Ninja Gaiden is a true classic of the video gaming world. The first Ninja Gaiden was released on the Nintendo Entertainment System and much like our Marios and Sonics, Ryu Hayabusa is still with us, alive and kicking ass. Ninja Gaiden Sigma will be Ryu Hayabusa’s debut on the PS3; Sigma will include the Xbox versions of Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black with the visuals fully revamped as well as the addition of a new character and a few new levels.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma contains Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black, and while the developers added and changed a lot, that’s what Ninja Gaiden Sigma is: a remake of two Xbox games. Now, the additions and changes include beefing up the graphics using the power of the PS3; the new visuals include sharper environments and characters, better shading and 1080p support. Simply put, Ninja Gaiden Sigma will look better than Ninja Gaiden and Ninja Gaiden Black put together.

Sigma also sports new controls for its PS3 outing. It uses the D-pad to select items and the SIXAXIS to charge Ryu’s swords.

They story of Ninja Gaiden is that of Ryu Hayabusa's village being burned down and the sacred sword, which Ryu’s family has protected for generations, is stolen. Ryu hunts down the thieves and gets revenge for his village. They game includes another playable character, the demon hunter Rachel. Rachel was given her own controls so she feels like a different character than Ryu; assuming the developers wanted to show a whole new character instead of Ryu in different clothes.

The developers created many differences to set the PS3 version of Ninja Gaiden apart from the Xbox version. New levels, such as the ability to move though Ryu’s burning village, and new bosses, as well as revamped old ones. Also some levels allowed for more use of almost neglected special powers such as running on water, as well as brand new levels for Rachel.

If you're a diehard Ninja Gaiden fan, go ahead, pick it up. But if pirates are more your thing, don't bother; Sigma is just a souped up version of the first two.