The Back Is Black

As if 2004's Ninja Gaiden wasn't already the most frenetic, bad-angry beaver, combat-packed, hyper-finessed action game of the year, Tecmo and Team NINJA are set to dial the volume up to 11 with an enhanced re-release of their seminal ninja adventure.
Titled Ninja Gaiden Black, this Xbox-exclusive title brings back all the action of the original game, but adds a whole slew of new features designed to offer value to both owners of the original Ninja Gaiden for Xbox as well as first-time players.
Features like the new Ninja Dog mode offer an entry-level difficulty setting that should make Ninja Gaiden playable by novice players, while the appropriately named Master Ninja mode ramps up the already insane difficulty from the original game's hardest setting.
If you wanted try the downloadable Hurricane Packs but lack a broadband connection, Xbox Live, or both, you're in luck, as the new 50-mission Mission Mode (final number of missions have yet to be finalized) will include nearly every challenge offered by the Hurricane Packs, and more.
If that's not enough, Ninja Gaiden Black will also include new bosses, new enemy arrangement, new cutscenes, more Ayane.
Plus, the game, will arrive at a discounted price.
The list goes on and on.
But don't take our word for it.
Check out our extensive interview with Tecmo Senior Executive Officer and Team NINJA boss, Tomonobu Itagaki.
One quiet afternoon during Japan's Golden Week (a weeklong national holiday), we sat down with Itagaki-san at the Team NINJA offices to discuss everything under the sun, including the development of Ninja Gaiden Black, the competition's action games, the state of Japanese game development, shooting while standing still, and the secret behind Team NINJA's success (it's more than just big boobs).
The outspoken leader of Japan's leading development mavericks had a lot to say, so pull up a chair and sink your teeth into our chat with Itagaki-san.


1UP: So why did you guys decide to make Ninja Gaiden Black?
TI: One reason is because of a promise. I am not always able to keep my promises, but I do so when I can.


1UP: What kind of promise?
TI: A promise to provide the thrills of the Hurricane Packs to those without Xbox LIVE.
The people who played the Hurricane Packs account for just 10 percent of the total of people who bought Ninja Gaiden.
I wanted to provide follow-up support for the remaining 90 percent if I could.
I've said from the beginning that I don't consider the Hurricane Packs to just be a service for the fans, but rather an investment towards the next level of progress.
Now that has become a reality and Ninja Gaiden Black is the result of this.
Now, the second reason for making Ninja Gaiden Black is that I wanted to show the power of Team NINJA's action game to the world one more time before we move completely to Xbox 360 development.
Just as the Hurricane Packs were an investment towards Black, Black is an investment towards the future Ninja Gaiden 2.
That is why the Ninja Gaiden 2 development staff is currently developing Ninja Gaiden Black.
Thus, Black is not simply Ninja Gaiden with the Hurricane Packs slapped on.
It is filled to the brim with our latest expertise, our latest technologies, and gameplay elements that are built off of our latest thoughts and ideas.
It is more correct to say that Ninja Gaiden Black is a final, complete, ultimate version of Ninja Gaiden.


1UP: What sort of new gameplay elements are in Ninja Gaiden Black?
TI: Ninja Gaiden evolved rapidly and dramatically thanks to the Hurricane Packs.
This was made possible by Xbox LIVE.
If we had tried to do the same thing by distributing booster discs, the game would never have evolved as quickly as it did, and I'm sure I would have gotten bored [laughs].
I have been saying this from the beginning, that I would ultimately complete Ninja Gaiden by completely rewriting its main game mode.
I wanted to completely rebuild the game, including all of the new camera work, new weapons, and new monsters that were created for the Hurricane Packs.
It is like a systematic reorganization and tidying up of the game.
At first I thought that my choices were to do that via a Hurricane Pack 3, or to do it as an add-on disc.
Eventually, I settled on this way.
It is the simplest and most practical solution.


1UP: What additions to Ninja Gaiden Black are there, versus the original Ninja Gaiden for Xbox?
TI: Ha ha ha [laughs].
Before Ninja Gaiden for Xbox was released, it was compared to Ninja Gaiden for the NES.
Now, it appears that the Ninja Gaiden I created can now finally be recognized as "the original" [laughs].
I'm kidding, of course.
Tecmo's definition of "Ninja Gaiden" is the name given to the absolute best ninja action game that can be accomplished in that generation.
In that sense, one could say that Ninja Gaiden Black is the "Ninja Gaiden" of 2005.
It is faster than the original, and the enemies are smarter.
We have added a new mode called Mission Mode.
This is mode that allows you to enjoy a series of short battles that capture the essence of what made the Master Ninja Tournament Round 3 (Hurricane Pack 2) so good.
We are planning a pretty good number of missions.


1UP: How many missions will there be?
TI: I'm not really sure yet.
The guys making the game want to put in a bunch, but I'll cut any that I don't find fun to play, so there will probably end up being around 50.
Additionally, we're putting in some new difficulty settings, one on the top and one on the bottom of the scale.
The one on top will be called Master Ninja.


1UP: Harder than the already hardest mode?
TI: Yeah, it'll be like a trip through Hell itself [laughs].
It is for hardcore fans that say they have gotten tired of Very Hard.
There will probably be less than a thousand people in America who will be able to finish the game at this difficulty.


1UP: A thousand?
How much of a percentage of the total number of Ninja Gaiden players is that?
TI: About one percent or so.
Think about it; you will have to fight an enemy version of Ryu Hayabusa, wearing the red and black Dragon Muscle Suit.
I know it's exciting to fight the enemy Hayabusa when he is wielding the Dabilahro, but we've already had an alarming number of instantaneous deaths! [laughs]


1UP: Sounds tough.
It'll be fun to give that one a shot.
Is the other new difficulty setting Easy Mode?
TI: No, that's not quite right.
The lowest difficulty will be called Ninja Dog.
While it is a mode intended for casual gamers, it is not Easy Mode.
Not being able to beat the game on Normal means that you are a failure as a Ninja, but not that you are a failure as a gamer, right?
Ninja Dog is for those players.


1UP: How does that affect your ranking at the end of each stage?
Can you get a Master Ninja ranking in Ninja Dog mode?
TI: [laughs] That's nonsense.
Impossible.
How could a dog become a Master Ninja?


1UP: You know, when we reviewed the game, we warned people "This is hard," but everyone on message boards scoffed.
But when everyone finally got the game the reaction was "OMG."
Did you guys think "Well maybe the average gamer isn't as good as we thought, so let's make it easy on them?"
TI: That's right.
In other words, there are some people who want to beat the game, even if it means being reduced to the level of a dog; people who are not afraid to shame themselves to accomplish their goals.
Sometimes in life, that type of style is necessary.
Anyone who can think like that can still be a real man.
The Ninja Dog difficulty setting is for men like that.
So don't give up too easily!


1UP: So basically there will be a total of five difficulty settings: Ninja Dog, Normal, Hard, Very Hard, and Master Ninja?
TI: Exactly.
In fact, the difficulty levels from Hard upward will have the placement and combinations of enemies changing continuously.
The essence of Ninja Gaiden's fun factor is Ryu's speedy and precise actions, the superb AI pathways of the enemy characters, and the combined enemy attacks.
In other words, increasing the number of difficulty settings means we've increased fun factor exponentially.
All the Master Ninjas out there should understand what I'm talking about.


1UP: Yes, I see.
What else is new?
Are there any new story elements, for instance?
TI: The story of Ninja Gaiden is complete. Anything we would try to add would just get in the way.
We are adding a certain number of new real-time rendered cutscenes, but not to add to the plot.
I just wanted to see Ayane a bit more [laughs].


1UP: Many people are probably wondering if Rachel be playable in Ninja Gaiden Black.
TI: As I have said on many occasions since I was working on the original game, I have no intention of making the female characters playable in Ninja Gaiden.
That goes for Black as well.
Capcom often practices that style of game design, though, so I understand why people might expect it.


1UP: Speaking of Capcom, they recently announced Onimusha Dawn of Dreams, and former Capcom developer Yoshiki Okamoto is making Genji, which is ironically quite like Onimusha.
What do you think of this?
TI: That's the civil war you're talking about, right?
I won't tell them to kiss and make up, but to fight without choosing your opponent wisely is to waste your life.
No else seems particularly concerned with their quarrel, or with who wins or who loses [laughs].
As far as the quality of the games, I like Onimusha. I won't say that the control system is the best in the world, but even considering that I think it is a fun game that has value.
In fact, I finished both Onimusha 1 and 2. Onimusha 3 came out when I was too damned busy working on Ninja Gaiden and unfortunately I never finished it.
I think Onimusha is a game that has definitely influenced the "hack-and-slash" action genre.


1UP: How about Genji?
TI: I haven't played it so I can't say.
From what I've heard, the main concept is "an action game that anyone can beat."
That's something I would never come up with in a million years, even if I were standing on my head [laughs].


1UP: What do you think of the Dynasty Warriors series?
TI: As a real man, I find no feeling of achievement in beating up millions of defenseless enemies.
As for my opinion as a gamer, my free time is too valuable to spend it hacking away at an endless stream of dumb-as-a-brick opponents.


1UP: What about games like Spikeout for the Xbox?
Same platform as Ninja Gaiden, but nowhere near the same level of quality.
TI: If I remember correctly that was the game that was next to DOA2 in the arcades.
I haven't played it on the home systems.
My only impression of it is that it sure took a while for it to get ported to a home console.


1UP: Ahem...Nina: Death by Degrees?
TI: Not even worth discussing.


1UP: Pretty tolerant attitude coming from you.
TI: You think so?
Didn't I just say not to throw your life away?


1UP: Ok, then I'll ask you straight up: are there any current Japanese action games whose achievements that you are willing to recognize?
TI: I'm not sure why you're limiting the discussion to Japan, but let me think...hmmm...this is a difficult question.
If you are talking about Western games then I would say Prince of Persia is doing pretty well. In Japan?
Hmmm...Devil May Cry 3 wasn't that bad, right?
TI: You know, just looking at it I mean.
I haven't actually played it.
By the way, I met the DMC3 director at E3 last year.
While I was out drinking at some bar, this Japanese guy comes wading through the crowd up to me, and he says, "You're Itagaki-san, aren't you?"
Pretty outgoing for a Japanese guy, wouldn't you say?
Anyway, so I say, "Yes, I am. Who the hell are you?"
Yeah, there were two of them there then.
I remember.
I have a great memory [laughs].
So, he says, "I am the director of Devil May Cry 3; pleased to meet you!" and I said, "Pleased about what, dumbass!"
I was drunk at the time, after all.
He was young, so I slapped him on the back and said, "You just work hard so that one day people will say 'Team NINJA in the East [Tokyo], Capcom in the West [Osaka]'."
The product of his labor after that little pep talk was DMC3.
It got decent reviews here in Japan, and I think he did pretty well for a young guy.
If he's lucky, he might make something even better next time.


1UP: What did you think of Biohazard 4 (Resident Evil 4)?
TI: That looked really fun on the surface, but when I actually played it I was surprised.
Why does the guy have to stop and stand there every time he wants to shoot his pistol?
I just don't get it.
Now, if they made it so that he could shoot much more accurately when stopped, that would be one thing.
They must not have ever fired a real gun.
It's not true to reality.
Even if I were to take reality out of the equation, I still can't get myself worked up over a game where the fundamental game mechanic just doesn't feel right.


1UP: Please clarify.
TI: You know, in reality no one stops to shoot.
It makes no sense to me that you'd stop.
You shoot while you're in motion.
Of course when you stop you can be more accurate, but it's not realistic.
I got tired of it after the second level; it got boring to me.
Some of your readers may say "Well, in Ninja Gaiden you use a bow and arrow while moving" but in real life you don't use a bow and arrow while in motion, but with guns you.
If you like sniper games, it's ok to stop.


1UP: Changing subjects, tell us how Team NINJA's games are able to so consistently extract such impressive results from the hardware?
IT: That's easy.
It's because we have complete understanding of computers.
DOA for the most part uses a large portion of the machine's power for graphics, but that is not the case in Ninja Gaiden.
It assigns a big chunk of processing power to the enemy AI.
When Microsoft was designing the Xbox 360, they researched what parts of various genres of games were spending most of their processor cycles on.
One of the results of this research is that the next-generation Xbox will feature an architecture that allows for even more power to be assigned to processing enemy AI.
In that sense, the Xbox 360 will be a platform that makes is easy to design a game where the enemies are smart.


1UP: That's a pretty interesting insight.
So is the Xbox 360 the ideal hardware for developing Ninja Gaiden 2?
TI: Basically, yes, but it's still way too early to be talking about that.
First, I want you to beat the crap out of the AI in Ninja Gaiden Black.
Then, you can bring it up [laughs].
I'm sure you can tell by looking at the trailer, but we have changed the enemy placements starting as early as the first Ninja Fortress stage.
Isn't it crazy how Murai now has white ninjas fighting alongside him?


1UP: Yeah, that's probably going to result in a lot of broken controllers.
Are you saying that you've made that hellishly difficult battle even harder?
You must be out of your mind!
TI: Ha ha ha, you might be right [laughs]!


Source - 1UP


22/05-05

I posted this, it was closed since think link you gave was also the intereview. Closed/