E3 2005: Tecmo Booth Tour

Written by Glenn Wigmore  on June 03, 2005

Special: Glenn takes on the Tecmo booth and while the company didn't have a lot on display, it had a pair to please Xbox owners and future Xbox 360 purchasers.

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The Tecmo booth at this year's E3 didn't have all that much to offer, especially in terms of playable content. Most of what was shown was in video form, but at least what was shown looked quite good.

Dead or Alive 4 (Xbox 360)
Dead or Alive 4 was shown only in the high-definition trailer that is available to everyone on the Сnet, but it still does look quite striking in person. The in-game action looks quite solid (as usual), but it almost seems as if Itagaki is just trying to rehash the same vibe from a couple of years ago when the DOA3 trailer was released. I mean, interspersing cutscene bits with gameplay (in which people are thrown down stairs and through interactive environments) just isn't that impressive anymore. Regardless of the trailer style, the game does still look visually stunning and the online play should also reach a new level of usability with next-gen features.

Ninja Gaiden Black (Xbox)
Ninja Gaiden Black was something that was only played by the Tecmo reps at the show, but it serves as something of a Уre-releaseФ of the original game, meaning it's basically the same game with a few new extras. You'll get both expansion hurricane packs that were available for download over Xbox Live, new difficulty levels (that Itagaki has promised will be even harderЕ yikesЕ), some extra cutscene sequences, and even a few bonus missions.

There haven't been many details on what the new missions might be about, but some of the new shots available seem to indicate that Ayane may be a focus, and that many new, grotesque monsters will be involved.

In any event, this game should serve as a nice supplement to those who just couldn't get enough of the first one. It should be available later this year and, if Itagaki remains true, should be quite a challenge to those who want it.