S&S; Review: Ninja Gaiden 3

Title: Ninja Gaiden 3
Format: PS3, Xbox 360
Release Date: March 20, 2012
Publisher: Tecmo
Developer: Team Ninja
Price: $59.99
ESRB Rating: M

The Ninja Gaiden series has always been one that received high praise from basically anyone who enjoys a good challenge and great action in a game, but Ninja Gaiden 3 surprisingly takes strides in the opposite direction.
Presentation/Story:
Pretty quickly in the game, you'll notice the much darker tone the game's narrative tries to accomplish, but ultimately falls short quite a bit.  The story focuses on Ryu Hayabusa's mental battles he has with himself, taking on his emotional struggles one cutscene at a time. The game constantly contradicts itself, wanting you to believe that Ryu is an all around good guy, but then having him murder the next human he sees.  Visually,  the game takes a dramatic step back.  The game just doesn't look good, Ryu himself, looks fine, but the boring and bland environments take you out of the atmosphere.  My biggest complaint with the game is the camera, its supposed to keep you in the action with constant zooming and panning close when you kill an enemy.  What it really comes down too is, an annoying camera that rather than adds to the action, it detracts from it.  The soundtrack it good, hard hitting metal is cool while laying waste to your opposers.  Voice acting on the other hand is mostly laughable and forgettable.
Core Gameplay/Multiplayer:
The pacing in Ninja Gaiden is severely lacking in fluency, constantly breaking up the action with boring cutscenes.  Beating Ninja Gaiden is a breeze, this probably something you have never heard.  With NG3, the difficulty will never be a problem throughout your playthrough.  The repetitious gameplay will sink in pretty quickly, with boring gameplay adding on.  The game even starts to resemble Dynasty Warriors with how many enemies will be popping up on screen awaiting their death patiently.  Co-op and competitive modes tries to add some replayability, but falls directly on its face.  The competitive mode tries to be fun, but ends up being lame.  Co-op was fun, but wore off when the camera that plagued single player returned with a bigger vengeance.  
Final Thoughts:
Ninja Gaiden 3 was a highly anticipated game that let a lot of players down.  With new innovations that hinder the game, and a half-hazard lame multiplayer, the game just ends up being a poorly executed sequel.
Final Score = 5/10 Email: sameo452009@gmail.com Twitter: @iSamKulii Apps: S&S Reviews on Apple and Android Stores Dont Forget to follow the site on the right>>>>>>>>>>>>>>