There’s a special sort of bliss that comes from a dumb action game. It doesn’t matter if the plot works or if the impetus for slicing up bad guys makes sense; the only thing that matters is how good it feels to slip into the hypnotic trance of carnage with your mind and body on autopilot. The Ninja Gaiden series has always been particularly good at capturing this mentality.

The NES games were tough but let skilled-enough players lock into the rhythm of muscle memory to charge through its side-scrolling platforming stages. Under the direction of Team Ninja, the 3D trilogy of titles for the Xbox and Xbox 360 translated that flow state to greater heights with downright brutal combat demanding razor-sharp precision.

And although the modern age of gaming is mostly dominated by a Soulsl

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