Over the last few weeks, we have been hearing rumour that a rework of the acclaimed Xbox exclusive Ninja Gaiden was about to see a release of some kind - fabled to be an adjustment to the game's notoriously high difficulty.
The truth however, has proven far more interesting than the slight rework we had described all those weeks ago, with Tecmo's Team Ninja revealing Ninja Gaiden 1.1 and announcing that a massive upgrade to the game will be delivered to all Xbox Live subscribers with the original version.
The massive upgrade pack promises new enemies, and lots of them. No specifics have yet been disclosed, though we were informed that they will be of significant size and will bleed a lot. Then there' are the new bosses, said to be scattered around existing levels at various points. According to reports, these will not replace existing bosses, so where they might appear is anyone's guess. It was also confirmed that there will be no new levels, just reworks of existing stages.
And there's more. At least three new weapons will be integrated into Ninja Gaiden 1.1, available to buy in the in-game shops. Specifics are yet to be disclosed. Enhanced AI is also promised, with enemies being less automated and "significantly more human". The camera system has also been addressed with the zoom system replaced with full 360 degree player control.
And finally, back to the original rumour that spoke of Ninja Gaiden being made easier. It would appear that the opposite of this is happening, with the game having an engine overhaul that will see the action sped up considerably. The whole game will be sped up - at the player's request - making for one of the most frenetic action console games ever. How very Japanese!
Ninja Gaiden 1.1 is expected to see a global Xbox Live roll-out this summer - keep it locked for more details in the coming months.
The truth however, has proven far more interesting than the slight rework we had described all those weeks ago, with Tecmo's Team Ninja revealing Ninja Gaiden 1.1 and announcing that a massive upgrade to the game will be delivered to all Xbox Live subscribers with the original version.
The massive upgrade pack promises new enemies, and lots of them. No specifics have yet been disclosed, though we were informed that they will be of significant size and will bleed a lot. Then there' are the new bosses, said to be scattered around existing levels at various points. According to reports, these will not replace existing bosses, so where they might appear is anyone's guess. It was also confirmed that there will be no new levels, just reworks of existing stages.
And there's more. At least three new weapons will be integrated into Ninja Gaiden 1.1, available to buy in the in-game shops. Specifics are yet to be disclosed. Enhanced AI is also promised, with enemies being less automated and "significantly more human". The camera system has also been addressed with the zoom system replaced with full 360 degree player control.
And finally, back to the original rumour that spoke of Ninja Gaiden being made easier. It would appear that the opposite of this is happening, with the game having an engine overhaul that will see the action sped up considerably. The whole game will be sped up - at the player's request - making for one of the most frenetic action console games ever. How very Japanese!
Ninja Gaiden 1.1 is expected to see a global Xbox Live roll-out this summer - keep it locked for more details in the coming months.
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Comments
The Mighty 38 24 Jun 2004 11:17
1/3
How about some Euro decap action while your at it Tecmo. Just thinking of all those heads rolling makes me want to grab my samurai sword and swing it madly around at head height.
mrnull 24 Jun 2004 16:59
2/3
I say, "cool beans" to you Tecmo! I don't own Ninja Gaiden, but just recently got to play it at a friend's house. The game is amazing, even if it does borrow a little from Prince of Persia. They've also been cool with the LIVE support: many of my friends were into that Ninja Tournament.
I hope to see more updates, upgrades, and expansions like this. It's the next best thing to online play :)
I hope to see more updates, upgrades, and expansions like this. It's the next best thing to online play :)
Pandaman 25 Jun 2004 01:15
3/3
More or less, this is the near future of gaming with online being the staple for all games within the next 10 years.