WHAT I SAW:

Ninja Gaiden 3: brutal hacking and slashing ninja fun from Tecmo Koei, transplanted to the streets of London, mate.

WHAT I EXPECTED:

As one of the flagship titles of Team Ninja, Ninja Gaiden 3 ought to be nothing if not polished. And it is. As a Londoner myself, I was dubious about the game's UK setting, and surprised in the end by how well they've nailed it. Oh, and I expected to be at least as hard as the last games, if not harder.

WHAT THEY SHOWED:

The rendition of London is not based on a real map of the city, but it sure does look the part, as Ryu Hayabusa swoops down from a gargoyle on Big Ben and splashes through the rain dealing out death. This time his foes are soldiers instead of other ninja - and there are a lot of them. On the Hard setting and even in Normal, they come in wave after wave, armed with guns and rocket launchers and multiple-rocket launchers. It's just relentless - as it should be.

Director Yosuke Hayashi told me he wanted to give the action more ebb and flow than the previous games, which were generally very fast affairs. Now, as you slice through a man's flesh and down to the bone, the tempo slows and the camera zooms in, allowing you to feel the full destructive force of your actions as you ram the sword home with a QTE. Combos are mostly new, and Hayabusa can now slide to knock down enemies or get through tight gaps.

While in previous games your health was replenished slightly with every enemy dispatched, now the only way (aside from using items) to regain energy is to unleash a Ninpo magic attack. As well as obliterating everything in sight, this also charges Hayabusa's batteries; but since Ninpo use is limited, the game becomes even harder than before. For newcomers there is Hero mode, thoughtfully implemented instead of a patronizing Easy setting for those who just want to play through to the end. This changes a few parameters to make the game easier while still training you to play better, so that you can eventually graduate to the regular modes.

WHAT I THOUGHT:

Movement feels smoother than in previous Ninja Gaiden games, and the atmosphere is spot on. Visually it looks gorgeous. The new battle mechanic is satisfying, though the QTEs can mess up your combo planning - that might take some getting used to, but I definitely want to see more. The only real niggle I have is with the British accents, many of which are hammier than a barrel of jellied pig's trotters, me old mucker.