Ninja Gaiden 3

Ryu Hayabusa returns in Ninja Gaiden 3, coming soon for the Xbox 360 and the Playstation 3. Though the game is full of blood and amputated limbs, we've been assured that the story will delve deep into Ryu's conscience to expose more than just a killing machine.



After playing through the demo level (and succesfully beating the boss, I might add), I had the opportunity to sit down face-to-face with the director of Team NINJA, Yosuke Hayashi, who answered some questions concerning the game.

When asked how Ninja Gaiden 3 will vary from past iterations, Hayashi-san stated that they "started with the concept to change Hayabusa from just a killing machine to a dark hero. Someone who must do bad things in order to achieve good results." And while the E3 demo was developed in order to "get a feel of the core combat", Hayashi-san promised "the final version will include magic as found in the past, and will feel a lot different and new."

Even with hardcore fans in their sights, Team NINJA still wants to include others who may have been intimidated by past Ninja Gaiden's difficulty levels. Hayashi-san stated, "We understand a few people may not have tried [past] Ninja Gaiden games because of the difficulty level. We do not believe that a player is a certain difficulty level. Instead we believe there are certain skill sets that match a player's style. With Ninja Gaiden 3 we want to address every players' skill sets and help develop them by challenging the player." So you can rest assured that a challenge will await you even if you're playing on Easy.

For those of you curious about the "enhanced controls" in Ninja Gaiden Sigma (a.k.a. boob jiggling), I didn't hesitate to ask if the feature would be included in the latest installment. With quite a bit of laughter from him and the translator -- Localization Producer Peter Garza -- they responded in kind, "The action with the [Sixaxis] controls added a bit of fun in Sigma. Now we are focusing on bringing out the 'dark hero' with this game, and showing everyone that the director is not just a pervert."

And just how was the demo? Simply put, the demo was excellent. Ryu moved quickly through enemies, ripping them to shreds and dodging their attacks. While the attackers had guns and missile launchers, Ryu appeared to easily outmaneuver all their attacks -- even getting some of the enemies to shoot each other by accident. I was thoroughly impressed with how smoothly Ryu sliced and diced his way through the level. Add in all this talk of online multiplayer, Ninja Gaiden 3 really does sound like it might be one of the most memorable titles in this infamous series.

Many thanks to Hayashi-san and Peter Garza for their great sense of humor during the interview. Also, don't forget to keep an eye out for Ninja Gaiden 3, set for release in early next year

WATCH TRAILER: HERE

Posted in: 2012,ninja aiden 3,ps3,upcoming games,xbox 360