$20 Game of the Week: Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3)

You gotta love system fanboyism. In exchange for the feeling you get of supporting your favorite console manufacturer, you screw yourself out of the chance to play some of the best games available on the other guy’s system(s). Back in the 16-bit days, I couldn’t throw a stone without hitting a Sega fanboy bragging about playing Sonic 2, Streets of Rage, and Madden football while secretly wishing to play Final Fantasy 2 and Super Castlevania 4. Likewise, I knew many a Nintendo fanboy who, while singing praises of their Mario Karts, Secret of Manas, and Contra IIIs during the day, secretly cried themselves to sleep each night over their version of Mortal Kombat having no blood in it. Even in this age of console exclusivity shrinking, I can’t think of one Sony fanboy who didn’t secretly wish to play Mass Effect or Xbox 360 owner who didn’t want to play Meta Gear Solid 4 (even if they wouldn’t admit it out loud). During the last console generation, if there was at least one game that Sony fanboys would have gladly given their first born child for a chance to play, it was the Xbox exclusive Ninja Gaiden, and for good reason. Team Ninja’s 2004 classic not only reintroduced the series to a new generation of gamers, but it crafted one of the finest, hyperactive, gaming experiences on any console, past or present. Thankfully, Tecmo decided to relent, and give Sony PS3 owners a bone. Thus, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, the definitive version of Ninja Gaiden hit PS3s in 2007.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma was created outside of the direction of series developer Tomonobu Itagaki. Even so, it manages to pack in the original game, and then some. Not only did it include all the features that made the Xbox game great, but it also features new motion sensing mechanics, slightly improved graphics, new story segments, new downloadable content, and a new playable character (none of which were made available to Xbox owners). Unfortunately, the classic Ninja Gaiden games that were unlockable in the Xbox games are nowhere to be found here. If you played through the game on Xbox already, there is little incentive to pick up this game other than the new content. However, Sony fanboys who so dearly wanted to play this game finally have a chance to see why it was one of the best titles of the last console generation.

PS3 owners will have even more to cheer about when Sigma 2 is released this fall as well. Sigma 2 is an enhanced port of the Xbox 360’s Ninja Gaiden 2, but with extras. It contains new missions, new game modes, new playable characters, and a new online co-op mode. Team Ninja has strongly hinted that none of these will appear on the Xbox 360 version of the game (thereby telling all who bought the game when it was originally released on the Xbox 360 that they are all idiots for doing so) in the form of downloadable content, or otherwise. This is why it just doesn’t pay to be a fanboy these days.