Cinematic Action in Ryse: Son of Rome
December 20, 2021
At its inception, photography aimed to bring a unique image to bear. Yet, as the medium evolved, it started to work more towards emulating portrait painting; a method that had existed for centuries prior. While…
Devil May Cry: the long walked path
August 30, 2021
Imagine walking through an arcade-hall in the 80’s. The smell of cigarettes, strobing lights … and a game you’ve been playing every day after your daily routine has been lived. You know this game inside…
Monster Hunter Freedom Unite, what pulled us in?
By Tai Tsurugi
August 5, 2021
The name of a game is something we tend to take for granted. It’s a symbol, it brings back memories of the past and wishes of the future. Rarely though, is it descriptive. Call of…
Zone of the Enders: will fame suffice?
February 17, 2021
When entering your favourite game store, you’re greeted by the past, present and future. Empty cases of upcoming games, new titles wrapped in plastic and older boxes hoping for a second chance at a discounted…
Vanquish | Marriage Of Two Genres
August 10, 2020
Open any 90’s gaming magazine and your eyes immediately fall upon two words next to a review: “genre: Shooter”. As time passes, certain genres rise in popularity spawning one imitator after another until eventually settling…
P.N.03 | Mastery through Memorization
June 11, 2020
You tap your feet on the floor at a tight rhythm. Shots fire and bounce off the walls. An engine roars and you lift your leg up to the beat and snap your fingers. Nothing…
Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge
May 9, 2020
This article is a follow-up to the previous article focusing on Ninja Gaiden 3 and its development that you can read here. Happy reading! At the base of Mount Fuji on the outskirts of Hayabusa…
Ninja Gaiden 3 | Burning ambition
February 13, 2020
History has a way of repeating itself. 1991 saw the release of Ninja Gaiden III: The Ancient Ship of Doom on the NES with new developer Masato Kato at the helm. After being the writer and graphic designer on the previous titles, he now sought to bring something new to the series.
Kato wanted to share the notoriously difficult games with more players, feeling it needed to go into a new direction to be “a game a normal player can enjoy”.
Fast forward more than twenty years and we’re at a time where the new Ninja Gaiden series is about to reach its third title as well, helmed by two designers who had previously also worked in the shadows. Fumihiko Yasuda, level designer of Ninja Gaiden II, and Yosuke Hayashi, programmer for Ninja Gaiden and director of the series’ Sigma remakes.
However, with a great history comes a great shadow. The original Team Ninja had set the bar high with Ninja Gaiden Black and Ninja Gaiden II -there was a lot to live up to and with a mostly new team no less.
Ninja Gaiden 3 would be their first real title where they could be free, without bounds, to make what they truly wanted. A new Ninja Gaiden. And joining them to write the game’s tale … none other than the aforementioned Masato Kato. Their goal?
To take the series in a new direction.
History has a way of repeating itself.