The Master Ninja On Ninja Dogs| Features

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Team NINJA's Tomonobu Itagaki talks his upcoming projects, the next-gen wars, and why he has no sympathy for those gamers who have to play on Ninja Dog difficulty. And you thought you were going to finally get some pity.

Games.net: First off, now that E3 is in the bag, how was your experience there? Were there any products or games that really caught your attention? Did you have any major disappointments?

Tomonobu Itagaki: Well, I was cooped up in the booth the entire time doing interviews, so I had no idea what was going on outside. It's been 3 months since then, and I still don't know, because now I'm cooped up in the R&D offices all day (laughs)!

They just want to give Ryu a hug.

Games.net: What did you think of Microsoft's Xbox 360 presence? What it what you were expecting?

Itagaki: For the time being, I think that they gave a presentation that exceeded everyone's expectations. This is something that is easily proven by observing how the approval rating for Xbox 360 has increased since E3.

Games.net: In contrast, what did you think of Sony and Nintendo's next generation plans?

Itagaki: I'll be buying a Nintendo Revolution for my daughter, because Nintendo games are her favorites. As for Sony, well, let's just say I look forward to seeing the machine once it's actually complete.

Games.net: How has development on Dead or Alive 4 been going? Have the new Xbox 360 beta kits made the development process any easier? Have there been any development problems along the way?

Itagaki: We're already developing on final dev kit hardware. I'm sure we'll be working with this machine for a long time to come, so right now we're tinkering with it to see what it can do. I have to say, though, that the wireless controllers are fantastic. Have you ever stopped to think how many dev kit units there are in the Team NINJA offices? A conservative estimate would be 400, including both Xbox 1 and Xbox360 units. In order to develop network code, we need more than one dev kit for each programmer. Now, I'm sure you can imagine what the place looks like with wired controllers hooked up to 400 dev kits (laughs)! That's why the wireless controllers are so damn cool.

Development problems? That kind of thing happens every day. When we face a problem, I have to decide in an instant whether I want to face that problem head-first and develop around it, or burn it to a crisp with my fiery breath and pretend that there was never such a problem in the first place. This is a gamble, with severe consequences, and a certain kind of talent is required to make that decision. I think that the reason there are so few really great games out there comes from the fact that there are not enough people who have this particular talent (laughs).

Games.net: Ninja Gaiden Black is just around the corner, too. Can you fill us in on the new mission mode and what we can expect to see in that? Will there be any substantial rewards for playing through all the missions?

Itagaki: I tell you what, this is what I personally wonder: how many people on the face of this Earth will actually be able to complete all of the Missions in Ninja Gaiden Black? I am much more interested in the answer to that question (laughs)!

Games.net: Do you have any sympathy for those gamers out there who have to play through the game on Ninja Dog difficulty? Should they take up a new hobby?

Itagaki: Why should I be sympathetic? If they're going to complain, first they should learn how to fight!

A real man should feel like kicking the game's ass, even if accomplishing that means stooping to the level of a dog. Those are the kind of guys that we made Ninja Dog mode for.

Hobbies? What the hell do I know about hobbies?

Games.net: Humor us, if you will, and tell us the first things that pop into your mind when you hearing the following: Sony? Nintendo? Microsoft?

Itagaki: Well, you're quite the uncouth fellow, aren't you?

Games.net: With so many different projects on your plate at once, what can you tell us about your future involvement in the Rygar series? Awhile back we heard that you'd be involved with the project, but the past few months not much has been said? Care to comment on this?

Itagaki: If there were 3 of me, I would give you new releases of DOAX, Ninja Gaiden, and Rygar within the next year. Team NINJA's policy is to create each and every game with painstaking precision. I haven't changed this policy for the last 10 years, and I have no intention of changing it for this generation either.