14 DAY TRIAL // Tecmo had one of its biggest presences ever at this year’s E3 trade show, including some pretty interesting games to show, including the next installment in the Ninja Gaiden saga, which is popular enough to get Microsoft to create a clone with Ninja Blade. Tecmo is also trying to break into the sports market for the Wii with a new football title.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, which is set to arrive for the PlayStation 3 during fall, sports a lot of new features. There are fresh enemies, 30 unique characters and 70 cutscenes telling the story of the game. Developers are saying that the Artificial Intelligence has been tweaked so that the way it approaches fights varies with each engagement while the players who control the characters can now use a finishing blow system to take out an enemy with only one move.
Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 should also receive three new player characters: Rachel from Ninja Gaiden proper, Ayane from the Dead or Alive series, and Momiji from Dragon Sword. Each comes with a new look and set of combat moves.
Tecmo has also shown Quantum, a PS3 game featuring a battlefield that can shape shift to keep players on their toes and an art style blending art nouveau with technological motifs. The main characters are Syd and Filena, who combine their powers to create a more powerful fighting force. Coordination between the two is the key to advancing through the tower like structure where Quantum takes place.
Another game Tecmo intends to release in 2009, for the PlayStation Portable this time, is Undead Knights. It's an action game that puts the player into the shoes of an evil protagonist that must raise an army of zombies in order to defeat all his/her enemies. Undead Knights is set to offer four areas, each sporting five missions.
Family Fun Football is a Nintendo Wii title scheduled for fall 2009. It is a very arcade-like take on football. There are power ups, space-based football matches, colorful stadiums and mini games.