Joystiq [Xbox]

Ninja Gaiden (04-07)

Released: 2004, 2005, 2007
Platform: Xbox, PS3

While the character shares the same name and sword legend from the original series, the Ryu Hayabusa in the current generation Ninja Gaiden series is said to be different. Taking place in Japan and the fictional Vigoor Empire, the new Ninja Gaiden series also shares a universe with Tecmo's Dead or Alive franchise. Also included is the trilogy of classic Ninja Gaiden titles hidden within the game.

In the new Ninja Gaiden series, an evil force has raided the Hayabusa village and stolen the Dark Dragon Blade from its care. The player controls Ryu in his quest to avenge the deaths of his clan and to reclaim the stolen blade. Mixing the plot lines of the classic NES and rare Master System games, the current generation Ninja Gaiden focuses primarily on its 3D fighting engine rather than the storytelling the series was once hailed for. The game is now most known for its punishing difficulty which it has maintained since its inception.

Ninja Gaiden Black added additional content (which was made available to download for the original Xbox while Ninja Gaiden Black has recently been made available to download via the Xbox Originals Program). One key addition was the easier difficulty setting (Ninja Dog mode) and the a harder setting.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma was released exclusively on the PS3 and featured the most of the content from Ninja Gaiden Black (notable exclusions were the opening cinematic and unlockable classic titles. as well as fewer costumes). Sigma did however include the ability to play as the character Rachel for some missions.

03/06/08