Tenchu Z

411mania gives a rundown on this week's game releases. Highlights include Tenchu: Shadow Assassins, My World, My Way, and Another Code: R. Tenchu: Shadow Assassins (Wii) New to the series is a feature called 'Mind's Eye' which allows you to quickly and easily find your enemies on screen and also see what's in their current field of vision. This makes it easier to gauge where you can safely go to avoid discovery while creeping up on your unsuspecting victims. You can also use 'Mind's Eye' to find out what can be manipulated in the area, which means you no longer have to play the guessing game when it comes to finding which flames can be blown out, what objects can be moved, which doors can be opened, etc. My World, My Way (DS) One of the unique features of this game is Elise's ability to change the world around her by pouting. Many objects in the world such as landscapes, shop items, monster stats, and drops are subject to her wants and desires. Of course, you need special points to use the power of the pout, so don't expect to be bossing everything around without limit. You can also look forward to a lot of humor relating to many of the RPG clichés that fans of the genre have had to put up with over the years. Another Code: R - Kioku no Tobira (Wii Import) The first Trace Memory is one of the more memorable first-run DS games thanks to its original and engaging story, decent puzzles, and good use of the DS' features. If history repeats itself, the sequel will be one of the few Nintendo published Wii games that makes good use of the Wii's many unique features without having that 'tacked-on waggle' feel that we've come to expect from most of the system's games.

OXM has compiled a list outing the least played games on Live. The list below is a measurement of activity by game in the space of about 30 minutes or so. * Smackdown vs. Raw 14 players in 30 minutes. * FIFA 06: Road to World Cup One player in 30 minutes * F.E.A.R. Eight players in 20 minutes. * Tenchu Z Eight players in 30 minutes * World Championship Poker 14 players in 10 minutes A few more that apparently don't see much online action, sadly without stats: * Blitz The League * Dead or Alive Extreme 2 * Marvel Ultimate Alliance * World Championship Snooker

What makes a good video game? Strong visuals are important. Good controls are essential. A well-crafted concept helps too. These days, most games can boast at least two-thirds of that criteria. So, then what makes a game great? Feeling. Emotion. Surprise. Interaction. Even addiction. It's a magical feeling when a game offers all these elements. Here are the titles L.A. Times deemed the best experiences of 2007. Admittedly, they didn't play everything (because that would probably be impossible), but of the titles that did cross their paths, these are the ones that resonated most. Their favorites in order: Best of the Year: ¿ BioShock ¿ Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare ¿ Assassin's Creed ¿ Super Mario Galaxy ¿ The Orange Box Honorable Mention: ¿ Halo 3 ¿ Rock Band ¿ Ace Combat 6: Fires of Liberation ¿ Cooking Mama: Cook Off ¿ Lost Planet Worst of the Year: ¿ Lair Dishonorable Mention: ¿ Fusion Frenzy 2 ¿ 300: March to Glory ¿ Tenchu Z [ By Pete Metzger, December 21, 2007 ]

The newest issue of the British magazine EDGE is in stores as of today and its always interesting to see which games were reviewed and what scores they got. This month some interesting titles have been reviewed, such as: Blue Dragon, Zelda: Phantom Hourglass, Transformers and GRAW2 for the PS3. Apparently EDGE didn't really like Transformers and Hour of Victory as both games got 2/10 from EDGE. The British don't really like Blue Dragon and Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 as well as both games 'only' got 6/10. Zelda: Phantom Hourglass did really well as it scored 9/10. Check out all of this months reviewscores below. Zelda: Phantom Hourglass (NDS, Nintendo): 9 Blue Dragon (Xbox 360, Microsoft): 6 Transformers (Xbox 360/PS3/Wii/PS2, Activision): 2 Odin Sphere (PS2, Atlus): 6 Ouendan 2 (NDS, Nintendo): 8 Monster Madness (Xbox 360, Southpeak): 5 Exit 2 (PSP, Taito): 7 Hour of Victory (Xbox 360, Midway): 2 Tenchu Z (Xbox 360, From Software): 6 Calling all cars (PS3, Sony): 6 Tom Clancy's Ghost Recon Advanced Warfighter 2 (PS3, Ubisoft): 6 More Brain Training (NDS, Nintendo): 7 Anno 1701 (NDS, Disney): 8

In the ongoing debate of pirates versus ninjas, ninjas have planted a stake in the ground as publishers Microsoft and FromSoftware, and developer K2, Ltd., today announced that the Xbox 360 exclusive Tenchu Z has shipped to retailers across the nation. Rated M for Mature, Tenchu Z will challenge gamers to become the ultimate ninja assassin through more than 50 missions set in ancient Japan and will be available for the estimated retail price of $59.99.

Some noticeable releases this week include Fantastic Four: Rise of the Silver Surfer on just about every platform. Tenchu Z sneaks up on Xbox 360, while your brain doesn't get a summer vacation with the release of Big Brain Academy: Wii Degree for Nintendo Wii and PQ 2 on the Sony PSP. Check out the latest list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of 6/12/2007 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3 (PS3), Nintendo Wii, Sony PS2, PSP, Nintendo DS, and PC (USA)! As always, release dates are subject to change.

Xboxic reported that the Shadowrun was meant to be released yesterday, but that it was delayed until today. However, you can now rejoice at the news that you can now try out Shadowrun for yourself because the demo is now available to download from the Xbox Live Marketplace. As well as this, you'll be happy to know that you can also try out the demo of Tenchu Z, as that too is now on the Marketplace.

Name: Tenchu Z Demo Price: Free Availability: Not available in Asia Dash Details: Tenchu Z Demo includes a single player mission and pre-selected ninja accessories from the full game. Master the Ancient art of Stealth in Tenchu Z using your keen senses and wide array of Ninja weaponry to become the Ultimate Ninja Assassin. Size: 641.8 MB (approx.)

Bring on the throwing stars! Tenchu Z for Xbox 360 Goes Gold! Microsoft calls on ninjas of the nation to unite when Tenchu Z hits retailers on June 12 Microsoft today announced that the Xbox 360 exclusive Tenchu Z has gone gold and will sneak onto store shelves across the nation on June 12. Rated M for Mature, Tenchu Z is set to challenge gamers to become the ultimate ninja assassin through more than 50 missions set in ancient Japan and will be available for the estimated retail price of $59.99. K2, the creative minds behind Tenchu: Wrath of Heaven, present the latest installment of the renowned Tenchu franchise, Tenchu Z exclusively for the Xbox 360. The title is the first mission-based ninja stealth action game for the Xbox 360, and allows players to hone their stealth skills while slaying enemies to become the ultimate ninja. Patience and strategy, with use of the stealth kill system, is rewarded over a run-and-gun style of hand-to-hand combat. Tenchu Z will task willing ninjas to assassinate evil doers, track enemies, rescue hostages and destroy targets using the art of stealth. For the first time ever, gamers can create their own ninja hero with the character customization features that include a variety of face types, hair features, outfits, accessories and more. Gamers can play solo at home or take advantage of co-operative play with two to four players through Xbox LIVE or System Link. Players can work cooperatively for a completely different ninja experience and team up with a friend to complete the missions and take out foes. Let a friend subdue a boss from behind as another runs him through with a katana. Special co-op moves are also available, adding variety and depth to the gameplay experience. Aspiring ninjas should check http://www.tenchu-z.com for all new updated content making its debut today.

You're probably already familiar with the lengths you'll have to go through to download an Xbox Live demo that hasn't been cleared for the U.S., a phenomenon we've covered fairly extensively this week. But this time it's a Japanese demo for Tenchu Z, and it's one case in which we can whole-heartedly endorse the use of clandestine tactics. You see, this is a ninja game.