Part 40

Confused about Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden 2 on modern consoles? This guide breaks down the differences and why the original Xbox versions are still the ones to play.

Alright, so you've probably heard about the Ninja Gaiden Master Collection and are wondering if it includes the classic Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden 2. Well, this section is going to clear things up, because it's a bit of a mess. It's 2021, and while the modern consoles have seen remasters, they're not of the games we might expect.

The Remastered Collections actually contain the Sigma versions of the games, not Black or Ninja Gaiden 2. Team Ninja has mentioned that the original code for NG Black and NG2 is too far gone to be used. This is a bit confusing, though, because the Xbox versions of NG Black and NG2 were enhanced for 4K and look fantastic. So, why aren't they in the Remastered Collection?

The best guess here is that since NG Black and NG2 were originally Xbox exclusives, Tecmo might have been obligated to keep them exclusive to Xbox. This means if you want to experience the full 4K glory and all the content, including the non-Rachel chapters in Black, you'll need an Xbox One X or Series X/S. It's a bit of a bummer if you're on other platforms, but that's the situation.

So, to have the complete experience, you'll want the enhanced Xbox versions of Ninja Gaiden Black and NG2, plus the Remastered Collection on PS4/PS5. If you don't have an Xbox, well, you'll have to deal with the Sigma versions for now.