Parents' Guide to Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge

Game Nintendo Wii U 2012
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Common Sense Media Review

Chris Morris By Chris Morris , based on child development research. How do we rate?

age 18+

Blood-soaked fighting game with few unique Wii U features.

Parents Need to Know

Why Age 18+?

Any Positive Content?

Parent and Kid Reviews

age 17+

Based on 1 parent review

age 14+

Based on 1 kid review

What's It About?

Players step into the shoes of Ryu, a muscle-bound, blood-thirsty ninja, who is recruited to battle an organization set on bringing about an end to the civilized world. NINJA GAIDEN 3: RAZOR'S EDGE improves on many of the shortcomings of its Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 versions and includes a new playable character Ayane for a brief portion of the game. The Wii U Gamepad controller is rather superfluous in this game, not offering any real unique gameplay styles and simply mirroring onscreen choices. From it, players can quickly find attack combinations and access such things as the inventory and upgrade menu. Owners of the (separate) Pro Controller might have an easier time controlling the game.

Is It Any Good?

Our review:
Parents say ( 1 ):
Kids say ( 1 ):

Ninja Gaiden 3 had plenty of shortcomings when it came out for other consoles and developer Team Ninja takes several steps to correct those in this revised version of the game for the Wii U. But Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge is still far from perfect. The fight sequences are full of glorious overkill, which should please fans of blood-soaked fighting games, but it's the reason to keep kids away. It's fast-paced and never lets you catch your breath. Boss battles, though, are still extremely difficult -- sometimes taking up to an hour to complete. And the other battles get a bit repetitive after a while, even as you gather more weapons in your arsenal.

Talk to Your Kids About ...

  • Families can talk about violence in games. Do you feel more easily aggravated after playing? Do you realize you can't even play-act this?

  • Families can also discuss online interactions and how best to protect yourself from strangers.

Game Details

  • Platform : Nintendo Wii U
  • Skills : Thinking & Reasoning : analyzing evidence , applying information , Self-Direction : achieving goals
  • Pricing structure :
  • Available online? : Not available online
  • Publisher : Tecmo
  • Release date : November 18, 2012
  • Genre : Fighting
  • ESRB rating : M for Blood and Gore, Intense Violence, Strong Language, Suggestive Themes
  • Last updated : November 11, 2020

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