Tag Archives: ninja gaiden 2

Microsoft is to release a Mission Mode pack for Ninja Gaiden II this week, including 25 self-contained survival stages.

The content will cost 800 Microsoft Points. We’ll let you know when it’s up.

According to this off-screen picture on NeoGaf, Ninja Gaiden II is to get a new mission mode later this month.

No one appears to know what this is, exactly, or whether or not it’s even real. We’ll ask Microsoft later today.

Yes, it’s Saturday. Anyway, the astute among you might have noticed a marked increase in Xbox 360 sales the last few weeks in Japan.

Yesterday, Microsoft clocked up a whopping 2,280 sales which was a 14% increase on the previous week’s tally of 1,959 units sold. Surprisingly, this was 25% increase on sales two weeks prior which stood at 1474 units sold.

Microsoft has had a good few weeks in Japan, holding a Xbox 360 RPG Premiere in Tokyo and seeing Ninja Gaiden 2 break in to the top 10.

Radar blip or upturn in fortunes?

By Mike Bowden

According to the Major, the Ninja Gaiden 2 demo that released in the rest of the world this week is now available in North America.

So hooray to that.

Ninja Gaiden 2 is one of the most frustrating games we’ve played in a long time. Not because we found it too difficult. We didn’t.

In fact, the frustration isn’t borne out of something entirely negative either. The trouble with Ninja Gaiden 2 is that, up to a point, it was easily the most brainless fun we’ve had all year: the problem was that the game suddenly turned round at chapter eight and stuck both it’s fingers up at us.

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Microsoft’s posted the Ninja Gaiden 2 demo, and it weighs in at 857Mb. As reported earlier, for some reason the taster hasn’t been cleared for launched in the US or Canada, which is officially “a shame” if you live over there.

Go get yourself some free “high-speed ninja action” if you don’t.

Team Ninja boss Tomonobu Itagaki has told Kikizo that almost-released action slasher Ninja Gaiden 2 contains roughly 15 hours of play time.

“But I think that we’ve got enough in there with enough incentive to make you want to replay at least one more time,” said the developer in what’s an unusually humble interview. Maybe it’s because Ninja Gaiden’s run its course.

“We were able to include everything we wanted, so there would be little reason to go and do a three or a four, except just to keep the franchise alive,” he said. “So I feel like I’m ready to move on with different plans.”

Full thing through the link.

According to the Major, the Ninja Gaiden 2 demo released in Japan earlier this week will hit all other Live regions – apart from India, Germany, and, um, North America – later this morning.

Nelson updated an original post saying that only the Indians and Germans would miss out to add that the US and Canada wouldn’t be getting the taster either. No reason was given.

For the rest of the world, the demo releases this morning at 2.00am PST, which is 10.00am BST in real money, we think.

The people over at the beyond3d forums are reporting that Ninja Gaiden 2 only runs at 585p.

However, so far they have only tested screengrabs from the recent demo.

“It seems 1120 for horizontal but need confirmation. There are no good screenshots for horizontal check,” says the post.

“For vertical 585 it’s relatively sure and reliable. 1120×585 would be another type of anamorphic resolution, opposed to the other classic anamorphic 1024×600 use in some X360 (COD4, PGR3, Oblivion, TR…) but there are little more pixels in 1120×585 than in 1024×600 and 1120×585 is the better use of the EDRAM space that i have seen. It’s 9.998MiB, just a 2KiB residue unused. Maybe it explains this choice.”

So now you know.

By Mike Bowden

According to Major Nelson’s Twitter, the Ninja Gaiden II demo released in Japan yesterday will be with the US by the end of next week. We’re assuming this means Europe will get it as well, but don’t take that as read. Thanks, X3F.

But there’s still no date for the rest of the world. The info popped up on Major Nelson’s blog this afternoon.

“A demo for all other Xbox Live regions is planned,” he said. “I don’t have any additional information at this time (like when it will release) but the moment I do, I will let you know.”

You’ll need a Japanese Gold Live account if you’re thinking of grabbing it.

Gamespot’s posted an email it’s received from Microsoft US explaining to the outlet that the Ninja Gaiden II build sent out for review wasn’t final code.

Gamespot has decided to hold off on its review as a result.

Microsoft reckons Xbox 360 plays DVDR media slower than final discs, an issue which has given rise to now widely documented lags in loading times. Here’s the mail in full:

Just a quick note from Team NINJA below regarding the “Ninja Gaiden II” red discs. Please note that the delay in load times you may experience is not representative of the final game. In the final boxed copy of the game, which you will receive once the game ships to retail on June 3 in the U.S., you will not experience any lag in load times. Team NINJA is aware of the issue and requests your patience as you play through the review red disc.

Xbox 360 spins DVDR media slower than replicated media, so it’s not representative of how final media will perform. Also, please keep in mind that this build distributed early to you guys for review purposes is not final retail code (emphasis added — KV). While the build contains many final gameplay features, story elements, and graphical capabilities, it’s a press evaluation build so it is not as fully optimized as a retail product. Generally, load time is one feature that improves between review builds and final product. While there typically is not a major noticeable difference between review builds and retail product, it can vary, so please keep this in mind while working on your review.

Whoops.

Jeepers. Korean site Videogamerx has posted a huge amount of photographs of a promotional event for Ninja Gaiden II, featuring a lot of highly attractive women and a pasty fat man with a sword. We’re not here to judge. Take a look.

On Gamersyde. It’s split up into four sections, presumably for ease of downloading, and there are some impressions of the final build there as well. Take a look.

And the verdict appears to be, “It’s really good, but it won’t change the world.” We’re going to buy it anayway. Here’s what’s out there so far. You probably “get it” from this lot.

• Geekpulp – No score
• IGN – 8.7/10
• Gametap – 9/10
• Videogamer.com – 9/10
• GamesRadar – 7/10
• Shacknews – No score
• Eurogamer – 7/10
• CVG – 8/10

Team Ninja Tomonobu Itagaki has said that Ninja Gaiden Sigma was “no good” when asked in an interview with CVG why he wouldn’t sign copies of the game.

“All you need to do is play Ninja Gaiden II and then try and play Sigma afterwards and you’ll see why,” he said.

“Despite the fact that it’s on a ‘next-generation’ console there’s no evolution whatsoever. That was made not by me, but one of my sub-ordinates who basically tried to copy the success of Ninja Gaiden.”

Ninja Gaiden II is released in about two weeks. Doesn’t time fly by?

By Mike Bowden

According to this Cubed3 report, Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword will release in Europe on June 13 for DS. Its grown-up counterpart, Ninja Gaiden II, hits Europe on June 6.

HMV’s announced another of its Microsoft Point deals, giving away 1,000 of them if you pre-order Ninja Gaiden II on its website.

The Tecmo action game releases for 360 on June 6. Buy it. You may as well.

Update: Or you could get it from DVD.co.uk, buy yourself 1,000 MS Points and save money over the HMV deal. Thanks, Psychotext.

Speaking to Kotaku at the Microsoft Gamer’s Day in San Francisco yesterday, Team Ninja’s Tomonobu Itagaki said that he doesn’t plan on making any more Ninja Gaiden games after Ninja Gaiden II.

“Personally I think we were able to create the definitive 3D game in this series so I’m not planing on making any other games in the series,” Itagaki said through a translator. “So I hope fans treat this as a swan song for the franchise.

“I think we were able to achieve everything we wanted with this game so anything else would be extraneous.”

More through the link. For complete news coverage on the Gamer’s Day itself, hit this.

After the link. All the art you could ever want from Tecmo’s upcoming super-slasher. That’s all there is to say. The game’s out on June 6 for 360 only.

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