500°

Ninja Gaiden’s Itagaki has a new studio and would be ‘honoured’ to work with Xbox

Ninja Gaiden director Tomonobu Itagaki has returned to game development with a newly-formed studio, he’s revealed.

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Nyxus1608d ago

I was wondering just yesterday what happened to this guy. Dead or Alive 3 and Ninja Gaiden were among my main reasons to get an Xbox back in the day (together with Halo of course). I would be very interested to see what his new project is like.

NecrumOddBoy1608d ago (Edited 1608d ago )

He did Devil’s Third on Wii U. Never played it and I thought it was canceled. I guess it’s good according to google reviews. I wouldn’t mind a cool new action game. I’m personally all ninja’d out but I would play a new Gaiden title.

Nyxus1608d ago

I actually have Devil's Third. It's in seal though, I don't really plan on playing it. :P

Sonic-and-Crash1608d ago

Itagaki is one of the most talented Old gen Deveopers out there ..

.i wish he was on Playstation wagon from the start ..Ninja Gaiden 1and 2 were the Sekiros of that time- difficult , brutal and beautiful ..

i dont know if he has still the appetite or the interest to still deliver good games , as is known he had problems with alcooholism

tehpees31608d ago

I played the game. One of the first bosses was this dark muscular guy holding a massive chain gun of some sort. The game was terrible. Despite what Itagaki said about the game being made to be easier the whole design style made it harder.

Hopefully Ivan the Terrible (that is the name of the main character) never makes it in Smash Bros.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1608d ago
InUrFoxHole1608d ago

Lol ninja Gaiden broke me lmao.

patriz4201608d ago

Ninja Gaiden would be amazing, it was always a good fit with xbox.

Nintentional1608d ago

Definitely showed off the power of the machine. The graphics were stunning for their time and gameplay was so tight and spot on 👌🏼

Tech51608d ago (Edited 1608d ago )

a game like Ninja Gaiden i could totally enjoy right about now.
i would really like see what their new studio makes.

Terry_B1608d ago

Good for him, bad for Microsoft if he continues to create bad games. This is his second studio already after he got booted from Tecmo Koei around 9 years ago.

Chocoburger1608d ago

Did he get fired, or did he quit? Itagaki had issues with the president of Koei Tecmo for many years, he stuck around with them until he had enough of their BS. I remember reading that he was screwed over by management many times over and left the company.

Tecmo lied to him and published an incomplete version of DOA 2 for PS2. This is why a re-release called DOA 2: Hardcore was later released, since that was the version he was trying to make in the first place. There's also the issue of unpaid bonuses that were promised he never received.

After he left Tecmo and signed up with THQ, it all went downhill for him once THQ shuttered, his company had no money, and then eventually Nintendo reluctantly published Devil's Third. Its well-known that the game had trouble development due to monetary issues outside of his control, but Nintendo (a company with endless cash) didn't make it any easier when they basically pushed an unpolished version out the door, with no marketing, and with a very late American release.

It was all just a mess. But Itagaki has plenty of potential, hopefully he'll get a fair chance to prove it with this next game.

zekk1608d ago (Edited 1608d ago )

Pretty sure I read he was really hard to work with. There was an article years ago say when they interviewed him and his team they were saying he kept all the bonus money that was supposed to go to his team while say they were useless and was verbally really abusive. Not sure if it's true but honestly I could believe it

ApocalypseShadow1608d ago

*Back then, I asked him, ‘are you confident that you will beat PS2?’ and he said, ‘Yes. Xbox is called Project Midway and I’ll gain the supremacy with it.’*

That surely didn't work out. PS2 murdered Xbox that deserved defeat with that "midway" undertone. Like It was a war against the Japanese or something. It's videogames. 360 eventually lost to PS3. Itagaki got kicked out from Tecmo and his games have been lowered in quality since his absence with one turning into a full on micro transaction, clothing and hair simulator. Xbox One got hammered by PS4. It's early, but looks like everyone in the world wants a PS5.

Now that we are all caught up, "Honored" in this instance sounds more like, "willing to accept a check after the panning of Devil's Third." Hopefully, he's lost his arrogant personality as well. He's not a rockstar. Even in those shades he keeps wearing.

solideagle1608d ago

didn't he have sexual harassment allegation against him?

RedDevils1608d ago

Looking at him I can understand why lmao

AngelicIceDiamond1608d ago

Interesting he still wants to work with MS after the failure in Japan and overall less consoles sales with X1.

They have good relationship with the company sure, But C'mon, they want that MS money. More than ever now considering he just opened up his new studio.

specialguest1608d ago (Edited 1608d ago )

MS/Xbox is the best console for his studio to work with. He likes his uncensored violence, gore, and scantily clad voluptuous women in his games. Totally against Sony's ridiculous censorship. He didn't open up a new studio just to be bossed around and told what he can't have in his games

IRetrouk1608d ago

So where was this censorship in the last of us 2? I've had brains hit door frames and slowly slide down it into a puddle on the floor, seen body parts(including eyeballs flying) blown to pieces by mines, ives seen peoples blood drip from the ceilings, blood melts the ice lol...the actual violence in that game is done way better than anything I've ever played in my life, they also have a sex scene in the game. But cover up some questionably aged looking anime girls and suddenly all that don't exist? 🤣

RedDevils1608d ago (Edited 1608d ago )

I think he talking about those horn dog games, gore Sony allowed plenty of that. But games with sexual intent like DOA or Gal Gun will be a problem.

IRetrouk1608d ago

While I understand your point, the likes of dead or alive 6 and the volleyball game are still released, I dont think censoring the likes of younger looking characters is a problem at all and used as an excuse more than anything🤷‍♂️

specialguest1607d ago (Edited 1607d ago )

@IRetrouk & RedDevils
Both of you think I'm referring to the anime girls that looked questionably underage. Totally NOT what I'm referring to. I'm referring to Sony's new policy driven by the #MeToo movement and whatever other reasoning they have. In Devil May Cry 5, the PS4 US & EU versions added a purple lens flare and haze over Trish's naked body from the back covering up a small piece of butt crack. Meanwhile, the PC, Japanese PS4 version, and Xbox version did not censor this. WTF was that sh*t?? It's not even frontal nudity. Keep in mind Trish is not even an anime looking character. In fact, she actually looks late 20s early 30s if you examine her face. The scene happens when Dante saves Trish by catching her body and placing her on the ground. Trish is naked, because she was incapsulated in the demon's body. (non-censored version) https://www.youtube.com/wat...

Meanwhile, the sex scene in the Last of US 2 is allowed, because it's considered "tasteful". I have no problem with the sex scene, but the double standards is ridiculous as hell.

You think I'm making this up? Here's a link from a legit website. https://www.businessinsider...

Quote from article: "Sony officials tell the Wall Street Journal that the gaming giant updated its policy for approving new PlayStation games worldwide, in response to the cultural shifts brought about by the #MeToo movement and the increased visibility of video game livestreaming.

Per the report, Sony wants to avoid promoting games that disparage and objectify women, or that contain sexual content. The company is particularly concerned about being associated with Japanese titles that feature sexualized images of underage girls."

I get the part about the underage girls. No issues there. The issue is their political stance on what they consider sexualizing and objectifying women. Ask yourself this...was the Devil May Cry 5 scene objectifying women? Sony is the new 90's Nintendo regarding censorship, except there's a twist to it. 90's Nintendo did it to be "family friendly" back when video games were primarily played by kids and teens, where as Sony has a more SJW stance. This is why Playstation is the worst company to work with for Itagaki.

IRetrouk1607d ago (Edited 1607d ago )

Wanting to appeal to women and objectifing them less isn't a bad thing in my eyes, so they covered an arse crack, so what, did that make you enjoy the game any less? I'm not sure why it was done, but they did undo it in the American release🤷‍♂️

Its a case by case thing isn't it? Again the likes of dead or alive 6 and the volleyball game are on the console, plenty of arse in those if that's what you want to see🤷‍♂️

I dont see it being an issue for itagaki at all.

+ Show (2) more repliesLast reply 1607d ago
Dragonscale1607d ago

Phil must've been dangling those greenbacks, ooh so tempting.

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70°

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 devs praise games like Space Marine 2 for "lowering the barrier"

Warhammer 40,000: Boltgun 2 developers discuss the huge success of Space Marine 2 and its effect on the series as a whole.

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Jingsing1d 3h ago

How about an official level editor for Boltgun?

60°

Glen Schofield: Dead Space Wouldn’t Be Greenlit Today—Publishers Are Afraid to Take Risks

Sector sat down with Glen Schofield—creator of Dead Space and The Callisto Protocol—during the Game Developers Session (GDS) in Prague to discuss the evolution of the game industry, the current challenges of AAA development, and why it's become so hard to get original ideas off the ground in today’s risk-averse environment.

1nsomniac1d 18h ago

It’s easy enough to say that, but why? It feels weird to me when developers say this but common sense would tell you everything about the idea itself should work.

The idea of the concept seems like a winner at whichever angle you look at it so why would publishers not greenlight it?

… it’s almost as if the majority of publishers are massively incompetent at their jobs. But there’s no surprise to anyone there.

150°

WILD HEARTS S Q&A - 'Switch 2 Is Closer to the Series S Than PS4'

Wccftech interviewed Koei Tecmo about their upcoming game WILD HEARTS S, gathering their first thoughts on the Nintendo Switch 2 console.

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Christopher3d ago

This new tech, in 2025, is more comparable to 2020 tech than 2013 tech.

*tip toes over that bar*

Also, why are all the comparisons to PS4 and not Xbox One?

Neonridr3d ago

PS4 is more powerful than the XB1, S2 is more powerful than both, so why not use the higher of the two?

Christopher3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Probably because people who owned an XBO and not a PS4 don't really know what it means. The assumption is that everyone is as knowledgeable as journalists or gaming news junkies. Gaming is mainstream, that means that mass majority of people don't know these specifics, only online talking points.

And the PS4 and XBO are the closest in power systems we've ever had, so this 'more powerful' is so small, it really isn't the big talking point people think it is.

RaidenBlack1d 21h ago

I'd rather add, Xbox One X can be used as a good metric to gauge if a said system is more powerful than last gen.

VariantAEC1d 12h ago

It's pretty clear that Switch 2 isn't more powerful than PS4 Pro. Is the base model PS4 being beaten? Well, Switch 2 is hardly ever actually being compared to the base model PS4, but seeing as how it's yet to outperform PS4 Pro in basically any other way than loading data into RAM in video comparisons. I have to assume the individual developer being interviewed has very little experience with PS4 and Xbox One.

OtterX3d ago (Edited 3d ago )

Which is great for a handheld/hybrid! Some people still stick to Digital Foundry's PS4 comparison comment as gospel, back when they were just watching trailers and hadn't even had their hands on it yet.

With that said, this interview doesn't go into very much depth on this. I'd like to see more analysis, but so far I'm really impressed with the performance since I got mine on Friday. Truth be told, having a PS4 Pro level handheld is enough for me. Anything beyond is icing. I'm not looking to replace my PS5 or PC.

VariantAEC1d 12h ago

In this case Digital Foundry is right. They didn't adequately explain or sound remotely confident when showing Switch 2's "visual" benefits in that HogLeg comparison was related to loading. Yes, sometimes two massive world segments can be connected by a smaller individual loading zone like how Jak 2 handled open world zones on PS2. There is a small room that in itself is it's own discrete loading zone that you wait inside as the next massive portion of the map loads in. Very common when going from Haven City to any part outside of the city owlr when descending into the sewers or entering the city from the outside or leaving the sewers. Anyway, the HogLeg skybridge loading zone is more detailed because Switch 2 could load in more varied textures. Models load pretty fast. It's probable that the decimated models that appear in the Switch 2 version were supposed to be visible on Xbox One and PS4 in that scene, which might be why they exist on Switch 2. Unfortunately, the same video showcased above shows PS4 Pro is basically ahead of Switch 2 in all other ways imaginable. Higher rendering resolutions with a sharper cleaner image, better effects quality, and a better distance all favor PS4 Pro. Both the Pro and Switch 2 seem to have a pretty solid 30FPS performance level.

MDTunkown2d ago

For how thin switch 2 is it’s impressive especially when it’s stronger than steam deck and cost less

Christopher2d ago

Steam Deck is cheaper at $399. Switch 2 also uses cheaper materials. See joycon drift still being an issue. You'll also save a ton more money on software alone with the Steam Deck.

Honestly, if the Steam Deck was released today, it likely would at least match the Switch 2 in areas where it outperforms the Steam Deck but still have more advantages. Main thing holding back the Deck is the cores and resolution, because it still has the better CPU and GPU otherwise.

Neonridr1d 22h ago

@Christopher - I own one, no stick drift. My OG joycons never had drift either.

Steam Deck relies on FSR which is still inferior to DLSS. Not to mention that the S2 can push double the GPU performance in docked mode. Deck has more memory, which is nice.

I have both, but my S2 will be getting the lion-share of playtime in the near future. That being said, I can still appreciate being able to play my steam games on the go.

FinalFantasyFanatic1d 21h ago

For me, the game sales/prices and flexibility of the Steam deck outweigh the cost of the system itself, but I'll probably get a Switch 2 anyway.

OMNlPOTENT2d ago

And the ps5 was comparable to a PC that could be built over 5 years before it came out lol, how do you think consoles stay affordable?

Christopher2d ago

You're actually proving my point even more.

badz1492d ago

@omnipotent

PS5 comparable to a PC built OVER 5 years before it came out? let's see...

the best mainstream PC combo back in 2015/2016 would be the i7 6700K ($350) + GTX 1080 ($600). Sorry, but that setup is never going to outperform the base PS5 in games, especially modern ones.

you done lying yet or still want to continue lying so your precious Switch 2 doesn't get hurt by facts anymore?

CosmicTurtle2d ago

It’s a tech article speaking about specs people who care about this will know. I did not own an XB1 but know it’s at a similar tech level as PS4. PS4 has a far greater sales footprint, it makes sense to use it.

ABizzel11d 21h ago (Edited 1d 21h ago )

Technologically it’s closer to the Series S….. Raster-wise it’s closer to a base PS4 which has been the point.

Why Switch 2 is better:
The much better CPU allows for higher FPS than the last gen Jaguar CPUs could ever produce.
The 12GB of RAM prevents the system from being bottlenecked in most modern games (even SS fails here)
The storage while not NVMe Gen4 speeds, is significantly faster than the HDD in last gen
It’s a RTX 3000 hybrid, and DLSS is a better upscaling solutions than all other consoles even PSSR currently, and significantly better than checkerboard rending.

This is where the PS4 & PS4 Pro comparisons come into play. Natively it can’t compete with the PS4 Pro, and really closer to the base PS4, but due to the better CPU, more RAM, faster storage, and DLSS it can upscale resolution, image quality, and performance to get close, match, or certain cases exceed the PS4 Pro, and rivals the Series S.

DLSS is really the saving force behind Switch 2 getting current gen ports to acceptable resolution quality, and NVIDIA and Nintendo did it at 10w, so kudos to them, because many of the AAA 3rd party games are and will continue to be native 540p - 720p upscaled through DLSS.

Also this game would benefit from DLSS.

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Sonyslave32d ago

I notice it always ps4 or ps4 pro but never xbox one x which is more powetful then the ps4 pro.

MDTunkown2d ago

And it’s also in someways stronger than series S. Xbox one x is a special console that was never fully utilised and has 1,5 times more teraflops than series s.

badz1492d ago (Edited 2d ago )

but the Bulldozer CPU is much weaker and inefficient compared to Zen2 used in the Series S

Neonridr1d 22h ago

the CPU's were those crappy Jaguar based chipsets though.

jznrpg1d 21h ago

Because most people don’t care about Xbox

repsahj2d ago

This is an ugly port, they should improve it more instead of releasing it early.

gold_drake1d 23h ago

sooo ...

what this is telling us, is that it comes down to the game and the devs optimization.

VariantAEC1d 11h ago

There are already several games on Switch 2 coming up short in side-by-side comparisons. Cyberpunk 2077, Fortnite, and HogLeg are just the first examples with the first game in this list only having better image quality due to DLSS and slightly more stable performance due to that lower resolution than last gen systems enabled by DLSS, but having simplified models at mid distances and fewer NPCs roaming around than on PS4 or Xbox One.