The Biggest Changes Ninja Gaiden 2 Black Has To The Original

Posted by By our-little-miss-is-home February 1, 2025 2 Views 12 Min Read
The Biggest Changes Ninja Gaiden 2 Black Has To The Original
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Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is a very strange release. Revealed at the 2025 Xbox Developer Direct, judging by the title, it seemed like an ultimate version of the Xbox 360 Ninja Gaiden 2, incorporating elements of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 while staying true to the preferred original game.

Ninja Gaiden Arcade, Ninja Gaiden 2 and Ninja Gaiden 3.

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That couldn’t be further from the truth. Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is very much Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Black with little returning from the 2008 classic. This results in plenty of changes, both within the core campaign and in separate game modes. While most are negative, some are pretty good and an improvement over the original.

10

Bonus Chapters

Three New Chapters With Three Series Mainstays

The original Ninja Gaiden 2 featured 14 total chapters, while Black offers 17. You get three new chapters, each with a different playable female character. You play as Rachel from the first game, Ayane, and Momiji, who was first introduced in the criminally underrated Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. These levels are a noticeable improvement over their chapters in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 1 but suffer the same pacing issue.

It just drags the game out too much, and these chapters would have been better off as a separate campaign, like Ayane’s levels in Fatal Frame: Maiden of Black Water. These are some hard-as-nails levels, though, so that’s a definitive plus compared to the rest of the campaign.

9

Enemy Count

The Main Issue People Have With This Game

As Ninja Gaiden 2 was developed for Xbox 360 hardware, it allowed for a vast number of enemies to appear at one time. This simply could not be done on the PS3, so Sigma 2, which is the game Black is running on, trimmed the enemy count significantly and rebalanced various other elements.

Diehard NG fans hated this change because the entire combat system was designed around high enemy counts, making the game much easier. The trademark obliteration system with delimbing enemies was made for this high volume of baddies, with throwing enemies into walls being a key strategy as it’s an instant delimb. With the power of these current systems, there’s no reason Koei Tecmo couldn’t have altered the enemy spawns to match the original game.

8

Different Bosses

A Change That Most Diehards Aren’t Going To Complain About

While Ninja Gaiden is one of the greatest action series ever, the 3D NG titles aren’t particularly known for their quality bosses. It’s not the series’ strong suit, and the ones in NG2, especially, could have used a lot of work. This is why the boss fight changes in Black are an improvement, for the most part.

The double Nuclear Armadillo fight has been swapped out with Marbus, which is a much more fun encounter. The Death Worm Queen was removed, which was a very boring boss that you simply UT’d to death with the Scythe. The Tengu Brothers is a welcome addition, but the only boss change that doesn’t work out well is the Black Dragon that replaces the two Adult Quetzalcoatl. Both fights are lackluster there, but the bosses are an overall improvement.

7

Removed Projectile Weapons

People Need To Experience The Joy That Is The Windmill Shuriken

Alongside the enemy count, hardcore fans’ second main problem with Black is the removed projectile weapons. These were awesome. Tagging Van Gelfs flying in the air with Incendiary Shurikens was a great way to get them back on the floor, and it was a useful weapon for boss fights like the Nuclear Armadillo and Alexei. The Windmill Shuriken is one of the most satisfying and fun weapons in the game, shredding an entire line of enemies to bits with its UT.

Ninja Gaiden NES cover art and promo art for the Ninja Gaiden Master Collection

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Projectile weapon UTs have been removed, too, which makes the default bow feel like a peashooter. These weapons are a big reason why people who love NG2 Black need to check out the original at some point. The Windmill Shuriken was also great for racking up Karma, especially in Survival.

6

Survival

A Fan Favorite Mode Removed

Survival was included in the amazing Mission mode DLC pack for classic NG2. With eight total Survival missions, each using one of the eight core weapons, this mode was a gauntlet. The enemy combinations are vicious here, and making it to the end of the first loop is a real accomplishment for people about to turn into expert players.

What makes this mode great is its pick-up and play nature. If you have 30 minutes to an hour to spend, you can do a few runs and have a blast in such a short time. It’s a crying shame that Survival never returned in any other version, as it’s many people’s favorite part of the NG2 package.

5

Removed Costumes

You’ll Miss These Awesome Threads

Not only are costumes missing from the original Ninja Gaiden 2, but even Sigma 2, as well. If you played Sigma 2 through the Ninja Gaiden Master Collection, you’ll notice costumes missing, like the ones inspired by Dynasty Warriors and Ryu’s Dead or Alive Throwback outfit previously seen in NGB.

Most of the costumes from classic NG2 are gone, except for Fiend Hayabusa, but you only get one color. Playing with goofy outfits like the Black Jaguar or sweet threads like the Tribal Spirit was a great addition, and it’s sadly gone now.

4

New Game Plus

Another Huge Aspect Removed

One great feature of Ninja Gaiden 2 compared to the original was new game plus. With your cleared save data, you could do a regular new game plus run with everything you had when you beat the game. However, by selecting new game and picking a difficulty you’ve already beaten, you can start a fresh save with all available weapons and ninpo, but you start with base stats.

This was an incredible feature, and the devs made the game with new game plus in mind because many bosses, like the Water Dragon, have unique finishing animations for weapons you won’t have until a second run. It’s absolutely ridiculous that new game plus has never returned since the Xbox 360 original.

3

Graphics

Unreal Engine 5 Works Its Magic Once Again

The most obvious change regarding Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is the graphics. While Black still runs on Sigma 2 under the hood, Unreal Engine 5 is used as the wrapper for the visuals, and you can definitely argue that they’re overall superior to the classic game. Yes, the first level, Sky City Tokyo, looks horrendous compared to the original, but thankfully, the rest of the title proves much better in this regard.

two version of ryu hayabusa overlaid on a blurred background of similar games

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In particular, the fog looks incredible, and sections like the castle in chapter 7 or the forest in chapter 15 look exactly how you would imagine a full-blown NG2 remake would be. It also helps that Koei Tecmo nailed the looks of the female characters, which is a Team Ninja must.

2

Crystal Skulls

Who Needs Dr. Jones When You Have The Super Ninja On The Prowl

Instead of Golden Scarabs, which were in the collectibles in the original Ninja Gaiden, you have Crystal Skulls. In classic NG2, these simply gave you a Karma bonus. It was a lackluster reward, considering that even many expert players don’t play for Karma.

This is where Black improves because collecting them all gives you a discount on items at the shop, a much more useful reward that you’ll actually take advantage of. It’s also worth noting that the Giant Crystal Skull, found in the original NG2, is absent in Black.

1

Kureha’s Room

A Disappointing Removal

Key items across the board were removed in Black, but one should have been kept. In chapter 14, you return to the Hayabusa Village, and in classic NG2, you can find Kureha’s Room Key on her grave site. This opens a special room containing the incredible Windmill Shuriken, a Talisman of Rebirth, and a Spirit of the Devils.

For those who don’t know, Kureha is essentially Ninja Gaiden’s Uncle Ben and her death in NG1 canonically kickstarted the entire NG franchise for Ryu. It’s like she’s helping Ryu on this grand journey beyond the grave. Picking up these items also triggers the infamous Rasetsu brawl, a fight you can actually bypass if you skip Kureha’s Room. All of this is gone in Black, with her room locked permanently, but at least the Rasetsu brawl still happens.

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