Yesterday at a Team Ninja event in San Francisco, we were lucky enough to amongst the first people to get some hands-on time with two of Japan’s biggest exports in the gaming industry, Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive.

Ninja Gaiden 3

During the Ninja Gaiden 3 unmasking, we got down and dirty with the new 8 player Online Multiplayer. The first thing that comes to mind during the “customise your own ninja” section is inevitably “let’s make power rangers”, that goes without saying really.

There’s stealth aspects, ranged attacks, power attacks, melee, combos and of course harakiri. These aspects are all used within the two game modes we experienced; Battle Royale and Clan Battle. The multiplayer side of Ninja Gaiden 3 will contain plenty to keep you entertained.

Battle Royale starts out like an ordinary 4 on 4 gameplay mode, similar to Clan Battle, but halfway through the match switches over to a random alternative. During our first game, we switched over to an All v All deathmatch mode, which was quite a surprise to say the least.

The release date for Ninja Gaiden 3 is set as March 2012 for Xbox 360 and PlayStation 3. The PlayStation Vita version however, is set to be a launch title, coming out earlier. Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus will feature touch and motion controls of course, as well as extra ninja trials.

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Dead or Alive 5

Dead or Alive 5 has gone through quite an overhaul too. The developers insisted DoA is no longer just a fighting game, but is now “fighting entertainment”.

We took a first look at Ayane and Hitomi, which were revealed during the event. The character models are much improved, with less doll-like features and more emphasis on realism. Female characters will still bounce in the right places, just not as unsynchronised, as in previous Dead of Alive games. The updated engine provides real time dirt and sweat as you fight.

The game itself played as you’d expect it to, very fluid action, with the addition of some new features. Power moves now launch the player into an almost QTE experience, with visual prompts to hit certain buttons to protect yourself in some way. On one level, we kicked a player off the top of a building, they were prompted to tap X to grab onto the ledge and climb back up. Failing to do so sees them fall to the lower level ground, where they sustain plenty of damage, before the fighting continues.

Dead or Alive 5 is bookmarked for a 2012 release.

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