From Software
Latest
Tenchu 4 PSP trailer showcases plenty of ninja action
From Software just released a Japanese trailer for the PSP version of Tenchu 4 and it has everything one would expect from a game of the stealth-action franchise. Check it out after the jump -- badass ninjas sneaking around at night, check. Villain with a maniacal laugh, check. Blades piercing various people, check. Damsel in distress, check. The graphics also look like they haven't suffered a downgrade compared to the Wii version. Still no word yet on a US release.And last but not least, the trailer confirms the inclusion of kittens in the game. Is it too early to crown Tenchu 4 GOTY?[Via Siliconera]
Ninja Blade demo online, plays nice with all systems
Remember a few days ago when we said the Ninja Blade demo would make its way to the Japanese Marketplace? We're not saying we're magic or anything but as Picard would say, "Make it so." According to Major Nelson the Japan-only demo is now available on the JXBLM. For those keen on checking out the ninja-action, comments on Major's post claim the demo is both region-free and includes English text. Earlier in the month Japan was rewarded with an exclusive Resident Evil 5 demo that was originally region-free. Soon after realizing non-Japanese gamers had been downloading and playing the demo, new downloads of the demo outside of Japan were blocked and the online co-op was disabled. So, let's keep news about Ninja Blade on the DL okay? That means don't tell anyone you're downloading it and please do not post this information on the internet. Oh, wait. Crap.
Tenchu 4 devs worked to satisfy audiences of all skill levels
Acquire's goals with Tenchu 4 (Tenchu: Shadow Assassins, as they're calling it now) are pretty lofty. They wanted to create a game that expanded upon the classic Tenchu stealth gameplay in new ways that longtime fans and hardcore gamers would enjoy, while making the series more accessible. In this interview with 1up's James Mielke, Acquire's Keisuke Kanayama and Takuma Endo described the ideas that informed Tenchu 4's design. "... We looked at this game as a way," Kanayama said, "with the Wii and its motion control, to allow someone to really feel like a ninja playing the game -- really attacking and blocking and hiding." And yet, Acquire made sure to include the ability to "go through cities in different ways using different tools, and to explore at their own pace ... " That seems like the kind of smart design that truly takes advantage of the platform.The interview is also noteworthy for Acquire's rather diplomatic discussion of the Tenchu games developed in their absence, and the stories found within, as Endo alludes to in a statement about Rikimaru's apparent death in Tenchu and his mysterious resurrection later: "As I said earlier, we had our own ideas of where the story would go, but since it's already done, we will follow the already established Tenchu story where Rikimaru inexplicably survived."%Gallery-25071%
Ninja Blade demo to land on Japanese XBLM soon
A picture is worth a thousand words but a demo could mean the difference in millions. From Software's upcoming ninja-blade-ing (not a real word) game, creatively named Ninja Blade, will see early life on the Japanese Xbox Live Marketplace in the form of a playable demo. Japanese gamers, and possibly others who have access to the Japanese Marketplace, will be treated to the demo on December 29. [via Kotaku]
Two bonuses for Tenchu 4: Better boxart and bandana
The Tenchu 4 (or, rather, Tenchu: Shadow Assassins) boxart we spotted on Ubisoft's site didn't really meet with the Internet's approval. While the image on the official site has yet to change, retailer GameCrazy is displaying a different boxart, which is quite likely to be a newer revision of Tenchu's North American box image.We happen to think it looks better, though there's an odd mixture of art styles on display here due to the combination of art from the other American box and Japanese character art -- Rikimaru is a lot more realistic-looking than Ayame. After the break, have a look at the preorder bonus being given away at Gamestop. It's pretty nice, for a video game-related bandana.%Gallery-25071%
English Demon's Souls hits PS3 February 2009
The Japanese version of Demon's Souls is scheduled for release in early February of next year, but it looks it won't be the only one making it out that month. Siliconera suggests that the Asian version will also ship in February and most interestingly will be entirely in English. The site recently went hands-on with a new build at the Asia Game Show in Hong Kong and have discovered that the demo was, in fact, completely in English. Now, it is possible that the final release in Asia may not be in that language; however, that is really moot. It's most important to note that there is some form of English language version and it is currently in the works. At the moment, there haven't been any mention from either SCEA or SCEE in regards to North American and European releases for Demon's Souls.
Video: Six minutes of Ninja Blade action, ninjas with blades included
A few days ago a video containing six minutes of Ninja Blade action found its way online. The footage was so hot we had to let it cool down for a few days until we ... okay, you know what. We can't lie. It just slipped by. But hey, Ninja Blade is about two of our favorite things and we thought we'd share.Comments on the video call it Ninja Gaiden on steroids and while the action is intense it seems to include an awful lot of QTEz (Quick Time Events, the Z is in there to spice things up). Now, we don't have anything against QTEs but we'd rather actually play a game not play Simon with our controller while a movie is playing in the background. Maybe we're spoiled, who knows. One thing is certain, the ninja in the video totally runs down the side of a building and jacks a motorcycle in midair ... that's rad.
Tenchu 4 confirmed for the PSP
According to this Famitsu scan, Tenchu 4 will be coming to the PSP afterall. Rumors abound last month about a possible port of Tenchu: Shadow Assassins (the official title in the US) proved to be true -- the game will be released in Japan on February 12th of next year for 5,040 yen. Ubisoft's US press release for the game issued back in September indicated the game will be exclusive to the Wii, so no one knows yet whether we'll get the port here in the States.[Via Siliconera]
Tenchu 4 videos are a neck-snapping good time
IGN has uploaded a whole bunch of new videos from the Ubisoft-published Tenchu 4. While they're lacking in ninja cats, they aren't lacking in depicting the other stuff that excites us about the game: stealth ,slaughter, and REAL ULTIMATE POWER. As much as this game could be bad, we're holding out hope it'll be like the Tenchu of old. Or, you know, fun. It's currently set to release in North America and Europe early next year.Sneak past the break to check out the videos.%Gallery-25071%
TGS 08: Hands-on with Demon's Souls
click to embiggen "Nothing but a player?s decision and a tactics of using various weapons are important than anything that you really need to think to play." This line, taken from the official Demon's Souls site blurb, should make you feel as scared and confused as I felt when I got my hands on the game. My first thought, "ouch," remains scrawled at the top of my notes and, sadly, it's all downhill from there. Gallery: Demons Souls
TGS 08: Hands-on with Demon's Souls (PS3)
click to embiggen "Nothing but a player?s decision and a tactics of using various weapons are important than anything that you really need to think to play." This line, taken from the official Demon's Souls site blurb, should make you feel as scared and confused as I felt when I got my hands on the game. My first thought, "ouch," remains scrawled at the top of my notes and, sadly, it's all downhill from there.%Gallery-34304%
Tenchu 4: Stealth waggle
There's been some confusion about the motion-control content of Tenchu 4, at least on our part -- how pervasive is it? Is it all waggle all the time, or is it basic Tenchu with added motion flavor? What we really needed was for someone to play it and describe it to us.According to Siliconera, motions abound. Spencer describes lifting the remote to jump and shaking left and right to dive behind bushes. Stealth kills are accomplished by following QTE-style button prompts. In fact, Spencer said the game "felt more like a path of rapid fire quick time events rather than a traditional stealth game." So the motion controls are pretty frequently used.%Gallery-25071%
TGS08: Sneak through the Tenchu 4 demo
You know, we've been watching Tenchu 4 for a bit now and we're holding out hope that it won't totally suck. Call us optimists or whatever, but we really thing the game can be a solid Wii title. For one, it's Tenchu and our fond memories of the early games keeps us hoping that the franchise will return to its roots again. Secondly, there isn't much in the way of compelling stealth-based games on the console, so a solid entry in the genre would benefit the library of games, in our eyes. Plus, it has kittens. Above, you'll see the first video of three that takes you through the entire demo build available at TGS 2008. Head past the break for the other two.%Gallery-25071%
TGS 08: Ninja Blade cut from familiar cloth
"The main character is, as you can see, a ninja." We were quite pleased to have figured this part out on our own, shortly before From Software's Kazuhiro Hamatani laid down the pertinent facts in a pre-Tokyo Game Show presentation of Ninja Blade. Which, as you can see, is a "cinematic action game." For better or worse -- and it's better if Ninja Gaiden II failed to satisfy your unhealthy hankering for third-person kill-em-ups -- Ninja Blade appears to be almost exactly what you'd expect. We're not proponents of judging a game by its cover, but in this case, we're almost able to peer through to the back of the box and recite the bullet points: Cinematic Action Game (i.e. quick time events)! Ninjas (i.e. running on walls, being a badass)! Hideous enemies (i.e. giant spiders and bats)! Crazy Ninja Powers (i.e. bullet time and highlighted weak points)! Upgradeable Weapons (i.e. kill more to kill better)! Exotic Locations (i.e. monsters just won't leave Tokyo alone)! %Gallery-33964%
Demon's Souls' first screenshots and details
Demon's Souls is one of the games for the PS3 that have been unveiled as playable at Tokyo Game Show. When we first reported on the game we included some Famitsu scans for your viewing pleasure, but now we have actual information on the game as well.Demon's Souls will be released some time in 2009 and it is a spiritual successor to King's Field, a PS1 title that was never officially released in the US. The game takes place in the kingdom of Boletaria, where you play an unnamed protagonist who roams around in an "extremely open-ended" world -- you can choose to save the world from the king who will awaken "an ancient monster" in his sleep, or not. It's all up to you.The game's director, Hidetaka Miyazaki, is attempting to "make the fun and charms of a classic RPG interesting all over again with the latest technology at hand." For example, instead of placing traditional restrictions on item usage, it uses the game's physics to place more realistic limits such as "long weapons bump into walls, lighting the area in real-time with the torch in your hand." Sadly, the director appears to have implied the game will be lacking multiplayer; instead, he will opt to "find a way to use the Internet to make the single-player mode more interesting." Arguably, there has yet to be a game that mixes mechanics of a good ol' RPG with gameplay elements only possible on this generation's hardware. Will Demon's Souls be the first? We'll find out when we check the game out at TGS. Also, be sure to check out the 11 screenshots in the gallery below.Source -- Official websiteSource -- 1UP[Thanks, Ether02 and DeforMAKulizer!]%Gallery-33504%
Famitsu: Demon's Souls, PS3 action-RPG at TGS
The latest Famitsu has some info on one of those nine unannounced PS3 games coming from Sony and to be shown off at TGS next week. Demon's Souls is a single-player, fantasy-themed action-RPG being developed by From Software (and directed by Hidetaka Miyazaki, of Armored Core fame), and published by SCEJ. Though it's a new IP, the game's director and SCE producer mention From Software's RPG series King's Field – perhaps a spiritual successor of some kind? Demon's Souls will be playable at TGS, so we'll find out then, okay?[Via PS3 Fanboy]
Demon's Souls looks like current-gen Shadow of the Colossus
Remember yesterday and that pretty huge list of unannounced Sony games? Yeah, we're starting to learn what some of them are. This one -- seen in Japanese magazine Weekly Famitsu -- is called Demon's Souls. It's an action-RPG made by From Software.Those guys are the developers of the Armored Core series and also King's Field. While their new title for the PS3 looks strikingly a lot like Shadow of the Colossus (or at least it does in its most captivating picture), the game isn't going to be exclusive to giant slaying. The game will be at Tokyo Game Show -- which is less than two weeks away.[Thanks Hanson Y.!]
Tenchu: Shadow Assault coming to XBLA
Though Tenchu 4 may be coming to our shores, it looks like Japan still has a bit of ninja exclusivity to enjoy: Xbox 360 Fanboy recently spotted an ad for Tenchu: Shadow Assault, coming to XBLA. If the official descriptor of "trap action" isn't detailed enough, watch this trailer to see a bit of gameplay. It appears to be a party game of some sort with four players going at it -- or sometimes teaming up on enemies? It's hard to say.It's already gotten the stamp of approval from Japan's ratings board, CERO, for a release this fall, but the ESRB has no record of it. So, as X3F hypothesizes, it could be staying in the Land of the Rising Fun. We'll keep you posted.
Tenchu: Shadow Assault revealed for XBLA
An eagle-eyed tipster noticed a new title pop up on the official Tenchu site and according to the information provided on the site it looks like the series is hitting the Arcade. Tenchu: Shadow Assault appears to be a multiplayer (up to 4 players over Live) party game, although the trailer has what appears to be co-operative sections. According to the site's listing the genre is referred to as a Trap Action title which does point to a party and coop experience ... albeit with one mode.Interestingly enough the website for the From Software developed title lists the title will be made available on October 8 for 800MS points. While the title has been rated by the CERO, Japan's rating board for games, it has yet to pop-up on the ESRB website for release in North America. Possible Japan only release? Maybe, but we'll have to wait and see.[Thanks Sacra]
Still images of Tenchu 4's motion controls
Tenchu 4 may purport to be a "return to form" thanks to the return of original developer Acquire, but it won't be exactly like the old games. While they've all had context-sensitive controls, Tenchu 4's will, of course, involve motion. Sometimes you'll be waving the Wiimote downward to put out lanterns, and sometimes you'll flick the remote left and right to stab someone in the back. We've seen motion at work in Tenchu 4 before, but these new screens show a bit more.It's nice to know that Acquire decided on the WIi as a platform for Tenchu for reasons other than the low cost of development. For our tastes, traditional controls with a bit of added motion work great for action games.%Gallery-25071%
