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Ninja Gaiden

xbox 360 spring showcase

Itagaki: No More Ninja Gaiden, This Was My Swan Song

In an interview with Kotaku earlier today Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki said that he doesn't plan on making any more Ninja Gaiden games for any platforms following the release of Ninja Gaiden II for the Xbox 360.

"Personally I think we were able to create the definitive 3D game in this series so I'm not planing on making any other games in the series," Itagaki said through a translator. "So I hope fans treat this as a swan song for the franchise.

"I think we were able to achieve everything we wanted with this game so anything else would be extraneous."

When asked if he plans on making a "swan song" Ninja Gaiden title for the PlayStation 3, Itagaki replied " that would be ridiculous."

Instead, the creator of the beloved franchise said he wants to make something that is "totally new, completely unrelated to anything I've done before. Not any part of any existing franchises."

Itagaki said what he'd like to do is work on another action title or perhaps a war themed game, perhaps something set in the Pacific Theater during World War II.

More »

ninja gaiden

Great Games For Kids: Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword?

Chris Plante has an interesting post up on kid's games — well, sort of. Following the idea that there's no reason to patronize children with edutainment and titles aimed specifically at wee munchkins, he argues there are plenty of games that grown up gamers play and love that are appropriate for kids, including ... Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword for the DS? Well, yes — with a few caveats. But why a Ninja Gaiden game of all things? It's all in the mechanics:

I call it the scribble factor. On the normal setting, the player can wildly scribble across the screen, mostly back and forth between enemies, and fair pretty well. Eventually, they must learn to make distinct and correct pen strokes to progress, but by that appointment they have a move-set so exciting and large it allows for plenty of creativity. The complexity's nice for advanced gamers. The scribble factor's great for a young player, creating a sense of wonder as the game translates his simple movements into elaborate, elegant attacks.
Some interesting food for thought on what makes for good 'children's' games.

Baby's First Sword [Hardcasual]


review

Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword Review: Tap That Assassin

Team Ninja's stab at bad-ass ninja action on the Nintendo DS has arrived, with Ryu Hayabusa and the demon ninja hordes he must defeat looking tinier than ever in Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. The game is almost entirely controlled by simple stylus motions, using techniques that may already be familiar to DS gamers who have played The Legend of Zelda: Phantom Hourglass. While the scope may be smaller, the team at Tecmo doesn't appear to have skimped on the production values.

The question is, however, can the white knuckle action of Team Ninja's Ninja Gaiden work on a handheld? We'll tell you what we loved and hated in the review.

More »

ninja gaiden ii

Ninja Gaiden II Demo In May

You thirst for blood. Don't be coy. You see Ninja Gaiden II screens, and you struggle to control yourself. I know you. Well, hopefully May will bring some kind of relief, as the game's website says that's when a demo will be turning up on the Xbox Live Marketplace. Should be more than enough time for you to keep it all together before the game's release in June.

ninja gaiden

Team Ninja, The iPod

DS game NINJA GAIDEN Dragon Sword is on sale. People are buying it! And to encourage those people along, Tecmo's Team NINJA is running a special campaign from March 21st to April 16th, giving away 15 iPod 8GB Nanos to those Japan-based gamers who complete the game with the highest "Karma" score. Nice of Tecmo to give those away. Better yet, nice of Tecmo to trust people not to hack the game. Then again, it is just an 8GB iPod Nano...
Team NINJA Nano [IT Media]

tecmo

Let's Ask Itagaki About Tecmo Bowl!

Tecmo is best known for Ninja Gaiden, Dead or Alive and Tecmo Bowl. Since Tomonobu Itagaki works at Tecmo and since MTV was interviewing Itagaki, they asked when Tecmo was going to revitalize Tecmo Bowl. Says Itagaki:

To be honest that was a totally different division that made that announcement, so I have no idea what's going on with that... I'm in a tough position because when I am making Dead or Alive, for instance, all the Ninja Gaiden fans say quit messing around with Dead or Alive and make a sequel to Ninja Gaiden. When I'm making a new Ninja Gaiden, all the Dead or Alive fans are like, "You have to quit that and start making Dead or Alive. And that's tough enough as it is, but I also get letters all the time for the past 10 years from Tecmo Bowl fans saying, "When are you going to resurrect that franchise?" So it's tough being in my position.

Tough, indeed. Itagaki didn't even mention all the boozing and badassery that's expected of him. Oh, the pressure!
New Tecmo Bowl [MTV] [Pic]

vc update

Ninja Gaiden III, Phantasy Star II - Ninja Wins!

More ninja goodness! First we discover that N+ is hitting Xbox Live Arcade this Wednesday, and now the weekly Wii Virtual Console reveals the final chapter of the early life of everybody's favorite ninja, Ryu Hayabusa, will be hitting today. Did someone announce a sequel to Day of the Ninja without telling me? Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom for the NES (500 points) finds Ryu framed for the murder of FBI agent Irene Lew, clearing his name by stealthily killing many things. As if this wasn't enough, we're also getting the RPG classic Phantasy Star II for the Genesis (800 points), one of the greatest console games of all time. If I had any doubts that there's still some good stuff waiting in the wings for the Virtual Console, this week's update put them to rest. One of the best release weeks yet! More »

clips

Pronounce Ninja Gaiden Right, You Ninja Dogs

Sorry, Flynn, but it's not NIN-JA GAY-DUN, it's NIN-JA GUY-DEN. As in N'Gai Croal. I officially win our debate. Team Ninja's master ninja Tomonobu Itagaki—don't worry he helps with the pronunciation of that, too—provides the sound-off in the latest MTV Multiplayer pronunciation guide, even throwing in the proper way to say "Helena", something I wasn't even aware was an issue. Sorry, Canada and the UK, you know the deal with this MTV video nonsense. Ask a friend in the U.S. to give you the gory details.

How To Say 'Ninja Gaiden' The Right Way, From Itagaki-San Himself [MTV Multiplayer]


too hot for tv

Itagaki Doesn't Want To Hang With The Censored

Team Ninja's fearless leader and boozemaster Tomonobu Itagaki is one of the last people you'd expect to answer to The Man, but he's actually pretty OK with it.

I don't believe the adage that the artist should be able to express whatever he wants is necessarily applicable in this case, because we're creating entertainment. And entertainment shouldn't include things that make people feel uncomfortable or extremely upset...[and] people out there that want to create something that is very far removed from societal norms and the moral sensibilities of the general public ... They're unfortunate, and I don't want to be grouped in with that group of people.
Who does want to be grouped with those weirdo people?? We're with you all the way! But, uhh...what's with all the decapitation?

More »

tgs07

Justify Your Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword


After a long Kotaku interview session, Team Ninja's commander and chief Tomonobu Itagaki justified his upcoming Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword for DS. And somewhere along the line, if you study the video very closely, we make complete assholes of ourselves. It's a first, we know.

microsoft

NInja Gaiden 2 Confirmed

We saw the leaked screens this morning, but Microsoft just confirmed, in their presser, that Ninja Gaiden 2 is official. More in the liveblog. Release date: 2008.

wcg

Itagaki Shows Vaguely Human Display of Emotion

With the sunglasses and leather jacket, you could get the idea that DoA and Ninja Gaiden creator Tomonobu Itagaki comes is cold and distant. Like he's just sneering at us, releasing bastard hard games and waiting for his next whiskey straight. But wait! Here he is. And he's actually touching another human in a friendly way. It's like the game creator is human. Or something. There's good reason why he's so pleased! That dude Itagaki has his arm around is a regular Dead or Alive finalist in the WorldCyberGames. The WCG 2007 finals aren't until October, but prelims were held in Tokyo with Dead or Alive 4. Is that curled lip a slight smile on Itagaki's face? Impossible!
WCG Prelims [Game Watch Impress]

hunger pangya

More Super Swing Golf, Now With Rachel

Wii owners may not be on the receiving end of proper new-gen Ninja Gaiden appreciation from Tecmo, but they are going to feel the PangYa love when the company releases Super Swing Golf 2 this year. You're readin' it right—the Wii is getting yet another golf game. More »

ninja

Itagaki Talks Motivation, Cabbage

Team Ninja's chief ninja and Dead or Alive mastermind Tomonobu Itagaki is one competitive dude. He says that the projects he's currently working aren't just good, but good. So much so that they'll destroy the hopes and dreams of other developers. Itagaki explains:

I'd like to show everybody some of the new stuff that we've been working on in the near future. The only problem with that is that when the other developers see what we're doing, they're going to lose all of their motivation to create any game in the same genre, because there's no way they can beat it.

And when he's not making life difficult for his colleagues, Itagaki is doing it for gamers. His titles are often notoriously challenging. Why does Itagaki like making such hard games? Cabbage. According to him:

I wouldn't want to go into a cabbage field with a big knife or a scythe or something and just start cutting down thousands and thousands of heads of cabbage. That's not something I would find fun. I do think there are probably some people out there who want that kind of experience when playing a game. That's why, when it comes down to the number of enemies on-screen, I'd rather have good enemies than just a lot of enemies. That's why I don't buy into the philosophy of, "Look! We have a thousand heads of cabbage on screen at once, isn't this great?!"

That reminds me, I need to go to the supermarket, pick up half a head of cabbage — we're having okonomiyaki for dinner. Thanks! More »

shrimpin'

Ninja Gaiden Coming To Wii (Virtual Console That Is)

Yes, Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden is finally making its way to the Wii. It's not the new Tomonobu Itagaki-designed Ninja Gaiden, however, but the classic NES version chronicling the side-scrolling, Ninpo-wielding adventures of Ryu Hayabusa. The 1989 classic, in which you ultimately challenge a giant demon-shrimp, recently appeared on the ESRB's ratings site, indicating a Wii Virtual Console release is imminent. More »

man of inaction

What's Wrong With Action Games?

Action. I love it! God of War, Ninja Gaiden, Devil May Cry, Otogi... nothing beats a button-mashing, blister-forming beat 'em up. Throw in some smart platforming and basic puzzle-solving and you're golden. Too bad all action games suck. More »

clips

Clip: Is That A Ninja In Your Pocket?

Fresh from the Tecmo's Spring press conference, witness Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword in action.

I'm not sure if the whole sideways DS control thing gives it a storybook feel (good) or a cell phone game vibe (bad). Whatever the case may be, it is nice to see Team Ninja doing something other than endlessly tweaking the same three games over and over again.

tecmo

Ninja Gaiden Comes To... DS

In the most recent issue of Famitsu, Tecmo and Team Ninja reveal that their upcoming unannounced Nintendo DS title is, unsurprisingly, a Ninja Gaiden spin-off. More »