Hi Evan, if you haven't decided on something yet I think I have just
the recommendation you are looking for. Based on the games you've
indicated I think that you should try Ninja Gaiden Sigma. I got NGS
when I first bought my PS3 and was initially turned off because it was
so hard. After playing wide range of other games I put it back in for
another try after realizing that I wanted something else but did not
want to spend anymore money. I've been playing it now for longer than
any other PS3 game other than Oblivion, in a nutshell, once you get
the hang of the nuances of combat it becomes very very fun and
satisfying! NGS offers some of the most intense and fast paced combat
that I have ever experienced in gaming (I've been a steady gamer now
for over 20 years). I really had to "earn the fun" though, through
more than a few frustrating moments but now I'm jumping around and
slaying like nobodies business and looking forward to NGS2 in the
fall. NGS is a challenging action game with more than 25 hours of
play on the first play through, after that you get a whole wack of
unlocked 'missions' for you to hone your bad ninja self, there is also
some cool DLC, very good value, and cheap now since it is a 2007
release. I think it will be money well spent, you should give it a
try.