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Fan requests didn't change 'Nioh' too much
In an age where developers seemingly bend over backwards to accommodate fan requests (cough, the Mass Effect 3 ending, cough), Team Ninja decided to buck that for its latest game, Nioh. That's not to say that the developer didn't take feedback to heart for its samurai action title, just not all of it according to a post on the PlayStation Blog.
'Dead or Alive' VR is basically sexual assault, the game
PlayStation VR is going to launch with a game that allows players to sexually assault a woman who is actively asking them to stop. Yes, that's exactly as gross as it sounds and yes, of course the game is Dead or Alive Xtreme 3. The game's virtual reality update is slated to launch on the same day as PlayStation VR, and features a handful of experiences designed to let players ogle the female body. A video from Gamer.ne.jp shows that one of these game modes features active harassment -- allowing a player to continually touch a woman who is verbally protesting.
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z's classic side-scrolling mode spotted in new trailer, screens
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z will receive a special Ninja Gaiden Z mode, Team Ninja announced. The retro-inspired mode offers side-scrolling action similar to past games in the series along with 8-bit-style cut scenes and menus. In addition to the trailer and screens showing off the classic game mode, the developer issued an additional quirky parody trailer, seen after the break. What's more, Team Ninja noted that the game's main character Yaiba will receive a downloadable alternate costume thanks to a collaboration with Comcept. Players will have the ability to dress their ninja warrior up like Beck, the lead character of Keiji Inafune's Mighty No. 9. Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is slated to launch on March 4, 2014 for PC, Xbox 360 and PS3.
Toukiden: The Age of Demons will start a war on February 11 on Vita
Don't you just love our eternal peace between the human race and demons? Yeah, I bet the people of Toukiden: The Age of Demons loved it too, right until their realm connected with the Otherworld and they fought a week-long battle against their extinction by the claws of the Oni. A group known as the Slayers have protected humans since that day, and you'll be able to help them reclaim their land on February 11, provided you're practiced in the art of wielding samurai swords a Vita. Toukiden follows the quest of a Slayer that's looking to thin the Oni's herd, but since characters, weapons and armor will be customizable, they'll do it while proving themselves as an individual. With six different weapon types available such as swords, bows and metal gauntlets, forming a diverse hunting group with NPCs should be simple enough. If you'd rather amplify the joy and frustration involved with teamwork, multiplayer stages will also let you team up with real life friends. You can watch details roll onto the game's website until its February launch, or you can join us in our blind fear of the Drumble, which our scientific assumption tells us is a botched cross breed of an alligator and a corgi. We will never sleep again.
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z pits cyborg ninja against zombies next March
Spark Unlimited, Team Ninja and Comcept collaboration Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z has been pegged for a March 4, 2014 launch in the US on Xbox 360, PS3 and PC through Steam. Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z centers around anti-hero Yaiba Kamikaze - a ninja who massacres his entire clan for perceived weakness. After dying by the hand of Ninja Gaiden series protagonist Ryu Hayabusa during a duel, Kamikaze is then resurrected as a cyborg by a mysterious corporation, which forces him to embark on a quest to quell a zombie outbreak in exchange for the power to enact his revenge on Hayabusa. Team Ninja told Joystiq back in August that the Unreal Engine 3-powered slash-em-up is its own thing - not a spin-off or sequel. Team Ninja went on to say it would love to pursue a sequel, granted Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z manages to find an audience. And if the latest trailer above is any indication, that target audience is folks who enjoy terrible, cringe-worthy euphemisms.
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate has online 2 vs. 2, a new ranking system and a lot of costumes
In addition to the new characters, stages, and modes, Tecmo has announced that Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate will update its Grade Point system, add a new Character Points system, an online two vs. two tag mode, and have 231 costumes to choose from when the game launches on September 3 for Xbox 360 and PS3. Character Points will let you know how good an opponent is with the fighter they've selected, as well as their world ranking. Meanwhile, the four-player online tag mode will pit two teams of two players each against each other. Both winning players in an online tag match earn Grade Points, which count towards unlocking new costumes. Sadly, we're relatively certain none of the costumes will be a thong bikini for the sexiest of DOA's fighters, Bass.
Rumor: Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate coming to PS3/360
An enhanced version of last year's Dead or Alive 5, dubbed Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, will fight its way onto the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 at some point in the future, according to a story at Siliconera. The announcement, made in the pages of the latest issue of Famitsu, states that Ninja Gaiden's Momiji will be added as a playable fighter. Momiji's inclusion in a new Dead or Alive project was teased during a Japanese tournament late last month. We've reached out to Tecmo Koei for more information and will update with anything we learn regarding North American and European plans.
Fatal Frame 2 comes into focus on PSN next week
Fatal Frame 2: Crimson Butterfly will arrive on PlayStation Network next Tuesday. Upping the ante on the original Fatal Frame's haunted mansion, Fatal Frame 2 stars a pair of twins investigating an entire haunted village. The series' trademark Camera Obscura returns, allowing players to exorcise evil, terrifying spirits merely by taking their picture. The catch: The closer the ghost is, the more damage it takes and the more points you get for upgrading the camera. In other words, if you want to be really good at Fatal Frame, you'll have to be willing to scare yourself as much as possible. The original Fatal Frame came to PSN last month.
Fatal Frame snaps a selfie on PSN this week
The original Fatal Frame is scheduled to launch on PSN this Tuesday, as revealed on the PlayStation Blogcast. Fatal Frame enters the PSN Store as a PS2 Classic, and it never leaves because that's how horror works. Tecmo's first installment in the Fatal Frame series introduces Miku, a young girl who can see spirits. Her brother, who shares her powers, goes missing, and Miku tracks him to a derelict mansion. There, she picks up her mother's Camera Obscura, a device that captures souls on film, and must navigate out of the mansion while still searching for her brother.Be on the lookout for Fatal Frame's official announcement in the PSN drop this week.
PSA: Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge demo out today on PS3, Xbox
The recently announced demo of Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge now has a release date: today. The demo is available now on PSN. Meanwhile, the Xbox Live version has yet to appear, though Tecmo tells Joystiq that is "definitely slated to go live today." The demo allows players to take on different sections of the game as either the series longstanding hero Ryu Hayabusa, or the purple-haired kunoichi, Ayane.
Report: Tecmo Koei Canada closing
Tecmo Koei Canada will close at the end of March, according to a company official speaking with the Financial Post. The Toronto-based studio was responsible for console games Fatal Inertia and Fatal Inertia EX, and mobile games My Monster Rancher and Samurai Cats.We've reached out to Tecmo for confirmation of the studio's closure, and will update as we learn more.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus trailer sums up Vita additions
This trailer showcases the new modes and tweaks coming to Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Plus when it arrives on February 26. It certainly showcases the characters' new outfits too. Along with the trailer, Tecmo Koei also revealed GameStop pre-order bonuses of limited edition costumes for the three ladies. %Gallery-177518%
Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z will slice its way to Xbox and PS3
Previously announced only for "consoles," it appears that Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z will be heading specifically to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The news comes via a batch of job listings for developer Spark Unlimited (which is also handling Lost Planet 3), which identify Yaiba as "a bold new take on 3rd Person slasher with Horror elements for the PS3 and Xbox 360."So there you have it, any fears (hopes?) that Yaiba would debut only on the next generation of consoles have been cut down like a cybernetic zombie ninja.
Dead or Alive 5 Plus tags Europe and Australia on March 22
The official Dead or Alive 5 website has outed the European and Australian release date for the upcoming Vita version, Dead or Alive 5 Plus. The portable fighter will arrive on March 22 in these regions, except for lucky France, which apparently gets it a day earlier. The US version of the Dead or Alive 5 site, however, has no release date listed.
Free Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge DLC calls in Kasumi
A third female ninja has been promised for Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. During today's Nintendo Direct livestream, Team Ninja boss Yosuke Hayashi confirmed the Mugen Tenshin ninja clan outcast Kasumi would be added to the game as a playable character.Kasumi will be a free addition to Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, though no word on when Kasumi would be available. The other two free additional characters include Momiji – who will be available for download sometime this month – and Ayane, who is included on the disc.
Ninja Gaiden infiltrates the 3DS eShop next week
Retro gaming fans can snag the original Ninja Gaiden on the 3DS next week, according to a Virtual Console listing on the eShop right now. The listing gives it a price of $4.99 and a December 6 launch date, though Ninja Gaiden was originally slated to launch on the 3DS Virtual Console back in November.The latest installment in the series, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, just launched on the Wii U. Our review notes its many improvements over the lackluster original release.
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge review: Sharpened
Keep track of all of Joystiq's Wii U launch coverage on our Wii U hub page! Team Ninja has always done better on the rebound, and Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge is a testament to this fact. The technical excellence of the 2004's Ninja Gaiden was one-upped in Ninja Gaiden Sigma. Ninja Gaiden 2 was improved dramatically in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. Razor's Edge carries that trend forward into the series' latest entry, with surprising results. It's one thing to turn a great game into an even better one, but to turn a once-terrible game into a launch lineup highlight? Impossible!Apparently not. Team Ninja cuts liberally from Ninja Gaiden 3 in Razor's Edge, stripping away everything from the obnoxious "steel on bone" QTE-style button mashery to the multitude of joy-killing sequences in which players guide a stumbling, curse-afflicted Ryu through neutered enemy encounters. Even the questionable presentation is erased, exemplified by an early moment that forces Ryu, and thus the player, to murder a man in cold blood as he pleads for his life. This insufferable moment has been excised from Razor's Edge, and for that we can all be thankful.%Gallery-165268%
Momiji strikes from the shadows in free Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge DLC in December
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge has a cameo from Ryu's apprentice Momiji. Nintendo announced the free character DLC will be available in the Wii U port sometime in December, unlocking the Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword heroine for use in Challenge and Ninja Trials modes.Momiji is the second playable character added to Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge, joining Dead or Alive's pink-haired pugilist, Ayane. In addition to the extra characters, the Wii U port tosses in a new Challenge mode that lets you go through the campaign as any playable character, plus an online co-op mode for up to two players.
Those Dead or Alive 5 swimsuits are available for purchase now
We're sure there's a subset of the gaming population who didn't pre-order Dead or Alive 5 from GameStop or Amazon, only to burst into tears when they later realized that the swimsuit costumes were exclusive to those retailers. This one's for you.The following Dead or Alive 5 swimsuit packs are now available for $3 or 240 MS Points via PSN and XBLM: Angels (white suits for Kasumi, Hitomi and Leifang), Devils (black for Ayane, Christie and Tina) and DOATEC Divas (bunny ears for Kokoro, Lisa and Helena).For $5 (360 MS Points) grab the Player's Swimwear Pack 1 with bikini'd out Kasumi, Kokoro, Helena and Sarah; Pack 2 with Hitomi, Leifang, Mila and Pai charm; or Pack 3 for Ayane, Christie, Tina and Lisa. The Player's Swimwear Set includes all three Swimwear Packs for $13 (1040 MS Points).Dry those tears. It'd be a shame to get these swimsuits wet.
Dead or Alive 5's third set of costumes hits PSN in Japan October 30
Rounds of Dead or Alive 5 costume packs are apparently rolling out every two weeks, after a PlayStation Japan update revealed the third set is coming to that country's PSN on October 30. There's no mention of what costumes are being included, or of them coming to PSN in other regions on the same date.The initial free costume pack dropped worldwide on October 2, then a slew of packs arrived two days ago, two weeks after the first pack. We'd say logic takes us to another round of costume packs for North America's XBLM and PSN on October 30, but we know better than to apply rational thinking to a Dead or Alive game.