Koei Tecmo surprise-release Ninja Gaiden 2 Black, "definitive" Unreal remaster of the 2008 hack-and-slash

rockpapershotgun.com:

Team Ninja and Koei Tecmo have surprise-released Ninja Gaiden 2: Black, an Unreal Engine 5 version of Xbox 360 hack-and-slasher Ninja Gaiden 2. It's out right now on Microsoft's Game Pass service. I'd say it has materialised from the darkness like a ninja, but there are a lot of ninjas in circulation right now and my analogy-jitsu gauge is running dry. So instead, I'm going to say that it has materialised from the darkness like a resurfacing duck, its beak stuffed with pond vegetation. The pond vegetation, here, stands for "tweaks to the weapons upgrade system". Here's a trailer.

Ninja Gaiden 2 already exists on PC care of 2021's Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection, which as Alice0 (RPS in peace) observed at the time, was a bit barebones as PC ports go. This game apparently builds on player feedback to that release, and is being pitched as a game for both wizened blackbelts and ninja trainees.

"We added 'Black' to the title to signal to fans that this is the definitive version, much like NINJA GAIDEN Black was for the first game," explained Fumihiko Yasuda, head of Team Ninja, in an interview with Xbox Wire. You heard the man. This is the ultimate Ninja Gaiden 2. If Koei Tecmo remaster it again then they will have lied to us.

"This version is crafted to satisfy both those who played the original and newcomers discovering it as a current-generation action game," Yasuda continued. "We've meticulously incorporated some of the additions of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 while staying true to the challenge and feel of the original 360 version, including its signature gore and violence. We've also adjusted the weapon upgrade system to more align with the original release."

All of this naturally slicks the chute for the release of the just-announced Ninja Gaiden 4 later this year. If you hate 3D ninjas, perhaps you'll be more interested in Ninja Gaiden: Ragebound, a 2D instalment created by Koei Tecmo, Dotemu and Blasphemous developers The Game Kitchen.