Ninja Gaiden 3 Out in March, Pre-Orders Come With Dead or Alive 5 Demo

Tecmo Koei has confirmed a release date for its upcoming Ninja Gaiden 3 hack and slash title, while announcing that those who pre-order the game at select retailers will get a special demo for the upcoming Dead or Alive 5 fighting game.

Ninja Gaiden 3 was unveiled earlier this year and already impressed quite a lot of people through a series of bloody screenshots, showcasing its protagonist, Ryu Hayabusa, taking down legions of enemies.

Now, Tecmo Koei, its publisher, and Team Ninja, its developer, have confirmed just when the game will be released, arriving on March 20, in North America, and March 23, in Europe, for the PS3 and Xbox 360, both in the form of the regular version as well as a Collector’s Edition.

"With Ninja Gaiden 3, Team Ninja has created a fresh new way to take players behind the mask of the world's greatest ninja, Ryu Hayabusa, where they must choose when to give mercy or wreak vengeance to learn what it means to be a dark hero," said Amos Ip, SVP and General Manager of Tecmo Koei America. "Our preorder packages at GameStop and Amazon and our massive Collector's Edition will give true fans their first chance to experience the unique fighting action of Dead or Alive 5 on day one when Ninja Gaiden 3 ships."

If players pre-order the regular game from GameStop or Amazon in the U.S., they’ll get a special demo for Dead or Alive 5, either with Ryu and Hitomi, when buying from GameStop, or Ayane and Hayate, from Amazon. If you want all those characters, plus lots of other content, you can get the Ninja Gaiden 3 Collector’s Edition, whose contents you can check out below.

“The premium Ninja Gaiden 3 Collector's Edition offers a truly deluxe package that gives players a chance to play all four characters in the Dead or Alive 5 demo stage, an exclusive Ninja Gaiden 3 "Unmask" game art book, soundtrack CD, and a unique "Duel of the Masked" figure not available elsewhere,” said Tecmo Koei.

The Ninja Gaiden 3 Collector’s Edition, however, will be available only at GameStop or EB Games, at the same time as the regular version of the hack and slash title.