Team Ninja’s Tomonobu Itagaki – interview on Ninja Gaiden: Sword

From the fame of Ninja Gaiden, Team Ninja‘s founder Tomonobu Itagaki sat down for an interview with GamePro to discuss about upcoming DS game Ninja Gaiden: Sword.

During the brief chat, Itagaki clarified that Ninja Gaiden: Sword will be for the DS because it’s intended to be a portable game. He defined the PSP as a home gaming machine (in terms of specs) that you can take with you. The DS, on the other hand, is what a handheld console should be and he wants to give his fans a handheld gaming experience. If it was about the power, he would’ve made the game for a home system instead.

Fast-paced action games may require precise controls and accurate inputs, but moving to the DS holds no problem for Itagaki. “They’re a different genre in and of itself so they can be a bit more… amorphous” he replied when asked about the decision of making a Ninja Gaiden game on a machine not known for its accuracy.

Not only does he have plans on how a portable action game should be, he’s also doing it using vertical screen setup. Why? Because it decreases the amount of space your hands covers the screen, and it’s easier to show Ryu Hayabusa‘s vertical movement when he does a lot of vertical jumping. Lefties, don’t fret – there’s a mode for left handed people too.

For the rest of the interview, click on the Read link below.

From the fame of Ninja Gaiden, Team Ninja‘s founder Tomonobu Itagaki sat down for an interview with GamePro to discuss about upcoming DS game Ninja Gaiden: Sword.

During the brief chat, Itagaki clarified that Ninja Gaiden: Sword will be for the DS because it’s intended to be a portable game. He defined the PSP as a home gaming machine (in terms of specs) that you can take with you. The DS, on the other hand, is what a handheld console should be and he wants to give his fans a handheld gaming experience. If it was about the power, he would’ve made the game for a home system instead.

Fast-paced action games may require precise controls and accurate inputs, but moving to the DS holds no problem for Itagaki. “They’re a different genre in and of itself so they can be a bit more… amorphous” he replied when asked about the decision of making a Ninja Gaiden game on a machine not known for its accuracy.

Not only does he have plans on how a portable action game should be, he’s also doing it using vertical screen setup. Why? Because it decreases the amount of space your hands covers the screen, and it’s easier to show Ryu Hayabusa‘s vertical movement when he does a lot of vertical jumping. Lefties, don’t fret – there’s a mode for left handed people too.

For the rest of the interview, click on the Read link below.