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. 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
  2. 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.
  3. 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
  4. 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
  5. 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
  6. 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
  7. 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
  8. 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
  9. 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
  10. 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
  11. 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
  12. 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
  13. 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
  14. 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.
  15. 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
  16. 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

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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