watching the master ninja tournament finals at TGS was actually one of the highlights of the show. the crowd was packed and riveted. milkman and i sat in the front row and screamed like little girls as 2 americans, 1 european, and 2 japanese battled boss after boss in this evil slightly organic chamber.
that final boss... the modified alma i think (with the whip) is an absolute whore. keep in mind, these were the top ninja gaiden players around the world and they were dying on a regular basis. (each time you die, it's -50,000 karma).
awesome game. awesome tournament.