite, the movement is smooth, and the design is exquisite.

Awards & Rankings

41
#41 Most Discussed Xbox 360 Game of 2012

Critic Reviews

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Metascore
58

Mixed or average reviews - based on 39 Critic Reviews

Critic score distribution:
  1. Positive: 7 out of 39
  2. Mixed: 26 out of 39
  3. Negative: 6 out of 39
  1. Thunderbolt
    Jun 20, 2012
    50
    It's not a bad action game by definition, but it lacks everything that made the series endearing, making it an overall unmemorable outing for fans that fell in love with the white-knuckle action and hair-pulling difficulty found in previous Ninja Gaiden titles.
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  2. GamingXP
    May 29, 2012
    62
    Every – really every – fan of Ninja Gaiden was probably expecting a different game than this Ninja Gaiden 3.
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  3. Eurogamer Portugal
    May 2, 2012
    50
    Ninja Gaiden 3 discards all the elements that made the previous titles popular among players, and the result is a worse and mutilated game.
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