Ninja Gaiden 1 & 2 code lost, so don’t expect a black Ninja Gaiden remaster

The Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection team was unable to retrieve the code for the original Ninja Gaiden versions 1 and 2, meaning they had to include the new Sigma versions of those games. It also means we’ll likely never see new versions of Ninja Gaiden Black or Ninja Gaiden 2 outside of their original Xbox. Speaking to IGN, Ninja Team Leader Fumihiko Yasuda explained the choice of Sigma editions in Master Collection: “The reason we chose these 3 titles for the collection is because they represent the latest installments. of the numbered series and these are also the more refined versions with many additional modes and costumes. Also, when we worked on Sigma and Sigma 2, we went to collect as much data as possible and organized it. And like we could make full use of this data, Sigma and Sigma 2 became clear choices for this collection.

“However, we were unable to retrieve the varied assortment of data we had left from Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden 2. And for that very reason, we currently have no plans to remaster Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja. Gaiden 2 on non-Xbox platforms. “

The Sigma versions of Ninja Gaidens 1 and 2, as well as Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge all made changes to the original versions of the games (as well as Ninja Gaiden Black, itself a “ remix ” version of the original Ninja Gaiden) . Yasuda clarified that the versions of these games in the Master Collection will remain the same in terms of gameplay, but will see improvements in resolution and frame rate depending on which platform players choose.

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However, multiplayer modes were removed from Ninja Gaidens 2 and 3, a decision according to Yasuda boiled down to resource constraints: “In order to perfectly replicate the online system used in the past, not only would it take a lot of time and money. , that would also limit the platforms we could publish it on. And given this dilemma, we decided to increase the number of platforms we would publish the collection on in order to reach as many players as possible rather than to continue the multiplayer functionality. “

If Ninja Gaiden’s past is now constrained to Sigma versions, what about the future of the franchise? It’s been 9 years since the release of Ninja Gaiden 3, and we asked Yasuda if he wanted to do a new installment after the re-releases. “Well, although this is a remastered version, we were able to announce something new for the series,” Yasuda replied, “and it’s something I’ve been waiting for a long time, so j I’m very happy about that. We at Team Ninja are still thinking about ways to bring the series back.

Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection brings together Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden 2 Sigma and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge. It will arrive on Nintendo Switch, PS4, Xbox One, and PC on June 10.

Joe Skrebels is IGN’s News Editor. Follow him on Twitter. Any advice to give us? Want to discuss a possible story? Please send an email to [email protected].