Ninja Gaiden on the DS: Dragon Swords Unsheathed!

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Author: Rayman Tsang
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With Ninja Gaiden nearing release, Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki is revealing more details about this mysterious project.

Can't Ninjas and cyclops crabs just get along?

It's no secret that Tomonobu Itagaki and Team Ninja love to display the most visual appealing games as shown with its Dead or Alive series, and the continually-updated Ninja Gaiden titles. But in an interview with Gamasutra, when asked, "Why Team Ninja has decided to produce a title, Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword, for the DS?", the man had a different point of view:

"The DS was looking at a whole new method of input. Just as I said earlier, one of the key aspects of game design is the interactivity between the user's input and what happens on the screen, so I thought: here is a chance to do something totally original, using the strengths of this hardware."

In addition, Itagaki believed that with the vast majority of titles on the DS being low-budget/training games appearing on the system, the market is ready for more serious and refined experience. Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword looks to provide that.

So, how does Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Swords work with only using the touchscreen controls? The DS is held vertical like with Brain Age. Gamepro's DaveMayCry describes the gameplay mechanics using the touchscreen:

"Surprisingly, Itagaki and co. have managed to ably pack Ryu's repertoire into a series of simple stylus strokes. Tap the screen, and he'll throw a star where you directed. Slash horizontally or vertically, and he'll do the same. Drag the stylus in a direction and he'll run. Tap Ryu, and he'll jump."

It's quite a refreshing change to see a developer step out of it's comfort zone and try something unique. Especially with Itagaki and company utilizing the touchscreen input. Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Swords will slash it way to stores on November 1.

Hey, thanks: Gamasutra, Gamepro

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