8 Best Ninja Gaiden Games

Summary

• Ninja Gaiden has been a pioneering series in the gaming industry, with both its arcade and modern 3D action game trilogies shaking up the industry.
• The original Ninja Gaiden arcade game is known for its smooth gameplay, while the NES version added more movement options and influential use of cutscenes.
• The Xbox entries, including Ninja Gaiden and its improved version Ninja Gaiden Black, were groundbreaking in terms of graphics and gameplay, with challenging enemies and refined mechanics.

One of the oldest video game series under Koei Tecmo's belt is Ninja Gaiden. It started as an arcade game before there would be an NES trilogy and a modern 3D action game trilogy. Both eras are very important in shaking up the industry.

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The classic games had cinematic cutscenes that were groundbreaking for the time, and the modern series was incredibly influential for 3D action games going forward. There are some bad eggs in the franchise, but most of the games are really good. Keep in mind that several of the best NG games are Xbox exclusives, so Xbox will be the preferred platform for this series.

8 Ninja Gaiden (Arcade)

Release Year

Platforms

1988

Arcade, Xbox (via Ninja Gaiden Black), Switch, PlayStation 4

The game that started it all was the original 1988 arcade title. It's a pretty solid beat-'em-up, and one element that does make it stand out compared to other 80s genre hits like Double Dragon is that it actually runs smoothly on original arcade hardware. Double Dragon has terrible slowdown because there's so much stuff on the screen.

Ninja Gaiden doesn't have that issue, which is funny considering what a future installment did. One thing to note is that it's advised to play the Japanese version, as the difficulty was ramped up to a ludicrous level in the American release. The final stage is just ridiculous in that version, so play the Japanese release for the most enjoyable experience.

7 Ninja Gaiden (NES)

Release Year

Platforms

1988

NES, SNES, Xbox (via Ninja Gaiden '04), Switch (via Switch Online)

While the arcade title came first, most remember the NES version. Instead of a beat-'em-up, it's a 2D action game, fitting for the platform. The gameplay was excellent. It added more movement options to the left-to-right 2D action game formula perfected by the likes of Castlevania and Contra. Like Castlevania, you get secondary weapons along with your main one, and they might be even more useful here.

You can actually one-hit kill a certain boss with the spin slash. The use of cutscenes was a big attraction back then and ended up being very influential. The one issue with this game is yet another wild difficulty jump at the last stage. Going from stage five to stage six is like hitting a difficulty 90-degree wall, and this isn't how difficulty progression should work.

6 Ninja Gaiden 2: The Dark Sword Of Chaos

Release Year

Platforms

1990

NES, SNES, Xbox (via Ninja Gaiden '04)

The NES Ninja Gaiden 2 is superior to the original in many ways. First off, the levels are much more creative this time and have various neat gimmicks. Whether it's the blowing wind, seeing in darkness, or moving on ice, the game constantly switches things up.

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The other big positive is the difficulty progression is finally how it should be, and there are no massive difficulty jumps here. Even the gameplay is improved with the clone system, which is awesome once you know how to use it right. All of this makes for a more refined game than its predecessor.

5 Ninja Gaiden (Xbox)

The Action Game That Shook The World

Release Year

Platforms

2004

Xbox

2004 was a great year for gaming. So many fantastic titles came out, like World of Warcraft, GTA San Andreas, and Halo 2, but another great game was Ninja Gaiden for the original Xbox. It blew away virtually everything else in the action game genre and was the best-looking console title. The graphics still hold fairly well, and the gameplay is equal in quality.

Combat here is still fresh because the enemies often feel like your equal. They are not designed like most video game enemies, being incredibly aggressive and will even randomly block or dodge attacks. While it could frustrate fans of other action games, it gives Ninja Gaiden a more reactive feel. The downloadable Hurricane Packs made the game even better, but those are, unfortunately, hard to access now due to OG Xbox Live shutting down in 2010.

4 Ninja Gaiden Black

The Ultimate Ninja Gaiden Experience

Release Year

Platforms

2005

Xbox (Series X|S Backwards Compatible)

Near the end of the original Xbox's life came Ninja Gaiden Black. While it initially seemed like the original game, just with the Hurricane Pack content included on-disc, this isn't the case. It's a complete revision with many, many changes.

Most of them improve the game to make it the ultimate sixth-gen action title. With useful weapon tweaks, refined enemy encounters, and multiple difficulties that feel like completely different games, it's one of the best action titles ever. Mission mode also made its debut here, adding even more challenge and replay value.

3 Ninja Gaiden Sigma

Release Year

Platforms

2007

PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, PlayStation Vita, Xbox One, Switch, PC

PlayStation users never got Ninja Gaiden games for a long time, as they remained Xbox exclusives during the early to mid-2000s. Ninja Gaiden Sigma changed that, with the first modern installment being playable on the PS3. Sigma added even more changes than Black. Changes in the levels, pacing, enemies, and even weapons.

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Thankfully, the core combat remains intact, and while most of the changes aren't great, some are for the better. Chapter 11 in the original NG was almost everyone's least favorite. A water level never seems to go well, but Sigma cut much of the fat and even added some sweet on-water combat. Team Ninja made the level legitimately enjoyable, which, for a water level, ain't easy. It's still not as good as NGB, but at least it's in the same league.

2 Ninja Gaiden 2

One Of The Greatest And Most Underrated Action Games

Release Year

Platforms

2008

Xbox 360 (Series X|S BC)

Ninja Gaiden 2 ended up being the last game made by the original developers at Team Ninja since most of them left due to a pay dispute around launch. What a way to go out. It's one of the fastest action games of all time, only rivaled by the likes of the equally underrated Zone of the Enders 2. The action here is thrilling like nothing else, and many improvements are made from the first game.

An innovation NG2 has that certain action titles still don't is a quick menu. Press Down on the D-pad to let the on-screen action freeze, and you can easily switch weapons and use items. Games like Bayonetta 3 still don't have this, and you must open up a cumbersome menu to swap stuff out. It's truly an action game ahead of its time.

1 Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge

Release Year

Platforms

2012

Wii U, Switch, PlayStation 3, PlayStation 4, Xbox 360 (Series X|S BC), Xbox One, PC

Both the classic and modern third NG installments have some major issues, but one has an upgraded version. Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge improves the core game as much as possible. There are more weapons to play with, a bigger variety of enemies, mechanic improvements, and more playable characters.

It plays completely differently than the previous ones, and you'll have to adjust to it. It's a pretty good time once you fully learn how the game works, especially in the Ninja Trials. It doesn't hold a candle to the previous two titles, but it's a solid action game on its own merit.

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