The game will have PSN support as well as new content.

Like the original title, Ninja Gaiden Σ 2 is being developed by Tecmo's Team Ninja. However, Ninja Gaiden II was designed by former Team Ninja lead ninja Tomonobu Itagaki, who has since left the company. Itagaki was known for his preference for developing titles for Microsoft's game consoles. That, and drinking booze.

Yosuke Hayashi, director of the first Ninja Gaiden Σ, will once again take the reins for this Sigma remake sequel. As with Ninja Gaiden Σ, NG Σ 2 is a remake of an Itagaki designed game.

When asked about the first NG Σ title, Itagaki did not seem impressed in the least, saying, "All you need to do is play Ninja Gaiden II and then try and play Sigma afterwards and you'll see why. Despite the fact that it's on a 'next-generation' console there's no evolution whatsoever. That was made not by me, but one of my sub-ordinates who basically tried to copy the success of Ninja Gaiden."

In Ninja Gaiden Σ, it was possible to play as voluptuous character Rachel for some of the missions. In Ninja Gaiden Σ it will be possible to play Dead or Alive's Ninjutsu expert Ayane as well as Ninja Gaiden's Ryu Hayabusa — which makes sense as Hayabusa and Ayane are friends.

The game is currently half done.

I think Kamiya-san makes good games. However, I think they, the systems, gameplay elements in his game tend to be rather shallow and he makes up with that through stylish presentation. I think if you were to compare them directly, the combat and other gameplay elements in Ninja Gaiden II are much deeper than projects that he works on.

...In my games its all based on a back and forth with the enemies, its very interactive. You feel like you're pushed to the brink but you manage to survive, the enemies are as out to get you as you are to get them. Whereas other types of action games, one of which being Devil May Cry, enemies exist there as objects on which you unleash your attacks.

Gotta give Itagaki this much: at least he's not boring!
Talking with Tomonobu [OXM Thanks, Hatchetforce!]

What did you think of the PS3 game Ninja Gaiden: Sigma? I'm told you won't even sign copies of the game...?

Itagaki: It was no good.

Why's that? I thought it was pretty good.

Itagaki: All you need to do is play Ninja Gaiden II and then try and play Sigma afterwards and you'll see why. Despite the fact that it's on a 'next-generation' console there's no evolution whatsoever. That was made not by me, but one of my sub-ordinates who basically tried to copy the success of Ninja Gaiden.

Ouch. We thought it was pretty good! Elsewhere in the interview, Itagaki confirms that Ninja Gaiden II will never appear on the PS3, and if it ever did that would be "a loss of face for everyone involved."

Tomonobu Itagaki Interview [CVG] [Pic]

Some add-on content for Piyotama, a free Halloween-themed skin, and the final round of Ninja Gaiden Sigma DLC has been added. The "Rachel Master" pack for Ninja Gaiden Sigma features five Rachel specific survival battles. It's just shy of three bucks. Already released content for Spider-Man 3 gets a price drop.

What else? Trailers for games Bionic Commando and Time Crisis 4, plus Hollywood fare like The Water Horse, P.S. I Love You, and Reign Over Me. A trailer for the AC/DC Live at Donington concert Blu-ray release should give hard rockers a detailed look into Angus Young's shorts.

Finally, Eye of Judgment wallpapers can now make your PlayStation 3 pretty.

MotorStorm owners can pick up the Revenge Weekend add-on ($5.99) which consists of one new track, five new vehicles (including a school bus!), a new online mode and nine new events. Four of those vehicles may be purchased individually for 99 cents each, if you're so inclined. For Ninja Gaiden Sigma players looking for more punishment, the Weapons Master pack adds five survival modes for $2.99. But wait, there's more!

Trailers for upcoming games include:

• Turok "Quiet Kills" Trailer
• PixelJunk Racers Trailer
• Heavenly Sword "Making Of" No. 5 and Anime No. 5
• Lair "World in Chaos" Video
• MotorStorm "Coyote Revenge" Video

On the Hollywood front we have:

• Drillbit Taylor Trailer
• Resident Evil: Extinction Trailer

Finally, a single Heavenly Sword wallpaper has been thrown on the pile. Fire up those fiber optic lines, kids, it's gonna be a busy night.

New downloadable content for Ninja Gaiden Sigma released on September 6th

Eidos Interactive, one of the world's largest publishers and developers of interactive software is pleased to announce the first set of downloadable content for Ninja Gaiden Sigma will be available via the PlayStation Store from September 6th 2007. Ninja Gaiden Sigma for PlayStation 3 was released to worldwide critical acclaim this June - An action adventure game, where the player takes the role of Super Ninja Ryu Hayabusa in a high-speed, next-generation game.

The downloadable content entitled "Survival Mode" is a battle-orientated mode that allows the player to fight an endless stream of enemies. Each of the three downloads provide various themed battles, plus there is a World Ranking available for each different theme. For those who have mastered the original Ninja Gaiden Sigma, this content will provide a battlefield to show off the skills they have accumulated.

The first of the three batches of downloadable content, "Weapon Master" is scheduled for release on September 6th 2007. This content includes five survival modes where you can use only a limited array of weaponry. The player's objective is to master the feature of each weapon and wipe out as many enemies as you can.

"Speed Master" is the second download and the aim of this is to beat your enemies as accurately and quickly as possible. This features another five survival modes in which the time and power gauge are limited. In order to become the ultimate speed master you must master both your skills and acrobatics to survive. 　

In the third and final download, "Rachel Master", you play as the new female character Rachel, in five survival modes in the quest to become the "World's No. 1 Fiend Hunter".

8/30: Weapons Master Mission, five weapon limit September: Speed Master Mission, quick fights on a time budget October: Rachel Master Mission, different character with five survival tests

None of these expansion missions are rocking my world, but each will offer a tangible measurement for a global ranking system sure to cut your ego down pretty quickly. And besides, your subsequent dependence on booze is a priceless commodity.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma Downloadable Content Announced [IGN]

I've also gotta buckle down and spend more time with Persona 3, largely out of obligation. I hope to start posting impressions and semi-review snippets starting Monday, with updates continuing throughout the week. If anyone has questions about the game, feel free to leave 'em in the comments.

Anyway, let's get down to business. What are you playing this weekend?

Other plans include hopefully making it to the theater to catch Transformers and getting some top secret personal work done. There's still some planning, RSVPing and scheduling that needs to happen for E3 2007, including (hopefully) testing our new liveblogging system, which will ensure everyone is up-to-the-minute current on all things E3-related. While attendance and spectacle may be down, coverage is still at insane levels.

The only other planned playable is a few hours with Guitar Hero and Guitar Hero II. After some pathetic drunken Expert-level attempts at the game during our 4th of July throwdown, I realized I'd better practice. I am playing Rock Band next week, after all and don't want to embarrass myself.

So, what are you playing this weekend? And let us know your other nerderific plans, too.

• Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3) Ninja Gaiden gets revamped for the PS3.
• Dead Reefs (PC)
  Arrrgh! Beware the pirate curse!
• Vampire Rain (X360)
  Blast those bloodsuckers!
• Chicken Shoot (WII, DS)
  Around the world poultry poaching.
• Seven Kingdoms: Conquest (PC)
  Lead your army of demons or humans to conquer the kingdom.
• Marvel Trading Card Game (PC)
  Collect them all!
• Steel Horizon (PSP)
  You sunk my battleship!
• Turn It Around (DS)
  Mini disc mini games
• Taito Legends 2 (PC)
  Get olde schoole with Taito

The previous Ninja Gaiden Sigma Collectors Edition trailer left many of us confused. Why was Satoshi Hanematsu wailing on the electric guitar throughout, providing a caterwauling soundtrack to random Ninja Gaiden Sigma gameplay? Still haven't figured this one out. This clip, however, gets it done and done right. Previews of the behind the scenes featurettes included with the collectors edition, giving us a glimpse at the lives of Team Ninja are officially filed under "I" for interesting. This associate editor, for one, simply cannot wait to watch Tomonobu Itagaki smoke entire packs of cigarettes while waxing candidly about how awesome he finds himself in high definition.

There's one big jump this week. Can you spot it?

• Nintendo DS Lite - 118,684
• Wii - 65,521
• PSP - 33,359
• PlayStation 2 - 11,974
• PLAYSTATION 3 - 9,481
• Xbox 360 - 7,583
• Game Boy Advance SP - 472
• Game Boy micro - 371

That's not a typo. The Xbox 360 tripled its typical weekly sales, moving units within spitting distance of the PLAYSTATION 3. This week's #2 software seller, Trusty Bell: Chopin's Dream was responsible for that. Too bad Ninja Gaiden Sigma didn't seem to light a fire under PS3 buyers. Michael McWhertor

Media Create Weekly Sales

When asked about downloadable content for Sigma, Yosuke Hayashi confirmed that something was coming, but didn't provide specifics, only that Tecmo will make an announcement soon and that the "content will have some amazing depth for a download!" His exclamation point, not mine.

As mentioned before, there are no plans for Home-related content for the game, but Hayashi promises future Team Ninja titles on the PS3 will support it. What future titles? He's coy about the team's plans, but hints that there "could be an announcement coming in the very near future." I hope "very near future" means somewhere between July 10 and July 13. Michael McWhertor

Q&A: Yosuke Hayashi, Development Director of Ninja Gaiden Sigma [PlayStation.com]

Here are the top ten games sold in Japan for the week of June 11th to the 17th, courtesy of Media Create.

01. DS Observation Training (DS) - 63,439 / 220,810
02. Trusty Bell: Chopin's Dream (360) - 49,334 / NEW
03. Ninja Gaiden Sigma (PS3) - 46,307 / NEW
04. Wii Sports (Wii) - 34,223 / 1,721,611
05. More Brain Age (DS) - 24,901 / 4,374,525
06. Wii Play (Wii) - 22,161 / 1,399,060
07. New Super Mario Bros. (DS) - 19,297 / 4,539,176
08. Moero! Nekketsu Rhythm Damashii: Osu! Tatakae! Ouendan 2 (DS) - 16,879 / 156,867
09. More English Training (DS) - 15,855 / 288,570
10. Brain Age (DS) - 15,405 / 3,467,764

Make the jump for the next twenty, including yet another PS3 game.

11. Professor Layton and the Mysterious Village (DS)
12. Hisshou Pachinko * Pachislot Capture Series Vol. 10 CR - Neon Genesis Evangelion (PS2)
13. Mario Kart DS (DS)
14. Call of Duty 3 (PS3)
15. Momotarou Dentetsu DS: Tokyo & Japan (DS)
16. Animal Crossing Wild World (DS)
17. Yoshi's Island DS (DS)
18. English Training (DS)
19. Super Paper Mario (Wii)
20. Common Knowledge Training (DS)
21. Zaidan Houjin Nippon Kanji Nouryoku Kentei Kounin: KanKen DS (DS)
22. Dragon Ball Z: Shin Budokai - Another Road (PSP)
23. Final Fantasy II (PSP)
24. Final Fantasy Tactics: The Lion War (PSP)
25. Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree (Wii)
26. Gyakuten Saiban 4 (DS)
27. Kekkaishi: Karasumori Ayakashi Kidan (DS)
28. Harvest Moon: The Tree of Peace (DS)
29. Kuriken: Nano Island Story (DS)
30. Pokémon Diamond (DS)

Not much in the way of massive surprises, but two PLAYSTATION 3 games on the chart in a single week? HUGE. Looks like some of the popular DS and Wii staples have just about ended their top of the pops runs, too. Michael McWhertor

What does wicked electric guitar thrashing have to do with Ninja Gaiden? No fuggin' clue, but it's supposedly a look at the behind the scenes portions of the bonus DVD. Regardless, new footage of Ninja Gaiden Sigma in this teaser for the collectors edition of the game shows off some good stuff, including a look at a few of the game's unlockable missions. It also helps confirm my suspicions that continued employment at Tecmo requires one to always wear dark sunglasses, leather and/or leopard print. Michael McWhertor

The PS3's Home looks like it has great potential. Players can conceivably win achievement-like trophies and display them (see above). Sounds fantastic, but we're still somewhat in the dark. Developers should know, right? Making PS3 games an all. Nope! Tecmo's Yosuke Hayashi just finished up PLAYSTATION 3 title Ninja Sigma, and he's clueless. He explains:

I'm really interested in the concept of Home, but SCE hasn't provided any information to us yet on Home, so even if we had an intention of adapting the game, including Home trophy features or whatever, we currently just don't have the information on how to do it.

Yosuke Also Says Rumble Not Necessary [Spong]

The only other addition? A follow up trailer for the Andy Samberg movie Hot Rod. There's always the Ninja Gaiden Sigma demo...

Home beta hopefuls may want to check their inboxes if they haven't done so recently as we hear Sony has been sending out an additional round of invites. Michael McWhertor

For a game that got good Famitsu scores (9,8,8,8), Ninja Gaiden Sigma itself isn't the really marketing focus, but rather big-in-Japan American-born Leah Dizon, who's appearing in the title's TV spots.

On release date (June 14th — don't forget!), Tecmo's holding Sigma rally events at Akihabara retailer AsoBitCity in which players will compete in the game's time attack modes. The prize? Among others, a poster signed by Dizon. I'd actually prefer Ninja Gaiden creator Tomonobu Itagaki and co., but hey, that's just me. Brian Ashcraft

Signed Poster Event [Famitsu]