E3 2002: Ninja Gaiden announced for the Xbox

At its E3 press conference today, Microsoft announced that the next installment in Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden series will be released exclusively for the Xbox. A lengthy demonstration of the game was shown, prefaced by a short introduction by Tomonobu Itagaki, the head of the game's development team, Team Ninja. The game will be played from a third-person perspective and will incorporate many of the gameplay elements found in earlier iterations of the franchise. It is still unconfirmed as to whether Ryu, the game's previous lead character, will make a return appearance for the Xbox version of the game.

The game's visuals are sharp and full of detail. As the demo begins, a ninja stands at the top of a watchtower, perched at the front of a huge military complex. The ninja then short-circuits the security system and begins to infiltrate the base. Players will take on several enemies at once, some of which will circle while looking for the appropriate time to attack. The lead character has the ability to perform simple slashing combos to juggle enemies and can roll rather quickly between enemies to avoid damage. The ninja was also able to plant on a wall, spring from it, and slash with his sword. Enemies can be thrown against walls and will leave blood trails as they slide--unconscious--down the wall. The ninja is also able to perform one-hit kills, perform several flips and handsprings in a row, throw ninja stars, and hang on the ceiling.

The clip that was shown displayed up to 10 enemies onscreen at once and featured all the graphical trimmings, including real-time reflections in water, impressive particle effects, and realistic lighting. The enemies shown were a mix of those from past games in the series and alien-looking creatures with huge claws and a blue flame for a head. The clip ends with the ninja confronting a huge boss that looks like a cross between a crab and the extraterrestrials from the Aliens movies.

A release date for Ninja Gaiden has not been announced. We'll have more information about the game from the E3 show floor later this week.