GamesRadar - Ninja Gaiden II

Tecmo Koei Europe Re-Launch MCM Expo Microsite (News)

Oct 19, 2009

This weekend, Tecmo Koei Europe has re-launched their London MCM Expo microsite, http://www.tecmokoeiexpo.com/, adding a host of information and new features. With the London MCM Expo taking place this weekend, 24th-25th October 2009, most publishers attending the show will be ramping-up their campaigns this week, but once again it's been left to Tecmo Koei Europe to lead the way.

Microsoft Remarketing Ninja Gaiden II (News)

Oct 6, 2009

This morning, it appears that Microsoft have launched a minor, and rather bizarre, marketing campaign. Directly highlighting the rivalry for those in-the-know and referring to an Xbox 360 release that's now regularly available at a discounted price, it appears Microsoft still have faith in the original release of Ninja Gaiden II.

Ninja Gaiden 2: PS3/360 gore comparison (Video)

Jun 29, 2009

Unless the first game made you want to claw your eyes out in frustration, you are probably pretty excited to return to the blood soaked world of Ryu Hayabusa and his full-figured ladies.

ESRB demands Ninja Gaiden II launch trailer removed (News)

Apr 24, 2009

Destructiod writes: Yes, seriously. In what may be the most arbitrary and silly decision yet made by the Entertainment Software Ratings Board, Destructoid has been asked to remove a launch trailer we posted for Ninja Gaiden II in May 2008. Despite the fact that nobody on this site has even thought about that trailer for a year, it was deemed a threat to society and has now been removed.

411mania's Release List for the Week of April 6, 2009 (News)

Apr 9, 2009

411mania talks about this week's game releases. Highlights include Oboro Muramasa, Suggoi! Arcana Heart 2, Guilty Gear XX Accent Core Plus, The Chronicles of Riddick: Assault on Dark Athena, Hammerin' Hero, Professor Heinz Wolff's Gravity, and Rhythm Heaven.

Xbox Canada Introduces XBL 'Deal of the Week' (News)

Mar 3, 2009

NextGen Player writes:

"When it comes to Xbox Live gold account fees - you either dislike them or don't mind them. The dislike them camp generally point out that Wii and PS3's online services are both free. The don't mind them people often cite Xbox Live's better online experience and access to exclusive content as justifying the annual cost.

For people in the first group, Xbox Canada has a new offer to sway you to the other side. They've announced a new Xbox Live Gold "Deal of the Week." XBL Gold members will receive discounts (between 25 and 50% off) each week on Arcade titles, Game Add-ons, Xbox Originals, and other content."

This weeks Deal: Ninja Gaiden 2 'Mission Mode' (News)

Mar 3, 2009

Major Nelson has revealed that this week's Xbox LIVE Deal of the Week is for Ninja Gaiden II's Mission Mode expansion, reduced by 33% to 560 Microsoft Points for all Xbox LIVE Gold members.

Mission Mode is an all new game mode whereby you can challenge your skills in self-contained missions featuring trials and tribulations not found in the standard story mode. Karma Attack missions task you with obtaining the highest score, while Survival missions give you a single weapon to fight off as many enemies as possible. You can also take your high scores online and compete with players around the world on the mission leaderboards.

411mania's Release List for the Week of January 26, 2009 (News)

Jan 27, 2009

411mania gives a rundown on this week's game releases. Highlights include The Chase: Felix Meets Felicity, DJ Max Fever, and Ninja Blade.

The Chase: Felix Meets Felicity
"Despite still being in pre-alpha, the glimpse that I got of The Chase at last year's E3 was already looking pretty good. Unfortunately, more high-profile 2D platformers like Mega Man 9, Bionic Commando, and Castlevania: Order of Ecclesia were getting most of the attention. So, it's understandable that this game was overlooked."

DJ Max Fever
"What's surprising is that PM Studios decided not to follow in Konami's footsteps by bastardizing the series with crappy songs from 2nd-tier US bands that nobody has ever heard of. Granted, most of the people who pick this up will not have heard of any of its songs either, but one of the game's main strengths is its song selection, and changing what works would kill the series before it has a chance to plant its feet."

Ninja Blade
"Ninja Blade is a 'Cinematic Action' game developed by the people who brought us the Otogi series"
"It looks to be a cross between Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, Heavenly Sword, God of War, and Onimusha."

2008: A Year to Dismember (Video)

Dec 31, 2008

Unless the first game made you want to claw your eyes out in frustration, you are probably pretty excited to return to the blood soaked world of Ryu Hayabusa and his full-figured ladies.

Ninja Gaiden II Xbox 360 slashed to $39.99 (News)

Sep 24, 2008

Amazon.com on Tues. slashed the price of Tecmo Inc.'s Ninja Gaiden II by 33 percent in the latest wave of video game discounts.

Ninja Gaiden II held a sale price of $39.99 on Tues, $20 below an MSRP of $59.99.

New Ninja Gaiden II patch released (News)

Aug 30, 2008

The long awaited Ninja Gaiden II patch has just been released by Tecmo. Not only does this patch fix all chapter freezing issues, it also provides a much smoother game play than the last patch and faster game-to-cutscene transitions.

Ninja Gaiden II Breaks One Million Barrier (News)

Aug 28, 2008

Microsoft Game Studios and Tecmo jointly announced today that Ryu Hayabusa's latest hour, Ninja Gaiden II, has sold over one million copies worldwide in a span of just a little over two months.

Rumor: Tecmo CEO To Resign? (News)

Aug 20, 2008

A page translated by google appears to show that Yoshima Yasuda will be resigning from the position of Tecmo CEO effective August 20th. The rough translation is:

Tecmo, the company's web site, Mr. Yasuda Snake good CEO to resign as president on Wednesday. The resignation of release, "Today's (2008 year on August 20) meeting of the Board of Directors, President and CEO from Yasuda, President and CEO for personal reasons and that want to offer to resign as director of the Board of Directors We will accept it. Said the current Chairman of the Board, who is chairman of interlocking Yasuharu Kakihara. Perhaps Team Ninja has claimed one final victim…

Ninja Gaiden II Freezing Temporary Fix (News)

Aug 12, 2008

"If you're one of the people experiencing the freezing problem in Ninja Gaiden II since the last title update was released, we have the temporary fix for you! According to a majority of the people having this problem, you can play Ninja Gaiden II without any problems by deleting your hard drive's cache and playing the game offline. It might take some time for Tecmo and Microsoft to come up with a patch, so this solution might help you.

By deleting your game cache in your hard drive, all of your game updates will be erased, forcing you to download them again the next time you sign into XBOX Live. Here's how to delete your game cache:..."

Ninja Gaiden 2 Currently Broken: Microsoft comments on the recent game killing update. (News)

Aug 9, 2008

Though a recent system update that was supposed to fix previously reported issues released, gamers (including those in the IGN offices) have still experienced reoccurring freezing issues during cutscenes which render the game unplayable.

IGN received an official response from Microsoft regarding the issue:

"Microsoft is aware of the issues that players are experiencing with the title update to "Ninja Gaiden II" and are currently working to resolve them with Tecmo/Team Ninja. Please stay tuned for a new update. We thank you for your patience!"

Ninja Gaiden II's Mission Mode glitches achievements (News)

Aug 8, 2008

OXM reports that you can watch replays via Ninja Gaiden II's DLC Mission Mode and it will award you various achievements for doing so.

It's believed that the glitch awards you achievements the player had at the time of recording the original video.

7 ways to spot an impending crap sequel (Feature)

Jul 31, 2008

So many sequels, so much hype, so little time... Let our foolproof guide help you cut through the crap before it's even released ...

Ninja Gaiden 2 mission pack back today (News)

Jul 28, 2008

Microsoft expects the Ninja Gaiden 2 mission pack will return to Xbox Live sometime today.

The mission mode pack was released last Friday and then yanked down after it caused technical problems like systems freezing (surely not a problem usually associated with Xbox 360 oh wait now I get it).

Most of the niggles have been fixed, according to Gamerscoreblog, and those who already have the DLC can begin playing again.

Ninja Gaiden gets massive limited edition figures (News)

Jul 25, 2008

Fans of Ninja Gaiden will be pleased to learn that 1999 limited edition figures will be made featuring master ninja Ryu Hayabusa. What's more the figure will stand at a massive 31" (80 cm). Orders will be fulfilled on a first come first serve basis.

Secret Tecmo Tapes Reveal Number of the Beast, Insulting Tecmo President (News)

Jul 23, 2008

Kotaku: In the second round of oral arguments for the Itagaki vs. Tecmo suit, Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki submitted evidence that included an affidavit from Ninja Gaiden II producer Yoshifuru Okamoto, a contract from 2005 that seems to clearly state terms of the Dead or Alive 4 bonus and a voice recording of Tecmo president Yoshimi Yasuda. Itagaki is suing Tecmo over unpaid DoA4 wages.

Kotaku obtained copies of both the secret recording and the contract and translated both for this story.

Microsoft to release 25 new missions for Ninja Gaiden II (News)

Jul 21, 2008

Microsoft announced today that it will be releasing 25 new missions for Ninja Gaiden II on Xbox 360, which is said to be the "equivalent to a whole new campaign mode".

Ninja Gaiden DLC details (News)

Jul 9, 2008

From the article
"Microsoft and Tecmo are ready to release some real content for Ninja Gaiden 2, with Mission mode coming on July 25th. This pack will cost 800p, while a couple of videos showing where skulls can be found will go online on friday for free. Images and details can be found inside."

Team Ninja Patch Ninja Gaiden II (News)

Jul 4, 2008

Although there's been a lot of controversy surrounding Tecmo, Tomonobu Itagaki and Team Ninja, the crack-shot team of developers have found time to release a new patch update for Ninja Gaiden II.

Mission Mode DLC coming to NG2 (News)

Jul 2, 2008

Thank you sharp-eyed forum posters, you may have spotted something that could mean Ninja Gaiden 2 will actually get some content worth paying for. Sighted somewhere on the XBL Marketplace was the mention that NG2 will get a downloadable mission mode on the...

Ninja Gaiden 2 'horse armor' now on sale (News)

Jul 2, 2008

Joystiq Writes:"Let's face it, we hardcore gamers are always looking for an excuse to play ninja dress-up. After obliterating tens of thousands of nameless, demonic foes, what greater satisfaction could there be than in donning a leopard print bodysuit and doing it all over again? That's the thing, palette swaps used to be bonuses for our hard-earned mileage; easter eggs buried at the end of the playing field. Not premium DLC.

In the real world, buying a sassy lil' getup can be a cathartic release. In virtual land you just feel like a chump. So Tecmo, Team Ninja, Microsoft, whoever, take your Ninja Gaiden "horse armor" and shove it!"

XBOX Live Marketplace Update: Wednesday 2nd July (News)

Jul 2, 2008

Console Monster writes: "A new XBOX Live Arcade release, Ninja Gaiden II costumes, a trailer for Spider-Man: Web of Shadows and more passport locations for The Bourne Conspiracy make up today's XBOX Live Marketplace update for Wednesday 2nd July 2008:

Name: Soul Calibur
Price: 800 Microsoft Points
Availability: All Xbox LIVE regions

Name: Ninja Gaiden 2 Costume Pack Shadow Walker
Price: 200 Microsoft Points
Availability: All XBOX Live Regions except Germany

Name: Ninja Gaiden 2 Costume Pack Biometal
Price: 200 Microsoft Points
Availability: All XBOX Live Regions except Germany..."

Ninja Gaiden 2 costumes - value or rip off? (News)

Jul 2, 2008

Three costume packs are now available for 200 points a piece for Tecmo's action ninja game. Msxbox-World raises the issue that is this stuff good value or a rip off, considering in the past this content would be an in game unlock?

NECA's Ninja Gaiden II Figure (News)

Jun 25, 2008

NECA release new Ninja Gaiden II figurine.

Necaonline have released photos of their new action figure of Ninja Gaiden II´s Ryu due for release this September.

Ryu will come complete with in-game accesories which will be revealed closer to the September release date and here i have the first official photos released of the figure.

Dozens follow Itagaki in Tecmo walk out (News)

Jun 16, 2008

A large number of Team Ninja employees are reported to have left Tecmo following Itagaki's walkout earlier this month, according to rumours.

It is reported that "as many as three dozen" Team Ninja employees have done a runner and, to make things worse for Tecmo, also plan to take the company to court over unpaid bonuses for completed games.

Things got nasty early this month when Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden creator Tomonobu ...

Microsoft NZ predicts Too Human will out-sell Ninja Gaiden 2 (News)

Jun 15, 2008

Geekpulp writes "Two exclusive titles to be released with in the space of three (possibly two) months of each other, the close timing of each release means that the sale of one can potentially canabilize the market of the other. Product Marketing Manager for Xbox, Tom Hunt, believes that Ninja Gaiden 2 will be out sold by Too Human."

Ninja Gaiden 2 Competition: NG2 Games & XBL Gold Memberships To Be Won! (News)

Jun 14, 2008

XboxOZ360 has a great competition for all Australian and New Zealand Xbox owners:
"Prizes to be wonÂ¿

1st Place - 1x Ninja Gaiden II for Xbox360 + 3 months of XBL
2nd Place - 1x Ninja Gaiden II for Xbox 360 + 1 month of XBL
3rd Place - 3 months of XBL."

Ninja Gaiden II Demo Now Available For US and Canada (News)

Jun 7, 2008

Just in time for the weekend, a playable demo for Ninja Gaiden II has finally arrived for Xbox 360 gamers in the US and Canada. After a couple of delays, you can now get a sampling of some Ninja Gaiden II action on the Xbox 360. The download is about 860MB.

First Day sales in Japan: Dragonball Z 68k, Ninja Gaiden II 20k (News)

Jun 6, 2008

First Day sales in Japan from June 5:

PS3 Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit - 60.000
WII Fushigi no Dungeon - Furai no Shiren 3: Karakuri Yashiki no Nemuri Hime - 40.000 (40% sell through)
360 Ninja Gaiden II - 20.000
NDS DS Yamamura Misa Suspense - 17.000
360 Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit - 8.000
PS2 Oookuki - Uncountable

Gamefly Charts: Ninja Gaiden 2 on Top... Again (News)

Jun 6, 2008

The highly anticipated Ninja Gaiden 2 takes the top spot for the second week on the cross-platform Gamefly Top Ten 'Most Queued' list. Following close behind is GRID (PS3/Xbox 360/DS), and Haze (PS3). Boom Blox is at the top of the Nintendo Wii Queue as well...

Queue up the complete Gamefly Top 10 most requested list:

Tecmo shares nosedive on Itagaki exit (News)

Jun 5, 2008

Publisher Tecmo's share price has plummeted more than 10 percent since news broke that Tomonobu Itagaki had both sued the company and handed in his resignation.

Earlier this week it emerged that Itagaki had filed a complaint with the Tokyo District Court against his employer Tecmo for unpaid completion bonuses, and against the company's president for "unreasonable and disingenuous statements" made towards him.

He announced that ...

Full translation - Tecmo responds to Itagaki lawsuit (News)

Jun 4, 2008

Develop: Japanese game developer Tecmo has responded to the lawsuit brought upon it by former employee Tomonobu Itagaki, the father of the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden series, the existence of which was announced yesterday.

Rather than pick choice quotes from the company's release, we've translated the full statement below:

Our employee Tomonobu Itagaki (hereafter 'the employee') released information to the press on March 3rd 2008 regarding his resignation from the company effective June 1st, his lawsuit regarding the payment of a completion bonus, consolation money sought from ourselves and our president, and his reasons for doing so...

Tecmo: Itagaki lawsuit a "huge problem" (News)

Jun 4, 2008

Tecmo has defended its position in the conundrum over Itagaki's resignation and lawsuit against the company announced yesterday.

The company says the "unpaid completion bonuses" Itagaki speaks of were an agreement of previous management, and that Itagaki had been paid his dues in the form of annual bonuses. ...

Tecmo: Itagaki lawsuit a "huge problem" (News)

Jun 4, 2008

Going public was "self-centred" says Tecmo in official response.

Tecmo has defended its position in the conundrum over Itagaki's resignation and lawsuit against the company announced yesterday.

Itagakigate: Tecmo Responds to "distortions" (News)

Jun 4, 2008

IGN reports:

Tecmo issued a response today to yesterday's statement from Creative Officer Tomonobu Itagaki in which the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive producer announced his resignation and litigation over, among other things, unpaid bonuses.

In the statement, Tecmo denies responsibility to pay the completion bonus mentioned by Itagaki in his complaint. The company claims to have a bonus system in place, and states that it paid Itagaki this bonus every year. The bonus Itagaki mentioned in his complaint is, according to the Tecmo statement, separate from this and is something from the time of previous management.

The company also refers to the damages sought out against CEO Yoshimi Yasuda as being the product of "distortions" from Itagaki.

The Tecmo statement goes on to complain about Itagaki's public disclosure of the litigation, which it considered to be a personal matter and thus did not go public with it despite considering it an important issue. It also accuses Itagaki of referring to Team Ninja's productions in his statement as if they were developed exclusively by himself.

Before closing off with an apology to customers, stock holders and business partners for any trouble that might have been caused, the statement notes that Team Ninja has started working on new titles.

Ninja Gaiden II Is Now Available in North America (News)

Jun 3, 2008

Microsoft and TECMO/Team Ninja make it official. Ninja Gaiden II is now available in North America.

Microsoft and TECMO/Team NINJA announced today that "Ninja Gaiden II," the blockbuster action-packed sequel to "Ninja Gaiden," is now shipping to retailers throughout North America. "Ninja Gaiden II" features a new and improved game engine, developed from the ground up exclusively for Xbox 360, by legendary video game developer Tomonobu Itagaki and Team NINJA.

Ninja Gaiden 2 Australian Demo & Details (News)

Jun 3, 2008

XboxOz360 reports:

News just in is that a demo for Ninja Gaiden 2 will be available on the marketplace during the morning of the 4th June '08. Here's th einfo straight from MS this afternoon. So if you want to get a taste of Ninja Gaiden 2 before it's release, then head to the XboxLive Marketplace - now.

"Just thought I would give you a heads up and let you know that the Ninja Gaiden 2 Demo will launch overnight in Australia and will be available for download tomorrow.

The demo is taken from Chapter One and game play duration is about 30 minutes on average.

The wait is overÂ¿ Play as Ryu Hayabusa and experience the frenetic combat of Ninja Gaiden II. You are equipped with the Dragon Sword, Falcon's Talons, Eclipse Scythe, Shuriken & Fiend's Bane Bow and will unlock the Lunar staff as well as The Art of the Inferno & the Art of Wind Blades Ninpo magic as you battle through about ¾ of the first chapter, Sky City Tokyo.

All weapons and Ninpo are at max level so you can really feel the power, grace and speed of the weapons and effects. You can even experience Muramasa's shop where you can upgrade weapons and buy valuable herbs to increase your health.

- Standard Weapons: Dragon Sword, Scythe, Claws, Staff
- Projectile Weapons: Shuriken, Bow and Arrow
- Ninpo: Wind and Fire
- Weapon level: 3 (max level)
- Difficulty level: Acolyte only
- Expected gameplay: 30 minutes

Ninja Gaiden II launches June 12th in Australia."

Itagaki quits Tecmo, then sues them (News)

Jun 3, 2008

Dead or Alive creator Tomonobu Itagaki is leaving Tecmo and has filed a lawsuit against the company for "unpaid completion bonuses" over Dead or Alive 4.

Itagaki's translator contacted Kotaku yesterday, telling them: "At approximately 2:30 PM Japan Standard Time today, June 3rd 2008, an official statement from Tomonobu Itagaki was sent by fax to major Japanese news outlets."

In the official statement, Itagaki said: "I, ...

Will Microsoft Offer Itagaki Exclusive Deal? (News)

Jun 3, 2008

With the shocking news of Tomonobu Itagaki's resignation from Tecmo, just where will the highly revered developer produce his new games? There's been speculation for a while now of discontentment over at Tecmo, with Itagaki be-littleing some of his co-workers and pubicly commenting on his dislike of Ninja Gaiden Sigma (the PS3's remake of the Xbox original).

Ninja Gaiden II demo out in Europe (News)

Jun 3, 2008

CVG writes: " After an onslaught of promises and maybe's, the Ninja Gaiden II demo is finally up for download on the European Xbox Live Marketplace - but North America has to wait."

Ninja Gaiden 2 Achievements Revealed by x360a (News)

Jun 3, 2008

The game features 60 achievements in total, 22 of which are secret. Aside from the difficulty of the game itself, these achievements do not look very forgiving. Requiring at minimum eight different plays through the game, it will definitely be interesting to see how big the "1000 Club" gets for this one. See the list after the jump.

Major Nelson: Ninja Gaiden II demo will NOT be available in Canada and the U.S. tomorrow (June 3, 2008) (News)

Jun 3, 2008

So this is the edit where I get to feel like an ass. As many of you know, I never usually post information about a demo until it is actually available on the Xbox LIVE Marketplace. Well, with this post I went against that little voice in my head and gave you a heads up. I just received an email that proves I should have listened to that voice. It turns out the demo will NOT be available in Canada and the U.S. (in addition to India and Germany as noted above.) I don't know when a demo will be available for the other regions, but hopefully it will be by the end of the week (as originally stated.) My apologies. You can be sure that I am going to have a a few conversations with a some people about this.

Ninja Gaiden II Demo Coming Tomorrow, 6-3-08 (News)

Jun 3, 2008

A demo for Ninja Gaiden II will be available from the Xbox LIVE Marketplace early tomorrow in all regions (excluding Germany), at 0200 PT.

Ninja Gaiden 2 native resolution only 585P (News)

Jun 1, 2008

A member of the beyond 3d forums has once again taken the games screenshots and measured the games native resolution to find that the game only runs at 1120x585.

Itagaki VS Kamiya - Who Makes The Best Action Games? (News)

May 31, 2008

There can only be one king of the action game genre and in the last few weeks, words have been traded between rival game developers, Tomonobu Itagaki and Hideki Kamiya. In the latest publication of Edge magazine, Kamiya states that since his last game the action genre has become stale and that his upcoming title, Bayonetta, will deliver the type of action only his team, PlatinumGames can provide. In the other corner, Itagaki-san states that Ninja Gaiden 2 is the definitive action game, that only Team Ninja can develope. So the question is, who makes the best action games? Itagaki or Kamiya?

This Week's New Videogame Releases (Week of 6/2/08) (News)

May 31, 2008

See what's coming in the week ahead for the PLAYSTATION 3, Xbox 360, Wii, PSP and DS. New hardware too: red God of War PSP and Metal Gear branded bluetooth headset.

Ninja Gaiden 2 demo by next week (News)

May 31, 2008

According to Major Nelson, the Ninja Gaiden 2 demo should be available in the US by the end of next week.

New Game Releases for the Week of June 1, 2008 (News)

May 31, 2008

A solid week of new games kicks off the summer release calendar! Highlights include Ninja Gaiden II (Xbox 360), GRID (PS3, Xbox 360, PC), LEGO Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (Nintendo Wii, Xbox 360, PS3, PS2, PSP, DS, PC), and a few other gems.

Check out the full list of new video game releases (USA) for the week of June 1, 2008 on Xbox 360, PlayStation 3, Nintendo Wii, Sony PS2, PSP, Nintendo DS, and PC!

Ninja Gaiden II Demo Coming... (News)

May 30, 2008

Microsoft's Chris Palidino confirms to TheGameReviews.com when the demo will see worldwide release.

Ninja Gaiden 2 demo hits Xbox Live in Japan (News)

May 30, 2008

The demo for Ninja Gaiden 2 has arrivedÂ¿in Japan. Those of you with Japanese Xbox Live accounts will probably need no encouragement to get on the download.

Japanese XBLM gets NG2 demo (News)

May 30, 2008

X3F: After the demo news disappeared from the game's official site, many of us were worried that there would be no Ninja Gaiden 2 demo at all. Fortunately the demo does exist, and it should be online shortly. In Japan. Only. Now we know that the 360 is no big success in the East, so why not just release the demo everywhere at once? No one knows.

Ninja Gaiden II Demo To Hit JPN Marketplace This Friday? (News)

May 29, 2008

There's been a lot of controversy surrounding the release of Team Ninja's, Ninja Gaiden II. From scathing reviews attacking the developer and his fanbase to complaints surrounding the games hardcore difficulty and camera efficiency. The latest rumour to hit the web speculates that the long awaited demo will be released on the JPN Xbox marketplace this Friday.

Gamefly Charts: Ninja Gaiden 2 On Top (News)

May 28, 2008

The highly anticipated Ninja Gaiden 2 takes the top spot on the cross-platform Gamefly Top Ten 'Most Queued' list. Following close behind is GRID (PS3/Xbox 360/DS), and Haze (PS3, Xbox 360).

Queue up the complete Gamefly Top 10 most requested list:

Latest Famitsu review scores (News)

May 28, 2008

Ninja Gaiden 2 (Xbox 360, Tecmo): 9 / 9 / 8 / 8 - (34/40)
Koto ni Maru Hana Sanrin: Kyoto Satujin Jinken File (NDS, Tecmo): 7 / 7 / 7 / 7 - (28/40)
Fushigi no Dungeon - Furai no Shiren 3: Karakuri Yashiki no Nemuri Hime (Wii, Sega): 9 / 9 / 8 / 9 - (35/40)
FIFA Street 3 (PS3/Xbox 360, EA): 8 / 7 / 7 / 7 - (29/40)
Dragon Ball Z: Burst Limit (PS3/Xbox 360, Bandai Namco): 9 / 8 / 8 / 8 - (33/40)
Oookuki (PS2, Global A): 3 / 3 / 4 / 3 - (13/40)

NG2 xbox.com page updated; no more demo? (News)

May 28, 2008

xbox360fanboy:
So far Ninja Gaiden 2's demo has yet to see release to the Marketplace, and for some time now, the game's xbox.com page had a message for its readers, telling them to: "Get your hands on the free demo coming to Xbox LIVE Marketplace in May." While it is true that May isn't over until the end of the week, the xbox.com page no longer has the message promising the demo's arrival, and instead points readers to the Ask a Ninja videos.

EuroGamer: Win an Xbox 360 Elite signed by Tomonobu Itagaki! (News)

May 26, 2008

Closing date for this competition is Sunday 1st June

If you thought May was too sunny to go outside (and who didn't), then dust off those blackout curtains because June's probably going to be scorching. Good thing you can stay indoors and play Ninja Gaiden II then, isn't it?

Ninja Gaiden 2 Frame rate issues in Final Build (News)

May 26, 2008

CVG Staff have confirmed that the framerate issues in NG2 were found in the final build of the PAL version;

Posted: 26 May 08 2:56 pm
On the CVG Forums:

A user named "Petebrolly" said: According to Teamxbox the slowdown and framerate issues are only in review builds, and the retail builds have sorted this problem.

CVG Staff answered:
"We reviewed off PAL, boxed retail copy. Slowdown very much still there."

NG Frame Rate Issues Are Only in the Review Build (News)

May 26, 2008

You may have noticed TeamXbox have not yet posted their review of Team Ninja's Ninja Gaiden 2. Just wanted to fill you in on why. There were a couple of issues with the review build discs, specifically with the load times and the framerate. TeamXbox have been told that these issues have been resolved in the retail version of the game. Therefore, they have decided to hold off on posting their review article and score until they are able to get their hands on a retail build of Ninja Gaiden 2 in order to verify this.

In the meantime, TeamXbox have put together a few high-definition video clips of Ninja Gaiden 2 in action! These videos were rendered using two-pass encoding so they are very high quality and should give you a very good idea of what to expect! Stay tuned as TeamXbox will be posting their fully-detailed review as soon as they can verify that the issues that came up with the review build discs have been resolved.

Ninja Gaiden Night: IGN Aust & PlayersLounge Team Up For Sneak Peak (News)

May 26, 2008

XboxOZ360 reports that some lucky gamers will be given a sneak peak at Ninja Gaiden 2 at PlayersLounge:

"The first (sneak peak at new games) will be kicking off with Ninja Gaiden 2, and only open to players of 18yrs and over.

It's on a selection basis, and dates have yet to be announced, but it will be about one week prior to release here in Australia, which is the 12th June '08. It will be run in the evening, as will all other Taste Tester Events, and you can be sure X360.com.au (aka XboxOZ360-gamer) will be there to bring you the goodies alongside IGN naturally."

Ninja Gaiden 2 (Review)

May 26, 2008

Ninja Gaiden 2 is the first game all over again, only faster and with a fancy new combat feature where you can hack off enemy limbs and execute elaborate finishing moves that differ from weapon to weapon. It’s every bit as hard as its predecessor and then some with two unlockable difficulty levels in addition to the two defaults. The only problem is that Ninja Gaiden 2 looks just like Ninja Gaiden Sigma on the PS3 with barely any ...

MS chest thumps over "flood of brilliant 360 games" (News)

May 23, 2008

Microsoft has begun chest thumping over it's 2008 line-up of games, saying its invention of Xbox has led to a "Christmas Eve like never before" every week of the year.

In an update on its official website the company cites Gears of War 2 (Nov 2008), Ninja Gaiden 2 (June 6), Too Human (August 29), Viva Piñata: Trouble in Paradise (Sep 2008), Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts (Holiday 2008), Fable 2 (2008) and Penny Arcade Adventures: On the Rain-Slick Precipice of Darkness, Episode One (out now).

It says: "It's going to be very tough sleeping at night with this amazing haul coming so soon."

Ninja Gaiden II Goes Gold (News)

May 23, 2008

In a press release issued today, Microsoft and Team Ninja have announced that the Ninja Gaiden II has gone gold. The game will start shipping to North American retailers on June 3rd.

Itagaki to quit Ninja Gaiden series (News)

May 22, 2008

Tomonubu Itagaki rules himself out of working on further iterations of the blockbuster action series

Itagaki: No one takes its job as seriously as Rockstar (News)

May 20, 2008

CVG writes: " Head ninja Tomonobu Itagaki has told CVG that he thinks no studio takes its job as seriously as those at Rockstar Games when considering adult themes and content.

During a one-on-one interview with Itagaki in London last Friday, Team Ninja's main man offered his thoughts on Grand Theft Auto IV. "I think it's made extremely well and is a fun game," he said.

"People always use that as an example of violence in games. But I don't think there's anyone who takes their job as seriously as the guys who make that game. You only have to look at all the detail in there."

Itagaki: No one takes its job as seriously as Rockstar (News)

May 20, 2008

Head ninja Tomonobu Itagaki has told CVG that he thinks no studio takes its job as seriously as those at Rockstar Games when considering adult themes and content. During a one-on-one interview with Itagaki in London last Friday, Team Ninja's main man offered his thoughts on Grand Theft Auto IV. "I think it's made extremely well and is a fun game," he said. ...

Pre-order Ninja Gaiden 2, get MS Points (News)

May 19, 2008

Top shop HMV is offering free Microsoft Points to anyone pre-ordering Ninja Gaiden 2.

The Xbox 360 exclusive is out on June 6th. Buy it at HMV for GBP 39.99 and you'll get 1000 points - equivalent to GBP 8.50 / EUR 12.

Ninja Gaiden II Releasing June 6th on the 360: Full Details (News)

May 17, 2008

XboxOZ360 relates the full details of Ninja Gaiden 2, including the release date:

""Ninja Gaiden II" makes its long-awaited debut on Xbox 360 as the blockbuster action-packed sequel to "Ninja Gaiden." "Ninja Gaiden II" features a new and improved game engine, developed from the ground up exclusively for Microsoft and Xbox 360 by Team NINJA and legendary game developer Tomonobu Itagaki, creator of the famed "Dead or Alive" franchise."

Sonia Not Playable in Ninja Gaiden 2 (News)

May 16, 2008

Speaking to press in London this morning, Itagaki-san, the legendary Ninja Gaiden developer, said that Rachel, a playable character from the PS3-only Ninja Gaiden Sigma game, "wasn't done very well" and that if he had made Sonia playable in Ninja Gaiden 2 "we would have had to make a game like Gears of War".

"I would just like to point out really quickly that the playable Rachel in Ninja Gaiden Sigma was something that was done by a junior member of Team Ninja and I didn't really have any involvement in Ninja Gaiden Sigma for PS3 because I was working on this title," Itagaki-san explained.

He added: "That being said I think that Ninja Gaiden is a story of Ryu Hayabusa and of his journey. Particularly I didn't think that the Rachel playable aspect in Sigma was done very well. Sonia is mainly a supporting character that provides function with the story. She uses machine guns and bazookas and things like that, so if we were going to feature her as a playable character we would have to basically make a game like Gears of War."

Ninja Gaiden creator to embark on new action franchise (News)

May 16, 2008

Speaking to press at a Ninja Gaiden 2 event being held in London today, Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki has offered further insight into what he plans to do next.

"I love the action game genre, in particular I am very focussed on movement and the animation. One of the precepts I always have for my games is making sure that the animation of all the characters is as fluid and as cool looking as they can be," explained Itagaki. "I think that I'm going to continue to explore the action genre and do something that allows me to go in directions that I haven't been able to go with the Ninja Gaiden series, with an entirely new franchise."

Xbox 360 bundle promos annouced for Japan (News)

May 14, 2008

Promoting some of the most-anticipated games of the year for the region, Microsoft is trying to push Xbox 360 hard this summer, with Ninja Gaiden 2 leading the pack in Japan.

No more Ninja Gaiden (News)

May 14, 2008

Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki has declared Ninja Gaiden II the last game in the fantastic series.

The series has reached its peak with the 360-exclusive sequel, reasoned Itagaki, who says he looks to move onto something "completely new".

"Personally I think we were able to create the definitive 3D game in this series so I'm not planning on making any other games in the series," said Itagaki, adding: "So I hope fans treat ...

Ninja Gaiden II - gameplay (Video)

May 14, 2008

Unless the first game made you want to claw your eyes out in frustration, you are probably pretty excited to return to the blood soaked world of Ryu Hayabusa and his full-figured ladies.

Xbox 360: All the new game details (News)

May 14, 2008

Having trouble keeping track of the info-burst coming from Microsoft's spring media summit? You can find it all here in a condensed, confusion-free lump. ...

Itagaki: No More Ninja Gaiden After Part II (News)

May 14, 2008

In an interview with Kotaku earlier today Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki said that he doesn't plan on making any more Ninja Gaiden games for any platforms following the release of Ninja Gaiden II for the Xbox 360.

"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."

When asked if he plans on making a "swan song" Ninja Gaiden title for the PlayStation 3, Itagaki replied " that would be ridiculous."

Ninja Gaiden II Trailer Scythes Outside The Box (News)

May 13, 2008

Kotaku Writes:

"Here you go kids, the official trailer for Ninja Gaiden II, complete with movie-guyish announcer voice and some damn fine intro music. The scythe popping out of the letterbox effect for some reason had me stopping and starting the clip over and over again. I suppose I am so used to letterbox at this point that I find something breaking those sacred black strips strangely compelling. Whoever came up with the effect deserves a cupcake. As for the rest of you, better get ready. Vengeance is coming, June 2008. Might want to clean your house or something, make things nice for it."

-The video after the link

Xbox unveils full 2008 software line-up (News)

May 13, 2008

MCV writes: "Gears of War 2, Too Human, Fable 2 and Banjo-Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts all arriving before Christmas.

Unfortunate internet leaks may have reduced the wow factor, but Microsoft Game Studios has finally revealed its list of big-hitting 360 software releases from now until the end of the year.

The platform holder is set to confirm the list at its product showcase in San Francisco later today."

Microsoft Gamers Day Roundup (News)

May 13, 2008

A roundup of all the announcements from the Gamers Day taking place in San Francisco including news on Banjo Kazooie: Nuts & Bolts, Gears of War 2, Viva Pinata 2 and Too Human.

XBOX Live Marketplace Update (Tuesday 13th May 2008) (News)

May 13, 2008

We can barely go a day without the XBOX Live Marketplace updating (but that's not a bad thing!) and today is no exception. Here is the full list of new content on the Marketplace for Tuesday 13th May 2008:

Name: Texas Theme
Price: 180 Microsoft Points
Availability: Everywhere

Name: Texas Gamer Pictures
Price: 100 Microsoft Points
Availability: Everywhere

Continued at the source.

Ninja Gaiden II (Screenshots)

May 13, 2008

Ninja Gaiden 2: Media explosion (News)

May 12, 2008

Microsoft and Team Ninja released nothing less than seven new videos of Ninja Gaiden 2, each unveiling one character of the game, along with one or two artworks each. Looks like there will be quite a few boss to slaughter, and the horrible american dubbing will certainly be a good enough motivation to be fast about it.

EXCLUSIVE: New Ninja Gaiden II characters revealed (News)

May 9, 2008

GamesRadar has bagged first dibs on revealing three new Ninja Gaiden II characters - Alexei, Muramasa and Zedonius ...

$2.50 for Ninja Gaiden II armor on Xbox Live, get ready to bend over! (News)

May 9, 2008

200 Microsoft Points for Ninja Gaiden II armor. The next Oblivion Horse Armor?

Ninja Gaiden II exclusive costumes revealed (News)

May 8, 2008

Microsoft have today revealed that downloadable costumes will be released for Ninja Gaiden II in July.

The first of the 3 costume pack designs has been revealed today. This will be exclusively available in selected countries to 39,000 gamers on launch day as part of pre-sale or launch promotions with specific European retail partners. Look for more details on other two designs and specific country promotions to be revealed in the coming weeks. Go to xbox.com/ng2 or your favorite retailer to pre-order Ninja Gaiden II today!"

Ninja Gaiden 2: Drugs, Phoenix Fire & Armlets (News)

May 4, 2008

XBOX360Fanboy has known for some time that Ninja Gaiden 2 will be releasing on June the 3rd, but some of the game's finer details have been a bit under wraps. In an article in Famitsu (kindly translated by folks over at the Ninja Fortress boards and reposted at NeoGAF) there is some more details on the game's changes and tweaks. There's tons of little tidbits, but some of the biggest ones are more revealing, like the fact that some gamers have beaten the game's beta version in 15 hours (difficulty wasn't mentioned.)

Ninja Gaiden 2 contains bloody breasts and buttocks (News)

May 2, 2008

DZ write: "[The game contains] very graphic violence and bloody gore with Ryu's weapons sending body parts flying through the air and onto the walls and the ground, with blood splattering beside them.

Weapons in the game are also detailed, with the BBFC commenting that Ryu gathers various weapons as the game progresses, including a sword, nunchucks, bow & arrow, twin swords, a scythe, metal claws and so on.

Finally, a cutscene from the game is revealed, with the BBFC stating that the game also contains a 'cutscene' in which a female character bathes in blood and talks to Ryu with her breasts and buttocks visible."

Ninja Gaiden II details from Famitsu's latest "Team Ninja Freaks" (News)

May 2, 2008

NG writes: " Vigoorian Flails work differently then in the previous version.

There are 8 main weapons to work with.

Path of the Acolyte will be very easy, but still be enjoyable.

The Fiend's Bane Bow can be charged, but the game is very fast already, so you can fire noncharged shots very quickly too.

People tend to have the wrong idea of an action game where enemies are punching bags rather then actual enemies. That's just stupid.

The military starts to experiment with bioweapons and fuses humans with mummies and such to give them partially immortality. Those bioweapons are needed for the ultimate weapon. They are called CIWS (Close Defense Weapon System), but I can't say more without revealing spoilers.

Eclipse Scythe's early level 1 movements were very harsh, but we've made it more harsh then ever with the new added moves in the higher levels. This will go with all weapons in this game. Every weapon has it's own way of fighting and they become more clear the higher their levels are. We also upgraded the Shuriken from what it usually was. Instead of throwing 4 Shurikens in a row, it's 5 now. It's a minor change, but might become useful.

The Gatling Speargun is still very useful in water, but it becomes more useful on land now.

The water is more interesting.
Actual waves of water affect your way of walking on it.
Gaja, the longtailed bone fiends you could find in the GDC demo, are amphibious, they can swim in the water.
They swim like snakes. If you make movement in water, the waves actually make them move differently.

In Helena's ending you see someone die by Ryu's dark Ninpo, that Ninpo will be in this game. That was not Victor Donova by the way, it was just a junior Executive. Donovan still lives and the story WILL continue. Donovan is much more ugly then the guy who died.

Art of the Pheonix Fire ...

Ninja Gaiden 2 first of the series to be rated 18 (News)

Apr 30, 2008

DZ write: "The BBFC has revealed they have rated the upcoming release of Ninja Gaiden 2, and have decided to tag the game with an 18 rating. This is the highest rating the series has got since its debut. According to the BBFC the work was passed with no cuts made.

In the past the board chose to give both Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden Sigma a 15 when they rated those games. PEGI also gave the original Xbox title a '16' back in 2004."

Looky! It's a Ninja Gaiden II Xbox 360 (News)

Apr 24, 2008

"The ever watchful folks over at 360Sync recently spotted a new Ninja Gaiden II standee at their local GameStop. At first glance it appears to be nothing more than your typical standee, but look closer and you can see glory. Yes, that is a Ninja Gaiden II Xbox 360" writes xbox360fanboy.com

Microsoft confirms release date for Ninja Gaiden 2 (News)

Apr 24, 2008

Microsoft today announced the release date for Ninja Gaiden II, in development by Team Ninja and exclusive to the Xbox 360. It'll be available across Europe from 6th June for an estimated retail price of £44.99.

Possible Ninja Gaiden II Achievements? (News)

Apr 18, 2008

Starting life over at the DOATEC forums, there was this list of possible Ninja Gaiden II achievements featuring a total of 51 different goals, 19 of which are secret. Considering the origin of these (forum posting) we're gonna be safe and call these rumors. Especially when the achievements just seems so ... achievable. One would think that Team Ninja would want to tear its players a new one with such an opportunity as this, and yet if these are true they don't seem all that hard. They wouldn't be totally out of place though, considering that they reference Crystal Skulls (which have been seen in screens before), plus the easier ones are fewer points and the harder ones are vice versa. You decide readers, the full list can be found after the break.

Xbox 360 sees double sales in Europe (News)

Apr 17, 2008

Microsoft announced today that European sales for the Xbox 360 have more than doubled due to the recent adjustment of the retail price, "significantly broadening the console's audience" it says.

Pre-Order Ninja Gaiden II, Get Halo Map Pack Free (News)

Apr 15, 2008

Jereme Puik from XboxFocus.com writes:

"Circuit City is giving gamers something good to eat if you don't like waiting 6 months for the new Legendar map pack to become free on Xbox Live. If you are solely interested in Ninja Gaiden II which releases later this year, you can pre-order it at Circuit City. Circuit City will give you a code that you can use to download the Halo 3 Legendary Map Pack that is now available. Circuit City has always been known for some great deals and this is one of them. Don't pass this up if I were you. Your redeem code will be sent to your email within a week, so you can expect to have some fun with thsoe maps on no time."

Ninja Gaiden 2- New Video and a New Character Officially Unveiled (News)

Apr 7, 2008

Microsoft and Team Ninja released these 2 artworks and a cutscene video of Ninja Gaiden 2, unveiling Ryu's new female friend called Sonia. No doubt, this is a Team Ninja game!

Has Ninja Gaiden II gone soft? (Preview)

Apr 7, 2008

Ryu Hayabusa seems angry in Ninja Gaiden II. Really, really angry. Killing foes foolish enough to stand between him and the next save point just isn’t enough for the silent killer anymore. This time his bloodlust calls for more than his enemies’ lives. It needs their arms, legs and heads too.

Strong attacks now have a high chance of robbing cannon fodder of one of their precious limbs. Combo one in, and you’ll see ...

Ninja Gaiden 2 dated for June 6? (News)

Apr 2, 2008

Via CVG: Tecmo's ultra-violent Xbox 360-exclusive Ninja Gaiden 2 releases in Europe on June 6.

Ninja Gaiden 2 demo in May (News)

Mar 27, 2008

Microsoft has finally put a date on its promised Xbox Live Marketplace demo of Ninja Gaiden II, which will apparently be hitting its servers some time in May. The demo was announced at the company's Game Developers Conference keynote last month, but all we've got since is a video of some bloke playing it. Supposedly, according to the website blurb, the demo comprises of a single level which has you "guide Ryu on his mission to avenge his clan," ...