NINJA GAIDEN 2 Black Reviews

Fun combat, fun bosses, great visual character design but as a PC port I simply cannot recommend this game, the camera control is atrocious and the true first and final boss of the game (made somewhat better by turning off camera assist). Also who designed the M&K swimming controls should be forced to redo basic logic tests on repeat. Just finished level 6 and the true boss and mental test was the swimming, a lot harder than the actual boss. I know it's a 15 year old game, but if you are gonna re-release you can do the minimum and make sure that the controls of the platform you sell it own works decently. (yes using a controller helps a lot, but again M&K is the standard on PC). Hopefully the camera design for NG 4 will be good. Will still beat the game, as it is a fun game, but seeing such blatant laziness on basic stuff sucks.

I am guessing this game is meant for the fans of the ninja gaiden series. Coming into this knowing nothing, all I feel is confusion and bewilderment. This is a really terrible port of a console game that does the bare minimum to sell on a PC. The main and most obvious thing is that camera is clearly not comfortable with the mouse, and constantly trying to position itself into what you would get with controller/keyboard controls. As a result, you get very jumpy camera that has no idea where it wants to be. I would like to stress it again, the camera is utterly terrible and makes it very difficult to really do anything at all. It took some time to get used to it and not lose track of the protagonist. Game does little-to-nothing to explain its controls, and is doing so with clearly controller in mind. Like, okay, good job not showing controller keys and making me guess what those actually mean on the keyboard and mouse, but why would you show jarring keys like O and P instead of mouse 1 and 2? Mechanics are explained even less and at first I thought this was literally some braindead button mashing game that I was not getting. According to the internet, there is a rather deep and satisfying game, but given such blatant disregard for player experience I do not think I want to put in the hours see if this game is actually worth playing.

Action, Dismemberment, Gore, and Girls are the strong reasons to play. Totally worth it! Would be willing to buy NG1 and NG3 if remastered like this.

Like reliving a core memory.....with extra weapons and missions featuring big breasted Kunoichi with entirely unique playstyles. Also one of my all time favorite soundtracks

Super fun, super good It's UE5 though so expect some shoddy performance here or there.

It's just like Ninja Gaiden 2 from PS3 Sigma version rather than xbox360 version, Enemies wouldn't spawn much but it's enhanced graphics. No Statue of Liberty boss in Chapter 1 and Chapter 4 from Sigma version but it has Ayane, Momiji, Rachel's side stories. If you have never played Ninja Gaiden 2 before, This game is worth it between $35-$40 as a new game for you, but if you have played before both in xbox360 or Sigma version, I suggest to wait for NG4 released. The price of this game would be dropped to proper and cheaper.

Has all the stupid changes made with the release of Sigma. So it is basically NG2 Sigma "2". It isn't Black. Black was supposed to be the first re-release of this game but they skipped it. It has better frame rate and visuals but is more taxing obviously. I have no idea why they even called it 2 Black. Like really guys? Because there wasn't a "black" release of the game like the first game in 2004, that means you need to fill the gap? Ok but you should have restored the content that was in the original NG2. Like idk, the chargable windmill shuriken and bow, old costumes, challenges, ect. Weird too because they kept the original pay money to upgrade weapons mechanic which was different in Sigma via a weird blue light. Would you still enjoy this is you bought it? Yeah. I mean it is extremely easy to mod and recreate anything you want. Is it the best way to experience Ninja Gaiden II? No. Is it still the best version of the game. No. Did it add anything? No not really.

[h1]Ninja Gaiden 2 Black (2025, UE5, Patch 1.0.7.0)[/h1] [b]Verdict:[/b] Not Recommended [b]Finished on:[/b] Master Ninja difficulty [i][Achievement proof available][/i] This isn’t about difficulty. It’s about a game that frequently doesn’t work — even when you do everything right. I'm a fan of action games. I enjoy high difficulty, punishing encounters, and mechanical mastery. That’s why I gave [i]Ninja Gaiden 2 Black[/i] a serious shot — finishing it on Master Ninja, the highest difficulty, under the latest patch (1.0.7.0). Unfortunately, what I found wasn’t a rewarding challenge. It was a broken, glitchy experience with inconsistent hitboxes, animation desync, RNG-driven boss behavior, and a system that punishes you for engaging — not for making mistakes. [h2]❌ 1. Regular enemies – inconsistent, unfair, RNG-heavy[/h2] Some sections force you to cheese enemies with the Lunar Staff or UT spam due to off-screen enemies spamming projectiles or grabs. The camera often zooms in on Ryu’s abdomen and can't be adjusted, making you rely solely on sound cues to locate enemies. Claw ninjas (possibly IS ninjas) sometimes spawn directly above you mid-fight. If you're airborne mid-combo (e.g., Izuna Drop), they can begin their combo the very frame they spawn, before even landing. On multiple occasions, they spawned into my combo, spun like a buzzsaw mid-air, and killed me before I touched the ground — no warning, no reaction window. Off-screen explosive spam in some areas completely obscures your view, and no camera setting helps. Worst offender? The Imp enemy. Normally, it teleports underground and resurfaces to grab you. But sometimes it ignores hitstun entirely — even from a jumping Lunar Staff strike intended to launch it into Izuna Drop. Instead, it teleports underground mid-hit, then reappears [i]exactly[/i] where you’re about to land, executing a grab the moment you touch down. One grab can lead into chained follow-ups from other Imps before you recover. Instant game over — despite clean input and good spacing. [quote]This isn’t about punishing sloppy play — it’s punishing clean input by ignoring it entirely. No cues. No dodge window. No reaction possible.[/quote] [h2]❌ 2. Elizabeth – hitbox failure[/h2] • Most attacks phase through her during or after dodges. • Only running attacks reliably register hits. • No clear punish windows — phasing makes combos pointless. A fight where inputs are ignored [i]by design[/i] isn't difficult — it’s hostile to the player. [h2]❌ 3. Volf – invisible blocks, no consistency[/h2] • After his combos, he sometimes triggers a “block effect” with no block animation. • Most attacks bounce off unless you use one very specific dual-sword input. • In the second encounter, I had to rely on UT i-frames, because clean hits were regularly ignored. • Occasionally, he reset out of recovery states with no logic. You’re not mastering combat here — you’re solving a broken puzzle with duct tape. [h2]❌ 4. Final Boss – desync and invulnerable phases[/h2] • After returning from a scripted flight phase, the boss sometimes stops receiving damage to the head and body. • Slashes go straight through its face — no effect. • Only claw hits register if this glitch occurs. • Some grab animations trigger [i]before[/i] visual cues. It’s not difficult. It’s incomplete. [h2]❌ 5. Boss fights with additional enemies[/h2] While it’s good that bosses can damage adds with friendly fire (oddly, unlike most of the game, where projectiles often phase through enemies — or even walls), these encounters still suffer from the same inconsistent logic. Why do adds get i-frames when hit by friendly fire? It’s frustrating and undermines any tactical advantage. [h2]✅ What works[/h2] • Strong visual polish (UE5) • Fast, intense pacing • Good variety of weapons • Stylish, fluid animations (without unnecessary glitter) • Clean, minimal UI — genuinely refreshing [h1]Summary[/h1] If you're expecting a fair challenge — look elsewhere. This version of [i]Ninja Gaiden 2 Black[/i] may look great, but much of it is broken: hitboxes, AI logic, boss behavior, spawns, even basic collision. Even after finishing on Master Ninja, I can't recommend it in good faith. You don’t overcome it with skill — you endure it through repetition, exploits, and luck. [b]This game doesn’t respect your time — or your input.[/b]

it just feels like Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 again but with blood added back and a new graphics overhaul. there are more changes from Sigma 2 but it won't matter much if you're a brand new player to the series and it's still too different to the original Ninja Gaiden II for the crazy crack-addict OG fans to say it's amazing. buy the Master Collection instead because it's cheaper and you get 3 games for the price of less than this one. it's better than Sigma 2 but not worth the money on it's own.

It's just a fun game with action and gore it's worth it My only complaint is the game being 80 GB