Ninja Warriors 2 – The Ninja Saviors – Return Of The Warriors Collectors Edition
I’ve reviewed hundreds of games and collector’s boxes over the years, and I’ve taken all kinds of approaches to doing it – sometimes expertly, sometimes not. But honestly, I do this because it’s fun, and maybe because it gives my dopamine levels a nice little kick.
The reason I am writing this right now is that I decided to skip one of the games I had planned to review, due to the publisher and the drag they are getting with this release – Ninja Heroes 2 Return Of The Warriors – Return Of The Warriors.
It All Started With This…Or Actually Both…
I’ve bought a bunch of collector’s editions over the years, and honestly, I look at this one… what’s the point of a solid black box as a display piece? And next to it sits Ultracore box — another “meh” release that should have been a big collector’s item but somehow wasn’t.
What went wrong? Personally, I think a lot of it comes down to digital stores changing the way we buy games, rising prices, and a confused sense of what a collector’s box should include these days. Some of you may remember the old Loot Crate boxes. Those creators do their best to make each box feel special. And yes, I know – people complained about plastic or whatever excuse they had for not supporting them – but the real magic was that they were cheap, fun, and had free postage. I used to wonder why the company didn’t explode sooner.
Strictly Limited, on the other hand, always felt like it was squeezing every last penny out of us. Half the time they didn’t even show us what we were buying — like this Ninja Wa… err, The saviors a black box.
The only really good thing here is that these two boxes have the same size and build quality, so do they look great next to each other on the shelf… well, as long as I hide the dark part :p
But after pre-ordering both of these and ending up with something very different from what was originally advertised – and getting it long after everyone else – I finally just stopped caring. I’ve been ignoring all the new releases from Strictly Limited and their biggest rival. I just ended up paying high prices and not getting what I expected.
Then When You Open It…
Now this how the box should look on the outside – either on the slipcover or the actual box. It would look absolutely beautiful on the shelf. But with all the things packed inside (see the next sections), it would be tricky to arrange everything without stealing the attention from the truly impressive interior. Especially if the game is intended to stand inside a box, as shown above.
There’s one cool detail, too: the cover is actually a PS4 game take it backwhich would look good if changed inside this display box. Maybe that was the intention – well – but most collectors want content inside box, which does not float as part of some demonstration tests.
The Flawless Heroes Are Back, Again!…
When I saw the line “The Unsullied Warriors Are Back Again!” It reminded me of another bad one that came with this release. The game was originally announced as Ninja Warriors Again!and I even wrote about that version before the launch. Best of all, I reviewed the Amiga version of the original game at the same time, so the name change still feels a little more pointless.
And honestly, imagine that any of the artwork shown above was used outside of the black box. That would be an absolutely killer show on the shelf.
The Rest Of The Box Contains Cool Stuff, Some Not So Much…
Some cool stat cards for all five fighters are included. Oddly, I’ve never unlocked them all in the game, yet the cards themselves show button combinations for super moves. There’s also a metal-ia-mobob thing in the box – definitely not something I’d ever put on display.
You also get five cute pins, a cute looking postcard, and a mysterious paper object enclosed inside a cute looking bag… but let’s be honest, I never open it.
The verdict…
All the items in the box are shown in this picture — a big poster, and notice the reversible cover in the case of the game.
So yes, that is the full package. It you look it’s great, and some of it is… but the price tag, the endless wait, the name changes, and the fact that the collector’s edition has arrived. months after both the regular and online versions — those SUXX BALLS. Instead of loving it, I ended up looking at it as a disappointing box rather than remembering the good parts.
The game itself is pretty good, although nowhere near as good as the original Ninja Warriors. My friend Roar and I actually got there and got so stuck that we just turned it off. That must have been five or six years ago now, and we haven’t picked it up again. Maybe I should fix that this week — you know, instead of playing VR all night.
