Itagaki
Latest
Team Ninja to award high-scoring ninjas with branded iPod
Ninja dogs need not apply. This sweet 8gb iPod Nano you're feasting your eyes on will only be attainable by the most skilled assassins in Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. Of course, this is all based on machine translation, so you'll have to forgive us some misinterpretation. It appears that there will be three different ways that folks can enter for their chance at the Nano. For one, there looks to be a specific difficulty setting that will apply to this giveaway, meaning that players who partake in the game while in this difficulty setting can upload their high score for entry. Second, players can collect certain in-game prizes (or tokens, we're assuming). Third, there's an online survey that can be filled out. Seems fairly easy to us, and there will be a total of 15 Nanos up for grabs. The contest period began on March 21st and ends on April 16th. Again, we're not certain this applies to folks outside of Japan, so keep that in mind. %Gallery-4937%
DS Daily: Hopes regarding a certain ninja
Personally, we can't wait for next week, as it sees the release of Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword, the stylus-driven entry in Itagaki's ninjatastic franchise. We're really hoping that the game will help validate other entries in more established franchises on the handheld.Are you all as excited for this game as we are? Did you read some of the reviews and decide for or against the game? Are you as hopeful as we are that the handheld might start seeing some solid 3D action titles now?%Gallery-4937%
Ninja Gaiden 2 Interview, Itagaki on "real violence"
In a relatively short interview with a relatively mainstream news outlet, the head of Team Ninja, Tomonobu Itagaki, gave the UK a bit of an insight into his mind and views. The interview is interspersed through a news post in which the writer discusses Ninja Gaiden 2 in the context of the UK game market (where Manhunt 2 was banned) and the world as a whole. Itagaki is his usual self, providing varying levels of interesting and puzzling. Though maybe it's in the translation, it's hard to mistranslate a guy getting up and pulling out his samurai sword right in front of you. This was in response to the interviewers questioning him on the violence in his game, about which he offered his opinions, namely that violence is not about just dismemberment. Violence in his mind has more to do with the Japanese traditon of putting your enemy to shame. Removing his ability to fight, then watching as he commits suicide out of disgrace. "That's what I consider to be real violence," says Itagaki, according to him,"It's not about lopping off limbs. It is about the relationship between you and your opponent. In order to inflict these dishonouring wounds you would really have to hate your opponent and this is not what this game or this character is about." Itagaki has more than just to say in the interview so get outta here and go read it!
GDC08: Ninja Gaiden II demon-stration
We nearly missed the Gears of War 2 announcement at the end of Microsoft's GDC keynote because of this surprise Ninja Gaiden II demonstration. By the time it finished, we had completely lost consciousness due to an increasingly violent series of glee seizures -- or gleezures. If you plan on watching the direct-feed footage of Team Ninja's forthcoming kill-em-up, we'd advise you to sit well away from coworkers and small children should your delight suddenly begin manifesting in wild arm flailing and uncontrollable pelvic thrusts. Protip: We find that thinking about the awful June 2008 release date has an immediate calming effect. %Gallery-16541%
GDC08: Ninja Gaiden 2 to hit North America June 3, worldwide early June
digg_url = 'http://digg.com/gaming_news/Ninja_Gaiden_2_coming_to_North_America_June_3'; At Microsoft's GDC 2008 keynote address, Tomonobu Itagaki just announced that Ninja Gaiden 2 will be released in North America on June 3, with a worldwide release coming in early June.Itagaki showed off a brand new demo of the game running on "real hardware" at the keynote. The demo level featured battles with enormous winged creatures, a fight on a rickety bridge, and a very, very large sword.
More Ninja Gaiden scan action
Click image to enlarge For those of you who're as excited for Team Ninja's upcoming DS entry in the Ninja Gaiden series, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, as we are, feast your eyes on some fresh scans from Famitsu. It looks like the focus here is on stylus controls and how players will execute everything through the touch screen, from the mundane regular attack to the destructive special attack. Head past the break for the second scan.%Gallery-4937%
Itagaki talks up Ninja Gaiden
It's no secret that we totally love Tomonobu Itagaki. It's a kind of love that few can experience in their life, as it drives you to do things you otherwise wouldn't do. Like, get a restraining order filed against you. It's okay, though. In Itagaki we trust. It's also no secret that Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword is going to be one of the year's most highly-anticipated games on the console. In fact, Itagaki commented that he's been approached with many offers to use his game engine. This could mean more DS games utilizing his innovative stylus-driven control scheme down the line. And, if you needed another reason to pick the game up, listen to Itagaki. He says if you "consider yourself a true gamer, you owe it to yourself to play this game. If you don't, you'll be missing one of the breakthrough experiences in video gaming. This is an incredibly innovative piece of software." We're sold. If you're not, maybe you should download the demo? %Gallery-4937%
X3F TV: X3F Vs. Tomonobu Itagaki
Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, squirrels and hamsters, Xbox 360 Fanboy is pleased to announce the first edition of X3F TV. Readers may recall the video interview with Tomonobu Itagaki we featured a couple weeks ago. Our friends at Gamerscore Blog were kind enough to ask Itagaki-san a question about Ninja Gaiden II for us, and they even provided us with video of the event. We slapped our name on the front and uploaded it for all to see. And now, we're super excited to let you know that those who subscribe to our podcast will find a miniaturized version of the video available for your iPod, Zune, or any media player with MP4 playback. You'll find it listed right after episode 50 of the Xbox 360 Fancast.We're hoping to make this a more regular feature as time goes on, so keep your eyes peeled for the next installment of X3F TV.
2008's Biggest Blips: Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword
Developer: Team Ninja Publisher: Tecmo Release: March There is a certain DS title on the horizon: Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. As a person who enjoys the finer things in life, like the silent "fwip" of a poisoned dart hitting your enemy's throat or the grace of emerging from the shadows to slice your enemy's stomach, spilling his intestines onto the bamboo floor beneath you, this game is likely the focal point of your life right now. Your only reason for accessing DS Fanboy on any kind of regular basis is only in the hopes that there will be new Ninja Gaiden news. If none of this rings true to you, then perhaps some personal reflection is in order. Have you perhaps considered you are not a ninja, nor are you fascinated with the world's most efficient killer? Should this be the case, we have a surefire way to make sure you let in the unimaginable power to dispatch the living and accept the Ninja as the world's most awesome thing ever, all in a matter of days. First of all, we have to list the givens: You must quit your job Leave your loved ones, making sure only to take one internet-accessing device (so you can read the rest of this, unless you want to use a pen and paper like some jerk), one bowl of rice and your DS Make your way to the mountains of Tibet Okay, now you're in Tibet. First thing you need to do is throw out the bowl of rice. Ninja don't get hungry; hunger fears the power of the ninja. The ninja sustains its life through the destruction of its enemies. It feeds on the perfection of silently killing its target and making its way off into the night. Next, you need to hook it up with Google maps and search for your local video rental store. Actually, there aren't that many in Tibet, so head back to your residence (maybe you should have just written this all down or printed it out?). Look up a Hollywood Video or a Blockbuster and go in. Find the nearest employee and ask them to point you toward the Ninja section. If they don't have a Ninja section, pull out your DS and use it to smack that unhelpful person in the face. Then, ask them to point you toward American Ninja. Once face-to-case with the film, you'll have little time before the cops show up. You won't be able to take them on now at this point in your training, so grab everything that says American Ninja on it and duck out of the door. Once out of the store, put your heels to the pavement and run as fast as you can back to your family. As you arrive at your former home, take care to enter as silently as possible. Your former spouse may have found someone new in the period since your departure and your training may need to be accelerated. Your primary goal is to find your VCR or DVD player, extract it and abscond to somewhere safe so that you may view these films. Now is the time to absorb this material and carefully study each and every film in the American Ninja franchise you were able to make off with. You must watch them and emulate every single one of Dudikoff's moves, with your DS's stylus firmly gripped in hand. And only after learning from the master may you attempt your next task: securing your copy of Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. By this time in your ninja career, it is now March and the release of Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword is quickly approaching. It would have to be before you could realistically master the skills of Michael Dudikoff. And now is your true test, as you must leave your dojo in the hunt for Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. Now is the time for real-world practice, as seen in the video above. It is here that your true skills will be put to the test. You have trained hard and you have been faced with many trials. You will have to make your way into a convenient retail location, procure the DS title, pay off the cashier and return to your sanctuary. It is a difficult task. We wish you luck. %Gallery-4937% Professor Layton Back Duck!
Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword unsheathed on March 25
Nintendo's latest release schedule has cut through the fog of ambiguity and pinned the arrival of Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword to the pleasingly specific date of March 25th. We only had "March 2008" to go on before and have thus avoided wasting 24 days of the month scouring shelves and phoning overly smug store clerks. Though Tecmo has told us that the shipping date may change if the final code isn't approved in time, it's the one they're currently targeting like... whatever ham-fisted Ninja metaphor we could work into this sentence. For more information on Ryu Hayabusa's DS debut, check out our hands-on with the game and interview with Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki.
New Ninja Gaiden 2 footage scores A-, B+ and O+
An utterly gratuitous explosion of mangled limbs is just what you need to snap out of that slow, pre-Christmas Friday afternoon. It certainly worked for us, as the above gameplay footage of Xbox 360 kill-em-up, Ninja Gaiden 2, woke us from our keyboard slumber just long enough for a visit to our violent word thesaurus. Decapitate, eviscerate, disembowel, shave, slash, amputate, behead, cleave, sever, lacerate, perforate and abbreviate -- all apply. It seems our language will have to become quite offensive if it's to adequately describe the game before its 2008 release.
New Ninja Gaiden 2 gameplay video is predictably rad
Has the adoration of ninjas and ninja culture become a cliché yet? There's a tingling part of our writers' sense that says "Yes, absolutely." But how are we supposed to stifle the national boner we have for ninjas when new clips of Ninja Gaiden 2 are being released? Especially ones like the above video that show Ryu Hayabusa (again, pardon the cliché) flipping out and killing people with Wolverine claws?The answer: We can't. We might as well revel in videos like this, especially the parts where Ryu faces off against a six-armed demon and the only thing scarier than a six-armed demon: Other ninjas.
Sexual harassment charges against Itagaki dismissed
And so the scalding sake saga comes to an end, with the sexual harassment charges against Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki having been dismissed in the Tokyo District Court. The outspoken game designer was accused last year of behaving inappropriately in the presence of a former female Tecmo employee, allegedly displaying his fondness a bit too forcibly for her liking. With the suit settled and the charges vanquished, Itagaki has been declared an innocent man. "I have held my head high and have fought the good fight for the past year in order to clear my name and to uphold the reputations of Team NINJA and of Tecmo," Itagaki told 1UP. "The former employee's arguments were judged to have been false, and all claims that she has brought against me have been dismissed." We expect he'll be celebrating the occasion by lopping off limbs and hoping this courtroom business remains nothing more than a mammary.
Itagaki expects Ninja Gaiden 2 demo 'at some point'
When Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki tells you Ninja Gaiden II is the greatest action game ever made, he doesn't expect you to take his word for it. No, in today's wondrous online world, he expects you to download the demo and reach that conclusion on your own. Failure to do so, of course, will result in the world's deadliest mammals hurling shurikens through your window and slicing up your special edition copy of Devil May Cry 4. In a video interview with IGN (embedded after the break), the outspoken designer notes that non-believers can look forward to a demo of Ninja Gaiden II at "some point," though we suspect it might be after the game's Spring 2008 release if the tardy Dead or Alive 4 demo is any indication. Not that we need much convincing, mind you -- the interview's talk of mutilated enemies exclaiming "It's only a flesh wound!" before wrapping themselves around your legs and committing C4 seppuku has us convinced.
Go hit up a download station, get Ninja Gaiden
Getting out to a download station is hard work. First we have to apply for an exit permit from our cruel overlords at Joystiq, then we have to put on gobs and gobs of sun block (SPF 8,273, because of our incredibly pale skin). As if that weren't enough, there are also dangers to navigate in the wild, such as screaming children and the chupacabra. So, as you can see, it's tough work. But, you can bet we'll be going through it now that word hits of a new demo on the download station block: Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword. Rumored to be included in a download station near you some time ago, it is now confirmed as reality. As Itagaki fans (and Ninja Gaiden junkies), we're compelled to give the game a download. And we aren't doing it because we want to test it out or anything (we know it'll be great) so that we may come to a decision regarding purchasing the game (we know we'll be buying it). We just need it. [Via Joystiq]
Say it with Itagaki now: Ninja GUY-DEN
In their continuing series on correct pronunciation -- hopefully, you still remember how to say Fils-Aime -- MTV's Multiplayer blog has posted a brief recording with Ninja Gaiden creator Tomonobu Itagaki. In the video posted above, you'll learn how to correctly pronounce Ninja Gaiden (of course, we always said it right, Itagaki-san), Helena, and Itagaki's name itself. While we appreciate the public service announcement, we think Itagaki's time might be better spent doing some Ninja Gaiden anger management counseling. Game be frustrating, yo.[Via Joystiq. Thanks, NitroFrost]
Are you saying 'Ninja Gaiden' correctly?
Today's new pronunciation video from MTV Multiplayer is a threefer, with Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki explaining (in Japanese no less) how you pronounce his name, "Ninja Gaiden" and "Helena" from Dead or Alive 4. What's wonderful is that these are all phrases that you could have the chance to use in your everyday life, such as "2008's game of the year award goes to Ninja Gaiden 2," or "Come on up and get your award Tomonobu Itagaki!" or "Excuse me, Helena, but your breasts are obscuring my view of the acceptance speech."
Itagaki says Dragon Sword is halfway complete
Tomonobu Itagaki has been a busy man, ever since he revealed his fan favorite franchise Ninja Gaiden would be seeing an iteration on the DS in Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword and a sequel on the Xbox 360. He's conducted lots of interviews about the DS game since then, answering the same question as to why he chose the DS over the PSP over and over again. Aside from the almost God-like status he enjoys in the gaming industry, he's quite the unlucky guy. Aside from the quote where he says the game is 50% complete, he also comments on one of our concerns about the handheld title: the elaborate and breathtaking environments. Team Ninja is striving to meet those expectations on the portable platform. Not only that, but the handheld's lead programmer was almost single-handedly responsible for the fighting engine in both Dead or Alive 4 and the first Ninja Gaiden.
New details on Ninja Gaiden 2's violent tendencies
The latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly has a few new details (via Gamers Creed) on the upcoming Xbox 360 bloodbath Ninja Gaiden 2. Developer Team Ninja has added plenty of incentive for dismemberment, as removed limbs will stay on screen (we can only hope this inspires a rather grotesque Katamari Damacy cross-over game). Additionally, there will be "obliteration techniques" that the player can activate by pressing Y after removing a limb. The details are unknown except that the camera zooms in, but we can only assume that entails protagonist Ryu totally flipping out and killing people in some stylish fashion. The techniques vary based on what weapon you're using and what body part you just removed. Some of the stages are modeled after -- and possibly named after -- real world locations, including Tokyo, Times Square and Venice. (The Statue of Liberty was previously spotted in the TGS demo.) Expect cooperative attacks from enemies and unfortunately (but unsurprisingly) no multiplayer in the final game. Ninja Gaiden 2, being published by Microsoft, is due out Spring 2008. [Via X3F]
Itagaki speaks his mind in this two-part video interview
Itagaki was kind enough to take some time out of his busy schedule of making great games and shopping for leather to speak with GameTrailers about Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. Of course, they grilled him on just why he would go with the DS instead of the PSP (how many times must this man answer this question?!), but kept the piece interesting by sprinkling gameplay footage throughout the videos. Hit up the second part of the video interview past the post break.
