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Ninja Gaiden Sigma
2605557-ninja-gaiden-sigma-ps3-cover

North American Cover Art


Developer Team Ninja
Publisher Tecmo
EU Eidos Interactive
Designer Yosuke Hayashi
Series Ninja Gaiden
Platform PlayStation 3, Nintendo Switch
Release date PlayStation 3
JP June 14, 2007
NA July 3, 2007
EU July 6, 2007
AUS July 13, 2007

Nintendo Switch
NA June 10, 2021

Genre Action-adventure
Mode Single-player
Media Blu-ray disc

Ninja Gaiden Sigma is the second remake of Ninja Gaiden, and incorporates several features found in Black. Although marketed as the "more complete" version of Ninja Gaiden, Sigma left out most of the bonus features in the previous two versions. It has fewer unlockable costumes, and has eliminated the old SNES and arcade unlockable games. It also cut out the introductory movie concerning the legend of the Dark Dragon Blade and the Dragon Sword, and the option to play CG cut scenes outside of Story Mode. As a re-release, Sigma is available on the Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and Windows through the "NINJA GAIDEN: Master Collection" since June 10th, 2021.

Gameplay[]

Hayashi's team used the Cell processor in PS3 to overhaul the graphics of the game engine to high definition standards. They changed the design of a few levels, added several save points and shops, and inserted Rachel's three chapters within Ryu's Story Mode. Sigma tweaked several enemy settings and introduced new foes, such as biker MVAPs, fish-men girtablilu, and wisp-like phantoms; and two new bosses, Gamov and Alterator. The player can fight these foes with the new weapon, a pair of katana named the Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang.

Sigma allows the character Ryu to fight on water, and shoot arrows in mid-air. Ryu can now do a backflip without walls by pressing the Left Thumbstick. Prominent changes include letting the player use restoration items without going through menus, and shake the Sixaxis controller to increase the power of ninpos. The game also rewards players bonus yellow essence for their first game based on their time spent playing the demo. Sigma offers three separate packages which can be downloaded from PlayStation Network for a small fee. These packages themed Weapon Master, Speed Master, and Rachel Master make up Survival Mode; and feature missions in which players keep fighting until they kill all enemies or their character dies. A separate online ranking system for Survival Mode ranks players by their number of kills.

Plot[]


Ninja Gaiden chronology
Ninja Gaiden
Ninja Gaiden Shadow
Ninja Gaiden (Black/Σ/Σ+)
Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword
Ninja Gaiden II (Σ2/Σ2+)
Ninja Gaiden 3 (Razor's Edge)
Ninja Gaiden X
Ninja Gaiden Episode I
Ninja Gaiden Episode III: The Ancient Ship of Doom
Ninja Gaiden Episode II: The Dark Sword of Chaos
Ninja Ryukenden
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z


Development[]

In 2006, Tecmo and Sony announced the development of Ninja Gaiden Sigma for the PS3.[1][2] Eidos obtained the European publishing rights for this game.[3] Itagaki had no direct role in Sigma and judged it a flawed game,[4] although he acknowledged that Sigma gave PlayStation owners a taste of Ninja Gaiden.[5]

The gameplay for Sigma is very similar to the original version, albeit with some modifications made to the game. Like the original version, the player's movements and combat system are directed using the console gamepad, which comprises the left thumbstick, two attack buttons, and a block button. The game features a large selection of weapons for Ryu to wield each with advantages and disadvantages that affect the way the player approaches combat. A new addition to Ryu's arsenal is a pair of dual-wield swords, Dragon's Claw and Tiger's Fang. It also provides Ryu with magical spells in the form of ninpo, which allows him to inflict heavy damage on enemies while potentially avoiding damage himself. By shaking the Sixaxis controller, players are able to increase the power of their ninpo spells.[6][7] Rachel, a non-playable character in the 2004 game, became playable in three new chapters, featuring the new bosses, Gamov and Alterator. Some of the design elements of the old levels was also changed and several new enemy types were introduced.[8]

In addition to the narrative Story Mode, Sigma included a gameplay variation called Mission Mode. Focused on action rather than character development, this provides combat-based missions set mainly in small areas. In both Story and Mission modes, game scoring is based on the player's speed in clearing encounters, the number of kills achieved, the number of unused ninpos remaining at the end, and the amount of cash collected. Players can compare their scores on online ranking boards. In addition, players have the option to customize the appearance of player characters, with selectable costumes for Ryu and hairstyles for Rachel.

The more powerful hardware of the PlayStation 3 gave Team Ninja the opportunity to overhaul the game graphics to use larger and more detailed textures. Changes were made to the game world, with a few new areas and several additional save points and shops, and alterations to the game engine let players shoot arrows in mid-air, fight on water surfaces, and play as Rachel in some chapters and missions.[9][10]

In July 2007, Tecmo released a demo and a new game mode, Survival Mode, for Sigma over the PlayStation Network.[11] The demo limits players to the first chapter of the game, but lets them play as Rachel in a separate mission.[12] Survival Mode comprises missions in which players keep fighting until they have either killed all their opponents, or their character has been defeated.[13]

Gallery[]


Trivia[]

  • Strangely, although Team Ninja removed the Dark Dragon Blade/Dragon Sword Intro, the narrator is still listed in the credits.

External links[]


References[]

  1. Template:Cite magazine
  2. Tim Surette (2006-09-21). TGS 06: Gaiden, Shirokishi lead new PS3 game charge.
  3. Template:Cite magazine
  4. Jon Wilcox (2008-05-13). Itagaki: Ninja Gaiden 2 Is My Final Instalment News. Total Video Games.
  5. Anoop Gantayat (2007-06-01). No Sigma For 360.
  6. Rob Fahey (2007-06-16). Ninja Gaiden Sigma.
  7. Template:Cite book
  8. Kevin VanOrd (2007-07-02). Ninja Gaiden Sigma for PlayStation 3 Review.
  9. James Mielke (2007-01-12). Previews: Ninja Gaiden Sigma.
  10. Gabe Graziani (2007-05-25). Ninja Gaiden Sigma Preview.
  11. Anoop Gantayat (2007-08-03). Ninja Gaiden Sigma Downloadable Content Announced.
  12. Richard Leadbetter (2007-05-02). Ninja Gaiden Sigma.
  13. Chris Roper (2007-09-06). Ninja Gaiden Sigma Expansion Pack Hands-on.
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