Ninja Gaiden Sigma: The Official Thread

[Pazuzu]

Publisher: Tecmo
Developer: Team Ninja
Number of Players: 1
Release Date:
US: July 3, 2007
Japan: June 14, 2007
Europe: June 28, 2007
Features: 480p/720p/1080i/1080p, Dolby Digital



Summary:

As Ryu Hayabusa you are out to seek revenge after your clan is massacred by the Vigor Empire. Realistic battle actions and acrobatic ninja moves are at your finger-tips. You play with only your wits, your ninja skills, and your deadly sword. Slice down opponents in the Vigor Empire as you attempt to beat the Holy Emperor and reclaim the magic sword "Ryuken". Bringing the classic to the PlayStation 3, Ninja Gaiden Sigma is a more "complete version" of the Xbox Team Ninja title, with new moves, actions, and weapons for Hayabusa. Also added is a new playable character -- Racheal, one of the series' heroines, will be playable, and when using her, you'll get to experience the storyline from her perspective (with new cutscenes, attack moves and more.)

Trailer: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-kfmP0Tui0
Japanese Trailer with Leah Dizon: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0qkqoESnjy4
Official Website: http://ninjagaidengame.com/ninjaGaiden/landing.html

Screens:




Wallpaper



Features:

Ninja Gaiden like it's never been seen before... Enhanced graphics and new action sequences take full advantage of the PLAYSTATION®3 system graphics engine. New playable character... Play Ninja Gaiden from a whole new perspective by also taking control of Rachel the Fiend Hunter, now a playable character with a fighting style all her own. New weapons + new combos + new bosses = non-stop fighting action... All new weapons including dual-wield katanas, challenging and intuitive enemy A.I. and unrelenting bosses. Experience new fighting environments... Revamped water running controls allows players to engage in combat while on water. Master Ninja...or Ninja Dog? Players can upload Karma scores to see how they fare against other gamers with the Ninja Gaiden leaderboard on the PLAYSTATION® Network (PSN).

Q&A: Yosuke Hayashi, Development Director of Ninja Gaiden Sigma

Q: How does Ninja Gaiden Sigma benefit from the power of the Cell Processor and the RSX? A: We wanted to make sure that Ninja Gaiden Sigma consisted of the greatest graphics and greatest action engine you'd see in any game out there. We wouldn't have been able to accomplish this goal without the power of the PS3 hardware. Q: Will the newly added chapters deeply effect the original storyline? A: With the addition of Rachel as a playable character, you are given a chance to experience the game from a different perspective. This allows us the opportunity to really flush out the storyline. Q: What can we expect to be in the collectors edition? A: The extra disc that's bundled with Ninja Gaiden Sigma will contain a documentary to the creation of Sigma and the lives of certain R&D members of Team NINJA. Q: About how long should it take the average gamer to go through Sigma's campaign? A: With the content we've added to Sigma, it will take the average gamer approximately 20 hours to complete the story mode for the first time. This does not include the amount of time necessary to complete the Mission Pack. Q: Are there any easier difficulty settings in sigma compared to the original Ninja Gaiden? A: There are 5 difficulty settings ranging from Ninja Dog to Master Ninja. Q: I really enjoyed the original soundtrack, have there been any significant changes to the game's music selection and soundtrack? A: While you'll still hear the original soundtrack, many new songs have been added to help enhance the feeling of excitement while playing Sigma. Q: Do you guys plan to take advantage of PSN and add downloadable content similar to what you did with the Hurricane Packs? A: We'll be making an announcement regarding our plans for downloadable content soon. The content will have some amazing depth for a download! Q: Ninja Gaiden is a franchise that has been compared to the likes of God of War and Devil May Cry over recent years. What is your stance on these two franchises and how does Ninja Gaiden separate itself from them? A: Sigma is all about experiencing the battles and being in complete control of the encounters firsthand. The other games focus on "showing off" while putting the player in the spectator seat to watch the fight but not partake in it. We really want our gamers to be involved in the battles, not sit idly by as the game does all the work. Q: Do you have any future PS3 games planned? A: There are always plans and ideas! There could be an announcement coming in the very near future but until then, enjoy Ninja Gaiden Sigma and learn firsthand what Team NINJA is capable of producing on the PS3!

Reviews:
1up (Shane) - 9
Gamespot - 9.0
IGN - 9.3
EGM - 8.67 (Shane 9/Brian 9/Greg 8)
Play UK - 88
Playstation Official Magazine UK - 9

And for good luck:


My first thread! I'm half expecting this to get locked or catted, but here goes.

Remember, play the demo! Time spent playing the demo will be converted into yellow essence for use in the final game.

[Vyse The Legend]

Congrats, the thread looks good and cat-proof for now. :)

Anywho, I cannot wait for this. I skipped on Black, so there should be tons of new content for me to go through.

[akachan ningen]

Did you just write Jap?

[Gattsu25]

holy shit, IGN really does take the worst screencaps EVER

[DarknessTear]

Damn, what the **** IGN?

[davepoobond]

why is there a gold robot

[Flesh Into Gear]

july 3rd is so far away

[Pazuzu]

Did you just write Jap?

yes I did! Over here i see "Eng Version" all the time, so is there a double standard?

holy shit, IGN really does take the worst screencaps EVER

Yes they do! I'm not setup to take my own yet.

Anyway, the Asian version is great, no decaps (for humans) sucks, but I can live without it.
I'm getting better all the time, and this is the first game I've ever wanted to play on a higher difficulty. The new enemies, better enemy AI, changed item locations, and everything else is really compelling and really rewarding, as opposed to other games that say, just give the enemies more health.

Aside from the fact that I have nothing else to play on my PS3 right now, I'll probably stick with this for awhile.

[Mefisutoferesu]

Man, she really is everywhere...

[Gattsu25]

yes I did! Over here i see "Eng Version" all the time, so is there a double standard?

If you need a 3 letter abbreviation for japanese try JPN. What with 'jap' being a racial slur and all. . .

[Agent Icebeezy]

IGN should have their license revoked for taking screen caps.

[Seiken]

BAIL OUT OF THIS THREAD!

Or just replace the pictures with real footage. That shit looks like NGB.

[SumGamer]

yes I did! Over here i see "Eng Version" all the time, so is there a double standard?

You cant really called it double standard, but nobody really get insulted by the word Eng. However the word "Jap" is rude and insulting to those which are Japanese.

BTW, cant youat least get a better quality cover of the game.

[newsguy]

Can you still stand by that well and kill bats infinitely to gain power? Damn Itagaki if he got rid of this.

[Pazuzu]

BAIL OUT OF THIS THREAD! Or just replace the pictures with real footage. That shit looks like NGB.

Yeah, alright. You tube clip link or is there a better site to grab caps?

[MCD]

Can you still stand by that well and kill bats infinitely to gain power? Damn Itagaki if he got rid of this.

Even if he did, there is another way.

Hint: huge fish.

[Seiken]

*Nevermind this post*

[tanod]

Nice thread. Don't forgot to update with links to reviews and other stuff.

YAY. Can't wait.

[Trevelyan]

It'll be one great 4th of July in my house. Can't wait to tackle this beast.

[MCD]

official site with media/walls here: http://www.ninjagaiden.jp/

[Souther]

WTH??

Europe is getting the game before us? When does that ever happen.

[Seiken]

WTH?? Europe is getting the game before us? When does that ever happen.

Oh, I can get it tomorrow? That's great ;).

[Pazuzu]

Jesus Christ, this thread should be making people anticipating this game. Here, I'll help you with bullshots:

Awesome, thanks, added them to my OP. Also updated the boxart with the one from tecmo's site. Is it too big now?

[Seiken]

Awesome, thanks, added them to my OP. Also updated the boxart with the one from tecmo's site. Is it too big now?

I love that boxart, don't edit it - it's great as it is! :)

[Dahbomb]

EPIC box art for an EPIC game.

PS3 Game of the Summer. Believe it.

[davepoobond]

WTH?? Europe is getting the game before us? When does that ever happen.

locoroco...

by about a month or something

[DCharlie]

i will briefly break my silence.

this game goes from looking ZOMG to plain old good very quickly. I mention this ** *** ******* so this might be required.







now this made me drop my chips, and i wasn't even holding chips at the time....



and at that.... *poof of smoke* *ninja vanish*

[MCD]

I was actually hoping for some water/lava/ice stage shots.

[Big-E]

Can't wait. Never played Ninja Gaiden for the XBOX so this will be fresh for me.

[a Master Ninja]

Damn Itagaki if he got rid of this.

Just an FYI, but Itagaki had almost no involvement with Ninja Gaiden Sigma whatsoever. He's making NG: Dragon Sword and NG2. Ninja Gaiden Sigma is Hayashi's baby.

[donkey show]

I was actually hoping for some water/lava/ice stage shots.

Water totally looks like ass in this game, but I can take the lava/ice shots in a bit since I just beat that level.

[MCD]

Water totally looks like ass in this game, but I can take the lava/ice shots in a bit since I just beat that level.

No wonder they removed it from the first stage.

and thanks in advance.

[donkey show]

No wonder they removed it from the first stage. and thanks in advance.

No problem. I mean the game itself looks really nice. It's like what DCharlie said, it goes from ZOMG, to wow... that's sweet, pretty quick. But the water looks soooooooooooooo out of place when you see it. You think with all the self-shadowing and whatnot TN bragged about they would make some decent water textures/effects.

Nitpicky I guess, but the game still rocks hard.

[Demigod Mac]

Anyone know if it's being rendered in true 1080p, or are they cheating and upscaling it from 720p?

[a Master Ninja]

Anyone know if it's being rendered in true 1080p, or are they cheating and upscaling it from 720p?

It is not native 1080p, it is just using upscaling like VF5.

[mr jones]

Anyone know if it's being rendered in true 1080p, or are they cheating and upscaling it from 720p?

..and would you actually notice the difference if they are?

[FormulaOne]

Anyone know if it's being rendered in true 1080p, or are they cheating and upscaling it from 720p?

From Eurogamer:

Speaking of which, Ninja Gaiden Sigma's 1080p support is somewhat odd. There's a touch more lag and more v-sync issues than 720p, but it's clear from the scaling artifacts that it's not a 1920x1080 game; chances are that Team Ninja are using one of the 'pseudo-1080p' modes added to the more recent versions of the PS3 SDK, where 1280x1080 and 1440x1080 support were added. Fewer pixels to render means faster frame rates, with the RSX GPU scaling up each frame to 1920x1080 before it reaches your display.

[teepo]

this come out on my bday :)

[donkey show]

From Eurogamer: Speaking of which, Ninja Gaiden Sigma's 1080p support is somewhat odd. There's a touch more lag and more v-sync issues than 720p, but it's clear from the scaling artifacts that it's not a 1920x1080 game; chances are that Team Ninja are using one of the 'pseudo-1080p' modes added to the more recent versions of the PS3 SDK, where 1280x1080 and 1440x1080 support were added. Fewer pixels to render means faster frame rates, with the RSX GPU scaling up each frame to 1920x1080 before it reaches your display.

Probably why there's lots of screen tearing here and there in the earlier levels. Not so much like the demo, but it does come up occasionally. Haven't seen it come back in the later levels though.

[Dante]

ZOMG :O

[a Master Ninja]

How are the 3 Rachel levels?

[Mrbob]

Dcharlie the airship stage is relatively small.

I would be more interested in seeing what the game looks like when you make it to the city, which is the heart of the game.

[donkey show]

How are the 3 Rachel levels?

They're alright. Short, but fun. Plus you get to fight Gamov.

[HomerSimpson-Man]

Speaking of which, Ninja Gaiden Sigma's 1080p support is somewhat odd. There's a touch more lag and more v-sync issues than 720p, but it's clear from the scaling artifacts that it's not a 1920x1080 game; chances are that Team Ninja are using one of the 'pseudo-1080p' modes added to the more recent versions of the PS3 SDK, where 1280x1080 and 1440x1080 support were added. Fewer pixels to render means faster frame rates, with the RSX GPU scaling up each frame to 1920x1080 before it reaches your display.

There is 1280x1080 and 1440x1080 support just to upscale to 1080p for PS3?!

Jeez man, that's still a higher resolution than 720p and essentially a boatload more pixels to render than 720p in the end.

[supermackem]

Dcharlie the airship stage is relatively small. I would be more interested in seeing what the game looks like when you make it to the city, which is the heart of the game.

It looks very very average at this point imho. Very bland.

[nofi]

Apparently the UK version is already out - GAME were selling it yesterday - £40.

[llTll]

why the box art has big circle dust on it?

Edit: no wait, its my screen

[relyt9]

Apparently the UK version is already out - GAME were selling it yesterday - £40.

Snag that shit and sell it on eBay.

[MickeyKnox]

Awesome, just one more week.

This will be the first PS3 game I buy since I imported Gundam Musou.

[jaundicejuice]

o.0 Who is this?