Adult Swim’s Toonami programming block might be most commonly associated with anime and the like, it regularly dips into other mediums and genres. For example, Toonami will occasionally even review the latest and greatest video games, and this weekend, Toonami’s TOM shared a review for the recently released video game Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection. The collection includes three different titles, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor’s Edge, and while it is clear that TOM is historically a fan of the franchise, it is also clear that he understands why some might be put off from the new release.
Videos by ComicBook.com
“I really love this series, but the old-school camera system is still a real pain,” TOM says in the full review, which you can check out above. “It gets slightly better with each title, but it makes these super-difficult games even tougher to beat. It takes a lot of patience to walk the path of the ninja. On the downside, I kind of feel like they missed an opportunity here. Everything looks great in 4K, but besides a few extra costumes, there’s not much new, and no multiplayer. You still get a ton of fun for $40, but for some, it might be a dealbreaker.” Ultimately, TOM gives Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection a 7 out of 10.
Prior to the release of the collection, Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection producer Fumihiko Yasuda explained to ComicBook.com the reason as to why multiplayer was excluded. “In order to perfectly replicate the online system used from the past, not only would it require a great deal of time and money, it would also place limitations on the platforms we could release it on,” Yasuda said. “And given that dilemma we decided to increase the number of platforms we would release the collection on in order to reach as many players as possible rather than pursue the multiplayer feature. Nevertheless, a ranking system for competitive scoring has been implemented, and of course our signature Ninja Gaiden action can still be enjoyed to the fullest in classic single player mode.”
As noted above, Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection is currently available for Nintendo Switch, PlayStation 4, Xbox One, and PC via Steam. It is also playable, via backwards compatibility, on the PlayStation 5 and Xbox Series X|S consoles. The collection specifically contains Ninja Gaiden Sigma, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, and Ninja Gaiden 3 Razor’s Edge. For more on Toonami, you can check out all of our previous coverage of the popular programming block right here.
What do you think about Toonami’s review of Ninja Gaiden: Master Collection? Have you been playing it since it released? Let us know in the comments, or feel free to reach out and hit me up directly over on Twitter at @rollinbishop to talk about all things gaming!
