Xbox has made a large announcement that has all the gamers ready for a fight. Ninja Gaiden 4 is playable on Xbox Series X|S and that has revived the mythical high-octane ninja action that players have been wanting for years. The tweet from Xbox did say that ‘Your ninja skills are about to be put to the test’ along with a cool video, and the gaming community was immediately set on fire with a frenzy of excitement, questions, and of course, the usual console war banter.
So, what is the great news about Ninja Gaiden 4? First of all, it is the first significant installment in the series after a decade-long break and most importantly, it is being made available on Microsoft’s next-gen consoles straightaway. The announcement had a link to the game that was meant for playing it but it is not clear if it is going to be available through Game Pass or single purchase as the tweet did not specify. This is a huge offer to action game-enthusiasts who have been looking forward to Ryu Hayabusa’s reclaiming of his throne after the last installment which was quite controversial in terms of reception.
As usual, there are no major gaming events without the emergence of controversies and players’ reactions. The response to the tweet has been a wild mix of hype, doubt, and disputes over fan loyalty that somehow always crop up in these arguments.
An account named iSoulrakk summed up the atmosphere in general: “Well done marketing the console. Can’t wait for NG4. 🥷” This is a direct, genuine reaction that mirrors the sentiment of the majority – pure happiness for the return of a much-loved franchise.
On the flip side, however, there is the other side of the coin. User lackesterlacky has shared what could be bad news for the hardcore fans: “Ryu gets sideline in this game he only has 4 chapters Yasuda lied” along with what looks like spoiler footage. If that is the case, this would be a drastic change in the Ninja Gaiden structure that players have come to love and there are already some who are considering the developers’ reasons for being “secretive” about the game’s content prior to its release. Comicpunk78 humorously retorted to this with “No wonder they didn’t release a demo and where very secretive about the game just showing the graphics most of the time lmao,” suggesting that perhaps there were reasons other than building anticipation for keeping gameplay details under wraps.
The topic of physical media has come up again, as it always does. Angel Gamer 605 asked the question that any collector would have: “By any chance, will there be a physical version for Xbox?” This is a strong point for gamers who want a real ownership of their titles when many publishers gradually switch to digital-only releases.
And thus, we arrive at the inevitable console war nonsense that always finds its way into these discussions. User DX69Suckit made his point that “Xbox not needed” in that they are “happy to leave this past year” after being with Xbox since 2001. This started a long chain of debates over whether Series X or PS5 gives the “best experience,” with SilvaA574 constantly advocating the Xbox platform. It is the same old story and some players simply cannot help turning every game announcement into a platform superiority debate.
Conversely, Wilfred Sommers undoubtedly had the most comical response: “Just woke up from a coma to see this as my first post being awake, I can’t wait to get a very affordable Xbox Series X console and play with Game Pass Ultimate which has been a great deal at 20 dollars or less a month!” Even though the timing is a bit over-the-top, the excitement is contagious.
Interestingly, a lot of gamers are already asking about platform availability beyond the Xbox. MarcosA25664061 was asking if there would be any chances for PS5 releases of the old Xbox games while noel_torres93 was wondering if the game was already available on PC. The reply from Lekill3rFou was that it’s “on PC and it’s play anywhere,” meaning a player can buy once and play on multiple devices – a feature that is becoming more and more important in today’s gaming world.
This release’s marketing strategy seems to be right on target, with Alejandro simply commenting “Xbox advertising Xbox 😍” – a reference to how skillfully Microsoft is promoting its own platform through significant game releases like this one.
The game itself, the short teaser emphasized all the lightning-speed combat, acrobatics, and incredibly fierce enemy confrontations that really made the Ninja Gaiden franchise so popular. The graphical quality seems to be employing the full capacity of the Series X|S hardware with realistic worlds and fluid, responsive fighting animations that should fascinate new players as well as long-term fans.
The game launch period is also very strategic – it is coming during a rather quiet time in the gaming calendar; hence, Ninja Gaiden 4 can become the talk of the town and give Xbox owners something valuable to ponder about. If the case is Game Pass, the barrier to entry might be reduced significantly, enabling more players to experience what looks like a glorious return for one of the most demanding and rewarding action game franchises in the industry.
Whether you are a Series X owner looking to get the most out of your console or a Series S player just thankful to be a part of the latest ninja action, Ninja Gaiden 4 is nothing short of that type of exclusive content that keeps players loyal to a platform. The reactions show that gamers are hungry for high-quality single-player games, and if Ninja Gaiden 4 lives up to its promise, it could just be what the Xbox community needs right now.
Thus, very briefly ninjas are back, gaming and console debates are getting hotter again, and Ryu Hayabusa is putting the players’ skills to the test again in what could possibly the action game of the year. The only thing left to ask is whether you dare to take the challenge!
