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[IJoel]

Some observations after a couple of levels. Of course, based on my experience, YMMV.
- No need for exploration. There are no items to look for, and the world is pretty static (no destroyable items, unless it's a scripted sequence).
- The kunai wall climbing sequences are mind numbingly stupid.
- Rocket firing jerks are back in full force, some with rocket launchers that launch a bunch of rockets at once.
- Challenging sequences have devolved into being in an area where waves of enemies are thrown at you including spawns of rocket spamming jerks.
- Timing is off, specially if you're used to NG's past games, which forces you compensate. This change was for the worse, if there was any question; there's a noticeable delay when performing combos, which has thrown me off quite a bit.
- The QTEs are utterly stupid. The ultimate techniques are gone, unless you charge some meter (that fills up as you slaughter enemies), and then when you release it, it attacks 3 enemies (not sure if it'll change later in the game). The steel on bone move is unpredictable (at least I haven't figured out how to get it to work yet on a consistent basis).
- Dismemberment is sorely missed.
- The camera is a royal pain. The game constantly closes up on the action making it hard to see when enemies attack.

The only positive is that it's a poor NG game, which is still good enough to entertain. But, I've only gone through a couple of levels, so my opinion on this might change.

 

[Four Wude]

Just finished Ninja Gaiden 3 on Hard mode. Going to start my Master Ninja run in 7 minutes (10:40 CST). Tune in on www.twitch.tv/fourwudegaming

 

[Vrakanox]

Ah, ok I thought it was just me. It did seem like the controls were a bit unresponsive during the

Spoiler

helicopter boss battle

. Haven't had any other problems yet though.

 

[Dany]

Is the shop vendor in the game?

 

[pramath]

Is the shop vendor in the game?

No

 

[Hero_of_the_Day]

Ah, ok I thought it was just me. It did seem like the controls were a bit unresponsive during the

Spoiler

helicopter boss battle

. Haven't had any other problems yet though.

I seriously thought my controller was broken until other people of here were complaining about it too. Like I said before, I think I'd got from frustration to really enjoying it if the controls were better.

 

[Zabuza]

I just rented this bitch from Blockbuster, let the shit rain.

 

[Dany]

No

As a long time NG1 and NG2 fan, I would go back to Black recently to play but nothing about the changes in this game seem like smart decisions, nor does it appear there is anything that compensates for what they removed.

I hope this is not a sign for DOA5.

 

[ultim8p00]

I just noticed that playing in standard def instead of high def seems to make the controls much more responsive.

Also, when you press the up button on the d-pad and then press back to bring up the movelist, you can press the left stick to "lock/unlock" the moveset. Has anybody figured out what this actually does?

 

[MjFrancis]

Is the shop vendor in the game?

There... isn't anything to shop for, unfortunately.

When people use linearity in games as a pejorative, they mean in the fashion it's in for NGIII. There's little else but corridors with enemies in this game.

 

[Skilletor]

I hope this is not a sign for DOA5.

It's not. DoA5 demo is awesome.

 

[HYDE]

I've been playing Sigma 1 for the last couple hours, and Bayonetta is making this game feel dated to me. Everytime I charge my sword, I want to be able to roll(while holding a charge) before I release the wrath. Waiting for spider clan ninjas to come close to me is annoying, I want to roll towards them and then let them have it. Game is still incredible though, and one of last generation's finest.

 

[aegies]

I've been playing Sigma 1 for the last couple hours, and Bayonetta is making this game feel dated to me. Everytime I charge my sword, I want to be able to roll(while holding a charge) before I release the wrath. Waiting for spider clan ninjas to come close to me is annoying, I want to roll towards them and then let them have it. Game is still incredible though, and one of last generation's finest.

The flying swallow is your gap-closer in NG (OG, Black, and Sigma). It's there to close the distance and mix shit up.

 

[HYDE]

The flying swallow is your gap-closer in NG (OG, Black, and Sigma). It's there to close the distance and mix shit up.

I know, but I love the sword charge from Ninja Gaiden, and loved how Bayonetta improved upon it by allowing you to roll while still holding a charge.

 

[AcceptableGhost]

I've been playing Sigma 1 for the last couple hours, and Bayonetta is making this game feel dated to me. Everytime I charge my sword, I want to be able to roll(while holding a charge) before I release the wrath. Waiting for spider clan ninjas to come close to me is annoying, I want to roll towards them and then let them have it. Game is still incredible though, and one of last generation's finest.

Being able to doge-roll while charging your sword would break the game as is. Bayonetta giving you literally every tool that they could literally even imagine (in-air dodge rolls, combo carrying, witch time on lower difficulties, the forms) is a different design, not necessarily an "improvement". Just like how adding blocking would be an awful thing in Bayonetta, but you couldn't imagine NG without it.

 

[HYDE]

Being able to doge-roll while charging your sword would break the game as is. Bayonetta giving you literally every tool that they could literally even imagine (in-air dodge rolls, combo carrying, witch time on lower difficulties, the forms) is a different design, not necessarily an "improvement". Just like how adding blocking would be an awful thing in Bayonetta, but you couldn't imagine NG without it.

I love both games how they are, and don't think either should be tampered with (also include DMC3).

I'm just saying that I love to see the evolution of my favorite action games.

I wonder if Metal Gear Rising will include a block or an evasion style of combat.
I know there are counters...but does that necessarily mean it has blocking?
It seems more like a trigger or slow mo switch when he counters an attack, than an actual block and counter move like NG.

 

[Robot Pants]

So I completed the Acolyte and Mentor Mission in the Ninja Trials.
It's a bit more fun than regular game. There are checkpoints in the trials though. One after each wave, and depending on the difficulty you'll get between 3-1 retries.
Makes it a little less frustrating, because it takes quite a while to get through each wave since the enemies take 257 hits to kill.
As you complete them, you get XP. You upgrade you character as well as your dragon sword.
After completing Mentor, I was at level 20 character, and level 4 dragon sword (the higher the level the more moves you can do). You also unlock costume items for your character and ninpo.
They don't give you the ninpo from the campaign, you get the art of the piercing void, which is kinda useless, because unless you can somehow get the enemies into a big group, you can't recharge your health, and you waste it to kill maybe 2 enemies tops. If an enemy is point blank, it completely misses them. And you have to target it yourself, there isn't an auto target and it makes it rather annoying because sometimes you can't move the screen fast enough and there isn't really a crosshair.
It's a decent mode, but just like the SP, the framerate kills anything good about it. I tried a few of the Master ones and it was just crawling.
So, I gave it a rental, it's terrible, here's hoping for a good NG4.

 

[benzy]

Just finished Ninja Gaiden 3 on Hard mode. Going to start my Master Ninja run in 7 minutes (10:40 CST). Tune in on www.twitch.tv/fourwudegaming

Looks like lots of mid-combo grabs where Ryu is vulnerable due to recovery frame, so you have to resort to flying swallow and Izuna drops to avoid getting grabbed.

 

[rockman zx]

Played only the first 3 days and I don't feel it, I can complain about many things but the thing that I can't stand is the combat system, they destroyed it, it lacks the surgical precision, the strategy, the pace, it just feel wrong.

Please tell me that this game was developed by TOSE, because it's not possible that they lost the know-how to make a NG game.

And them you play the DOA5 demo and it's great but NG3 is not. I'm sad and pissed.

 

[Robot Pants]

Looks like lots of mid-combo grabs where Ryu is vulnerable due to recovery frame, so you have to resort to flying swallow and Izuna drops to avoid getting grabbed.

Yup. Fighting on the ground is a death sentence on the higher difficulties. So the whole game becomes Izuna drops and Flying swallows until you get Ninpo/UT, use it, repeat.

 

[TheSeks]

Ninja Gaiden franchise save Sigma (even then somewhat) always felt cheap rather than difficult.

Only "cheap"ness was explosive shrukien spam and guard breaking. The later was easy to counter with rolls after a guard-break (quick reflexes). The former is annoying but nothing hard to get around.

If you think the game is "cheap," the series isn't for you.

I'm just saying that I love to see the evolution of my favorite action games.

With on-landing UT (unless taken out of NG3) chaining you never really need to "hold a charge" like Bayonetta. Like the person said, it would break the game. And you can break the game already if you deal with the idiosyncrasy of holding block to prevent essence sucking up and chain UT's by releasing block and holding Triangle/Y on a jump-landing to suck the essence up to UT.

 

[i-Lo]

Only "cheap"ness was explosive shrukien spam and guard breaking. The later was easy to counter with rolls after a guard-break (quick reflexes). The former is annoying but nothing hard to get around.

If you think the game is "cheap," the series isn't for you.

There is a difference between difficulty and cheapness. A game like Demon's or Dark Souls is frustrating to play because it challenges the player to conform to a set of concepts from which much deviation or impatience will result in failure. That is a true challenge where failures can be chalked up to the previously mentioned traits. Cheapness is when your survival depends upon getting lucky for most part.

And yes, I am indeed talking about the two points you just mentioned. Also just because I said it felt cheap doesn't mean that combat itself wasn't enjoyable. It's just that I am asking whether the design of challenges this time around revolve more about skill instead of blindly dodging something.

As a player who has played through two previous Sigma iterations multiple times, my take on the offered challenges does not all of a sudden make me "unsuitable" for the series.

Anyway, does anyone know how the PS3 version compares to it's 360 counterpart?

 

[Skilletor]

And yes, I am indeed talking about the two points you just mentioned. Also just because I said it felt cheap doesn't mean that combat itself wasn't enjoyable. It's just that I am asking whether the design of challenges this time around revolve more about skill instead of blindly dodging something.

As a player who has played through two previous Sigma iterations multiple times, my take on the offered challenges does not all of a sudden make me "unsuitable" for the series.

Anyway, does anyone know how the PS3 version compares to it's 360 counterpart?

I'd say your definition of cheap would differ from the majority of people who played NG1. Hard to say.

 

[Kusagari]

There are legitimate arguments for calling NG2 cheap, but anyone who calls NGB cheap is just flat out wrong.

 

[i-Lo]

I'd say your definition of cheap would differ from the majority of people who played NG1. Hard to say.

Perhaps, but my definition would be in line with majority of video game players who like honest challenges.

I remember NGS1 as the pinnacle of combat control bliss. I still recall trying the dragon boss battle around 7 to 10 times and the second last battle with one of the sisters (in the huge form) around 15 times. But I felt that the timing component was bloody unforgiving, I felt great sense of accomplishment post victory.

 

[TwiztidElf]

How long does it take to play through on normal?

 

[Robot Pants]

How long does it take to play through on normal?

~6-7 hours on normal
It took me that on Hard, but I'm familiar with NG in general.

 

[Four Wude]

God damn Day 1 Master Ninja was so frustrating lol. But I managed to do it. Thanks to everyone to watched me play for 3 hours. I think the next couple of days will be easier because I will have the bow to utilize air combat more effectively. Stay tuned for my next stream!

 

[Infinite Justice]

Yup. Fighting on the ground is a death sentence on the higher difficulties. So the whole game becomes Izuna drops and Flying swallows until you get Ninpo/UT, use it, repeat.

that might explain the vid with

Spoiler

Genshin

where the player is just spamming Izuna drop all day everyday

 

[Jarmel]

There are legitimate arguments for calling NG2 cheap, but anyone who calls NGB cheap is just flat out wrong.

Those lava mines. Oh man.

 

[Phoenix Fang]

http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature...I1X6p3w#t=273s
Zero damage run. (admittedly it stops before chapter 11 which is where maybe his human limit was pushed, but still it refutes your point).

Your video isn't working but is that a Sigma 2 video?

 

[AcceptableGhost]

Your video isn't working but is that a Sigma 2 video?

No, that wouldn't be very notable. No damage runs of Sigma 2 were done literally like within a week of release.

Video of NG2 360
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLA039B09214DD1092&feature=player_detailpage&v=1zLxI1X6p3w#t=268s

He gets up to like Chapter 11 (which I can see being a breaking point) in this playlist on NG2 Master Ninja, no damage. He also has videos of him playing through all of the bosses with no damage seperately as well I believe.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU8oG47kouwGHaNDlRyry55w&feature=plcp

 

[Veelk]

Yup. Fighting on the ground is a death sentence on the higher difficulties. So the whole game becomes Izuna drops and Flying swallows until you get Ninpo/UT, use it, repeat.

By higher difficulties, you surely don't mean hard mode? I could get master ninja doing this, but your telling me my two options are normal difficulty (which seems to be too easy by all accounts) or hard where your available moves (which were already limited due to having only one weapon) are even further reduced?

 

[DarknessTear]

This game did not deserve a 3.0 score at all. It's not the best game in the series by any means, and it's definitely below the other two for me, but the gameplay is still above most action games this gen. I'm playing on Hard mode by the way.

One thing that does bother me about the game is no dodge canceling out of combos. That was a pretty big fuck-up.

 

[ezekial45]

Yeah, I agree.

I just finished it an hour ago and I enjoyed it. It's obviously a step down from the previous games, but the combat was still fun and a number of the set pieces were pretty well done. Plus, I'm having a good time with the Ninja Trials mode. I loved the mission mode from the previous games, and the added customization and leveling up abilities makes for an interesting take on the missions.

I think the biggest problem with the game is that the new vision that Hayashi has for this game just isn't in keeping with what came before. In terms of narrative and gameplay. It just didn't work out all too well.

With that said, I'd still like to see them take a shot at a Sigma version of this game. I think there is potential of here for getting NG3 right. Plus, I'd like to play as

Spoiler

Theodore

in his own missions. That would be amazing.

Anyway, that's all I have to say about it. I understand why most of you guys are upset, but I think you're letting your anger do most of the talking. If you get what I mean. It's not a disaster, by any means. Though I do hope they can learn from there mistakes and get it right next time.

 

[Phoenix Fang]

No, that wouldn't be very notable. No damage runs of Sigma 2 were done literally like within a week of release.

Video:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?list=PLA039B09214DD1092&feature=player_detailpage&v=1zLxI1X6p3w#t=268s

He gets up to like Chapter 11 (which I can see being a breaking point) in this playlist on NG2 Master Ninja, no damage. He also has videos of him playing through all of the bosses with no damage seperately as well I believe.

http://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=UU8oG47kouwGHaNDlRyry55w&feature=plcp

Amazing. I didn't know there was a no damage run for vanilla NG2.

 

[Mdk7]

Beat the game yesterday, it's complete shit IMHO.
Seriously, i'd basically throw EVERYTHING away, save for the Alchemist character design which is totally cool.
The rest (combat system, rhythm, graphics, plot, sound effects, controls) goes from mediocre to really, really bad.

Stop ruining the franchises i love Hayashi-san!
Thanks.

 

[iconoclast]

I finished my playthrough on Hard. As everybody already knows, the game is dumbed down and filled with QTEs, but what really hurts it is the complete lack of variety. On paper, there are lots of different enemies, but damn near all of them are humanoids, so most of the battles play out the same with some minor variations. There are a few fiend-type enemies, but you're fighting humans probably 90% of the time so they don't make much of a difference. And even that wouldn't be so bad if you had more than one god damn weapon. I'm already starting to get tired of the repetition, which is pretty ridiculous because the previous games can stay fun for hundreds of hours.

I also uploaded the first chapter on Master Ninja mode, if anyone wants to check it out (I'll be uploading the entire game): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4qJ1NQUigdM&list=UUrMLCAtoE6Gh_RSzaPkNv8g&index=1&feature=plpp_video

The difficulty seems really similar to Sigma 2, meaning that most of your deaths come from getting grabbed for massive damage. But I still think it's fun enough. I just wish I had the claws and scythe right now, for variety's sake.

 

[rockman zx]

It's me or the game is pretty dark?, there are a lot of locations without much light, and when a room is dark is pretty dark.

 

[fionel]

It's a mystery to me why Hayashi and Square Enix's Toriyama are able to remain in their position to ruin franchises and produce shitty games.

 

[Mdk7]

It's me or the game is pretty dark?, there are a lot of locations without much light, and when a room is dark is pretty dark.

It is, absolutely.

 

[dreamfall]

I just finished Day 5- so far, that was the chapter I liked best. I don't know- this game definitely feels off. I'm playing on Normal (and I'm not really hardcore) but I do think design in NG2 was way better. Some of these boss fights have been very uninspired. And the Story- well, it's all over the place (NG stories never are amazing, but this one really tries at emotional connections with Ryu/supporting cast).

As far as an action game goes, so far it's been a fun romp. It strangely feels like Musou game to me now- a bit mindless, but everything looks really neat. I wish ninpo was more than one attack but the glowing arm really is insanity. If you're looking for solid rental (and don't mind slashing through waves of enemies), go for it. Just don't expect much!

On another note, I can't stress how much I dislike the action button presses for the Kunai climb. Keeping one button pressed, and transitioning just feels strange. Minor complaint, but when an entire franchise feels so foreign with this installment, they might as well change it.

But, secretly, I'm kind of enjoying it.

 

[Yurt]

My favourite franchise

Why god, why

How could anyone ruin a combat system this perfect?

 

[VariantX]

Guess they thought it was more important to attract casual players than to keep the old combat system. It's a shame to see this game not live up to its pedigree...

 

[Robot Pants]

I tried putting my xbox on 720p to see if it fixed the frame rate. No such luck :/

 

[rvy]

I tried putting my xbox on 720p to see if it fixed the frame rate. No such luck :/

Tecmo - Fucking up their relevant franchises since 2008.

No Michael Bay and Aerosmith is going to get us through this mess. I just popped in NG 2 and cried when I tried it on Mentor. But then I sort of felt better when I played it on Warrior.
But then here comes NG 3 and I cry again. Tears of sorrow.

"WHAT IS A NINJA?"

Steel on Bone™

 

[Seraphinianus]

Looks like lots of mid-combo grabs where Ryu is vulnerable due to recovery frame, so you have to resort to flying swallow and Izuna drops to avoid getting grabbed.

the kick in the dash also beats grabs. Aim it correctly and staying on the ground isn't a problem...at least, it has worked every time in hard mode now.

Your video isn't working but is that a Sigma 2 video?

i found NG2 MNM boss no hurt vids, but not for the actual missions. i'm gonna go ahead and say a complete no damage run on MNM in NG2 for 360 would be damn near impossible...

I haven't played the original two since they first came out. I'm not some purist or something. The game flat out ignores my button pushes. That's not "different" that's shit.

Not going to adjust to Ryu not responding to my button presses when I press the button. lol.

I don't know why you think I'm comparing it to NG1 or 2 and not just games in general.

it lets you buffer moves a lot easier (meaning mashing is rewarded.) They made it slightly less responsive to make it easier. I'm not saying I like it, I just don't think it was a bug or error that the game shipped with...

 

[Carbonox]

Zavvi delivered today which is miraculous on their part.

Anyway, I'm just looking at the game and can't help but laugh. I better find some form of enjoyment with it...

 

[Revan]

Lemme start by saying I'm a huge fan of the NGS series (as I have no Xbox/360) so I've only ever played the Sigma games, and I've never played on Master Ninja (reflex fail on my part). I have done NGS Hard and NGS2 Path of the Mentor however.

I beat NG3 on normal last night and.....wow. Not a Ninja Gaiden game IMHO, mostly for the exact reasons that have been listed here a million times now. QTE's blow, the combat is nowhere near as fluid as in the previous entries, lack of weapons/ninpo/essence was a HUGE step backwards and enemy variety flat out sucks. Boss fights

Spoiler

That fucking T-REX fight? What the fuck is that shit?

are a goddamned dodge/attack/repeat mess....

However, I figured, "Ok, gonna try this on hard". The London stage was UNPLAYABLE. The framerate would drop SO badly when the rocket launcher guys would start spamming their attacks that the controls stopped responding. I tried redoing the entire sequence - same thing. I've installed the game on the drive too (hoping that would solve the issues).

This happened to anyone else?

 

[dark10x]

I know everyone is disappointed by the changes to the core gameplay and I agree that they sound horrible, but I'm even more disappointed by the fact that the level design was short changed once again.

NG1 didn't feature the most beautiful world, but it was setup in a very elegant fashion almost reminiscent of a Metroid game in that you traversed the city throughout most of the game opening up new areas that cross old ones. It felt as if you were slowly peeling back the layers to the world and it worked beautifully. They completely eliminated this element in NG2 and the same thing seems to have occurred here.