Ninja Gaiden 2 Black Analysis Compares Xbox 360 Original To Unreal Engine 5 Remaster

Another great Game Pass addition

by Ben Kerry Yesterday, 6:15pm

This week, Digital Foundry has been back at it, testing out the recent Ninja Gaiden 2 Black remaster that shadow dropped onto Xbox Game Pass last month. In short, DF says that this new version of the Xbox 360 classic “isn’t perfect – but it’s the best version yet”, which we’ll absolutely take.

To come to that conclusion, the outlet compared the 360 OG to this new Unreal Engine 5 spruce-up, and of course, the visual gulf is pretty huge. That should come as no surprise given the time that’s lapsed — and the tech that’s progressed — since 2008. The remaster is gunning for a max 120FPS on Series X too; something we’ll always champion new games at least offering in some form.

Having said that, Series S only offers 60FPS, which was probably a wise move considering the sacrifices needed to hit 120 frames on Series X. Here’s how the analysis describes that high frame rate mode and the Series S version:

“The 120FPS mode and the Series S version has a reduction in terms of draw distance of non-Nanite geometry and things like shadows which draw in close to the camera. Can the game handle 120FPS? Well, in terms of image quality, just barely – the sacrifices required here are significant and image quality is rather poor on a large 4K display.”

Ninja Gaiden is a fast-paced series, so those visual sacrifices may indeed be worth it – just know that 120FPS will be quite a graphical drop-off from 60FPS on Series X. Series S users are getting just the one 1080p/60 mode here, so there’s no such choice to make for players on that console.

You can take a look at the full analysis in video form up above, which does a good job at showcasing all of the differences between each version of this classic slasher. If you want a quick summary in text form, here’s how Digital Foundry concluded its findings:

“Right now, my overall feeling on Ninja Gaiden 2 Black is positive – but with a hint of disappointment. The visual upgrades are largely welcome and I prefer this to any version of Sigma 2 but there’s still room for improvement both with game balance and technical performance. Still, I’m thrilled that Ninja Gaiden 2 has made a return and if you’ve not played it before, I highly recommend giving it a shot.”

What do you think to this take on Ninja Gaiden 2 Black? Talk to us about your experience so far down below.

[source eurogamer.net]

Ben is a News Writer at Pure Xbox, and is a fan of action, racing and straight-up shootin’ in any Xbox game he can get his hands on. When he’s not clutching an Xbox controller like his life depends on it, Ben spends his time listening to music that’s far too old for him, watching football on the telly and probably eating somewhere.

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