16. Ninja Gaiden Sigma (Playstation 3)

Ninja Gaiden Sigma Review
Ryu slices and dices his way onto the PlayStation 3. Find out if he survives the journey.

US, June 29, 2007 -

Ninja Gaiden on the original Xbox was a landmark release for the system, partly for its lightning-quick gameplay and brutal difficulty, and partly because of its outstanding visual prowess. It's arguably the best-looking game to ever hit the system. As good as it was, the perfectionists over at Tecmo, and Tomonobu Itagaki in particular, decided to refine it even more with the release of Ninja Gaiden Black, an updated re-release of sorts that added the Mission mode and new enemies that upped the difficulty even higher.Now the title gets its third release in

Ninja Gaiden Sigma exclusively for the PlayStation 3. Sigma is essentially a remix of the original game and Black, offering up some of Black's additions like the Mission mode, while going back to the original's difficulty level (though it's still certainly not easy). There are also new enemies to be found, some new areas, various gameplay tweaks and, most notably, the ability to play as Rachel

The end result is that Ninja Gaiden Sigma is, as expected, the best of the bunch and a fantastic title all around. It's somewhat amazing how well the core game holds up three years after its release and a generation later. Many of us around the IGN offices were massive fans of the original game, and our time with Sigma was easily just as much fun as we had three years ago. If you didn't like the original there won't be enough here to change your opinion, but fans of the game will find a ton of fond memories here.The gameplay in Ninja Gaiden Sigma is extremely fast-paced, maybe even faster than the original release. It's very quick and requires a lot of dexterity to handle, and new players may find a bit of a learning to overcome as they get used to how to properly fight, but once you have it down you'll be lopping heads off left and right. Old timers who've beaten the old releases will find that much of the game feels easier this time around. But in large part it's simply because after you've worked through the game once, your skills have necessarily become so honed that the early (and seemingly difficult at first) stages are essentially a breeze.As mentioned, the biggest addition in Sigma is the ability to play as Rachel, a Fiend Hunter who made various appearances in the first game, but only as a non-playable character. In Sigma, you're able to play her efforts as she heads off in search of demons to slay. These missions are a bit of a hit and miss. On the one hand, they help flesh out the story a little more in certain areas. Ninja Gaiden's story never made a ton of sense, but her sections help clarify a few events.

But while the story gets helped and any new content is welcome, she's not really all that much fun to play when compared to Ryu. She's a "tank" character, meaning that she's relatively slow but extremely powerful. Being that many of the enemies in the game are fast, it can be somewhat frustrating when needing to play a little more defensively than you're used to. Rather than jumping about and lunging at creatures, with Rachel you need to block a lot and wait for proper openings on pretty much everything you fight. She does have a nice evasion/counter move where you're able to flip over an enemy after blocking an attack and swipe at them from behind. It's so much more effective than directly attacking the quicker enemies that you practically need to abuse it, which makes some of her battles somewhat repetitive.To be clear though, her sections are still reasonably fun, but they're just not as good as Ryu's. We were never frustrated by having to play through them, but we did wish we could get back to Ryu's sections simply because he's more fun to play. So in short, Rachel's sections are a decent addition, but they're not fantastic.

15. Dynasty Warriors: Gundam Review (Playstation3)

US, August 31, 2007 -
Grab your laser swords and ridiculously over-sized shields, kids - Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is upon us now. Another title published by Namco Bandai and Koei, and developed by Omega Force, this science fiction action game follows in the footsteps of previous Dynasty Warriors games; just replace the ancient warriors with giant, interstellar robots. So hang on tight... Gundam, launch!Actually, before we get started, we think it would be appropriate to establish a few important points for your consideration. First and foremost: if you love the Dynasty Warriors series and you love the Gundam universe, you might as well get the game. You don't even have to finish reading this review, actually. Check out Warhawk or something, instead. On the other hand, if you really love either Dynasty Warriors or Gundam, think about renting this one and maybe you'll get a kick out of it. If you really don't like either of them, or perhaps (like several people in our office) you have a blood-curdling hatred of them both, then avoid this like a plague.

Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is a straight-forward action game that puts you in control of a single Mobile Suit (a.k.a. a giant robot) aligned with one of several different factions / military powers. More specifically, you pick a pilot first, and then a Mobile Suit. Generally speaking, you run around and cut through literally hundreds of enemy Mobile Suits in an attempt to win area "Fields" - locations on a map that can be captured by your team or your opponent's. After destroying the opposing forces and taking down the enemy officers, you move on to your next mission, each mission being separated by either a brief cinematic sequence or a spoken exposition. The game follows this formula quite strictly and continues on in this fashion for just about the entirety of its course. If anyone's looking for a radical departure from these hack-n'-slash style mechanics, you're going to be disappointed. This is extremely standard fare, and Dynasty Warriors: Gundam is in no way redefining the genre or awakening the latent power of the Warriors/Gundam universe(s).

However, this game has a somewhat odd setup that we should mention before diving into the finer details. When you launch the game, you have the option of selecting Official Mode, Original Mode, Versus Mode, Gallery or Options. Here's where things can get a little confusing, because there's virtually no context for any of these modes of play that orient the player in the experience. Although the game does provide you with short, one-line descriptions for each mode, they're lacking at best. From what we understand, selecting one of three initial characters in Official Mode lets you play through missions that are rooted in actual Gundam canon from some of the much older series. For example, you can play through famous conflicts between the Zeon and the Federation that actually took place in the anime, though the developers may have taken creative license with the narrative elements. Unfortunately, there's really no summary or prologue to any of this, so the missions just sort of start with dozens of characters bickering and shouting at one another about things that you may have never heard of before, unless you've followed the original Gundam series.

14. Variants in Too Human (VDO Games )

When “Too Human” started its early development phase for next generation platforms we really wanted to create something that was unique. One of the core game mechanics was to focus on melee and ballistic weapons and the strategies in doing so. Giving the player the option to switch between melee and firearms would have been meaningless unless it added to the experience. In order to overcome this challenge we focused on the hybrid nature of the game. We focused on the concept of “variants” to achieve our gameplay goals. Everything in “Too Human” is designed around the principle of classes and variants, and what lies within each of those classes. Let’s take the race of the Goblin’s.. There are three classes of goblins, regular, assault, and leaders. Regular goblins can perform melee attacks. Assault goblins fire missiles, while the leader goblin paints targets for the assault goblins, which adds accuracy and increases their rate of fire.. Leader goblins are also significantly tougher and have a shield, which allow them to withstand significant punishment. To illustrate our concept of variants, I will focus on the most basic enemy in the game, the regular goblin, who is equipped with a basic melee attack. Within “Too Human” we are able to significantly diversify the gameplay by altering the make up of any class of enemy. Regular goblins are enemies that were designed to be easily dispatched by the player. Only in very large numbers are they usually a threat. However, there are variants that the player really will have to pay attention to. You might recall this screen shot of a goblin. This is an exploding variant of the goblin. On its death, it will explode doing damage to everything in its wake. If the player decides to kill this type of goblin with a melee weapon the player will take damage. The best way to dispatch these enemies is from a distance with firearms. VDO Games

Another diverse variant is Electro Magnetic Pulse (EMP) goblin. These particular goblins are resistant to firearms. In fact, when you shoot them they start to glow. The more you shoot at them the more they glow. As the globins move closer to you and continue to fire EMP burst disabling your fire arms for a period of time. The best way to deal with these goblins is with your melee weapons so they can be killed without charging up.

Imagine a scenario where there are 25 regular goblins combined with an explosive goblin and an EMP goblin mixed in the mobs of attacking regulars. A skilled player would be able to quickly analyze the situation and shoot the explosive goblin taking out several other goblins with the explosion. Then clean up the rest with melee combat rendering the EMP goblin useless.

We have many variants for each class of every race. Imagine assault goblins that fire missiles that freeze the player in his place and you will start to get the idea the possible permutations. The combinations of these variants offer significant challenges for the player and also a good deal of diversity and strategy for switching between melee and firearms. The concept of variants also is not limited to enemies but also extends to weapons and player classes; however, that is a blog for another day. We are looking forward to seeing the reaction from players as they discover these variants within “Too Human.” We hope you like the variety as much as we liked designing them.

13. NBA 2K8 Hands-On (PS3)

NBA 2K8 Hands-On
It looks like another slam dunk for 2K Sports. (PS3)

US, August 30, 2007 - Visual Concepts and 2K Games brought the thunder last year with NBA 2K7. And though some might have thought having an aging Shaq Diesel on the cover signified the series was feeling its age, that couldn't have been further from the truth. NBA 2K7 was one of VC's strongest hoops offerings in years. Well, if anyone out there thought the NBA 2K series was getting a little long in the tooth, take note of new 2K8 coverboy Chris Paul. He's young, fresh, exciting, and just on the verge of superstardom. Paul is a fitting coverboy as NBA 2K8 feels as if it has been infused with a new energy and some new innovations. It begins with the rebuilt AI. The new AI is deadly against those who have zero hoops knowledge. If your idea of a basketball game is constantly driving to the hole, no matter who's handling the rock and who's standing in their way, then you're in for a rude awakening. NBA 2K8 will punish those who make foolish plays. The AI takes advantage of aggressiveness. Dribble too much and the AI will strip you. Drive down the lane every possession and you'll find a big man will start stepping up to take the charge and knock you on your ass.
Play smart hoops and you will be rewarded. The defense properly collapses when Shaq gets the ball in deep. And the AI, now often seen moving without the ball, will likely set Dwyane Wade behind the arc. Pass out of the triple-team and Wade is left wide open. Players such as Wade and Nash, who rarely miss those open shots, aren't going to miss them in 2K8. Think about it. How often have you seen Nash find spacing and drain a wide-open shot? All the time. He's almost automatic. But in most hoops games, soulless mathematics are used to determine an artificial probability of that little orange ball going through the hoop. And too often that ball clanks. I've seen first hand that if Nash pulls up and no one is around him, in 2K8, he's banging that home. At the same time, the 2K team realized that there are some players who can drive into traffic and will the ball into the hoops. Kobe, KG, Agent Zero. Whether it's pushing through and slamming a dunk over a defender or finding a way to teardrop the ball through the hoop, some players just have a knack for draining clutch shots in traffic. Those players now have a specific rating in NBA 2K8, so that once impossible shots can sometimes be possible. That isn't to say you won't see harsh rejections of even the most dominant players, but no longer is every player treated as equal with a defender's hand in his face.Things are a little more sophisticated away from the paint as well. Each player now has a rating judging how good they are shooting off the dribble. Kobe may just be one of the very best in this category. How often do we see an awkward jumpshot off a dribble drained by Kobe? NBA 2K8 recognizes there are some players better at setting their feet and shooting and others that have a gift for dropping shots on the move. Again, all of this is meant to better individuate NBA players. You want Tony Parker to play differently than Leandro Barbosa. You want Nash and Dirk to both be highly-skilled but different to control. From the game I played of NBA 2K8, that dream is closer to reality than it has been in a long time for Visual Concepts.
In hopes to add even more realism to its sim franchise, Visual Concepts implemented new footplanting technology. The new animation and physics system requires that every crossover and post move have the necessary footwork to make it real. In the past you could use the Isomotion system to break from a crossover and then instantly hit a spin move. While it looked cool, some of the animations were physically impossible. Now, players must plant their foot to properly push off. It makes some of the moves slower to respond, but it also makes NBA 2K8 feel a touch more grounded than its predecessors. Movement and momentum were a major focus for VC this year and its shows.The drawback to the new system is that the once fluid animation chains are gone. The build I played had some jerky transitions at times. While individual animations looked great, they don't connect well together. This is something VC is tweaking and hopefully can improve before NBA 2K8 ships in early October. Aside from the jerkiness, NBA 2K8 is a visual improvement over last year's model. The crowds in particular look much better. And those chunky bodies have been slimmed down a bit, so players appear more like their true selves than very tall IGN editors.

12. Clip VDO Heavenly Sword (PS3)

11. Clip VDO Lair (PS3)

10. Clip VDO Winning Eleven: Pro Evolution Soccer 2008 (PS3)