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Team Ninja's 'Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty' comes to consoles and PC on March 3rd
Team Ninja's demon-slayer 'Wo Long: Fallen Dynasty' comes to consoles and PCs on March 3rd.
'Rise of the Ronin' is a historical action RPG from the team behind 'Nioh'
The studio behind Nioh plans to take PlayStation fans on an adventure through Meiji-era Japan.
Final Fantasy Souls-like 'Stranger in Paradise' arrives March 18th
A timed multiplayer demo is available now on PS5 and Xbox Series X/S.
'Stranger of Paradise Final Fantasy Origin' is a violent spin-off from the 'Nioh' team
Team Ninja and Tetsuo Nomura aren't pulling any punches.
'Nioh 2' killed me 14 times in 90 minutes
Over the course of 90 minutes, I died 14 times. I was drowned, beaten, burned, cut down, crushed by a stone mallet the size of a small Volkswagen and repeatedly impaled on the pointy ends of very sharp spears. But despite my initial negative expectations for Nioh 2, the upcoming samurai action RPG from Team Ninja, I enjoyed almost every bloody minute of it.
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round nets copycat schoolgirl, Honoka
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round was never exactly short on female representation, but one more can't hurt, right? Meet Honoka, a schoolgirl fighter (as in, a schoolgirl who fights, not someone who beats up schoolgirls) who, according to a press release, can instantly learn any fighting move she sees. Honoka has used this ability to create her own fighting style, which she calls "Honoka Fu." Unfortunately, while Honoka is a skilled fighter, she is not a particularly practiced one. Her punches pack less of a whollop than other, more seasoned fighters, unless she is using her "Hissatsu-no-Kamae" stance. In this stance, Honoka possesses a much higher amount of strength and is capable of using moves she has never seen from any fighter. You can see her moves and stances in action after the break. Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is due in the Xbox One, Xbox 360, PS3, PS4 and PC fighting rings on February 17.
Dead or Alive 5 Last Round to hit PC, but online play's in limbo
The Dead or Alive series is coming to Windows PC for the first time, with DoA 5 Last Round confirmed for a Steam launch alongside console versions on February 17, 2015. However, much like the fighter's array of characters, not everything will be covered by launch time. According to its Steam page, Last Round will arrive on PC without online modes, and it will take up to three months for them to be patched in. Publisher Koei Tecmo didn't offer any explanation for the belated online play in this week's press release or on the Steam page. The listing simply states that "online modes for Dead or Alive 5 Last Round will be added in a patch within three months of release."
Team Ninja's Ni-Oh is not dead-oh, needs 'a little time'
We wouldn't blame you if you didn't remember the announcement and reveal of Tecmo Koei's Ni-Oh - it's been eight years since the game reared its samurai armor-clad head during a non-playable demo at the 2006 Tokyo Game Show. Since then, it went dark and was later revived as a Team Ninja project - albeit a very quiet one. However, the wait may finally be coming to a close. "I have heard rumors that it's been stopped, but it's actually very much in development," Team Ninja Producer Yosuke Hayashi told GamesBeat in an interview. "We still need a little time before showing it off, but it is starting to come together and feel good. You should definitely keep an eye out for it in the future." Ni-Oh will have some fairly infamous company, should it ever actually see the light of day: Duke Nukem Forever and Aliens: Colonial Marines also saw numerous periods of quiet and multiple developers jumping onboard before release, and well ... we don't really have to tell you how well they went over. But then, Xbox 360 game Prey was also in that boat, and it was ... alright.
Report: Dead or Alive 5: Last Round sees 2 new fighters
On top of its upgraded and expanded content, Dead or Alive 5: Last Round will feature two new fighters, one female and one male, Siliconera reports. The lady fighter is new to the Dead or Alive franchise, while Koei Tecmo hasn't clarified whether the dude fighter is a returning character. The female fighter – and presumably other characters – will be developed with Koei Tecmo's new Soft Engine, which is tuned to better depict "softness" and "warmth" of characters' bodies, the site reports. Dead or Alive and Dead or Alive 2's "The Danger Zone" stage will make an appearance in Last Round as well. Dead or Alive 5: Last Round is in development for PS3, Xbox 360, PS4 and Xbox One, and it's due out in spring 2015. [Image: Koei Tecmo]
Hyrule Warriors review: Moblin warfare
Though The Legend of Zelda series includes some of the most beloved games of all time, Hyrulean protagonist Link has seen some less than stellar adventures in the hands of developers not named Nintendo. Capcom's Oracle of Seasons and Oracle of Ages Game Boy games were excellent, but both relied on gameplay elements and graphics borrowed from Nintendo's own The Legend of Zelda: Link's Awakening. More notorious are the three CD-i games which transplanted Link into a wholly new gameplay style that's best described as a hybrid of the sidescrolling stages of the second Legend of Zelda game and an unending litany of poor design decisions. The less said about the games' baffling take on Nintendo character design, the better. Despite this disappointing history, Nintendo has now granted Koei Tecmo – more specifically, its most notable developers, Omega Force and Team Ninja – the rights to craft their own Legend of Zelda entry, a melee-focused Wii U spin-off dubbed Hyrule Warriors. It would be difficult to match the depressing legacy left by the CD-i entries, but it seems an even more daunting task to match Nintendo's pedigree of sterling high-fantasy adventures. Fortunately for fans of both The Legend of Zelda and Koei Tecmo's flagship musou brawlers, Hyrule Warriors is successful on nearly every level.
Dead or Alive 5: Last Round returns on last generation too
When it launches next spring, Dead or Alive: Last Round - pinkie promise - is going to be the second re-release of Team Ninja's fighter to hit Xbox 360 and PS3. In fairness to DOA5, Street Fighter 4 is already up to three on that count. As revealed over the weekend, the new version is also coming to PS4 and Xbox One where Team Ninja boss Yosuke Hayashi promises "the most graphically striking version of any Dead or Alive game ever." For returning players moving to PS4 and Xbox One, Koei Tecmo said previously bought DLC is transferable from last-gen consoles to the new ones. For a first look at Last Round, check out the new trailer below the break.
Hyrule Warriors' adventure mode has NES Zelda appeal
Nintendo offered new details on Hyrule Warriors during a Nintendo Direct livestream last night dedicated to spilling new beans on the game. The Tecmo Koei-developed offering will include an adventure mode that features a NES-style map inspired by the original Legend of Zelda. In it, players hack through levels with unique victory conditions, such as "defeat 300 enemies in 10 minutes," acquiring and using classic items from the Zelda series to find rare goods like heart containers. Additionally, Zelda fans will appreciate the familiar ability to chop away at grass in Hyrule Warriors and attack the chicken-like Cuccos, which will attack players after enough unjust damage has been done to the creatures. The livestream also touched on the game's leveling and skill/equipment crafting system; we've embedded the full Hyrule Warriors Direct stream for your viewing pleasure. Hyrule Warriors will launch September 26 for Wii U, and those that register their copies on Club Nintendo by October 23 will receive two Ganondorf costumes. [Image: Nintendo]
Kasumi clone 'Phase-4' joins Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate roster
Because Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate can never have enough slight variations on franchise protagonist Kasumi, the developer has unveiled "Phase-4," a new character who is quite literally a clone of the series' most famous kunoichi. Unveiled alongside the 1.07 patch (which squashes a handful of bugs, but is otherwise largely focused on fleshing out Phase-4), this latest iteration of Kasumi shares a few of the original's moves, though as you can see in the above trailer, Phase-4 adds a unique, smoky touch to everything she does. Even her alternate costumes are mysterious. They all seem to bear the trademark hyper-sexuality that Team Ninja infuses into all of its games, but Phase-4's various costumes generally revolve around a hood, making her the most brooding, angsty version of Kasumi to date. Publisher Tecmo Koei has a long history of releasing dozens of paid DLC offerings for its games, and Phase-4 is no exception. Those hoping to add the new fighter to Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate face a $6 cover charge. Assuming you've got that kind of cash, Phase-4 can now be found on both the Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. [Image: Tecmo Koei]
Female Tengu trolling Dead or Alive Ultimate later this month
Another character set to join the ranks of the Dead or Alive fighters has been revealed, and this one is quite a monster. Literally. The character is Female Tengu, a gender-swapped version of the Dead or Alive 2 final boss, Tengu. Team Ninja tweeted teasers of the character earlier in the week, but it was through Japanese magazine Famitsu that the developer announced this would be a new character and not a costume for an existing character. That being said, judging by her reveal trailer, her fighting style and combos are very similar to the original Tengu's, if not downright identical. Well, at least they ditched the male's giant nose, if only to replace it with some huge hair. Seriously girl, how long it take you to get ready in the morning? Dang! Female Tengu joins a(nother) clone of Kasumi and a young girl with Lolita fashion sense as some of the franchise's freshest faces. She will be released to console versions of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate in Japan later this month. [Image: Tecmo Koei]
Report: Hyrule Warriors coming to Japan on August 14
Tecmo Koei's Wii U crossover brawler Hyrule Warriors is hitting store shelves in Japan on August 14, Japanese magazine Famitsu reports (via Siliconera). Launching in Japan with the title Zelda Musou, Hyrule Warriors pits The Legend of Zelda series protagonist Link against spawning hordes of familiar foes. Famitsu additionally reports that the project is a collaboration between Dynasty Warriors series developer Omega Force and Team Ninja producers Hisashi Koinuma and Yosuke Hayasahi. A North American release date for Hyrule Warriors has not been announced. [Image: Tecmo Koei]
Joystiq Weekly: GDC 2014, Infamous, Metal Gear Solid and more
Welcome to Joystiq Weekly, a "too long; didn't read" of each week's biggest stories, reviews and original content. Each category's top story is introduced with a reactionary gif, because moving pictures aren't just for The Daily Prophet. We saw many great games and met with many great people during this year's Game Developers Conference in sunny San Francisco. Or did we? One of the biggest announcements of the show was undoubtedly Project Morpheus, the upcoming virtual reality headset from Sony, and during our hands-on demo, we felt pretty darn virtual. So now the question is: What if we didn't really attend GDC 2014? What if it was all virtual reality? Whoa, dude. Sony also gained news traction this week thanks to the release of PS4-exclusive, Infamous: Second Son. Meanwhile, Snake/Jack Bauer has come out of retirement (again) to save the world in Metal Gear Solid 5: Ground Zeroes, and a new cyborg ninja came to town with the release of Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z. You can read all about these games and more of the week's biggest and best after the break. [Image: Joystiq]
DOA5 Ultimate getting more new characters, eventual DLC pack
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate will be adding more new faces to its roster, developer Team Ninja tweeted today. The fighters will be introduced into arcade versions of the game first, and come to consoles later. Team Ninja also announced that the yet-to-be-revealed fighters will be grouped together as part of a "New Characters" set after all of them have made their way to DOA5 Ultimate Arcade, but that such a pack would not be available for at least six months. Marie Rose, the newest fighter to the DOA universe, will be punching and kicking her way across PS3 on March 25, and Xbox 360 one day later. [Image: Tecmo Koei]
Report: Team Ninja working on PlayStation 4 game after Yaiba
Ninja Gaiden developer Team Ninja will shift its development focus to an unnamed PlayStation 4 game after shipping its current project, Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z, according to a Dengeki Online report (via Gematsu). "First, we will release Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z for PS3 and Xbox 360, which we joint-developed with the Inafune-led company Comcept," Team Ninja studio head Yosuke Hayashi said, translated by Gematsu. "Additionally, we're also developing a PlayStation 4 title internally, so please look forward to future updates." No further details regarding the team's coming PS4 project were revealed. Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z is scheduled to launch for the PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 and PC on March 18 in North America. [Image: Tecmo Koei]
Yaiba Ninja Gaiden Z delayed, comic series from Dark Horse begins
Like a zombie slowly shuffling toward tasty, tasty brains, the release date for Yaiba: Ninja Gaiden Z has limped from March 4, 2014 to March 18. For those who can't wait to witness zombie murder at the hands of a ninja cyborg, however, Team Ninja and Dark Horse Comics have released the first of a three-part comic series that provides insight into the world and story of the upcoming game. Written by Tim Seeley (Army of Darkness vs. Hack/Slash) and Josh Emmons (Ex Sanguine), the debut issue has main character Yaiba explaining how his sword came to be known as "Heartless." Just a wild guess here, but we're going to wager it has something to do with it being used to kill a lot of people. Maybe we're wrong, though! You can find out by downloading the first issue for free from the Dark Horse digital store or via the iOS or Android apps. The comic will also be available in physical format when the game releases.
Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate bringing Marie Rose to consoles this spring
Springtime will see Marie Rose blossom onto the console versions of Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate, Team Ninja revealed. As reported by Siliconera and Shoryuken, her addition will be preceded by a February update, bringing - what else - new costumes to the brawler. To recap, Dead or Alive 5 Ultimate is the expanded re-release of the 2012 game, adding new stages, characters, modes, and the like. As for Marie Rose, Team Ninja added the Lolita madam to the arcade version of DoA5U back in November, finally filling the game's dearth of scantily-clad ladies. There's no confirmation these dates apply outside of Japan, but the good news is that DoA5 updates have traditionally been concurrent or thereabouts across the globe.
