The 3D Ninja Gaiden games are some of the best hack and slash/action games ever made. In fact, Ninja Gaiden on the original Xbox was the only reason I bought the console back in the day. I finished Ninja Gaiden, Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden 2 too many times and I have enjoyed the brutality and diversity of the combat and the challenging difficulty of the franchise.
 
 

Since the departure of Itagaki from Team Ninja and I’m watching closely how the third game will turn out without him. I want Ninja Gaiden 3 to be the best one of the series. But sadly, the more I see about the game, the less I become interested about it. Here’s why:
 

1. No Dismemberment:
 

When a member of developer Team Ninja was asked about why they removed the ability to dismember limbs in Ninja Gaiden 3, he answered: “people do not want to see that anymore.” First of all, this is bullshit. I want to see it because of many reasons. The ability to dismember limbs in Ninja Gaiden 2 made the combat more strategic and brutal. When an enemy loss a leg or a hand during the combat, it was a disadvantage for him. It was a beautiful design choice. Actually, it gave the combat a fight to the death feel.
 

Team Ninja wants us “to experience the feeling of your sword entering a person’s body, hitting bone, and slicing through the torso.” This doesn’t add any strategic element to the combat. The combat in Ninja Gaiden 3 looks bloody, but without the ability to dismember limbs, doesn’t that make the combat look and feel fake?

2. Focus on one weapon: Katana:
 

One of the best things about the previous games in the series is the diversity in the weapons you can use in the combat. Ninja Gaiden 2 has eight different melee weapons and every weapon is enjoyable to use and suitable for different combat situations.
 

when Siliconera asked Hayashi if we are going to see any new weapons in Ninja Gaiden 3, he answered:
 

“This time we focused on the katana and what it’s like for players to cut through flesh and bone. As you proceed through the story, you will acquire different katanas. We also have ninpo in the game. It wasn’t in the demo because we wanted players to see what it was feel what it is like to kill enemies with the katana. In the future we’ll be able to show you this element.”
 

No matter how you look at it and no matter how many katanas are in the game, it’s a step back for the franchise. No diversity in weapons is a big disappointment.
 

3. Quick time events:
 

What makes the combat so good and satisfying in the previous games is that you do all of the flashy moves in the game without a single Quick time event. Ninja Gaiden is about skill, not about how fast you mash a button. In ninja Gaiden 3, every time you are going to cut through enemy flesh there is a Quick time event. Also, there is Quick time events in the cut scenes. Quick time event is an outdated design choice.
 

4. Hayabusa talks too much:
 

Yeah, I got it Mr.hayashi. Ryu isn’t a killing machine and you want to flesh him out as a character. But doesn’t that ruin what makes him a great videogame character in the first place?
 

Ryu is a mysterious honorable ninja. This is how I see him. He kills evil ninjas and creatures to save his village and the people he loves. He doesn’t speak too much and only speaks when necessary. That’s what makes him stand out as a character and that’s why he is a hero.
 

From what I have seen so far from Ninja Gaiden 3, Ryu talks too much. Team Ninja, haven’t you ruined Samus as a character in Metroid: Other M?
 

5. Where is my orbs?
 

Is there an upgrade system in the game? Can I buy Items? No answer for these questions. Also, the absent of any type of orbs in the gameplay videos isn’t a good news.
 
Please watch the first 30 minutes of the game and tell me what do you think.