When it comes to action franchises from the PS2/Xbox console generation, there’s really two franchises that stand out as prime innovators in the genre- Devil May Cry (which just saw a new sequel last month) and Ninja Gaiden, the pseudo-reboot of the NES series of the same name. While DMC has seen a grand revival, Ninja Gaiden has been absent for some time, despite hints from Team Ninja that the series would return a few years ago. A new game may not be in the cards any time soon, but Ryu Hayabusa is getting a bit of second life today, with Ninja Gaiden 2 joining the list of backwards compatible games supported on Xbox One.
While the enhanced version of the original Xbox game, Ninja Gaiden Black, has been backward compatible for some time, it’s now joined by the Xbox 360 sequel, which you can purchase digitally now and play on any version of the Xbox One console.
While Ninja Gaiden 2 is plagued by technical issues (some sections are very clearly unfinished), it still features the refined action gameplay genre fans fell in love with and is remembered fondly despite its problems. A version of the game was released later on the PS3, titled Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, but saw significant alterations to both how the game played as well its overall level structure and aesthetics, which proved controversial and was found lacking by some fans.
You can experience Ninja Gaiden 2 in all its original, and very bloody, form now on Xbox One. If you have an Xbox One X, you receive the game with enhancements as well.
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