One of the finest experiences in gaming just got better. Team Ninja has hit it out of the park with their latest installment of blade swinging action. Our beloved Ryu Hayabusa is back, in black, and better than ever. Playstation 3 owners, you now have a response to the insults regarding your system’s line up of games. Yes, Metal Gear Solid 4 is still a ways away, but Ninja Gaiden Sigma is here now, and you can only find it on the PS3!

Who can forget the cinematic intro for the original Ninja Gaiden side scroller. Two ninjas running towards each other as they spring into mid air and metal meets metal … only one would be left standing as they hit the ground. If you saw it, you remember it, if you didn’t then you are probably too young to have played it. Either way we have it for you below and are going to request that you please watch it before reading any further.

[flv width="440" height="330"]http://www.ripten.com/ninja_gaiden_89.flv[/flv]

That was a trip down memory lane for some of us and a history lesson for the rest … alright, on with the review of Ninja Gaiden Sigma.

Back from Black, not only does Sigma not disappoint, it delivers on all cylinders. Game play is not only the best of any game in this genre, but hands down the most in depth and challenging game play experience on the market today.

The action is intense and make no mistake, it will take some getting used to for gamers new to the series, but the learning curve is well worth it. Once engaged you will find it hard to put the controller down.

Graphics and sound are superb, and the animation is fluid and believable. With the awesome power of a highly trained ninja you will scale walls, glide across water, unleash magic, and wield your blade in ways that would make the iron chef himself green with envy.

The advanced enemy AI, well thought out combat environments, and seamless in game camera movement create unique real time visuals that do away with the need for constant cut scenes, which oddly enough used to be a trademark of the original NES and SNES games.

In terms of game play enhancements, you will now be able to access potions without having to visit the game’s menu system via the use of your controller’s directional pad. Walking on water this time around is as simple as maintaining motion in the desired direction and fighting fanatics will be glad to know that a few new combos have been added to the mix as well.

Don’t expect too much in the way of new content though. There are a handful of new battles along with extended versions of some of the old ones revamped with enhanced special effects and added detail. Overall though the main focus of the title is the adventure at hand, and it is a dandy.

“Demon Hunter Rachel” is a new playable character that we have all probably seen at one point or another, and yes, her and her whip are everything we all hoped they would “crack” up to be. Decked out in her skin tight leather suit, Rachel will battle through a few new chapters in the game.

Just like in a movie, how a game is edited effects the overall experience, and while we did notice that certain scenes had been either modified or completely removed, we felt that the changes made for a much smoother game play experience.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma is not without its share of bugs. The camera can be a bit of a pain when fighting in close quarters and we noticed that the lighting within the game seemed a bit off at times. The movie player is gone but being that most of the cinematics were replaced with real time action, this didn’t bother us as much as finding out that we were no longer able to play the old school NES versions of the game like we could in Black. We thought Blu-ray discs could hold more content!

Overall the game has a lot of positives and is one of the best games on the market, certainly the best game available for the PS3. We give it a 9.4 overall and think that gamers and ninjas alike will enjoy it very much.