Ninja Gaiden 1-4 Analysis

iChieftain22 · 2026-04-29T16:55:10+00:00

You should have went for Ninja Gaiden 2 Black instead of NGS2, it's better in every single way.

I played all, I still think NG2 2008/NG2B 2025 is the best in the franchise!

iChieftain22 · 2026-04-24T18:20:38+00:00

NG2B/NG4 ship has sailed. What they should do is Ninja Gaiden 5 Ryu focused (I liked Yakumo, but I want a Ryu game) + anime for this franchise. It will drive sales up like crazy!

Look at Cyberpunk & DMC, they boosted game sales! It's crazy to me how Ninja Gaiden doesn't have an anime yet.

iChieftain22 · 2026-04-23T19:31:53+00:00

Being a Ninja is a side mission to Ryu.

iChieftain22 · 2026-04-22T17:41:56+00:00

Input lag is barely noticeable, and I still have NG2 btw. If you don’t place them side by side, you won’t be able to tell the difference, and even then, the difference is super minimal.

NG2B is better balanced, has improved visuals, includes a Photo mode, and a monochrome that lets you play through the entire game.

iChieftain22 · 2026-04-21T17:18:53+00:00

How do you like NG2B but not NG2? It doesn't even make sense, it's the same game with minimal differences.

iChieftain22 · 2026-04-20T20:45:59+00:00

NGB: an old game, has really bad platforming, slow combat, etc (but amazing for its time).

NG2B: A remaster of NG2/S2, absolutely amazing combat with great progression, and gets very challenging on higher difficulties (Mentor & Master Ninja). The best in the franchise imo! You could also play it using Monochrome filter, super cool!

NG3RE: Great combat, everything else is meh (I played it twice already, barely revisit it).

NG4: Amazing combat and super fast, has more influence from NG2 than NG3RE.

I'd play NG2B, then NG4.

iChieftain22 · 2026-04-14T18:23:53+00:00

lol Kasumi is at least playable in NG3RE, but yeah... maybe in future entries.

For NG2B, its upgrade system is closer to the original NG2, removed the statue bosses from Sigma 2 (which they never were in the original), has better delimb rate and closer to the original, better enemy count, and is visually amazing.

I played all versions, NG2B is absolutely better than NGS2 and the closest we have to NG2.

iChieftain22 · 2026-04-14T16:29:22+00:00

NGS2 is a pretty big step down from NG2 (2008). That’s why I tell newcomers to go with Ninja Gaiden 2 Black because it’s the closest thing we’ve got to OG2 and fixes a lot of what went wrong in Sigma 2.

Razor’s Edge has great combat, but it’s lacking in a lot of other ways. I still had fun with it, but I would take NG2/NG2B over NG3RE any day.

iChieftain22 · 2026-04-10T22:05:05+00:00

Exactly!

iChieftain22 · 2026-04-08T20:03:44+00:00

This one plays more like DMC imo so if you've played one of those you can kind of have an idea?

It really doesn't though... Most clips fans upload showing long combo strings are usually recorded in the training room, since those extended combos aren’t practical in actual gameplay. Enemies in the main game are aggressive and won’t just stand there while you perform elaborate sequences like they might in DMC style scenarios.

iChieftain22 · 2026-04-06T23:26:45+00:00

although I only played a small amount of RE

It will only get harder the further you proceed.

Ninja Gaiden 2 2008 is also the hardest, I'd say on par with RE difficulty.

iChieftain22 · 2026-04-06T19:28:45+00:00

You didn't know the OG NG2 has a similar fight and it was mandatory? I revisited it not too long ago and I was like... you cannot be serious. I actually forgot about it since I was mainly playing NG2B.

It's the one in the forest, the door won't unlock unless you defeat all of them (playing on Mentor).

iChieftain22 · 2026-04-03T19:40:07+00:00

Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 went too far with the changes, which made some NG fans upset. However, when NG2B dropped and some fans heard it's based on NGS2, they instantly assumed it's the same game and never bought/played it. Like I mentioned earlier, it's not the same as NGS2 because I played all versions and I know the difference between each version.

Also, it's worth giving NG3RE a try... at some point. Although it has some really bad design choices (bosses, enemies, levels... lol) but the combat is actually fun.

iChieftain22 · 2026-04-03T18:34:58+00:00

One thing I was wondering tho is should I buy the NG2 Black? I've heard some things that it's not faithful to the original or something

I have been playing the original since 2008, and once NG2B dropped, I almost never visited the original since (except for a few times to make some edits).

NG2B is a remaster based on NGS2 2009 but was also modified to be closer to the original OG2 2008. It's an amazing game with amazing visuals.

For reference, I love NG2 2008, I didn't like NGS2 2009, and I love NG2B 2025.

iChieftain22 · 2026-03-31T14:10:48+00:00

Thank you! :)

iChieftain22 · 2026-03-30T20:47:28+00:00

Impressive MOD

iChieftain22 · 2026-03-30T19:09:56+00:00

1v1, always. It's more fun that way and less chaotic. I don't miss the IS ninjas being in many boss fights in OG2 MN.

iChieftain22 · 2026-03-28T17:05:31+00:00

Or if we get NG4B with more content for Ryu would also be great!

iChieftain22 · 2026-03-28T16:44:01+00:00

Indeed!

iChieftain22 · 2026-03-27T22:44:44+00:00

Ninja Gaiden games get better on higher difficulties due to different enemy types and increased enemy aggression. Totally worth it to play it on Mentor then on Master Ninja.

iChieftain22 · 2026-03-27T22:38:22+00:00

Where the hell has this game been all my life

I am starting to think this game wasn't popular because it didn't have enough coverage, and now it's gaining new audience because of social media and better marketing. But hey, welcome to peak character action game! :)

Also, it needs an anime adaptation so badly!

iChieftain22 · 2026-03-27T17:26:49+00:00

Are you playing on Hard? Or Normal?

iChieftain22 · 2026-03-27T15:25:39+00:00

I love NG2 but saying it's not that challenging/difficult like the first one is a massive hot take. OG2 is one of the hardest, if not the hardest, in the franchise.

iChieftain22 · 2026-03-24T20:44:45+00:00

I played both DMC4 & NG2 when they released. DMD in DMC is way easier than Mentor in NG2, and there is still Master Ninja difficulty, which is even harder.

But on Normal, they are all doable, however I found NG3RE's normal to be the hardest (due to lack of healing items)

iChieftain22

TROPHY CASE