Team Ninja On Wii U Hardware, Bringing QTE Free Ninja Gaiden 3 To PS3 & 360

Team Ninja is one of the early third party Wii U developers and when we met with studio head Yosuke Hayashi we asked him we he thought about Nintendo’s new console.

"In terms of power, it’s right up there with PS3 and Xbox 360 plus the power to run the extra screen on the controller. There is plenty of power there to use," Hayashi stated. "For all of Nintendo’s hardware, it’s not about power; it’s about how you creatively use the hardware. When we make games for Nintendo, they are going to come and challenge us to use that hardware to make a creative game. That’s the key point from Nintendo that we always feel."

While Hayashi said he has ideas for future Wii U titles, Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge uses the Wii U GamePad to make the game more convenient. The touch screen has ninpo and change weapon buttons plus a move list players can scroll.

"Ninja Gaiden is a console game, so we’re focused on playing it as a console game. We haven’t done a whole lot to change that because we know our fans who love that experience, and we don’t want to betray them. We don’t want to leave them out in the cold. It’s been focused on making that experience even more convenient for them," Hayashi explained.

The most significant changes in Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge are under the hood. Team Ninja cut out the Steel on Bone quick time events and revamped enemy artificial intelligence. They fight to the death in Razor’s Edge instead of pleading for their lives. Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge also gives Ryu DLC weapons like the Falcon Talons when the game starts and adds Ayane as a playable character in certain missions. Fns have been critical of Ninja Gaiden 3’s QTE, so I asked Hayashi-san if they would re-release the game with hardcore features like enhanced AI and dismemberment or offer fans who bought the PS3 and Xbox 360 version a downloadable update.

"Right now we are just really focused on getting Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge out, but we do want as many people as possible to experience that challenge and that fun. So having that on other platforms we’re working on that idea. We are looking at that, but right now, we are focused on Razor’s Edge," Hayashi answered.

Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor’s Edge will also have new downloadable content. Team Ninja mentioned this during their Tokyo Game Show event, but haven’t not disclosed what it is yet. "Will people who bought Ninja Gaiden 3 for PS3 and Xbox 360 be able to get the upcoming DLC?"

"We can’t say for sure how it will be coming to the other consoles, but we are thinking of ways to be able to make Ninja Gaiden fans on all consoles happy," Hayashi replied.