Ninja Gaiden Veterans Are Mixed About Ninja Gaiden 2 Black

SUMMARY

Ninja Gaiden had its big night last night when Ninja Gaiden 4 and the remake of Ninja Gaiden 2 were announced.
While most were happy to see Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, diehard fans weren't that surprised.
Many of the features from Sigma's controversial re-release are still present in the 2 Black, so many consider it to be an improvement over the original.

Diehard Ninja Gaiden fans are mixed about Ninja Gaiden 2 Black due to some of the similarities it has with the popular Sigma version of the game, such as the reduced number of enemies and missing features. .

Ninja Gaiden was already having one of its best years in decades when the 2D side-scroller Ragebound was announced at The Game Awards, but it got even more impressive last night. Not only are we finally getting Ninja Gaiden 4 this year, but we've also got a remake of Ninja Gaiden 2 titled Ninja Gaiden 2 Black.

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While more Ninja Gaiden fans like myself were over the moon to be able to jump straight into the best game in the series, that reaction has been more muted for those diehard fans. Team Ninja has confirmed that the update will combine features from the original game and the PS3 re-release, Sigma, where the problem exists.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is a remake of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2

For those who don't know, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is a re-release of the original game that was ported to PS3 a year after the release of the Xbox 360 version. Although Sigma adds content not on Xbox 360 (like new playable characters), it has changed a lot about the game and made it easier in general.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is the version of the game that was included in 2021's Ninja Gaiden Master Collection, which was also a controversial choice at the time.

If Ninja Gaiden 2 Black does not replace the blood and gore with purple plasma, it keeps many of the changes made in Sigma. This didn't go down well with veteran fans, who thought it was an upgrade for Sigma that still wasn't as good as the original Xbox 360 version.

On the Steam page of Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, the game currently has a “Mostly Positive” review, with almost all of the negative feedback related to the Sigma equation. A review from Joey Asagiri calls it a “huge improvement” over Sigma, but still complains about the reduced number of enemies and increased health, missing features like Ninja Race and Tests of Valor, and setting up checkpoints.

Other negative reviews pointed out all the changes made in Sigma that are still present in 2 Black, and also noted that Unreal Engine 5 added some problems and performance issues. For newcomers or regular fans, Ninja Gaiden 2 Black looks like a great jump, but those who want the original game may be a little disappointed.