During our Ninja Gaiden 3 interview with Yosuke Hayashi we also discussed other projects in development at Team Ninja. Our interview continues with Dead or Alive 5 and Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus for PlayStation Vita. If you missed part one, read all about Ryu’s dark hero roots here.
And how are you going to create an "action experience" on PlayStation Vita?
Yosuke Hayashi, Team Ninja Head: We’re looking at bringing all of the action from Ninja Gaiden onto Vita. Being a portable device, players will want to play it in smaller chunks. We’re going to incorporate the play style from Ninja Gaiden 3 into Ninja Gaiden Sigma. It will feel different than Ninja Gaiden 3, but if you play both you can enjoy everything Ninja Gaiden has been and is now.
How are you going to use the Vita’s unique hardware to do this?
Of course we’re looking at how we can use the touch panels into gameplay. Having a portable console with the two analog sticks makes the game feel like a console title. We’re confident we bring a console action feel to the Vita.
Will there be any exclusive content in Ninja Gaiden Sigma for PlayStation Vita?
We’re thinking about what we can do with it. Right now, we’re just at the point of getting it running on the Vita. When we do have something more concrete we’ll let you know.
You’re also working on Dead or Alive 5 and we saw Ryu hanging off a rooftop.
Everything you saw in that trailer was gameplay. That is a feature we are putting in there and it is one of the key features that will define the next level of fighting games.
To be completely honest, after Dead or Alive 4 we weren’t sure what the future was going to be. We were trying to think of something new, but we weren’t getting any ideas of what to do for 5. Then we saw Street Fighter IV and the fighting genre come back because in a large part of Capcom and what they were doing. For all of the fighting games that came out we looked at them, but there was something wrong. They looked great with updated graphics and had online gameplay, but the gameplay itself hasn’t changed. It’s still the gameplay we’ve had for years.
We started to think how can we change the genre. What could we add new and put that into the fighting game? And that’s how that idea came out.
How else do you want to change the genre? Some developers like Arc System Works put an emphasis on technical combos while the Soulcalibur series is more accessible. Where does Dead or Alive and its new system fit in?
Dead or Alive is different from both of those. We’re looking for simple, but deep fighting entertainment. We’re not looking to be a technical hardcore fighter. We want a game that a lot of people can have fun with, but people who want that depth can find it. When people watch the second part of the demo that will give players a sense of what we’re thinking of when we mean "fighting entertainment."
Are you creating any new characters for Dead or Alive 5?
Yes, absolutely. It’s a numbered title, so we will have new characters. In the gameplay footage, you can tell the character designs have been updated as well. The characters that you’ve come to know and love will be changed too and players will feel the entire roster is refreshed.
Were there any ideas from Code Chronos that made it into Dead or Alive 5?
As a project it has been canceled, but people who were involved with that project have worked on Dead or Alive 4, Dimensions, and Dead or Alive 5. There is a link there, but there isn’t a direct connection.
How is Ni-Oh going?
It’s still being worked on. Team Ninja is hard at work on Ninja Gaiden 3, Dead or Alive 5, and PlayStation Vita. There are developers working on it inside Team Ninja creating a prototype now. Right now it’s in a prototype stage where we are playing with ideas.
Published: Nov 25, 2011 05:38 pm