Oh, Itagaki is going to be so pis… oh, wait, he's not there anymore. Never mind.
Team Ninja, at an event yesterday in San Francsico, showed off Ninja Gaiden III (plus the title's 8-man multiplayer) as well as Dead or Alive 5. (Our newest writer Blake Peterson will be providing further details in previews later on.) The main theme running through the event was showing the human side of Ryu Hayabusa as a dark, laconic hero and of Hitomi and Ayase as females who have large–hey, look up!–personalities.
The developer wanted to reveal Ryu Hayabusa, to show the man behind the mask, as more than just an bloodthirsty monster. And so they proceeded to sit me down at a demo where Ryu was… a bloodthirsty monster. But of course the full retail game will likely go into Ryu's past and his motivations for killing things as a bloodthirsty monster human being.
Similarly, Team Ninja leader Yosuke Hayashi wishes to show Dead or Alive as a more "mature" fighting franchise:
Ayane and Hitomi retain their signature spirits while complimented by a new look that reflects amazing beauty, grace, and a strong sense of presence alongside deadly attack skills in intense combat as they take to the massively dynamic and interactive new stages that are a hallmark of this latest installment.
The press release goes further and is more blunt:
No longer content to be eye candy with a deadly kick the female fighters will prove that they possess even more character in the game.
Sure enough, they've taken away the boob physics and given them what is closer to real (?) digital breasts. I won't be missing them. But will you?
