Saner
Feb 24, 2008, 12:42 AM
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/connected/main.jhtml?xml=/connected/2008/02/23/dlninja123.xml
Game designer Tomonobu Itagaki tells Nick Cowen why he makes no apologies about the bloodiness of his latest creation
As anyone who has been to Japan will testify, the culture shock for visitors is immense, and in the video game community, the chasm between West and East is greater still. In the West, there is plenty of overlap between casual and avid gamers, whereas in Japan there is a massive gulf between the two.
Living by the sword: scenes from Ninja Gaiden II, which is aimed at both casual and committed gamers
In Japan, games producers enjoy celebrity status, while their Western counterparts are considered - at best -successful nerds and- at worst - juvenile delinquents. There, video games are regarded as an art form in their own right; one that sparks fierce debate on internet forums between the occasional and obsessive players.
But perhaps the biggest difference is in the Japanese choice of console. Although the Nintendo Wii reigns supreme, as it does worldwide, industry insiders say Sony had sold more than 1.5-million PlayStation 3 units in Japan, while Microsoft's Xbox 360 trails a poor third, only recently struggling past the half a million mark. This is an inversion of next-generation console sales in the West where, after the ever-present Wii, the Xbox 360 has generally been ahead of the PS3.
Naturally, Microsoft has a great desire to make inroads into the Japanese market and Ninja Gaiden II is a title that may help it do so. Players take on the role of ninja warrior Ryu, who hacks and slashes his way through a nonsensical plot and myriad enemies.
It is the brainchild of renowned video game designer, Tomonobu Itagaki, a leading light of the Japanese market and living proof of the public adoration granted to games makers in Japan. He is seldom seem without dark glasses and a leather jacket, but the man behind this Xbox 360 exclusive is far more than a clothes horse. Itagaki is aware of the unique dual nature of the Japanese games market. "In Japan the casual type of gamer and the hardcore gamer are so far apart now," he says, "that they can't see eye to eye on anything: they're literally fighting each other."
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But that doesn't mean he's taking sides. "I believe it may be impossible to achieve a perfect 100 per cent balance between these two camps, so I have had to change my thinking in this regard.
"I think sometimes we look down at the casual crowd a little too much. If you give them a good place to start from and show them how much fun a sophisticated game can be, we can ease them into it," he says, pointing out that today's casual gamers will eventually become the obsessives of the future.
Ninja Gaiden II is indicative of Itagaki's desire to appeal to both sides without alienating either. Both beginners and gaming obsessives are able to play at their own pace - the difficulty level is unlocked from the start, so the player can choose how they wish to approach the game. Fans of the first Ninja Gaiden will not be patronised by low-ability levels: they can get straight into the action.
Even in Britain, where the difference between fans and obsessives rarely creates conflict, Ninja Gaiden II may raise eyebrows. It's likely that the BBFC will cast a glance in its direction - the game is extremely bloody, with the central character able to inflict massive damage on his opponents, including impromptu amputations. Ninja Gaiden II has yet to receive an age classification in the UK and is likely to be awarded a high rating for the onscreen blood. If parents or older gamers plan to splash out on the game for themselves, and there are also younger children sharing the games console, make sure you restrict their access to the game using the Xbox 360's built-in family controls. These allow you to place password-protected restrictions on certain age-certificate games to prevent younger users playing them.
The gore in Ninja Gaiden II is especially interesting given the recent furore regarding game violence, which has seen attempts to release Manhunt 2 in the UK repeatedly rebuffed by the BBFC. But Itagaki is unrepentant and unapologetic about his game. To him, and to Japanese game makers in general, this sort of bloodshed is not gratuitous violence, but a modern retelling of medieval Japanese combat.
Tomonobu Itagaki, a celebrity in Japan
"Violence is not about cutting an enemy into pieces or seeing a lot of blood," he says. "That's not what real violence is." To emphasise his point, Itagaki reaches for a sheathed samurai sword mounted in his office, and holds it out in front of me.
"In the Japanese warrior tradition you would shame an opponent. A real sword expert would aim his slice at the first four fingers of his opponent's sword hand. This would cost a warrior his livelihood and someone suffering this wound would normally commit suicide rather than live without their sword hand.
"That's what I consider to be real violence," he says, replacing the sword in its mount. "It's not about lopping off limbs. It is about the relationship between you and your opponent. In order to inflict these dishonouring wounds you would really have to hate your opponent and this is not what this game or this character is about."
Itagaki's opinions on video game violence may not match everyone's, but while we in the UK might choose to focus on the content, the Japanese gaming community, well schooled in the history of honour and swordcraft, seem able to dismiss virtual violence as precisely that: virtual.
Ninja Gaiden II is due for release in June, and Itagaki has high hopes for it, "I really feel that Ninja Gaiden II should be the definitive action game," he says. "It's not only about improving on the first one, but saying that this is what we consider to be the perfect action game. I'm not including any elements - not even a single byte of data - that I don't personally like."
It remains to be seen whether Ninja Gaiden II will help boost sales of the Xbox 360 within the Japanese market, and whether the game can truly appeal to both hardcore and casual gamers.
But it will more than satisfy anyone with a stomach for gore, as it's truly spectacular to look at, and masses of fun to play.
welp. pretty informative! I wonder if the secret
second playable character mentioned in EGM is true?
Game designer Tomonobu Itagaki tells Nick Cowen why he makes no apologies about the bloodiness of his latest creation
As anyone who has been to Japan will testify, the culture shock for visitors is immense, and in the video game community, the chasm between West and East is greater still. In the West, there is plenty of overlap between casual and avid gamers, whereas in Japan there is a massive gulf between the two.
Living by the sword: scenes from Ninja Gaiden II, which is aimed at both casual and committed gamers
In Japan, games producers enjoy celebrity status, while their Western counterparts are considered - at best -successful nerds and- at worst - juvenile delinquents. There, video games are regarded as an art form in their own right; one that sparks fierce debate on internet forums between the occasional and obsessive players.
But perhaps the biggest difference is in the Japanese choice of console. Although the Nintendo Wii reigns supreme, as it does worldwide, industry insiders say Sony had sold more than 1.5-million PlayStation 3 units in Japan, while Microsoft's Xbox 360 trails a poor third, only recently struggling past the half a million mark. This is an inversion of next-generation console sales in the West where, after the ever-present Wii, the Xbox 360 has generally been ahead of the PS3.
Naturally, Microsoft has a great desire to make inroads into the Japanese market and Ninja Gaiden II is a title that may help it do so. Players take on the role of ninja warrior Ryu, who hacks and slashes his way through a nonsensical plot and myriad enemies.
It is the brainchild of renowned video game designer, Tomonobu Itagaki, a leading light of the Japanese market and living proof of the public adoration granted to games makers in Japan. He is seldom seem without dark glasses and a leather jacket, but the man behind this Xbox 360 exclusive is far more than a clothes horse. Itagaki is aware of the unique dual nature of the Japanese games market. "In Japan the casual type of gamer and the hardcore gamer are so far apart now," he says, "that they can't see eye to eye on anything: they're literally fighting each other."
advertisement
But that doesn't mean he's taking sides. "I believe it may be impossible to achieve a perfect 100 per cent balance between these two camps, so I have had to change my thinking in this regard.
"I think sometimes we look down at the casual crowd a little too much. If you give them a good place to start from and show them how much fun a sophisticated game can be, we can ease them into it," he says, pointing out that today's casual gamers will eventually become the obsessives of the future.
Ninja Gaiden II is indicative of Itagaki's desire to appeal to both sides without alienating either. Both beginners and gaming obsessives are able to play at their own pace - the difficulty level is unlocked from the start, so the player can choose how they wish to approach the game. Fans of the first Ninja Gaiden will not be patronised by low-ability levels: they can get straight into the action.
Even in Britain, where the difference between fans and obsessives rarely creates conflict, Ninja Gaiden II may raise eyebrows. It's likely that the BBFC will cast a glance in its direction - the game is extremely bloody, with the central character able to inflict massive damage on his opponents, including impromptu amputations. Ninja Gaiden II has yet to receive an age classification in the UK and is likely to be awarded a high rating for the onscreen blood. If parents or older gamers plan to splash out on the game for themselves, and there are also younger children sharing the games console, make sure you restrict their access to the game using the Xbox 360's built-in family controls. These allow you to place password-protected restrictions on certain age-certificate games to prevent younger users playing them.
The gore in Ninja Gaiden II is especially interesting given the recent furore regarding game violence, which has seen attempts to release Manhunt 2 in the UK repeatedly rebuffed by the BBFC. But Itagaki is unrepentant and unapologetic about his game. To him, and to Japanese game makers in general, this sort of bloodshed is not gratuitous violence, but a modern retelling of medieval Japanese combat.
Tomonobu Itagaki, a celebrity in Japan
"Violence is not about cutting an enemy into pieces or seeing a lot of blood," he says. "That's not what real violence is." To emphasise his point, Itagaki reaches for a sheathed samurai sword mounted in his office, and holds it out in front of me.
"In the Japanese warrior tradition you would shame an opponent. A real sword expert would aim his slice at the first four fingers of his opponent's sword hand. This would cost a warrior his livelihood and someone suffering this wound would normally commit suicide rather than live without their sword hand.
"That's what I consider to be real violence," he says, replacing the sword in its mount. "It's not about lopping off limbs. It is about the relationship between you and your opponent. In order to inflict these dishonouring wounds you would really have to hate your opponent and this is not what this game or this character is about."
Itagaki's opinions on video game violence may not match everyone's, but while we in the UK might choose to focus on the content, the Japanese gaming community, well schooled in the history of honour and swordcraft, seem able to dismiss virtual violence as precisely that: virtual.
Ninja Gaiden II is due for release in June, and Itagaki has high hopes for it, "I really feel that Ninja Gaiden II should be the definitive action game," he says. "It's not only about improving on the first one, but saying that this is what we consider to be the perfect action game. I'm not including any elements - not even a single byte of data - that I don't personally like."
It remains to be seen whether Ninja Gaiden II will help boost sales of the Xbox 360 within the Japanese market, and whether the game can truly appeal to both hardcore and casual gamers.
But it will more than satisfy anyone with a stomach for gore, as it's truly spectacular to look at, and masses of fun to play.
welp. pretty informative! I wonder if the secret
second playable character mentioned in EGM is true?