Tecmo, Inc.
TECMO CREATES THE ULTIMATE NINJA GAIDEN EXPERIENCE
WITH NEW DOWNLOADABLE CONTENT
Enhanced Additions for Ninja Gaiden(tm) Will Be
Available to Download Through Xbox(tm) Live in the Beginning of August.
TORRANCE, Calif., June 24, 2004-Tecmo® 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."
Fans who have mastered the original game, which was heralded as "tough to
beat", are in for even more of a challenge in the new download. The enemy
characters will be programmed to have even more advanced A.I., making the
game wickedly exciting the second time around.
The three top ranked winners from the first round of The Master Ninja
Tournament will be announced this week, followed by an announcement next
week about the details on the second round of The Master Ninja Tournament.
About Ninja Gaiden
One of Tecmo's most treasured franchises is given new life in a whole new
action-packed Ninja Gaiden.
The player takes on the role of the powerful and mysterious ninja, Ryu
Hayabusa, who seeks revenge
after his clan is massacred by the Vigoor Empire.
Boasting 100% action, Ninja Gaiden allows the player to unleash their inner
ninja with smooth game play, speedy battle sequences, and a variety of
advanced acrobatic ninja moves from running and flipping off of walls to
hanging and swinging on rails. The player also has a variety of primary and
secondary weapons at their disposal that when used in a combination, create
advanced weapon attacks such as damaging wall-based assaults and
all-powerful ultimate attacks. Xbox Live compatibility, a host of
challenging levels and visually exquisite environments, are just a few more
reasons why Ninja Gaiden raises the bar in the action gaming genre.
Ninja Gaiden is available now at all retail outlets where video games are
sold, with a suggested retail
price of $49.99 and an ESRB rating of Mature. Gamers can order Ninja Gaiden
at
Tecmo's website (
http://www.tecmoinc.com). For additional information on
the game, visit the official
Ninja Gaiden website (
www.ninjagaidengame.com).
About Tecmo, Inc.
Tecmo, Inc., located in Torrance, California, is a wholly-owned subsidiary
of Tecmo, LTD in Tokyo, Japan and is a leader in the interactive and
wireless entertainment industries. Tecmo's wireless division, Tecmo Mobile,
recently kicked-off its new portable prowess with the launch of its classic
football game, Tecmo Bowl®, available to download on select mobile phones
for some hard-hitting action on the go! Tecmo develops and publishes video
games and content on wireless platforms and next-generation consoles. Tecmo
has gained worldwide recognition with product lines such as the brand new
Tecmo Bowl for mobile carriers, and award-winning franchises including Ninja
Gaiden ®, Dead or Alive®, Fatal Frame®, Monster Rancher®, and Gallop Racer®.
About Xbox
Xbox (<http://www.xbox.com> ) is the video game system from Microsoft that
brings people together for the most exhilarating game and entertainment
experiences. Xbox delivers an expansive collection of breakthrough games,
powerful hardware and the unified Xbox Live online service. The new
tagline, "it's good to play together," captures the spirit of Xbox as the
social hub of the new digital entertainment lifestyle. Xbox is now
available in North America, Asia, Europe and Australia.
About Xbox Live
Xbox Live, which launched in the United States Nov. 15, 2002, allows gamers
to play multiplayer Xbox games with other gamers everywhere via a broadband
connection. With a built-in hard drive and Ethernet port, the Xbox console
is the only video game system built from the ground up for online gaming,
negating the need to buy additional, costly peripherals or upgrades. Xbox
Live enables gamers to easily find their friends; talk to other players
during game play through the Xbox Communicator headset; download current
statistics, new levels and characters to their Xbox hard drive; and play
online-all exclusive features to Xbox Live.
Xbox is a registered trademark of Microsoft Corporation in the United States
and/or other countries.
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