Introduction
The Ninja Gaiden game franchise has made many great games and some not so great. The origins of Ninja Gaiden predate the original Nintendo starting with Ninja Gaiden 1; Ninja Gaiden 3 for the Nintendo was my personal favorite. Ninja Gaiden games were then made for the Xbox and PS3.
The Ninja Gaiden franchise's newest "masterpiece" is not really a masterpiece at all; it is a disturbing, overrated and overdone horror show in every sense. Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge is a game that should have never been created and here is why.
Merciless killing
Ninja Gaiden 3 is a game based on unnecessary merciless killing; I watched Ryu cut a guy down – a family man who was a federal agent no less. To me, Ryu committed the ultimate and unforgivable sin, ninjas of honor do not cut down men who cannot defend themselves.
At least in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, Ryu was killing demon ninjas not human beings; the creators of Ninja Gaiden 3 tried to make a masterpiece by reusing old ideas which ultimately worked against them. There is nothing gratifying about merciless killing.
Actual Blood – Turn off
Ninja Gaiden 3 thought that bringing real blood to the game would enhance its gameplay factor and its replay value which, to be honest, it does not; I got to a point where I did not even want to play the game after seeing that.
I have played other games in the past that had blood in them, but the blood did not offend gamers. The creators knew where to draw the line; Ninja Gaiden 3 did not, the blood content in the game was disturbing and unsettling.
Grip of Murder
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge has introduced something called the Grip of Murder, a powerful curse that disables the bearer and causes them unimaginable pain. Ryu is inflicted with this curse when he meets up with the alchemist in the game; it slows Ryu to almost a crawl.
The Grip of Murder is taken off near the endgame, but it still leaves the gamers trying to wade through and kill their enemies with that pulsating death sentence on Ryu's arm; this is not, by any means, entertaining. It is both irritating and unnecessary.
Lack of weapon accessibility
The lack of weapon accessibility in the game disables players even more than the curse; many of the game's weapons become available based on the number of Gold Scarabs found, which could leave the player using the same three weapons for the whole game. That sucks.
In Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, finding or upgrading weapons and buying items were easy by using the Crystal Skulls as well as the yellow essence that demon enemies leave behind after they are killed; Ninja Gaiden Sigma 3 has made getting and buying weapons significantly harder.
Conclusion
Ninja Gaiden 3 only managed to show gamers why it will never appear in the video game hall of fame with its terrible and disabling elements; it is a huge disappointment that should never have been developed, gamers are better off avoiding this game.