Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2

1UP

The level changes remove the garbage found in Gaiden 2, while creating an almost new experience, and the Team Mission mode introduces thoughtful, meaningful ways to test your skills. Any doubts about whether Team Ninja could succeed without their former boss now sit on shaky ground -- the developer seems to be thriving.

Gaming Age

The additional characters are fun to play with, and revamped difficulty means that more players should be able to get some enjoyment out of the game, without feeling needlessly frustrated with a few annoying aspects.

Gamer Limit

Despite the newer casual direction of Ninja Gaiden, a series that was made popular with sadistic gameplay, hardcore gamers will still have a ton of fun with Sigma 2.

GamePro

As a ninja connoisseur I can easily say this game is one of the top ninja based titles on the market with the exception of the grand daddy of all ninja games: Ninja Blade.

AtomicGamer

If you're a PS3 owner who's been chomping at the bit for this one, or even a 360 owner craving more demon-carving action, your day has come—savor it like a fresh kill.

Meristation

The basics are the same from Ninja Gaiden II, and that's the best of Sigma 2. New features do not work so well: online coop is not that great, new missions are just OK, and new bosses are boring. But overall, it's still a great game, with new and improved visuals that make it even better than before.

Playstation Official Magazine UK

Spectacularly violent stuff. [Nov 2009, p.122]

VideoGamer

Playing Ninja Gaiden 2 is a very different experience to playing the majority of games. Whether it's for simply beating a wave of blood-thirsty bats or for finally slaying a boss you've been tearing your hair out over for more than an hour, the sense of reward and gratification is practically unrivaled.

GameZone

This is a thoroughly entertaining game that is a delightful bit of eye candy rolled into an adrenaline-charged action-adventure game.

3DJuegos

A long year has passed since Ninja Gaiden 2 launched, and although we hoped for more improvements in the Sigma’s formula, the game is incredible.

Playstation: The Official Magazine (US)

Arguably the purest, most hardcore hack-and-slash fighting game on PS3. [Nov 2009, p.68]

Cheat Code Central

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 has enough extra content and polish to make it the hands down, definitive version of the game.

WonderwallWeb

A great title for PS3 owners offering a real challenge but not really worth a second purchase if you own the Xbox 360 version already.

PSM3 Magazine UK

A rewarding slasher, which puts action ahead of plot and atmosphere. [Oct 2009, p.56]

GameTrailers

If you didn't play the original Ninja Gaiden II, the changes baked into Sigma 2 can be difficult to spot. But trust us, it's undergone a huge overhaul. Everything from enemy placement, frequency, and AI to the effectiveness of each weapon has been massaged to a point where the average player will be able to complete it without losing their mind.

Games Master UK

A superb slice of first class hack and slashery that action fans would be crazy to miss. [Nov 2009, p.80]

Vandal Online

Although it doesn't have many changes in comparison with the Xbox 360 original, and the game has aged during a year, it still one of the best action games out there.

ZTGameDomain

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is easily the best version of the game, but it still lags behind the sheer polish and quality of the original. That said this is still one of the best action games of this generation, and PS3 owners should definitely not hesitate to lay down the sixty bucks for this amazing package.

My Gamer

Improvements in the difficulty, a smart retooling of the games stages and a whole lot of extra modes and add-ons make this game the definitive version of Ninja Gaiden out on consoles, as well as one of the deepest and most satisfying action adventure games available.

TotalPlayStation

Polished, tweaked and streamlined, this is Ninja Gaiden 2 done a half-step better.

PSFocus

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is a great new part in the franchise. It comes a little bit late, but the PlayStation 3 version got a lot of extras like a kind of multiplayer. The action is great and graphics are stunning. Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is a very good game for the PlayStation 3.

GameSpot

This enhanced version of Ninja Gaiden II is bigger, better, and more exhilarating.

Kombo

There aren't a ton of sweeping differences between the PS3 and 360 versions of Ninja Gaiden 2 that were released a year apart from each other.

Game Informer

Sigma 2 is a longer, more action-packed edition of Ninja Gaiden II, and if you’ve never played the original you won’t notice the missing gore.

SpazioGames

Evaluation of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is divided neatly into two. Taken as a title in itself is surely a good action, perhaps not particularly intriguing for its narrative, but solid in all other aspects, starting with a good playability and longevity well above the standards of the genre. Looked at as a conversion of a title released over a year ago, we cannot recommend the purchase to those who have already played and finished the X360 version. Ultimately, if you love the genre and you missed the latest edition of this important saga, do not hesitate, you will be more than satisfied, otherwise carefully consider the purchase.

IGN

Beating the game will take a few days, but mastering the escalating difficulty levels could take weeks, or in my case, many months of enjoyable practice.

PSX Extreme

Visually, Sigma 2 is extremely smooth looking.

Multiplayer.it

Though it's the remake of a game released over a year ago, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 confirms to be an excellent exponent of the action genre. If you already played the game on its Xbox 360 version, however, there's no reason to buy it once again.

GamesNation

Less splatter than before, and yet much more enjoyable, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 manages to save the NG series from oblivion. Good settings, good graphics, good animations, good control system, good AI, good gameplay. No need to add more.

Play UK

It's so utterly satisfying, you simply won't care that you're hammering two button for 12 hours. [Issue#184, p.70]

Teletext GameCentral

Some may see it as dumbing down but for most this will be the most accessible and fun Ninja Gaiden yet.

Eurogamer Spain

Even with some minor flaws Sigma 2 manages to become the best hack 'n slash game available for PlayStation 3.

Eurogamer

As games steadily become more ingratiating, Team Ninja offers you an increasingly rare prospect: the chance to truly master something brutal.

Play.tm

There's certainly enough material in here to keep you occupied for hours on end and the wealth of freshly added ninja-gubbins demonstrates Team Ninja's commitment to providing real value for money. Having said that, the sheer unflinching brutality of Ninja Gaiden 2 on Xbox 360, for us, makes it the definitive version of the game.

Worth Playing

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is overall a better game than Ninja Gaiden II. It may be less gory, but it has a better pace, is less frustrating and overall more fun than the original.

Strategy Informer

Co-op is a bit of a cop out all told, and the other additions made to the game are largely superfluous. For those exclusively playing Ninja Gaiden II on the PS3 however, Sigma 2 is a genuine treat and nigh-on essential.

GameFocus

The Ninja Gaiden games aren’t for everyone. People will hate it; some will love it to death. The adventure may be linear and the hack n’ slash ridiculously repetitive but it’s so much fun. Despite the fact that this revamped version of last year’s Ninja Gaiden 2 game does things differently, it manages to keep the essence of the game intact. Taking into account that you might have never played a Ninja Gaiden game, there’s no reason why you should pass on this one.

Playstation Official Magazine Australia

Even though the lashings of blood have been removed, it’s still a sexy and rock-hard title. [Dec 2009, p.79]

LEVEL (Czech Republic)

Non-stop duels, weapon upgrades and battle combos are fundamental elements of the new Ninja Gaiden game. Linear but quite entertaining hack’n’slash will catch and hold you until the final battle. [Nov 2009]

PALGN

For all the improvements that come into Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, somewhere along the way, the game's vision became blurred.

Console Monster

If you have already played this on the Xbox 360, there’s little different here to warrant a second play though, however, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is worthy of a purchase for those yet to experience its delights.

ImpulseGamer

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is a good action game, a great one even. There are just some minor things that stop a whole hearted recommendation.

GamingExcellence

Ninja Gaiden presents a decent package that will entertain you for brief periods of time if hack and slash button mashers are your type of game.

Destructoid

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is worth checking out for PS3 owners who like hardcore action games and have never played the Xbox 360 version. The new additions, however, simply aren't worth replaying the game for if you have the original version, and the removal of the blood has done the game a significant disservice.

Edge Magazine

When you're playing a Ninja Gaiden game and not dying until the eighth chapter, it doesn't bode well for the future of the series as we know it. Oh, and the camera's still rubbish. [Nov 2009, p.100]

AceGamez

Ninja Gaiden Sigma was a significant step up from Itagaki's original; this second Sigma edition is sadly more port than remake.

Cynamite

Boobs and violence - a true Tecmo game. But don't be fooled, this game is pretty difficult.

GameShark

Patient newcomers will likely have a good time, warts and all, but if you already have the Xbox 360 version Sigma 2 doesn’t really add enough to the experience to warrant a second purchase.

The Onion (A.V. Club)

If the last Ninja Gaiden you played came out before 2008, Sigma 2 is an acceptable way of checking back in with the series, but devotees will want much more, and not just a mode where you can play as a pair of boobs with a sword.

Game Revolution

Not only is the gameplay starting to feel dated—especially in the wake of Batman: Arkham Asylum’s brilliant combo system—but the few small additions simply aren’t enough to offset the handful of surprising oversights and omissions.