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[ManaByte]

Time to replay the original 360 version of part 2 and not the shitty Sigma game Tecmo put in the collection.

 

[Naked Lunch]

Ninja Gaiden Black is still better than 99% of the junk being released today.
I could boot it up right now - and wouldn't want to put it down.
Timeless.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

Maybe for the 20th Anniversary we can get a patch for the Collection release that isn't a fucking inferior version.

Oh wait. Nope. It's a law that every collection release has to be heavily flawed.

 

[Buggy Loop]

No sales on Steam…

I read they fixed most NG2 sigma problems with mods on PC so I wish listed it.

 

[Deft Beck]

Are the Sigma versions really that bad?

 

[Soodanim]

Are the Sigma versions really that bad?

No. They are still great games, it's just that people tend to prefer the originals. The vast majority of the gameplay is still the same.

The immediately obvious changes are visual, like swapping blood for purple particle effects. There are also enemy changes, which are from what I understand a mixed bag as NG2 had some awful stuff on higher difficulties. There are also smaller changes, like I think the bow in NGS2 not being infinite and needing ammo (IIRC).

 

[kikkis]

Still their best game released by far.

 

[Reizo Ryuu]

Are the Sigma versions really that bad?

Yes, buy also no, if you aren't familiar with the originals you'd have a great time.

 

[MayauMiao]

I'm lucky to have a working OG Xbox to play the untouched, uncensored Ninja Gaiden in all its original glory.

We can't have scenes like this in 2024, which is just sad.

 

[RoboFu]

Not as good as the NES trilogy but serviceable.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Are the Sigma versions really that bad?

Naw.

On PC especially the modded NG2 is fine



It's even less controversial for the first Ninja Gaiden.

Unless you want to invest into OG Xbox titles and get a console for that... I would say Sigma is fine. I have both OG titles and a 360 somewhere in my basement but I just can't be bothered to setup this shit just for an OG experience at low resolutions.

Gatekeeping from entering the series because of "sigma" is exaggerated. Pick whatever is more convenient.

 

[ManaByte]

I'm lucky to have a working OG Xbox to play the untouched, uncensored Ninja Gaiden in all its original glory.

It's BC so you can play it on a Series.

 

[tomato shrub]

Are the Sigma versions really that bad?

the hate is overblown, I think. You'll get a good enough impression with the Sigma versions. Sigma 1 is definitely a downgrade from Black, but ultimately is still a pretty sweet game. Now, the original version of 2 has enough of its own flaws, imo, that Sigma 2 isn't that much of a downgrade. Both games contain the same excellent combat system.

 

[winjer]

Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden 2 were so awesome.
It was so unfortunate that the saga dropped in quality after that.

 

[CGNoire]

Time to replay the original 360 version of part 2 and not the shitty Sigma game Tecmo put in the collection.

It worlks with aug 29 2020 canary xenia build emulator on PC.

 

[*Nightwing]

 

[Ceadeus]

 

[Celcius]

Are the Sigma versions really that bad?

I feel like the only one in the world that prefers them. And I’ve played both versions.

 

[Sleepwalker]

I remember being blown away by the graphics in this game back in the original xbox, truly insane stuff at the time to my young eyes.

Never beat it though, found it really hard back then lol

 

[Northeastmonk]

I remember playing it at some dude’s apartment and everyone in the room would stop to watch it. I had it back then and got NG2 day 1. I didn’t get NG3 on launch because of everything they changed. I ended up finishing Razor’s Edge years later. NG is one game that is still as fun as it was back then.

 

[nkarafo]

The immediately obvious changes are visual, like swapping blood for purple particle effects.

Massive downgrade.

 

[Blood Borne]

I guess I’m the minority here but I didn’t like NG 2 at all, especially when compared to NGB.

I’ve replayed NGB and NGS over the years but I’ve replayed NG 2 not so much. Just didn’t like the level design, the bosses, the Obliteration Technique got boring real quick, the soundtrack, etc everything just fails in comparison to NGB.

 

[JordiENP]

This and Bayonetta are perfect old action games that still feel brand new.

BTW Team Ninja is trash for keeping the grudge and didn't even mention Itagaki.

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Ouch my bones

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Xbox GOAT. And one of the best Reboots in history along with Zelda BOTW.

 

[Katatonic]

Still the best combat.

 

[stn]

NGB is a perfect action game. I think the combat in NG2 is better by a bit, but I much prefer the story, aesthetic, and music of NGB. Nailed it all.

 

[dave_d]

It's BC so you can play it on a Series.

Plus on the series the bonus arcade game works on NGB. Just chiming in since I did my first playthrough last year. (2023) I will say I enjoyed it but thought it wasn't particularly hard on normal if you made it a point to farm essence. (It's a lot easier when you've maxed out items.) Another game that gave me that old school vibe was Vanquish. (If anybody hasn't played that you should give it a go.) I guess at some point I should play NG2. (Either that or Devil May Cry or God hand. No I haven't done a full play through of either.)

 

[lame gag1990]

Awesome game. Arguably the best hack and slash game ever made.

 

[Ian Henry]

Classic game. OG Xbox was the shit

 

[NeverYouMind]

Are the Sigma versions really that bad?

Ninja Gaiden Sigma - Identical outside of improved textures/models, added Rachel chapters, improved (not inverted horizontally and more responsive) camera, added jump shot, simplified more versatile water running mechanic, new motorcycle unit, and a few map changes (some challenge rooms altered, underwater chapter simplified with less key item interactions, different military gate opening trigger, and redundant switches/door removed in Imperial City). *PC version is slightly downgraded (if unmodded) from PS3 release in UI and missing Ayane voice clips.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma II -

I played every chapter in Ninja Gaiden II and Ninja Gaiden Sigma II back to back and was pretty taken back by how different the two were.

1. Right off the bat in Sigma, it was very strange to see clouds of purple smoke coming out of human enemies and a Giant Buddha Statue appear out of nowhere and destroy a bunch of skyscrapers before confronting Ryu. Also, the doors/key items not being interactive like in the original took away from immersion. I did, however, appreciate being able to do the Flying Swallow and Izuna Drop right off the bat prior to discovering their scrolls.

2. Hayabusa Village was near identical outside of Rod of Trials removal, but it really highlighted the biggest gameplay difference between the two versions. The projectile weapons. In the original the aiming was manual and could be charged, but the aimbot cursor and uncharged shot in Sigma made it much easier, but less versatile. The number of varied projectile weapons available to Ryu in Sigma was reduced to three that just do different amounts of damage and give infinite ammo.

3. These changes made the city level's Demon Train boss fight trivial. Sigma made very few changes outside of removing enemies from select underground areas and strangely switching the weapon found in the ninja exhibit from dual katanas to a greatsword exclusive to Sigma. But, the Statue of Liberty fight added in Sigma was cinematic and I appreciated early access to the bladed nunchucks.

4. The biggest changes I observed were in the Aqua Capital. Sigma censored the intro with Ryu cutting a Lycan in half and removed the enemies in the water for starters. It also cut enemy numbers and removed some scenic water effects in the fountain and waterfall areas. It even glued Ryu to a small platform for the Ghost Dragon boss fight in the underground caverns and limited him to only using projectiles. It was here Sigma began spamming the limbless floating demons in place of local enemy types. It also did away with the underwater machine gun and gave Ryu an oversized rifle cannon instead.

5. A few other boss fights in Sigma were changed, but not in a way that drastically changed the journey even if a Giant Demon Centipede boss area was erased completely. Though I must admit that the dying detonation of the Giant Lava Amadillo after the airship crash in the original was cheap (required nippo or talisman of rebirth) the availability of explosive shuriken made it relatively easy to replay. I even enjoyed the challenge of the Two Flying Dragons boss fight in the original more than the single Grounded Dragon boss fight in Sigma and found the Two Giant Lava Armadillos were less annoying in the original than Super Bephomet with his erratic invincible flight patterns in Sigma's venture through hell. In later parts of the game, I even slightly appreciated the removal of waves of rocket launcher spam enemies, flying enemies, and the abbrevited passages through tunnels and segments of hell in Sigma but not enough to ignore the reduced enemy variety.

6. The coolest parts of Sigma are in the addition of Rachel, Momji, and Ayane as playable characters (though, Rachel's chapter is the worst of the three) and being able to use everyone in the Ninja Races and varied Tag Missions in addition to replaying any chapter.

TLDR: In the end, my opinion is that Sigma 2 is far from the definitive version of the game, but should I want a taste of Ninja Gaiden's second installment it will likely be the version I revisit as it has so many more features. However, should I want a full course meal, the original has no substitute.

P.S. It is a shame the unlockable NES trilogy was removed after Black update to Ninja Gaiden as the unlockable arcade game is terrible.

 

[Shut0wen]

No. They are still great games, it's just that people tend to prefer the originals. The vast majority of the gameplay is still the same.

The immediately obvious changes are visual, like swapping blood for purple particle effects. There are also enemy changes, which are from what I understand a mixed bag as NG2 had some awful stuff on higher difficulties. There are also smaller changes, like I think the bow in NGS2 not being infinite and needing ammo (IIRC).

This is wrong, theres a huge difference between black and the first sigma, they literally reused every asset on the 2nd game for sigma and tried adding there own fixed camera which made the game worst

 

[MCplayer]

I'm lucky to have a working OG Xbox to play the untouched, uncensored Ninja Gaiden in all its original glory.

We can't have scenes like this in 2024, which is just sad.

lool why would this be censured

 

[Celcius]

Every time there's a thread on Ninja Gaiden people start debating the original releases vs the Sigma releases.
Can't we just celebrate the game y'all? lol

 

[Shut0wen]

Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden 2 were so awesome.
It was so unfortunate that the saga dropped in quality after that.

Team ninjas bitterness is what destroyed the series

 

[Fake]

Ninja Gaiden Black is still better than 99% of the junk being released today.
I could boot it up right now - and wouldn't want to put it down.
Timeless.

One of the beat game I ever played. And the start screen OST is so fucking good.

 

[MayauMiao]

It's BC so you can play it on a Series.

Don't plan to buy another Xbox, not worth it.

 

[Havoc2049]

P.S. It is a shame the unlockable NES trilogy was removed after Black update to Ninja Gaiden as the unlockable arcade game is terrible.

I still have my original copy of Ninja Gaiden and my OG Xbox with the two Ninja Gaiden Hurricane Packs downloaded onto the hard drive. So it's Ninja Gaiden Black WITH the NES trilogy. Athough Ninja Gaiden Black on the Series X in 4k and 60 FPS is amazing as well.

The Master Ninja Tournament at the 2004 Tokyo Game Show.

 

[KuraiShidosha]

Gatekeeping from entering the series because of "sigma" is exaggerated. Pick whatever is more convenient.

It's not gatekeeping to say if you played one version only, you experienced an inferior product.

 

[RAIDEN1]

Hey Team Ninja, why not bring out a new Dead or Alive? The Tekken franchise needs some competition....

 

[Buggy Loop]

It's not gatekeeping to say if you played one version only, you experienced an inferior product.

Sigma 1 is very close in quality to NGB. It has pros and cons, but more pros than console versions with PC mods. Black mod restores the original NGB hud, menus, Ayane's voice, OST and FMVs.

It's like saying to those who played the OG '04 version

"You wasted your time playing clearly inferior product"

Sigma 2 on consoles is a skip.

On PC with black mod it's basically Ninja Gaiden 2, they did an immense job of matching NG2 enemy spawns, blood gore, executions, HP of enemies, etc, it's a 99% mathc, with all the graphic enhancements.



So like I said, PC master collection with mods, totally fine. Even /r/ninjagaiden would be fine with this recommendation and not be rabid about it.

 

[kiphalfton]

Ninja Gaiden Black is still better than 99% of the junk being released today.
I could boot it up right now - and wouldn't want to put it down.
Timeless.

It's also better than 99% of Team Ninja's library of games that followed.

 

[cireza]

Looking forward to Ninja Gaiden 4.

 

[Urban]

Ninja Gaiden Black literally broke me

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

That dont count... Its the NES trilogy classic

 

[Heimdall_Xtreme]

Why do they say Black was difficult?

I passed it on a very high difficulty and it wasn't complicated, I enjoyed it quite a bit.

 

[TerribleAtThisGame]

I guess I’m the minority here but I didn’t like NG 2 at all, especially when compared to NGB.

I’ve replayed NGB and NGS over the years but I’ve replayed NG 2 not so much. Just didn’t like the level design, the bosses, the Obliteration Technique got boring real quick, the soundtrack, etc everything just fails in comparison to NGB.

I bought NG2 Day 1 and I was insanely disappointed. Never really got over it and I'm not starting with the Sigma version. The level design and other stuff was just bad as far as I recall. NGB wasn't just the combat system for me.

NGB is the only NG game I always kept and will still replay randomly. I actually kept my 360 mostly for that game really.

 

[Buggy Loop]

Thinking about this game today because of this news and it's crazy that I feel like games haven't really evolved that much from early 2000's

If you were to release this nowadays it would hold up so well, even better than majority of turds we see. It's the closest gaming has come to perfection.

 

[*Nightwing]

That dont count... Its the NES trilogy classic

That’s not how words nor time work…

Reboots donot erase the existence of the originals.

Yasuda~bitch~San didn’t say: “Today marks the 20th anniversary of the Ninja Gaiden Reboot Series”

The OG series are not BJ’s in the Oval Office, they are the start of the Ninja Gaiden series… they clearly DO count