Tecmo(R) and Xbox(TM) Live announced today their plan to expand the Ninja Gaiden playing experience with additional downloadable content which will be available in the beginning of August via Xbox Live. The evolved version will contain a wide array of additions including new camera and action engines that will improve upon the already superior game engine, new challenging enemies, new costumes, an arsenal of new weapons, and more. The new download was created to go side-by-side with the second round of the online Ninja Gaiden Tournament, named The Master Ninja Tournament, and will also be openly available to anyone with an Xbox Live account and a copy of Ninja Gaiden.
"Not only has Ninja Gaiden proven to be a massively successful and highly acclaimed game, it has broken records! The first round of The Master Ninja Tournament was so popular that it became the most participated tournament in Xbox Live's history," said John Inada, head of Tecmo Marketing. "Itagaki continues to dazzle gamers with his innovative game design, and he has pulled out all of the stops for the new downloadable content making it a must-have addition for our fans."
Feedback from Ninja Gaiden fans was taken into account when designing the added features. The new camera system enhances playability by changing the player's perspective relative to the enemies' position, while the new action engine will make the combat system more extreme and faster than ever before. New weapons and smarter enemies are just a few more of the features that complete the downloadable package.
"Keep in mind that Ninja Gaiden's main concept is its strength as an action game. The new downloadable content will only expand the envelope of this concept," said Tomonobu Itagaki, Tecmo's head creator of Ninja Gaiden. "The second round of The Master Ninja Tournament is formatted for participants to download the new content, play through the game from beginning to end and then post their scores online to see how they ranked against other players worldwide. If they are confident in their Ninja Gaiden skills, players must take on this challenge."
