Developed by Team Ninja, Ninja Gaiden 3 is the direct sequel to Ninja Gaiden II. It is the first game in the series not to be directed by franchise mainstay, Tomonobu Itagaki, since Ninja Gaiden Shadow, which was released back in 1991. Sigma series designer, Yosuke Hayashi has stepped in for Itagaki, and things are not looking too pretty.

Unfortunately, reviews have been pretty poor, with Gamespot calling it a “shallow action game with little of the series’ challenge and depth.”

It’s currently sitting on a Metacritic score of 56% and 58% for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 versions of the game, respectively – based off of 17 reviews a pop.

So it’s probably one to skip, even for fans of the series. But don’t take my word for it, here is what reviewers have had to say:

Game Informer 6/10

Ninja Gaiden 3 is not a complete train wreck, but it does suffer from a multitude of problems. The action can be fast-paced and engaging at times, but many design decisions significantly bring down the experience. Dumbed-down A.I., a limited arsenal, the series’ notoriously difficult camera, no inventory/currency system, and an incoherent story combine to make this the most disappointing title in the series.   Read more

Ninja Gaiden 3

Gamespot 5.5/10

All flash and no substance: Ninja Gaiden 3 is a shallow action game with little of the series’ challenge and depth. Read more

TheSixthAxis 5/10

Please don’t take this review as the ranting of a moody Ninja Gaiden fan. Remove the franchise name and the score would still be the same. Despite promising much at the start, Ninja Gaiden 3 misfires at almost every turn, and whilst it’s not a bad game, it struggles to rise above average. Read more

VideoGamer 5/10

There are the origins of a fast, exciting new combat system buried underneath all the mess, and the gorgeous animations and zippy takedowns provide an immediate buzz. Yet its problems vastly outweigh its positives, and it’s hard to come away feeling anything other than disappointed. This was supposed to be a bold new beginning for the series, but ultimately Ninja Gaiden 3 feels like a false start. Read more

Ninja Gaiden 3

G4TV 2/5

Feels like a great game that wasn’t finished. It’s not that the game’s too short; it’s that it’s too sparse. More enemy types, weapons, and spells could have really fleshed this out into a hack-and-slash classic. As is, it feels like a demo stretched into a full length game — and a short one at that. Read more

IGN 3/10

Ninja Gaiden 3 is a gash on the face of the franchise and one of the worst games the action genre has yet suffered…It’s a nightmare that’s as easy as it is uninteresting, and it abandons what used to work for awful new ideas that don’t work together. Under no circumstance should you ever waste your time on this self-indulgent and abysmal wreck. Read more