I went ahead and nabbed the game. I've been playing this franchise since it's inception as an arcade brawler (along with subsequent NES iterations) and I consider NGB to be a masterpiece of the genre. I also think NGII, while heavily flawed, contains one of the most brilliant combat engine ever placed into the construct of a game. I've also played the Sigma games so you can consider me a true fan of the (Complete) franchise.
I spent around three hours with the game last evening and walked away with very mixed feelings. To be perfectly honest, NGIII is, objectively, a pretty solid experience. I'd even venture to state that it fits snugly within the franchise if you take the ENTIRE series of games into consideration.
The most glaring problem is that most people, when talking about Ninja Gaiden, use Itagaki as their definitive metric and that is certainly understandable. And let's be clear from the outset: THIS IS NOT AN ITAGAKI NINJA GAIDEN.
Most of what made his NG experience so unique and rewardingly difficult has been stripped away. Gone are the plethora of flashy and useful weapons and their accompanying various strengths and weaknesses; gone are the upgrades, collectables and potions that all played a key role in how you managed and evolved the ninja throughout the game; gone is the deeper combat that made NG so much more than a hack-n-slash.
What has been substituted here is something more akin to a fusion of God of War with NG aesthetics. There is a concerted effort to achieve cinematic camera angles and spectacle. QTE's are abound and there is a general streamlining of just about every core element, making this something that the casual market could enjoy even while alienating the hardcore audience that venerated the previous games. Hayashi is clearly enamored with games of the west and is looking to emulate their opulence and production values along with their cinematic trappings.
He succeeds but the price is steep: he sacrifices the amazing symmetry between spectacle and functionality that Itagaki has always managed to implant into his games. I think QTE fatigue has affected just about everyone at this point and many of use are looking to play games rather than watch them. NGIII has some wonderful set pieces and some amazing sequences but too many of them feel automated and remove player agency and that is something Itagaki's games certainly never did.
Still, there is a good game here and when compared to most action games I'd rank NGIII well above average. The core combat, while lacking the depth of the previous games, is still quite satisfying and despite the removal of the dismemberment system the game rewards every slice with a copious flow of crimson. Enemies are mostly aggressive and crowd management is still paramount though it never manages to feel anywhere nearly as dire as earlier games. That understood, the game still offers a challenge on the higher difficulty setting.
The bow has been given increased functionality (it is actually a bit overpowered) and offers ease of aiming and even the ability to slow time when shooting. It's one of the few improvements over the previous game that adds a bit of depth and it's actually fun to use.
The added QTE's, while certainly not necessary in a franchise like this, are not nearly as abrasive as some have claimed. The much-maligned climbing mechanic in particular is far from offensive and these sequences are actually quite clever and even offer a relative amount of functionality while traversing steep walls and simultaneously attacking and avoiding enemies.
The stealth elements, while sparse, at least add some variety though most tend to be laid out for the player. As to magic, it has been streamlined and works well enough though – like the weapons – I miss the robust selection offered by earlier games.
Additions like the slide add some innovation (though the actual sliding mechanics feels imprecise at times) and the Grip of Murder is serviceable if not a tad automated.
Visually NGIII looks quite good and fits in nicely with the previous games of the franchise. Thus far I haven't encountered any major technical shortcomings despite reading about constant screen tearing and frame rate dips on places like Neogaf. The game looks good and plays very smoothly and overall seems very polished. I also applaud the fairly decent spectrum of environments that, at the very least, give the scenery some variety.
The story is typical NG fare: borderline incoherent. It seems no worse than either of Itagaki's games in that regard.
Overall I'm enjoying NGIII but that is because I am looking at the game objectively and detached from the Itagaki entries. Its fun, linear, mechanically sound and better than many action games on the market and there is some pleasure to be had in the simplicity of the engine. One could even argue this simplicity harkens back to the earlier games of the series, though I doubt that was the intention of Hayashi.
It also happens to be the successor to some of the best action games ever made and here is where it fails miserably. Most people who love the previous games will simply loathe this and I feel for them, as with some tweaking this could have been a great continuation of Itagaki's vision.
As it stands it is something else; divergent and ultimately lesser than the previous games. I do think some of the critical drubbing this game has received is excessive, especially by a press that overlooks all manner of flaws when the circumstances suit them, but ultimately most fans of the franchise will walk away disappointed.
I'm glad I bought it but clearly it could have been so much more. What I've taken away from this game is that Hayashi has his own plans for the franchise and unless he listens to fans I suspect we won't be getting anything close to NG or even NGII ever again.
And that IGN review is still crap. Objectively, NGIII is a solid 7.
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