Last month we learned, via a Nintendo Direct of all things, that the Ninja Gaiden series will finally be heading to PC (no, Yaiba doesn't count). The Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection includes Ninja Gaiden: Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, and releases on Steam June 10.
All three games have been console exclusive until now and, while some fans argue they'd prefer Ninja Gaiden Black and the original sequel to the Sigmas, the first two games represent high points for the 3D hack-and-slash genre. They're the only games that ever truly threatened the hegemony of Capcom and Platinum.
We already knew that the games would come with all previously released modes and DLC costumes, as well as four new playable characters in the form of Ayane, Rachel, Momiji and Kasumi, and now developer Team Ninja has begun promoting pre-orders and drip-feeding some new information.
本作は【PS4 Pro／PS5／Xbox One X／Xbox Series X／Xbox Series S／Steam】で条件を満たした動作環境でプレイした場合、4K解像度・60FPSに対応しています。※プレイ状況により一時的に解像度・FPSが低下する可能性があります。4K解像度でプレイするには互換性のあるテレビ/ディスプレイが必要です。 https://t.co/MgfoTIre4LMarch 18, 2021
The tweet above (machine-translated) tells us that Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection "supports 4K resolution and 60 fps when played in an operating environment that meets the conditions on [Steam]." It rather ominously adds that "the resolution and fps may drop temporarily depending on the playing conditions." I say ominous because Sigma 2 in particular had some bad frame-drop issues on PS3, but we'll see.
It's a little annoying that Team Ninja doesn't provide any specs for 60 fps on PC, but these are pretty old games and you'd expect any half-decent modern rig to be able to handle Ryu Hayabusa in full flow.
This announcement also came accompanied by an official site for pre-orders, which I initially viewed with Google's auto-translation, leading to the excellent tagline "please enjoy the hot battle with the powerful enemies."
I was digging around for some clue as to the PC specs, of which there are no sign, but found the following tidbits about the game's content. There's a reference to Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection Version D, which apparently is unchanged from the main version except containing "a mild version of the cruel scene of NINJA GAIDEN 3: Razor's Edge."
More importantly, the online functionality first introduced in Sigma 2 has been removed: "Online co-op play of 'TAG MISSIONS' of NINJA GAIDEN Σ2 is not included." The same applies to the third game: "All 'Clan battles' in 'Shadow of the world' in 'NINJA GAIDEN 3 Razor's Edge' are not included. Also, 'Ninja Trails' does not include 'Online Co-op'."
While it's always nice to have everything I have to say that, as someone who's played an awful lot of these games, the online elements were always a very minor bonus rather than an important part of the experience. They were fun enough missions, and there aren't many fighters this intense you can play with a mate, but it's not a deal-breaker for me that the Master Collection's decided to leave them in the past.
Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection releases on Steam June 10. I've popped Tecmo a line asking about the PC specs, and if they're any more forthcoming we'll update you.
