Microsoft Games Studios To Publish Ninja Gaiden 1/9/2004 Microsoft Games Studios To Publish Tecmo's Highly-Anticipated Ninja Gaiden And Dead Or Alive Online In Europe.
LONDON, 09 January 2004 - Xbox® today announced an agreement with Tecmo Ltd for the exclusive rights to publish Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive Online (working title) in Europe. Both Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive Online are exclusive to Xbox and will be published by Microsoft in 2004.
"Both Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive Online are hotly-anticipated titles from one of the industry's most renowned developers and we're pleased to be bringing them to Xbox gamers in Europe" said Michel Cassius, Director of Xbox Platform EMEA. "They join a strong portfolio of Xbox titles coming this year such as Halo 2, Kameo, Fable, RalliSport Challenge 2 , and Sudeki. Tecmo has been a great partner for us and these releases are a natural step in the development of our relationship."
Ninja Gaiden
One of gaming's most esteemed franchises is given new life using the power of Xbox. Ninja Gaiden is a cutting-edge action game that lets you take the role of a powerful ninja, Ryu Hayabusa, as he seeks to take revenge for his clan massacred by the Vigor Empire. Taking full advantage of three-dimensional space, gamers follow the story with their wits, ninja skills, and deadly sword, cutting down opponents in the Vigor Empire as they attempt to beat the Holy Emperor and reclaim the magic sword "Ryuken". Realistic battle actions and acrobatic ninja actions add another dimension to the game, restoring Ninja Gaiden to its rightful place in the gaming pantheon. Featuring outstanding visuals and special effects (earning the game the "Technical Achievement" award at X03 in September 2003), the game will offer a host of new features including improved skills, 16 stages to battle through, a huge selection of new weapons, multiplayer modes and an innovative Xbox Live mode.
Dead or Alive Online (working title)
The fourth instalment from Team Ninja's popular Japanese fighting series Dead or Alive, Dead or Alive Online lets gamers experience the entire history of the DOA series for the first time on a single console. Dead or Alive Online is a combination of Dead or Alive 2 and the original Dead or Alive.
DOA is a perfect rendition of the Saturn title, while DOA 2 will be completely overhauled and boast amazing new interactive visuals and utilise the full power of Xbox. This will allow gamers to feel as though they are playing DOA 2 for the first time.
Dead or Alive Online will be the world's first fully online 3D fighting game for home gaming consoles and will feature a multitude of online features via Xbox Live, creating the world's largest online community of fighting game fans.
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About Tecmo Tecmo, Inc. (http://www.tecmo.co.jp/) is well known for its hit series Dead or Alive®. The most recent version, Dead or Alive® Xtreme Beach Volleyball and Project Zero are available on Xbox. Other notable classics include the million-selling series Ninja Gaiden® and Tecmo Bowl®. Tecmo also publishes the hit series Monster Rancher® and Gallop Racer®.
About Microsoft Game Studios Microsoft Game Studios is a leading worldwide publisher and developer of games for the Windows PC gaming, Xbox video game system and online platforms. Comprising a network of top developers, Microsoft Game Studios is committed to creating innovative and diverse game portfolios for the PC (http://www.microsoft.com/games/), including such franchises
as "Age of Empires®," "Flight Simulator" and "Zoo Tycoon"; Xbox (http://www.xbox.com/), including such franchises as "Halo," "Project Gotham RacingTM" and "NFL Fever"; and Zone.com (http://www.zone.com/), the official games channel for the MSN® network and home to such hits as "Bejeweled" and "OutSmartTM."
