Ninja Gaiden: Sigma 2 PlayStation 3

Released on 02/10/2009

• Ninja Gaiden Creator Unveils Devil's Third

  It's been just over two years since certifiably bonkers Japanese games guru Tomonobu Itagaki unleashed the punishing Ninja Gaiden II on the world, but he's finally revealed just what he's been up to since splitting acrimoniously from Tecmo, where he headed up development for sixteen years, to set up his own independent studio, Valhalla.

  What he's been up to is Devil's Third, an insanely gory third person action game that shows that while his employment situation may have changed, Itagaki's fixation on ultra-violence and enormous bouncing bosoms remains intact. Early footage shows enemies being beheaded, dismembered and ground into red paste by a tank.

  Story details are still under wraps, but we do know that it involves space debris raining down to earth, and that the gameplay will feature both swordplay and shooting. The title, for the music buffs out there, comes from the term for tritone dissonance, sounds that clash deliberately to put the listener on edge.

  While Itagaki's previous titles have all led on the Xbox 360, for Devil's Third he's developing both Xbox and PS3 versions at the same time, which can only be good news for everyone who waited patiently for the PlayStation ports of Ninja Gaiden. In another change from the norm, he's teamed up with a western publisher - THQ - to deliver it into your sweaty mitts. As for when that will be, we're left waiting for more razor sharp info snippets to jump out of Itagaki's mouth and stab us in the brain.

• Ninja Gaiden 3: more players, more blood

  Team Ninja Yosuke Hayashi has been talking to PlayStation: The Official Magazine about the developer forthcoming Ninja Gaiden 3, promising that the latest instalment in the rock-hard slice-em-up is set to be the goriest yet.

  "We are trying to take the violent concepts even deeper," Hayashi explains, "and make you realise how it feels to actually kill someone and what it is to gut someone." Ouch.

  That said, Hayashi is insistent that the gruesome stuff is necessary: "It's very important to us that people realise that violence is not only about blood and gore."

  The game also promises to explore the psyche of hero Ryu Hayabusa, with the developer refusing to offer new playable characters in order to focus on the troubled ninja himself.

  Those similarly concerned about the franchise legendarily tough difficulty level may be pleased to hear news at Hayashi comments that team Ninja will be "taking a slightly different approach."

  "It's not that the game's going to be easier - nothing like that. It's just that we are trying to make a whole game, a more exciting game that can be enjoyed by anyone."

  To which end, he also promised a brand new multiplayer mode, described by Hayashi as "complex". Sounds intriguing, though at the moment there no more info on what that might entail.

  Like most of the year big games, you can expect to see and hear more about Ninja Gaiden 3 at E3 in June. If we hear any more about it, youl be the first to know.

• US mag lifts the lid on Ninja Gaiden 3

  US mag lifts the lid on Ninja Gaiden 3

  Wee known about its existence for a while, but now wee getting our first glimpse of Ninja Gaiden 3, thanks to a CVG report based on an article in Official PlayStation Magazine US.

  It sounds great, too: another bloodthirsty beat-m-up with a 60 fps frame rate, that sees legendary Ninja Ryu carving baddies into pieces against some stylish backdrops.

  Now for the important stuff: Team Ninja promising that the game difficulty won be toned down in the slightest. If you like a challenge, this is still the game for you. Ninja Gaiden 3 will also focus on Ryu own backstory a little more, and there are no other playable characters planned for the game at this point.

  Elsewhere, the weapon store is gone, replaced with swords and other gadgets that evolve over the course of the adventure, and there are big plans for multiplayer, with eight-player battles promised across co-op and versus challenges. If youe got a Move, the team even thinking about letting you get into the action with that!

  We can wait for this one, and fingers crossed wel hear more about platforms and release dates at E3.

• Beg for mercy in Ninja Gaiden 3

  It's no surprise that the sequel to the famously tough Ninja Gaiden 2 will feature pleas for mercy, but this time they won't be coming from the player. In a move designed to "unmask" the emotional side of Ryu - the hero of the series - those left wounded by your attacks may ask you to spare their lives. The choice you then make will have consequences later in the game.

  The game will also feature an Easy mode, which automates the blocking and evading of enemy attacks. This from a series which, in Ninja Gaiden Black, openly mocked players who opted for the easier Ninja Dog setting.

  But fear not, hardcore ninja death lovers, for the move is simply intended to lure newcomers to the game. The tough-as-nails difficulty will remain.

  "What made the old games was the difficulty levels," producer Yosuke Hayashi told Eurogamer. "What we wanted to do is keep that element, but show gamers that there's something more to Ninja Gaiden. We wanted to broaden its appeal, while obviously maintaining the notorious difficulty levels for our core players."

  Ninja Gaiden 3 is set for an early 2012 release on PS3, Xbox 360 and Wii U. Black pyjamas optional.

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