Edit: Hi, as it has been pointed out to me by a few people already, I messed up my wording in regards to the full screen aspect. I made it seem like you CAN'T full screen. You definitely can. There are multiple ways to. Just not the orthodox way of simply going into the settings menu and changing it like you would on any other pc game. I'm sorry if I misled you. I would also like to make. TL;DR below this

Edit 2: Hi again, I got a lot of people aggressively telling me to just "press alt+enter" and to anyone who wants to suggest it, I hate to say it but it actually doesn't work. Pressing alt+enter does not do anything at all. ALSO I never got to mention this in the review but a lot of comments made me realize that I should. There isn't a proper way to go to the main menu in Sigma 2, nor is it easy to close either sigmas out entirely. You'll HAVE to use task manager because again, this is a bad port.

EDIT 3 (6/28/2021): Hi everyone, so at the time of this edit, update 1.0.0.1 came out and fixed some of the jarring issues of this game. Somethings that were changed were

-The mouse cursor now being hidden upon entering full screen mode
-1440p Support
- Game now remembers if you selected full screen or windowed from last launch
- There is now finally a way to exit the game from the pause menu. Instead of having to press a weird combination of buttons to go the start menu then select exit game, you can now press another weird combination of buttons to exit the game entirely. As strange as it is, I think we all appreciate there's at least a way to exit the game even if it's just a little unorthodox. It's way more convenient than the former method.
There are other minor changes but in my opinion these are the best ones done. I saw that they even mentioned that they wanted to add graphics settings. If it's any good, then I will review it again and reconsider my rating while still keeping the original post so anyone can see how far along this game has come. I really do appreciate anyone reading this far or even trying to check up on the game to see if it has improved. Hope to post here again soon!

TL;DR (7/12/2021):
I like to think that all of our reviews helped make this port somewhat better. I'm wanting to leave everything in this review in tact so anyone can see the history of this port.
As of update 1.0.0.2 they've added graphics options that would make this game a sub-par port. I can say that this game may be good to get if on a sale. Thank you for reading.

ORIGINAL REVIEW
I played the original "Ninja Gaiden Black", then played the Sigma versions on PS3, then played Ninja Gaiden Black on Xbox One via Backwards compatibility. THEN I played it on an emulator to try to relive some type of nostalgic memories and realized that the game held up really well especially since it was running on something that wasn't even supported by the developers. I then waited for years for news to break on whether or not this game would get released on PC since I was finally able to afford to build one and play games in the best quality possible. I always told myself that "Yeah I love Ninja Gaiden so much, I've bought the games like 3 different times, but if it were to ever come out on Steam, I'd buy it for 60 dollars all over again." As crazy and devoted as it sounds, I just enjoyed the game for so long that it just made sense to have it in my steam collection. We're now on the day that it finally came out, what's essentially considered a "rapture" day for me since I never truly thought it would actually happen, only to be disappointed.

So, most of my review is actually based on the port itself or lack thereof. The game is good. If you haven't played it, please do on whatever platform you can. If you like fast-paced action with high skill ceilings or don't need a detail rich story or you just want a reason to break your controller so you can get the new dual-sense, then get this game for sure... on a sale. I just want to start with this so that you can understand why I'm leaving a negative review. KOEI TECMO needs to catch flak because they have done their consumers a disservice way too many times to not get called out on their laziness.

I started this game up and immediately was met with a windowed screen that I thought I could change in the in-game settings. No. There isn't a setting for full screen. In fact, you should treat this game like a web browser or an indie game made by a single person. In order to make it full screen, you'll have to fiddle around with the window until you can click the full screen button you usually see on regular applications. They call this game a "bare bones" port. It isn't even that. It almost feels like you’re running this game on some web browser like a flash game. This game doesn't have ANY settings apart from the ones that allow you to change brightness and contrast. Like I said before, there isn't even a full screen option.

Resolution? The game does this weird thing where it tried to figure out what resolution you're playing on instead of allowing you to change it in the settings because again, there are none to change. This means that you have to do what the publishers suggested you do in order to change the resolution which is to go into the launch options and change it manually. They legitimately want you to do it yourself via a steam command instead of taking the time to simply do it themselves. It's not a matter of player laziness, but instead greedy corporations and their complacency. I know that seems like it might be coming out of left field, but please keep in mind that this is coming from the game publisher who wants you to pay them over 1000$ for their last two games, so 2000$ in total in order to play a fighting game and all the DLC in said games. (I'm referring to DOA5 and DOA6). Players aren't too lazy to change these settings, but publishers are getting too greedy nowadays and charging over 40$ just to roll out fodder. I haven't even gotten to what I believe is the worst part about this "bare bones" port.

The first time I went to open a chest up in the first level, I noticed that the button prompt was strange and didn't look like a normal one that I was used to like the Xbox "B" button or the Playstation's "O" button. It was still a "B" but it just looked...funny. I continued playing but felt weird and didn't like how the controls were mapped so naturally, I looked for some controller configurations and found absolutely none. I figured that was kind of weird considering the game's store page boasting "Full Controller Support". So, I closed the game and tried to figure out why the controls were so weird, that's when I saw on one of the tabs "Steam Controller Configurator". This game, which was advertised to not have ANY keyboard and mouse controls btw, doesn't even have proper controller support. It instead, relies on the steam's implementation of controller configuration or an alternative to Xinput in order for you to play. This one I don't even understand to be honest. This doesn't even paint it in a greedy or lazy light. Because they could've just left the game to have the PlayStation button prompts and let people like me who were using an Xbox Controller to deal with it. They instead opted to go for doing some halfway support for controllers by using the steam controller configuration which just feels more awkward than anything else. The button prompts they chose to map for the controllers don't even work some of the time. It's just strange all around. So disappointing. Nothing good to say about this port.

Oh, and btw, if you read the minimum requirements and told yourself you probably can't run it, you're fine. The game DOES NOT need a GTX 970 to run. They were just too lazy to test that too.

I've suicided into this so you don't have to.

FIX - IF YOU HAVE A GSYNC/FREESYNC VRR DISPLAY you must set the application to fixed framerate only, and must set the display refresh rate to 60hz. Otherwise the game will run at 35fps to 45fps at any resolution.
With this fix, the game runs flawless 60fps on both an RTX 2060 and RTX 3080 system at least. I do have overkill PCs, so your mileage may vary.
Note - If you can't hit 60fps, game speed slows down, so be wary if you have a super low end machine.

As far as game performance settings go, all you get is resolution, and that must be set via Steam's game properties in text, as either 720p, 1080p, or 4k (default).

This is some true Monkey Paw ♥♥♥♥ of a poor PC port in terms of features. If you can cope with no other performance settings options, it appears the games run perfectly once fixed and as fun as I recall. Steam Overlay works great, so you can use Steam Input to rebind and alter controls if you like too.

The games are great fun, so I reluctantly am "recommending", but I strongly recommend testing and refunding if you have any issues.

Bare bones, janky, low effort, cash grab port. No multiplayer modes. Every disruptive, mid-battle load screen that plagued the 2007 PS3 version of Sigma 1 was ported to Sigma 1 in this collection. The CGI scenes in Sigma 1 are pixelated even when the game is set to a high resolution. Sigma 2 doesn't have the gore that was added to the Playstation Vita version years ago, making the version in this collection feel like a downgrade. Team Ninja keeps on ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ on the legacy of this franchise, despite saying how it's one of their most important franchises ever.

Make sure to download "Ninja Gaiden Sigma Black" mod.
It removes that annoying bloom, adds the original soundtrack, and adds Ayane's voice over to those kunai scrolls. Bunch of other stuff too.

Imagine thinking Dark Souls is hard

Laziest PC port I have ever seen. Literally nothing was done for this mash up of the not even the best versions of the games. I refunded and went back to playing my console versions when the itch happens. ♥♥♥♥ this release

A port of a port of a port.

This version of the first game in the rebooted Ninja Gaiden trilogy is a port of the PS Vita edition (Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus), which, in turn, was a port of the PS3 version (Ninja Gaiden Sigma) - itself, an enhanced conversion from the original Xbox title. Tomonobu Itagaki, responsible for the franchise's revival, had no role in any of these ports, and was understandably dissatisfied with them.

As a consequence, assets are low res, performance is poor and art direction is notably different. It has that Unreal 3 muddy gray look, similar to most titles from the 360/PS3 era, even though it's not running on that engine. Very different from the clean aesthetic of the OG Xbox title (one of the best looking games of that generation and a highlight of the console).

Some additions, like a playable Rachel, are fun, but the definitive edition of NG remains Ninja Gaiden Black - even in the eyes of Itagaki himself, who considers it the "final" version of the game.

Better dust off your Xbox and fix its leaky clock capacitor if you're planning on becoming a real master ninja!

Beware, this version does not have NG+ like the original versions, and also lacks some of the dismemberment of limbs in those versions. It is not as noticeable in 1, but is definitely noticeable when playing 2, where enemy limbs simply disappear instead of being rendered. If possible I would find and play the original versions over these, as they are much more satisfying. If this is your only option its still one of the greatest action games ever made, just not the best version of it. Usually a remaster should improve upon the original, instead this one detracts from it.

I spent years and years of my life wondering “will Ninja Gaiden ever come to PC?” You see, my last game console was the SNES. My parents couldn’t afford a console. And I wouldn’t dare to ask for one. Given that, I beat Ninja Gaiden on someone else’s original Xbox, back in 2004-05. And I love this game. I’ve always loved. So, it finally coming to PC was a long-awaited bliss.

After 145 hours of gameplay and a platinum, I think I’m in a position where I can throw my two cents in, specially after having platinumed it. In this text, there will be not only opinions on downsides and upsides, but also an opinion about the “fans” and the developers that I wanna scream from the top of my lungs.

Of course, it’s a barebone port. Of course, I see its failures. They could have done more and yet made it cost less. I purchased it on release date. At first, before the updates, there was no graphics settings (and it’s still poor), the game started windowed, the mouse cursor wouldn’t disappear, forcing you to hide it on a corner. There was no resolution settings, so either you played in 1080p, or 4K. I got a 1440p monitor, so I was upscaling 4K. Those issues are now fixed, but there’s more to say.

Moreover, they should have fixed the old disgusting camera issues. Sometimes it feels alive and self aware. After a hit, you hardly ever know how the camera will behave next. Also, they could add autosave (manually saving seems so outdated), except for very hard and master ninja difficulties. They could remove the 60 FPS cap! Why that? It’s an old game, there’s no sense in capping it since many PCs nowadays run it like butter.

Some would complain about not having keyboard and mouse support, but I find it kinda awkward. Okay, I know some people don't have a joystick, but... Why on Earth would anyone want to play Ninja Gaiden with keyboard and mouse? Here's a man who PREFERS keyboard and mouse over a controller talking. But, seriously, it's a hack and slash game. A controller is required for having a proper experience.

They also could optimize it not to have boring loading moments. It makes no sense! C’mon, I got an SSD NVMe, and still it takes time to load! There could also be extra content exclusively for PC. Or at least they could have merged both Sigma a Black versions together, combining the beauty of Sigma version with the difficulty, the nice puzzles and the costume options from the Black version.

So, they made a poor job. Nastily poor. I don’t turn a blind eye to that.

But you know what? I doesn’t really matter. Sure, we could have paid less. They were unfair. But those issues aren’t really core things to focus on while reviewing the product. Is it capped? Yes. But the game runs PERFECTLY since the very first day! There are no FPS drops. No stuttering. The game looks beautiful. It lives up to the same sensation we had while playing it back in the day. Genuinely Ninja Gaiden! Just like before!

Ninja Gaiden Σ is amazing, by far the best one in the trilogy! It’s painfully difficult, fast-paced, the enemies are unique, making you wisely choose how to fight them, from a simple minion to the most challenging bosses! The more the difficulties increase, the more interesting and addictive the game gets! You simply can’t put it down for a moment! We’re talking about something unique that everyone should grab at any moment.

However, do you wanna know why it maybe will never reach more players? Because of two main things: one, the “fans”. Two, the developers.

The fans are to blame because nowadays people don’t seem to play games like before, they don’t enjoy the art, they just criticize without pointing out the many bright sides of a game. They prefer to ruin it. It isn’t different with Ninja Gaiden – the game runs perfectly, and still the “fans” insist on focusing on side, not so important stuff, ending up in giving it thumbs down for side reasons. As I said before, the issues with this barebone port are annoying, but not central to any serious review. Let’s focus on what matters, without forgetting what’s there to be criticized!

And the developers are to blame because they made a poor job, asking a huge price in comparison to what was done. It stimulates bad reviews and maybe the twilight of this franchise, which has been going down since Ninja Gaiden Σ 2.

It is said that the sales and reviews of this Master Collection would help a lot determine whether a new Ninja Gaiden game will be developed or not. And because of both of you (“fans” and developers), maybe a new Ninja Gaiden installment will never see the light of day. You’re not helping.

As of me, I’m quite satisfied with the FUN the game provides and I’ve been longing for it for ages. Despite the nostalgia part, I believe I was rational in my comment.

If you’re new to Ninja Gaiden, don’t listen to these people. It’s an AWESOME game and you will have tons of fun! BUY IT!

Lazy as ♥♥♥♥ PC port. This port lacks basic PC features such as:

* proper G-Sync and high refresh rate support

* any kind of graphical options (you can't even change resolution in-game)

* KBM support (you must use a gamepad to play)

* chronological release listing in your steam library (NG3 is listed first, followed by NG1 then NG2)

* mouse cursor does not disappear while playing

* 1440p resolution support (edit: apparently the game defaults to 4K which is fine because it doesn't take much hardware to run it and upscaling can provide antialiasing, but it would still be nice to be able to choose 2560x1440 if desired and not have to do it through a launch option)

The above things are EXPECTED features of any PC port. Something else I would expect is upscaled textures, which we did not get.

Overall this port is just extremely lazy and disappointing. We also got the Sigma games (and apparently a neutered version of Sigma 2 which has gore censored) and this is more subjective but imo we didn't get the best versions of these games (shoulda got Black).

At least Ninja Gaiden is FINALLY on PC but I almost wish it didn't happen if it means it'll be like this. I hope that Tecmo will address some of these egregious issues but I don't have my hopes up.

Personally, I like the graphical updates that come with the Sigma games. In my opinion, Team Ninja should've fixed the longstanding issues with the games which the community has made them painfully aware of for many, many years. Fix the balancing issues and put the damn gore back in NG2, among other things, add some expected quality of life features and at the very least upscale the ♥♥♥♥♥♥♥ textures. Then and only then can we start talking about calling this thing a "master" collection.

I actually bought, refunded, and bought again. I thought about it for awhile and I figured that showing my financial support for Ninja Gaiden while simultaneously leaving a negative review (at least for now) is the best way to proceed. I'm conflicted, but ultimately I'm happy to see Ninja Gaiden in any form come to Steam after all these years. It's truly a shame though that it had to be like this. Ninja Gaiden deserves far better.