In a Nintendo Direct held during February 2021, Koei Tecmo revealed the Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection. Announced for PC, PS4, Nintendo Switch, and Xbox One, this package will include remastered versions of Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge. Due to the PS5 and Xbox Series X/S’s backward compatibility, this trilogy will also run on Microsoft and Sony’s most recent systems.
This announcement follows more than half a decade of non-activity for the iconic license, a franchise that has existed in some form since 1988. While most people are presumably familiar with Team Ninja’s modern range of games, Ninja Gaiden‘s resume is far more expansive (and confusing) than just those titles. In preparation for the Master Collection, let’s take a look at all the Ninja Gaiden games and on which systems they can be played.
14 Ninja Gaiden (1988) – Arcade, Computer Systems, Xbox, Wii, Switch, PS4
Like so many ’80s games, Ninja Gaiden made its debut in arcades, albeit it took on a substantially different form from the one that would define the license on consoles. This release is a side-scrolling beat-’em-up and can practically be viewed as a completely separate entity to the rest of the franchise.
While a competent game for its time, Ninja Gaiden does fall short of the beat-’em-up genre’s greatest releases. That said, it is still decent and has been ported to numerous systems over the years.
Disclaimer: Mobile games and crossovers will not be considered.
13 Ninja Gaiden (1988) – NES, TurboGrafx-16, SNES, Wii, 3DS, Wii U, NES Classic, Switch
A stoic ninja named Ryu Hayabusa, a world-threatening plot featuring demons, and controller-smashing difficulty; yes, this is Ninja Gaiden. Marking the proper start to the license’s legacy, Ninja Gaiden is a cinematic platformer that places a heavy emphasis on combat and story. While the latter is pretty ridiculous, Ninja Gaiden‘s earnest tone and effective presentation manage to sell the plot well. While prone to instigating bouts of frustration, the gameplay is rewarding and tight.
Ninja Gaiden‘s blueprint would be improved upon in subsequent releases, but this is still a classic NES title.
12 Ninja Gaiden II: The Dark Sword of Chaos (1990) – NES, SNES, MS-DOS, Amiga, Wii, 3DS, Wii U
Ultimately, Ninja Gaiden II delivers more of the same, but it refines the formula just enough to surpass its predecessor. With a few new moves at his disposal and seven acts with multiple stages to go through, Ryu is put through the wringer once again.
The sequel is just as difficult as the original Ninja Gaiden, but it also controls as well as the first game. By combining these two, The Dark Sword of Chaos creates a loop where failure acts as an infinite incentive to pursue victory even more ferociously.
11 Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom (1991) – NES, SNES, Atari Lynx, Wii, 3DS, Wii U
While not the most controversial third entry in the franchise, Ninja Gaiden III does struggle to reach the same heights as the previous two games. By this point, Ninja Gaiden had become synonymous with excruciatingly tough games, a reputation that The Ancient Ship of Doom tries too hard to uphold.
Ninja Gaiden III still plays well and looks great, but its level design is a bit messy. The North American version was also pointlessly made more difficult, a stunt that only served to lessen the game’s impact.
10 Ninja Gaiden (1991) – Game Gear
Despite what its simple name might imply, this Ninja Gaiden is not a port of the 1988 original game but an entirely new release designed specifically for Sega’s Game Gear. As far as portable entries in the series are concerned, Ninja Gaiden serves as a respectable attempt at recreating the magic of the home console titles.
While a worthy addition to the Game Gear’s catalog, Ninja Gaiden is still a minor release in the license’s history.
9 Ninja Gaiden Shadow (1991) – Game Boy
The Game Boy got its own Ninja Gaiden game, albeit Shadow is generally believed to be based on 1990’s Shadow of the Ninja. Regardless of its origin, when viewed on its own, Ninja Gaiden Shadow does not do much to impress.
An early Game Boy release, Shadow provides some entertainment as it delivers a barebones shinobi-themed adventure. The portable system has plenty of games that are superior to this throwaway release, and there is very little reason to revisit this title in the 21st century.
8 Ninja Gaiden (1992) – Master System
Adding to the confusion is another release called Ninja Gaiden that has nothing to do with the NES or Game Gear titles. Created for the Master System, Ninja Gaiden swaps out a few moves, weapons, and abilities but is largely reminiscent of the NES games.
With this package, Sega fans got an above-average Ninja Gaiden experience, one that succeeds in being an adequate but not extraordinary alternative to the superior Nintendo releases. A beat-’em-up Ninja Gaiden game was also planned for the Genesis but it was ultimately canceled.
7 Ninja Gaiden (2004) – Xbox; Black (2005) – Xbox, Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
With the exception of Ninja Gaiden X coming out for mobile devices in Japan, Tecmo’s property made its full comeback with 2004’s Ninja Gaiden. Originally released on the Xbox, the game was then revamped as 2005’s Ninja Gaiden Black, a game that can be played on all Xbox systems.
Generally considered to be the best Ninja Gaiden game ever, Black stands alongside Devil May Cry as the two most important third-person hack and slash releases ever. Team Ninja delivered a perfect action game; one that offers complex combat, challenging but fair enemies, great visuals, and fantastic sound design. Even after more than 15 years, Ninja Gaiden Black still plays like a dream.
6 Ninja Gaiden Sigma (2007) – PS3; Sigma Plus (2012) – PS Vita
PlayStation 3 owners got their hands on Ninja Gaiden Sigma, a remake of Black. This version adds Rachel as a playable character and tweaks the level so the game is squarely focused on combat, removing most of the puzzle elements. Its visuals are also far more vibrant than the original and also benefit from being created for an HD console.
While not quite as great as Black, Ninja Gaiden Sigma is still a must-own for action fans that prefer Sony’s consoles. Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus suffers from the limitations of being on a portable system that cannot match the PS3 version’s 60 FPS. It is the worst way to experience this game.
5 Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword (2008) – DS
Dragon Sword is arguably the best portable Ninja Gaiden title, which is not saying too much. Developed by Team Ninja, this DS release does attempt to stick to the 3D presentation of the modern console games, an admirable feat considering Dragon Sword could have easily reverted back to the side-scrolling style of the NES trilogy.
Dragon Sword makes good use of the hardware’s stylus and controls quite well, although this does come at the cost of a short and rather easy campaign. While far from a masterpiece, Dragon Sword is solid.
4 Ninja Gaiden II (2008) – Xbox 360, Xbox One, Xbox Series X/S
Ninja Gaiden II faced an almost impossible battle as it sought to recapture the magic of its predecessor. The game’s biggest selling point was its expanded dismemberment system that brought cartoonish levels of gore to the series, and this element combines well with the sequel’s faster gameplay. Even though it does come with quite a few changes, at its core, this sequel is not far removed from the previous game.
While Ninja Gaiden II suffers from some balancing issues and a short campaign, the sequel still hits plenty of high points.
3 Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 (2009) – PS3; Sigma 2 Plus (2012) – PS Vita
The more infamous of the two Sigma games, 2009’s release greatly reduces the gore, neutering the visual feedback of Ninja Gaiden II‘s dismemberment system. It is not the only change brought to the plate either, as Sigma 2 features three other playable characters – Rachel, Ayane, and Momiji – all of whom starred prominently in the game’s advertisement. None of the three stick around for long enough to leave much of an impact on the gameplay other than to derail the campaign’s momentum.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 is a worse game than the Xbox 360 version, but it is also considerably better than Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus.
2 Ninja Gaiden 3 (2012) – Xbox 360, PS3; Razor’s Edge (2012) – Wii U, Xbox 360, PS3
Ninja Gaiden 3 basically killed any of the franchise’s lingering momentum. In this sequel, Team Ninja tried to cater to a more casual audience by simplifying the combat. This did not work. Simultaneously, Team Ninja sought to satisfy die-hard fans by presenting an overly edgy tone that uses gore and blood as a crutch. This also did not work. Ninja Gaiden 3 is awful.
Razor’s Edge fixes a few of the vanilla game’s flaws by reintegrating elements from previous games, reducing some of Ninja Gaiden 3‘s try-hard attempts at being provocative, and increasing the difficulty. Razor’s Edge is mediocre.
1 Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z (2014) – PS3, Xbox 360, Windows
As the final nail in the license’s coffin (at the time), Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z showed up with a new art style, a different protagonist, and, naturally, zombies. Overstuffed with terrible attempts at humor and a camera that seems to exist only to eradicate any of the combat’s potential, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is a boring mess that is unlikely to please anybody.
Its spin-off status makes Yaiba somewhat more digestible than Ninja Gaiden 3, but it is far worse than Razor’s Edge.
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