I'm skeptical there are many devs even capable of programming something like this effectively anymore. Entire generation of devs just doing cookie cutter over the shoulder shooters that all have the exact same mechanics. Even this game here is code from like 2010. Platinum is one of the few that can pull it off though so hopeuflly NG4 delivers.
I think the only ones who can even call it a masterpiece are those who never even played the other 2 games. The Xbox 360 original is flawed, but despite that it's still an absolutely amazing game. The Sigma 2 offered some improvements, but butchered tons and tons of things. Black 2 improves some of those butchered things slightly compared to Sigma 2, but ultimately it's still just a slightly different version of Sigma 2 and it doesn't even have all of the content that Sigma 2 has. As far as I'm concerned and many others as well, the Xbox 360 version is still the best one by far. Well, at least there's an option these days to play it in 4K with HDR and a constant 60 fps if you have an Xbox Series X I guess (which I don't have because that's really the only thing I'd even want a Series X for. Can't justify paying €500 for a console just to play a single game through its backwards compatibility function and nothing else).
@thenonexistinghero i can understand that. I went from OG Xbox to 360 to Series X, so I have always been on that side, but I respect Playstation. Just don't think they do this specific game as well. Most people are playing on PC these days, it seems.
@@thenonexistinghero you can pick up a series S used for peanuts and it will run NGII pretty much just as well as the X... on top of a lot of the older "enhanced" Xbox360 games, also you can emulate (if you don't have a PC), and have access to like 500 games via gamepass. Totally worth it imo.
@@gamble777888 No, it doesn't. Series S is garbage as well that can't run anything in 4K and it's just as expensive as a One X. I have a PC with a 3080 Ti, Xbox consoles are quite literally 100% useless outside of playing Xbox and Xbox 360 games through BC.
@thenonexistinghero I mean upscale 4k I personally can't tell the fucking difference but different strokes. If you have 3080 you should for sure be able to emulate NGII I think
I'm 39 years old working 2 jobs with a wife and 2 little daughters. I LOVED Ninja Gaiden when it came out in 2004. It was the year I graduated high school and I played it all summer and into college. The last console that I bought was a GameCube in 2005 and the last console game that I bought was Twilight Princess in 2007. I focused on my career in 2008 and swore off video games, but maaan, I'm so tempted to go out and buy an Xbox Series X/S (by the way, which one should I buy??? I feel like a total boomer now!) just for NG2 Black. My wife won't let me play this in front of my 2 year old girl, but whatever.
Bro first off thank you for checking out my review and sharing your love for this game/franchise ! This is why I do what I do, for people like you! And to answer your question, I’d recommend the series X to future yourself especially with Ninja Gaiden 4 coming to gamepass later this year! You’ll get the best experience possible 😎
Hi there. I have been playing Ninja Gaiden since it came out in 2004 . This is a great remaster, but it is not the original Ninja Gaiden 2 that came out in 2008. But it's still a great game and I'm having so much fun. If you an Xbox Series X or Xbox One, you can buy the original Ninja Gaiden Black (2005) and Ninja Gaiden 3 Razors Edge. Ninja Gaiden Black original is still my favorite
This is definitely better than the 360 version. That one was unbalanced(the ridiculous number of enemies) and incomplete. The devs even said this. This is actually the complete version.
@@DonYoGi8331 No it's not better. You just sucked at the game and like half of the staff that made the original NG2 left Team Ninja almost immediately after the release. But yes you pretend that the 360 version is unbalanced when the Sigma and Black 2 versions have a Master Ninja difficulty that pretty much just feels like normal mode... except you die from 1 grab or exploding arrow. The balance in them is much worse than the original 360 version.
@@DonYoGi8331there was balance for that amount of enemies though. If it was just about enemy count they wouldn't have increased the enemy health to make up for it in Sigma and this version The game as a whole, has some bullshit parts and the camera can really screw you But as far as the basic gameplay loop goes with abilities and combat, it's pretty solidly balanced. The devs can say whatever they want because they're not the same dev team that made the original game. Same company for sure but you don't have The same team ninja these days that you did back then, and they are even really the ones making it anyway. Platinum games is I think this version is fun, I'm having a blast going through it but the objective facts here are that this version is lacking things that both of the other versions had. It's missing material from the original and it's missing material from sigma It is most definitely not the touted definitive version of this game. It is a version, I think it's a pretty good version, but it is not definitive by any stretch
Great review man. The game is amazing I've been playing sigma 2 for years. I turned off the HDR in this game and it looks beautiful. Additional content coming and updates in February as well.
Great review. Just one little argument. In the beginning you said it's a remake of the OG Ninja Gaiden 2 Black but there is no 2 Black. There is only Ninja Gaiden 1 Black. It's a remake (mostly) of Sigma 2 dubbed 2 Black as a hint to the original NG Black and mostly due to the return of the gore. But again great video.
@@DonYoGi8331 Well it's not original NG2 either. It's closer to Sigma than it's to Vanilla. Plus it's missing the two statue boss fights (Buddha & Liberty) so yeah it's not a 1:1 of Sigma , but it's closer TO sigma than Og.
@@DonYoGi8331 The 360 version is the ultimate version ask any of the hardcore fans. The Sigma edition had some great additions but was fsr easier and censored the gore. Black reinstated the gore but kept the level of difficulty lower than the OG. It also indeed features all the chapters that sigma had.
Agree with your assessment. As an old school Ninja Gaiden fan I am having a blast with this one! As you said it’s addictive. Also it looks fantastic on my PS5 Pro. Just proof of what I’ve been saying for years…old school games are superior to these new bloated woke fests that keep being made today.
Its solid and I hope we continue to get more action games of at least this quality but as others have said it is nothing like the OG NG2 which is a shame as I have been looking to play that version for a few months but have not wanted to shell out for a new 360 and a copy of NG2 solely for the option of playing it. I did finish Sigma 2 and played a little of NG2 around a friends back in the day and this is a retake on the Sigma version with stuff added and other stuff taken away.
It’s not a remake of the original Ninja Gaiden 2, but of the sigma version (ninja gaiden 2 sigma) wich is a downgrade from the original. That was a real L, because the definitive way to play ninja gaiden 2 still is the vanilla version
Wow.. I did not know that, I’m a new comer to this series! Thanks for watching and sharing that piece of information with me man, I appreciate it brother
@@NextGenNero How come did you decide to make a review of it, if you dont know anything about the series?! The sigma 2 release is the most talked about controversy in the community, its trully unmissable. Oh wait.... You were paid to shill for this title right? Enjoy banning my comment :)
@@DonYoGi8331 The devs who made the original special left the team over 16.5 years ago and this new team's vision on difficulty and balance is completely different than the original director's idea of balance. So no, you're wrong. You couldn't be more wrong even if you tried.
my only big concern in this game is the the weapon selection screen. I hope they made it more accessible as simply pressing right, left, up down. by doing so, you can switch weapon by not necessarily pausing the screen. but overall, it's good
Played the shit out of the OG back in the day on the 360. Beat it on master ninja and all. That being said I still think this version is the way to go for all newcomers. Its a really great remake. It may not be exactly like the 360 version. But its a pretty damn good game still
So many good weapons. I haven't played this version but the og ninja gaiden 2 is my favorite game ever. The Dragon sword has always been my go to. So many combo routes at level 3 and the flying swallow dive i believe its called is nice for de limbing multiple enemies at once.
I can't say I'm not having fun with this game. Ninja Gaiden 2 is one of my favorite games for the 360. This sadly however, is just not that original version. Ninja Gaiden sigma 2 is clearly the DNA of this remastered and that's a bit disappointing. It does have some things that I think we're genuine improvements over the original but, there's a lot of things that are still missing from the original. And I don't understand, they managed to add more enemies on screen than they had in sigma, but it's still less than the original, which means that they still have this over-inflated health bar. I don't know, it looks amazing, the game is still fun, it's just kind of sad to me that it's not this real definitive version of NG2. If anything, I might play through this a time or two and then it will remain uninstalled and the original will just sit in the game library instead. Especially because it's been upscaled to 4K and has a super rock solid frame rate on series X. I'll deal with the visuals, both games still look pretty good. But I am happy that there is a version of this game like this. if somebody was brand new to the series this would probably be a good spot to start, it does have an easy mode and it looks really good and still has the same spirit. I don't think any versions of the first or second game are necessarily bad. I just think they never quite replicated the perfection that was Ninja Gaiden black as far as making definitive versions of any of the others.
Not necessarily but technically the chapter challenges could be considered new game plus. All of the weapons and ninpo are maxed out and the story cutscenes still play for every mission
Payed review, this is graphical upgrade to downgraded ps3 version of the original game. That version removed core mechanics, enemies, weapons, sections and modes to save ps3 inferior memory.
Sorry Is not. Is close, but it still missing important details from OG Ninja Gaiden 2. I just beat NG 2 Black and don't, get me wrong I love the updated visuals! Now I'm back playing OG NG2 and man. The OG NG is still better. Is a little bit faster, a little bit more difficult and still has more enemies on screen than the remake/remaster.
It is refreshing seeing Ninja Gaiden make a comeback and looking so gorgeous. I feel like we need smaller linear games that are endlessly replayable.
I agree 100% man !! Thanks for tuning in 😎
I'm skeptical there are many devs even capable of programming something like this effectively anymore. Entire generation of devs just doing cookie cutter over the shoulder shooters that all have the exact same mechanics. Even this game here is code from like 2010. Platinum is one of the few that can pull it off though so hopeuflly NG4 delivers.
The only ones that’s like repayable is NG2 Black and Black Myth Wukong
There definitely needs to be a return of simply linear action-focused hack-and-slash games. 🙏
Thanks for watching bro!!
Definitely need more like this that's for sure
@thunter992 thanks for watching bro!
Like Devil May Cry?
@BAT2000-n8pyes DMC is counted among those
If you played the OG Ninja Gaiden 2 this is gonna feel like a cake walk
I think the only ones who can even call it a masterpiece are those who never even played the other 2 games. The Xbox 360 original is flawed, but despite that it's still an absolutely amazing game. The Sigma 2 offered some improvements, but butchered tons and tons of things. Black 2 improves some of those butchered things slightly compared to Sigma 2, but ultimately it's still just a slightly different version of Sigma 2 and it doesn't even have all of the content that Sigma 2 has.
As far as I'm concerned and many others as well, the Xbox 360 version is still the best one by far. Well, at least there's an option these days to play it in 4K with HDR and a constant 60 fps if you have an Xbox Series X I guess (which I don't have because that's really the only thing I'd even want a Series X for. Can't justify paying €500 for a console just to play a single game through its backwards compatibility function and nothing else).
@thenonexistinghero i can understand that. I went from OG Xbox to 360 to Series X, so I have always been on that side, but I respect Playstation. Just don't think they do this specific game as well. Most people are playing on PC these days, it seems.
@@thenonexistinghero you can pick up a series S used for peanuts and it will run NGII pretty much just as well as the X... on top of a lot of the older "enhanced" Xbox360 games, also you can emulate (if you don't have a PC), and have access to like 500 games via gamepass. Totally worth it imo.
@@gamble777888 No, it doesn't. Series S is garbage as well that can't run anything in 4K and it's just as expensive as a One X.
I have a PC with a 3080 Ti, Xbox consoles are quite literally 100% useless outside of playing Xbox and Xbox 360 games through BC.
@thenonexistinghero I mean upscale 4k I personally can't tell the fucking difference but different strokes. If you have 3080 you should for sure be able to emulate NGII I think
Ninja Gaiden 2 (whatever version) is my favorite 3D action game. I'm glad you liked it. :)
I'm 39 years old working 2 jobs with a wife and 2 little daughters. I LOVED Ninja Gaiden when it came out in 2004. It was the year I graduated high school and I played it all summer and into college. The last console that I bought was a GameCube in 2005 and the last console game that I bought was Twilight Princess in 2007. I focused on my career in 2008 and swore off video games, but maaan, I'm so tempted to go out and buy an Xbox Series X/S (by the way, which one should I buy??? I feel like a total boomer now!) just for NG2 Black. My wife won't let me play this in front of my 2 year old girl, but whatever.
Bro first off thank you for checking out my review and sharing your love for this game/franchise ! This is why I do what I do, for people like you! And to answer your question, I’d recommend the series X to future yourself especially with Ninja Gaiden 4 coming to gamepass later this year! You’ll get the best experience possible 😎
Hi there. I have been playing Ninja Gaiden since it came out in 2004 . This is a great remaster, but it is not the original Ninja Gaiden 2 that came out in 2008. But it's still a great game and I'm having so much fun. If you an Xbox Series X or Xbox One, you can buy the original Ninja Gaiden Black (2005) and Ninja Gaiden 3 Razors Edge. Ninja Gaiden Black original is still my favorite
This is definitely better than the 360 version. That one was unbalanced(the ridiculous number of enemies) and incomplete. The devs even said this. This is actually the complete version.
@DonYoGi8331 I agree with you the difficulty of that version is ridiculously hard. I couldn't even beat very hard mode to unlock master ninja mode.
@@DonYoGi8331 No it's not better. You just sucked at the game and like half of the staff that made the original NG2 left Team Ninja almost immediately after the release. But yes you pretend that the 360 version is unbalanced when the Sigma and Black 2 versions have a Master Ninja difficulty that pretty much just feels like normal mode... except you die from 1 grab or exploding arrow. The balance in them is much worse than the original 360 version.
@@DonYoGi8331there was balance for that amount of enemies though. If it was just about enemy count they wouldn't have increased the enemy health to make up for it in Sigma and this version
The game as a whole, has some bullshit parts and the camera can really screw you
But as far as the basic gameplay loop goes with abilities and combat, it's pretty solidly balanced.
The devs can say whatever they want because they're not the same dev team that made the original game. Same company for sure but you don't have The same team ninja these days that you did back then, and they are even really the ones making it anyway. Platinum games is
I think this version is fun, I'm having a blast going through it but the objective facts here are that this version is lacking things that both of the other versions had. It's missing material from the original and it's missing material from sigma
It is most definitely not the touted definitive version of this game. It is a version, I think it's a pretty good version, but it is not definitive by any stretch
@@thenonexistinghero I didn't suck at the game I beat it on hard difficulty chump. Your girl sucked me tho🤷♂️
Loved this game so much! I’m at the very end of the game now can’t wait for 4. Beat 1 twice last year, going to finish 3 I think as well.
Great review man. The game is amazing I've been playing sigma 2 for years. I turned off the HDR in this game and it looks beautiful. Additional content coming and updates in February as well.
Great review. Just one little argument. In the beginning you said it's a remake of the OG Ninja Gaiden 2 Black but there is no 2 Black. There is only Ninja Gaiden 1 Black. It's a remake (mostly) of Sigma 2 dubbed 2 Black as a hint to the original NG Black and mostly due to the return of the gore. But again great video.
Onhh gotcha, thanks for the correction man! Thanks for watching and sharing some constructive feedback, I appreciate it friend!
This isn't a remake of Sigma 2, they added in Sigma 2's additional content so its actually complete now.
@@DonYoGi8331 Well it's not original NG2 either. It's closer to Sigma than it's to Vanilla. Plus it's missing the two statue boss fights (Buddha & Liberty) so yeah it's not a 1:1 of Sigma , but it's closer TO sigma than Og.
@@REAPERGAMINGGR nah this is just the complete and balanced version of NG2. Even the devs said the 360 version was a incomplete, unbalanced mess.
@@DonYoGi8331 The 360 version is the ultimate version ask any of the hardcore fans. The Sigma edition had some great additions but was fsr easier and censored the gore. Black reinstated the gore but kept the level of difficulty lower than the OG. It also indeed features all the chapters that sigma had.
Agree with your assessment. As an old school Ninja Gaiden fan I am having a blast with this one! As you said it’s addictive. Also it looks fantastic on my PS5 Pro. Just proof of what I’ve been saying for years…old school games are superior to these new bloated woke fests that keep being made today.
Facts man! I agree 100%, thanks for watching nd sharing feedback! I really appreciate it
havent played it so far, but as a fan of the franchise and by watching videos like yours, sure it is a great game
Its solid and I hope we continue to get more action games of at least this quality but as others have said it is nothing like the OG NG2 which is a shame as I have been looking to play that version for a few months but have not wanted to shell out for a new 360 and a copy of NG2 solely for the option of playing it. I did finish Sigma 2 and played a little of NG2 around a friends back in the day and this is a retake on the Sigma version with stuff added and other stuff taken away.
Bro, the Kusarigama is my go to. Especially at Upgrade Level 3 you just be clearing mobs with those combos.
It’s not a remake of the original Ninja Gaiden 2, but of the sigma version (ninja gaiden 2 sigma) wich is a downgrade from the original. That was a real L, because the definitive way to play ninja gaiden 2 still is the vanilla version
Wow.. I did not know that, I’m a new comer to this series! Thanks for watching and sharing that piece of information with me man, I appreciate it brother
@@NextGenNero How come did you decide to make a review of it, if you dont know anything about the series?!
The sigma 2 release is the most talked about controversy in the community, its trully unmissable.
Oh wait.... You were paid to shill for this title right?
Enjoy banning my comment :)
Nah, the original was incomplete and unbalanced, the devs said this themselves. This is the version we were meant to have.
@@DonYoGi8331 *pets your head* good consumer
@@DonYoGi8331 The devs who made the original special left the team over 16.5 years ago and this new team's vision on difficulty and balance is completely different than the original director's idea of balance. So no, you're wrong. You couldn't be more wrong even if you tried.
"difficulty feels manageable" tells me you never put the difficulty past warrior. The jump to mentor is absolutely insane 🤣🤣
my only big concern in this game is the the weapon selection screen. I hope they made it more accessible as simply pressing right, left, up down. by doing so, you can switch weapon by not necessarily pausing the screen.
but overall, it's good
Played the shit out of the OG back in the day on the 360. Beat it on master ninja and all. That being said I still think this version is the way to go for all newcomers. Its a really great remake. It may not be exactly like the 360 version. But its a pretty damn good game still
So many good weapons. I haven't played this version but the og ninja gaiden 2 is my favorite game ever. The Dragon sword has always been my go to. So many combo routes at level 3 and the flying swallow dive i believe its called is nice for de limbing multiple enemies at once.
I can't say I'm not having fun with this game. Ninja Gaiden 2 is one of my favorite games for the 360. This sadly however, is just not that original version. Ninja Gaiden sigma 2 is clearly the DNA of this remastered and that's a bit disappointing. It does have some things that I think we're genuine improvements over the original but, there's a lot of things that are still missing from the original. And I don't understand, they managed to add more enemies on screen than they had in sigma, but it's still less than the original, which means that they still have this over-inflated health bar. I don't know, it looks amazing, the game is still fun, it's just kind of sad to me that it's not this real definitive version of NG2. If anything, I might play through this a time or two and then it will remain uninstalled and the original will just sit in the game library instead. Especially because it's been upscaled to 4K and has a super rock solid frame rate on series X. I'll deal with the visuals, both games still look pretty good. But I am happy that there is a version of this game like this. if somebody was brand new to the series this would probably be a good spot to start, it does have an easy mode and it looks really good and still has the same spirit. I don't think any versions of the first or second game are necessarily bad. I just think they never quite replicated the perfection that was Ninja Gaiden black as far as making definitive versions of any of the others.
Bro fucking GG ur putting in work!!
Thanks Bro!! 🔥🔥🔥 I’m trying man 🫡
I’m glad the blood and gore is back and the unnecessary boss fights are gone but the lack of new game+ hurts.
Ninja Gaiden > Souls Like
Not with those gimped spawns. Give us an option for the OG enemy placements and swarms
Great game 💪
5:20. It's not a spear. It's a bo staff.
Is there new game plus in this version? I heard there isn’t and if it’s true then that’s really sad.
Not necessarily but technically the chapter challenges could be considered new game plus. All of the weapons and ninpo are maxed out and the story cutscenes still play for every mission
@ ah ok thank you
To me it a mixture between sigma and original.
Is it very very good, better than sigma but is not sustitute of the OG.
Looks dope, but there's no way I'm paying $50 for it.
You got a Xbox? It’s in gamepass
@NextGenNero I have ps5.
Payed review, this is graphical upgrade to downgraded ps3 version of the original game.
That version removed core mechanics, enemies, weapons, sections and modes to save ps3 inferior memory.
This is literally a cash grab, iykyk.
But it's not, u people are really blinded by nostalgia.
Shut up and take my money
The Word Masterpiece means nothing these days
True, another word that is being use lightly is legend. Everyone is a legend now
Sorry Is not. Is close, but it still missing important details from OG Ninja Gaiden 2. I just beat NG 2 Black and don't, get me wrong I love the updated visuals! Now I'm back playing OG NG2 and man. The OG NG is still better. Is a little bit faster, a little bit more difficult and still has more enemies on screen than the remake/remaster.
Not a Remake