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Metareview: Ninja Gaiden 3
Yikes, talk about a big bloody mess. Ninja Gaiden 3 missed the mark on a lot of the elements veterans expected from the series. Complaints include the game's notorious difficulty being diminished, compromised AI and -- maybe, worst of all -- that it's boring. Game Informer (60/100): "Ninja Gaiden 3 is not a complete train wreck, but it does suffer from a multitude of problems. The action can be fast-paced and engaging at times, but many design decisions significantly bring down the experience. Dumbed-down A.I., a limited arsenal, the series' notoriously difficult camera, no inventory/currency system, and an incoherent story combine to make this the most disappointing title in the series." Gamespot (55/100): "It does all the hard labor so that you don't have to. This forgettable action game may feed your bloodthirst, but the series' sharp edge has been dulled by Team Ninja's attempt to bring the master to the masses." Games Radar (30/100): "Ninja Gaiden 3 has completely missed the point of everything that made the series great. Challenging combat, weapon variety, engaging enemies and the series' legendary difficulty have all been cut out in favor of a bland story, flashy finish moves, screen nukes, and button mashing. If you found Ninja Gaiden's difficulty to be a barrier to entry, this game's accessibility won't make it a more attractive option. If anything, it'll leave newcomers wondering what all the fuss was about." IGN (30/100): "Ninja Gaiden 3 is a gash on the face of the franchise and one of the worst games the action genre has yet suffered. It has no consideration for its fans' wants or what a new audience may have enjoyed. It's a nightmare that's as easy as it is uninteresting, and it abandons what used to work for awful new ideas that don't work together. Under no circumstance should you ever waste your time on this self-indulgent and abysmal wreck. "%Gallery-144412%
Miracle fundraising finish for Gridiron Heroes' Kickstarter drive
Sports MMOs haven't gotten off the ground as of yet, and whether their lack of mainstream success is due to design challenges or some other factor, they remain obscure oddities for the most part. Somewhat less obscure is Tecmo's 1980s Nintendo series based on the National Football League. The aptly named Tecmo Bowl was a mainstay on Nintendo's first 8-bit console, and now a group of fans have helped assure that Gridiron Heroes, a new Facebook game inspired by the classic series, will in fact be made. Kotaku reports on the last-minute miracle finish to the project's Kickstarter drive, with the development team collecting $7,613 (measured against a goal of $7,500).
Ninja Gaiden 3 to require online pass [Update: Confirmed!]
To become a ninja, one must learn -- the deadly arts of war, for example. Or how to wear those weird socks. Stuff like that.You can't be any geek off the street, and so Tecmo-Koei has decided to lock the online multiplayer of Ninja Gaiden 3 behind an online pass. So says a listing on Gamefly warning potential renters of Ninja Gaiden 3, anyway. Update: It's confirmed! Ninja Gaiden 3 will have an online pass, a Tecmo Koei representative has confirmed with Joystiq.We've sent our silent inquisitors to Tecmo Koei to secure confirmation on the matter. We'll let you know what we hear back. [Thanks, Josh!]
Virtua Fighter's Akira playable in Dead or Alive 5
Fighting crossovers are all the rage these days, it seems. In a very unexpected announcement, Sega and Tecmo have revealed that one of Virtua Fighter's most iconic characters, Akira Yuki, will be playable in Dead or Alive 5.The crossing of Dead or Alive and Virtua Fighter would once have been considered anathema, laughable even. The good people at Sega and Tecmo seem to be aware of this, and have thus released a trailer along with the announcement (complete with stun palm of doom). Behold it above and believe.Now, if someone could just whip up another Fighters Megamix, we'd be all set.
Ninja Gaiden 3 dev diary reasserts seriousness of ninja game development
Worried that the now Itagaki-less Team Ninja isn't still super, super serious about making a Ninja Gaiden game? The latest dev diary for Ninja Gaiden 3 should more than suffice at changing your mind.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus screens have a delicate touch
When Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus launches alongside the PlayStation Vita late next month, its trademark difficulty level will likely be responsible for hundred of broken handhelds. We recommend preparing yourself ahead of time by pantomime touching these screenshots and studying the Ninpo magic within.
Fatal Frame spinoff Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir chills 3DS in April
Nintendo of America skipped out on the Wii's Fatal Frame 4, but its 3DS sort-of sequel will be haunting our shores. This morning, Nintendo announced a North American release of Spirit Camera: The Cursed Memoir, dated for the super spooky Friday, April 13. In Spirit Camera, co-developed by Nintendo and Tecmo, players will use the 3DS as a virtual camera with which to help "Maya," a girl trapped in a creepy house. The game includes a 16-page "AR Book," which uses augmented reality to display movies and other special effects at certain points in the story. "In other moments," the announcement reads, "characters will emerge from the pages into the player's world via augmented reality in the form of evil spirits that attack from all directions." That's pretty scary for a paper insert!%Gallery-144890%
Here's the Ninja Gaiden 3 collector's edition (with bonus screenshots)
There probably isn't a person alive who hasn't, at some point in their life, enjoyed the sight of a ninja flipping out and killing a bunch of dudes. It's universal, like how everyone enjoys warm blankets or shooting firearms. There's a special kind of person, however, that also has an affinity for extreme, debilitating punishment, which is why Ninja Gaiden 3 exists. NG3's collector's edition, which we first caught wind of last December, includes the game, an art book, a soundtrack, a figure set of Ryu Hayabusa and an eventual murder victim, as well as a download voucher for a four-character demo of Dead of Alive 5. Non-collector's edition pre-orders placed at Gamestop and Amazon will include a code for a two-character demo of DOA5, with Gamestop's demo including Hayabusa and Hitomi, and Amazon's featuring Ayane and Hayate (the four-character version includes both Amazon and GameStop's characters). The collector's edition will be available exclusively at Gamestop, indicating that Tecmo Koei truly understands the unique relationship it has with its players.%Gallery-144412%
Ninja Gaiden 3 multiplayer footage kills so many ninjas
Here's a video montage of Ninja Gaiden 3's multiplayer mode. As someone who's played it, I can say this video sums up my experience pretty well. I stabbed dudes; dudes stabbed me; occasionally I stabbed myself. Sometimes honor is more important than breathing.
Dead or Alive 5 screens aren't afraid to bust a gut or two
There's nothing quite like watching a teenage girl gut punch a hardcore-looking ninja lady. And Team Ninja clearly knows that, showcasing as much in the latest volley of screens from Dead or Alive 5.
Here's what Ninja Gaiden 3's multiplayer looks like
We know, we know -- the gallery below isn't quite a trailer showing off Ninja Gaiden 3's new multiplayer mode, but it is the first we've seen of the four vs four competitive slicer. Head past the break -- carefully -- to take a peek.
Ninja Gaiden 3 leaps to retail in March 2012
We've got good news and we've got bad news, folks. Let's start with the good: Ninja Gaiden 3 will arrive on Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3 next March, with a Wii U version to follow at some point after that. Team Ninja head Yosuke Hayashi told as much to a crowd of journalists in San Francisco this afternoon, according to our reporter on the ground. Now, friends, the bad news: despite a new easy mode, and the notorious absence of a known masochist at the helm, we're still quite confident that Ninja Gaiden 3 is gonna be super duper hard. Like, way hard. Maybe you haven't played the other two? 'Cause they're both pretty hard games, guys.
Ninja Gaiden 3 screens leave quite the mess
Ryu is pretty great at slashing and stabbing, this much we can all agree on. But who cleans up the mess afterward? Magical demon blood-scrubbing fairies? Would it kill you to pick up a mop every now and then, Hayabusa?
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge to launch alongside Wii U
As part of its financial results, Tecmo shared plans for its upcoming titles. As discovered by Andriasang, of particular interest is the company's launch plan for Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge for Wii U, which is based on the Xbox 360/PS3 release. According to the presentation materials, Ryu Hayabusa's tablet-powered adventure will arrive alongside the Wii U launch, which is slated for sometime after April next year. We can't be certain but – dismemberment or no – we're fairly confident that it will be the most violent title ever to launch with a Nintendo console.
Dead or Alive 5 dishes out another round between Ryu and Hayate
Team Ninja has released the second round of its pre-alpha Dead of Alive 5 showcase. The construction site becomes a destruction fight, with Ryu knocking poor Hayate right into an ongoing car crash. A vehicle hasn't been this useful since the Daytona car made it into Fighters Megamix.
Dead or Alive 5 in development, heading to PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 in 2012
There's a brand new Dead or Alive game in development, and it's heading to Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. Team Ninja head Yosuke Hayashi offered "a glimpse in the future" of the DOA franchise during tonight's TGS 2011 Tecmo event, during which he asked that we shut off all recording equipment (thus the lack of a thrilling image above). In a teaser trailer of a pre-Alpha (read: very early) build of Dead or Alive 5, Ninja Gaiden's Ryu Hayabusa faces off against rival Hayate on top of a brightly lit urban area -- perhaps the Shibuya digs we're currently writing this from? Hayashi teased dramatic new levels, and even went as far as to call the game "fighting entertainment," rather than "just a fighting game." (Note: It's a fighting game.) Update: We've added the first teaser trailer above and a ... tantalizing image just after the break. Keep it cool, big guy!
New Ninja Gaiden 3 screens will cut you in half
The Japanese website for Ninja Gaiden 3 has emerged from the inky blackness of the internet, brandishing a finely honed blade and silently moving through the night, all the while tossing shurikens and newly forged screenshots into our cerebral cortexes.
Ninja Gaiden 3 will be compatible with PlayStation Move
Ninja Gaiden 3's obsession with conveying the feel of a katana -- while it slices the flesh off a man's bones -- is now supplemented with another vicarious attack. What does it feel like when a glowing, squishy ball bounces off a skull? Team Ninja has announced PlayStation Move support for the PS3 version of Ninja Gaiden 3, presumably enabling spirited swings and forceful bops in your offensive arsenal. Studio lead Yosuke Hayashi claims that it will "bring players even closer to the game's protagonist Ryu Hayabusa," which is a particularly unfortunate occurrence if you also happen to be a generic soldier, a demon, an evil ninja or ... anything that's alive, really. Ninja Gaiden 3 is set to slice up PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 owners in early 2012. A Wii U version is also in the works.
Ninja Gaiden 3 gameplay trailer has Ryu Hayabusa back at his old tricks
For some folks, "old tricks" might mean smooth dancing moves, or a suave ability to hit on the ladies. For Ninja Gaiden 3's Ryu Hayabusa, it means flipping out and murdering people with a katana. Take a peek for yourself -- carefully! -- after the break.
What Ryu looking at? Ninja Gaiden 3 screens!
Famitsu has posted a handful of new screens from Tecmo's upcoming Ninja Gaiden 3. After the relatively tame affair that was Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, it looks like protagonist Ryu Hayabusa is back to doing what he does best, making a bloody mess. Andriasang reports that Ryu's right arm, which looks like it might be possessed, will have a "central role" in the game. Ryu will also gain new abilities such as wall climbing, as the story progresses. Also, the article notes that Ninja Gaiden 3 is slated for a 2012 release on both PS3 and Xbox 360. Head over to Famitsu to take a gander at all the screens.
