Tomonobu Itagaki Interview June 2008

We catch up with the creator of Ninja Gaiden 2 to find out why this is the final in the series, why he disliked Sigma, and when we'll learn more about Code Cronus and DOA5.

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Kikizo: Can you comment on the overall size of the game versus the original?

Itagaki: I think realistically it's probably about fifteen hours of playtime. But I think that we've got enough in there with enough incentive to make you want to replay at least one more time.

Kikizo: Is the story any deeper this time? The only aspect of the original game that I didn't feel was as good as the rest was the story - have you made it deeper in NG2 or do you feel it's just not important in this type of game?

Itagaki: I think in the original we were trying to create a cinematic quality to the game through story scenes but I don't think it turned out quite in the way that we intended. This time around I think we're shooting for something that's more straightforward in terms of providing a motivation to drive you further into the game. One thing we've strived for is something where you could finish a chapter, save your game, come back a week later, and remember where you left off. Which was not the case in the first one. In that sense I think it's improved.

Kikizo: You say this is your last Ninja Gaiden game, but do you think there will be any updates to the game like with Black or Sigma, and would someone else at Team Ninja possibly continue the series without you?

Itagaki: No, I won't be doing a Sigma or any other kind of edition, in fact Sigma as you may know I wasn't involved with, it was another person at Tecmo that worked on that, and looking at that, I say it felt like they took what I made four years ago and just kind of added toppings on, and it was almost like this weird chimera of a game - one thing here, one thing there. From a game design standpoint I don't think it worked well at all. So, this is the definitive version of Ninja Gaiden as far as I'm concerned. Ninja Gaiden Sigma was a little too serious considering that it was a young kid that was in charge of that project. I look at Ninja Gaiden 2 and it's the culmination of everything I've done, but also a chance for me to kind of reboot how I think about game design. So I feel like there's so much appeal and so many elements that are a part of this, and I am really proud of how it turned out. And I'm actually really excited - I mean, I sit down and play my own game and I'm like wow, this is turned out really well. I think this is the best and most fun game I've ever done. I almost feel like I was born again, like this was the first game I've ever made - that's how fresh this experience is. We were able to include everything we wanted, so there would be little reason to go and do a three or a four, except just to keep the franchise alive. So I feel like I'm ready to move on with different plans.

Kikizo: You mentioned to us before that Saito-san would begin production work on Code Cronus once this game was finished, so I am wondering if that has now begun?

Itagaki: So in terms of what I'm going to be doing in the future, we'll be releasing more information probably some time around late June or early July kind of time frame, so you can expect to hear more around then.

Kikizo: Dead or Alive 5, obviously you have announced it - do you think it will be another Xbox 360 exclusive, will you work with Microsoft once more?

Itagaki: That will be part of our announcement later in the summer.

Kikizo: We look forward to that. Thanks for your time.

Ninja Gaiden 2 is released tomorrow, June 3, in America, and release in Europe will follow this Friday, June 6. Look out for our full review this week, and a chance to win one of ten copies of the game.

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