Ninja Gaiden 3

"Ninja Gaiden III" redirects here. For the 1991 NES game, see Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom.

Ninja Gaiden 3
The European cover art for Ninja Gaiden 3
Developer(s)	Team Ninja
Publisher(s)	Tecmo Koei
Director(s)	Yosuke Hayashi
Writer(s)	Masato Kato
Platform(s)	PlayStation 3 Wii U Xbox 360
Release date(s)	PlayStation 3, Xbox 360 NA March 20, 2012 EU March 23, 2012 Wii U TBA 2012
Genre(s)	Action-adventure, hack and slash
Mode(s)	Single-player, multiplayer
Rating(s)	BBFC: 18
Media/distribution	Blu-ray Disc (PS3) Nintendo optical disc (Wii U) DVD-DL (360)

Ninja Gaiden 3 is an upcoming action-adventure video game developed by Team Ninja and published by Tecmo Koei. It is the sequel to Ninja Gaiden II and is scheduled to be released in March 2012. It will be the first title in the series not to be directed by franchise mainstay, Tomonobu Itagaki. In his place will be the designer of the Sigma series, Yosuke Hayashi.

The game will explore Ryu's more human side as he descends into a hellish realm. It will deal with the sword of the Archfiend from Ninja Gaiden II.

Plot

Ninja Gaiden 3 will yet again feature Ryu Hayabusa as the main character. Although his black leather outfit from the previous two installments will make another appearance, Ryu has been seen with a new metallic black suit in recent screenshots. It has a few visible differences as well. His toes are now covered with metal, presumably used for his new Kunai Climb.^{[citation needed]}

In the GameSpot video, it is revealed that Ryu gets a request from the Japanese Self-Defense Force, the Ministry of External Affairs. He is sent to London where he fights unidentified terrorists. Afterwards, he faces the Regent of the Mask, who kills the Prime Minister. After the fight, the mysterious opponent tells Ryu to "open [his] eyes" and the Dragon Sword is absorbed into his right arm. Ryu escapes the missile firing and is picked up by Defense Forces. In the end cutscene, the mysterious hooded opponent appears on the news forecasting that every country in the world must agree to his surrender in seven days, or will result in immediate destruction.^{[citation needed]}

Development

Ryu fighting a boss in the PS3 version

The game was announced at a closed-door event in TGS 2010. A teaser poster depicting a blood ridden Ryu pulling on his mask was released thereafter. Yosuke Hayashi said: “He seems to be doing something with right hand. Also, there’s something not normal about this hand. It’s covered in blood, but there’s something unnatural regarding the blood.” Hayashi later gave more details: "Ryu is unmasking himself, and it's a way of attracting people to his world. We are trying to have people enter the real Ryu Hayabusa. The amount of blood doesn't revolve around the idea of killing people, either; it could also be Ryu's blood. We're focusing not only on cutting people but also Ryu himself."

The development team removed the ability to dismember limbs because of a belief that "people do not want to see that anymore". At E3 2011, it was revealed that the game will feature competitive and cooperative multiplayer modes with one or both modes supporting up to eight players.^{[citation needed]} According to Hayashi, the game's difficulty will not be toned down for casual gamers.^{[citation needed]}

The game's story is written by Masato Kato, who wrote the plotline and designed graphics for the original Ninja Gaiden series on the NES. Hayashi mentioned that characters from the NES series are to appear.

Gameplay

The game will feature a few new mechanics and changes. The new Kunai Climb involves Ryu climbing onto certain walls with the use of his kunai, which he can use to attack enemies from above. In other situations the player will have to be stealthy, as Ryu can now sneak up on an enemy and kill him with a single strike. Enemies speak while fighting, saying phrases like "Get around him!" and "Send backup!". Enemies do not die quickly, and they will suffer and scream in pain when injured. They are no longer decapitated or dismembered, instead they will just bleed and weaken.^{[citation needed]}

Some changes include the slide maneuver, which replaces the Reverse Wind Technique from the previous games. Ryu will use it to get through small passages as well as to attack enemies. The Ultimate Technique concept has slightly changed in the form of Ryu's cursed right arm known as the Grip of the Murder. When he kills a specific number of enemies his arm will glow red. Then, the player can charge up for an ultimate attack that is fueled by absorbing nearby fallen bodies instead of essence. Unlike past games, the HUD will appear only when Ryu is engaged in battle, then fade out later. The Muramasa store is no longer present; Ryu's weapons will be upgraded over time, and items are now only found in chests and in certain enemy corpses. The Dragon Statues that allowed Ryu to save and heal will be replaced by a scripted Falcon who swoops down to Ryu's hand and saves at specific points in the level.^{[citation needed]}

The ninpo concept has been revamped. Instead of slots, it is featured by a green bar where Ryu will have to kill enemies to fill it. Once it's full, Ryu can now cast a ninpo and after the animation, his health will be restored. One new ninpo has Ryu transforming into a fire dragon. Both the PlayStation 3 and Wii U version of Ninja Gaiden 3 will have optional control schemes. The Wii U version may be played touchscreen controls similar to that of Dragon Sword. This is to take advantage of its unique controller. The PlayStation 3 version will have PlayStation Move compatibility. This is to give players "a new visceral edge when battling and slicing through their enemy's flesh and bone."

External links

• Official website
• Team Ninja Promotional