Just finished the game. As a vet from NG2, I have to say that this game has been an emotional rollercoaster. So much good, so much bad. I'll try to be brief.
Pros:
- The graphics are fantastic and definitely a notch above the original version
- Virtually no slowdown save a few "now loading" pauses and an intense battle against several armored suits.
- Rachel, Ayane, and Momiji are excellent additions. This is the biggest pro; each character is unique and fun. Their stages and bosses are excellent.
- The new bosses are mostly good too. Wasn't crazy about the Buddha, but the Statue of Liberty, Marbus, Obaba, and the Tengus were all great.
- Emma's Fang pwns.
- The team missions are varried and excellent. I only did online once and it wasn't laggy though I have heard otherwise.
- If Kasumi actually IS the surprise, I'll be pleasantly surprised. I would prefer Hayate, but Team Ninja is trying to stress Ryu's pimp status. Genshin and Joe likely would have been palette swaps of Ryu anyway.
Cons:
- Difficulty has been nerfed. Warrior mode feels like acolyte now. Vets will notice it in a thousand places; where there used to be multiple Raisetsu now there are imps, bosses are dumber, fewer IS ninjas, items and ninpo are infinitely spammable. It's just...argh. They didn't dumb down the first Sigma nearly as much. If there really is a difficulty above MN, then I'll be pretty satisfied, but still...
- No IS and no windmill for Ryu! Are you KIDDING me?
- No speargun...wait, I don't care. Tapping X to run on water is annoying though.
- Can't unequip the bow. Very minor, but still.
- Weapon upgrades don't cost money and can only be done once per blue statue. I couldn't even fully upgrade everything because of this, AND it nerfs the difficulty. This was one of the dumbest design choices they made.
- No new game + and no TOV. Again, why are you cutting content if you're trying to make a definitive version of a game?
Needed DLC ASAP:
- Single character missions! For the ladies too, thanks.
- Windmill and IS for Ryu.
- An option to go back to the original weapon upgrade system, 'cause this one is balls.
- Offline 2 player.
- More sexy costumes for the ladies. Giggity giggity.
- Playable Kasumi...and Sonia, Genshin, Joe, and even that little kid ninja that Momiji saves.
- Vs mode, while we're at it.
Final Verdict: What can I say? It's Ninja Gaiden. If you are a series fan and have PS3, you'd be an imbecile not to get it. There's so much new and good content that you'll forgive a lot of the design missteps. Much of what is wrong is fixable, so let's hope they listen to the fanbase. The changes in enemy locations and bosses suggest that they DO care somewhat about what the players think.
I'm sure more hardcore players will have far more complaints than me. It's frustrating since, Like the first Sigma, this could have easily been a definitive and superior version of the game. While I love Sigma 2, I know I can't sell my 360 version. That was the real test for me.