Being one of the few Japanese publisher/ developers for Xbox, Tecmo and Team Ninja have supported the system from the offset. Delighting Xbox gamers with the likes of Dead Or Alive 3 (exclusive to the system), the more recent Dead Or Alive Extreme Volleyball and Fatal Frame. These games although favouring a Japanese slant have had mass appeal world wide due to their outstanding quality. It looks like Tecmo and Team Ninja are continuing this support for Xbox with another batch of forthcoming AAA games.

After enjoying the delights of DOA Extreme Volleyball one of the un-lockable features was an unique Video of the forthcoming Ninja Gaiden. Looking absolutely stunning (to put it mildly) anticipation has been very high ever since. At the time little was known about this arcade classic being reborn on Xbox, but now more details have emerged as well as some new screen shots from the game.

Ninja Gaiden follows the story of Ryu Hayabusa from the Dead Or Alive Series. His clan has been horribly murdered by a ruthless organisation known as the Vigor Empire and it is time for some ninja style revenge. Ryu must beat the Holy Emperor and reclaim the magic sword "Ryuken". Ayame ( the female ninja also from DOA) is confirmed as making an appearance in the game although it is unclear how she will be woven into the storyline.

So you have a classic revenge fuelled storyline to justify the on screen violence of this action adventure game, so what about the actual game play? Well the game play will remain faithful to the arcade classic with massive levels which can be tackled in many ways and filled with a plethora of enemies ranging from other ninjas to beasts and even cyborg type enemies. As with nearly all action games of this type there will be a host of distinct bosses to overcome as you fight your way to the head honcho. So far details are rather sketchy on how the player will overcome these but judging from some of the screen shots boss battles are going to be memorable to say the least.

As a highly trained ninja, Ryu Hayabusa does not enter the fray unprepared and has a whole host of weaponry and moves at his disposal. He has a trusty sword, fire breath, bows and arrows to name a few. Also he has the ability of stealth and Speed which will enable him to run along walls and perform other acrobatic moves to vanquish enemies and reach his goals.

Tecmo has also announced that the game will have some sort of Xbox Live support. claiming it to be a revolutionary aspect of the game play. One can only imagine what they have in store for us, as there are no details at this time.

Scheduled for release in the US sometime in November (although this may actually slip to next year) anticipation is very high for this game. Like the rest of the gaming world, we wait patiently for this excellent looking title.