EXCLUSIVE: Team Ninja's Itagaki on the future of Ninja Gaiden, the PSP, and the Wii

GP: Would you like to see the original Ninja Gaiden games on any of the downloadable services? Which one? [Note: This interview was done before Ninja Gaiden was released on the Wii Virtual Console]

My job is to create new experiences, not to go back and look at the past.

Itagaki: I have a lot of respect for the original Ninja Gaiden games on the NES. Those were good games in their day, but they're not really relevant right now. I don't really see any reason to put those, as is, on any downloadable service right now. That's something that Tecmo as a company might do at one point, but as for me personally, I'm not really passionate about it.

Because we really respect the old Ninja Gaidens, I think that's one of the reasons why I was able to resurrect that franchise as the best 3D action game of the modern day. My job is to create new experiences, not to go back and look at the past.

GP: You worked with Bungie to include a Spartan character in DOA4. Do you that's something you'll continue to do in future DOA titles?

Itagaki: I think it'd be really fun to do something like that again. We have a great relationship with Bungie. Given the opportunity, I'd definitely like to do that. As you know, both teams are incredibly busy, so we only get the opportunity to see them a couple of times a year.

GP: What do you think of Halo 3? I know FPS aren't particularly popular in Japan, but did your decision to include the Spartan come from your love of the series?

Itagaki: I think it's an excellent game. Back in the days of Halo 1, when you exited the ship, landed on Halo, looked up at the environment and heard the epic music and saw the Banshees flying overhead--that crosses cultural boundaries. That's a beauty that I think anybody should be able to see. Whether you like the game or not is up to personal taste, but anyone who didn't think that was impressive is pretty insensitive to good games.

Could the Spartan make another DOAppearance?

GP: A lot of the enjoyment of the DOAX series is the ability to interact with beautiful women. Is that something Nintendo's more interactive systems would be well-suited for?

Itagaki: Part of the appeal of the DOA series is wanting to touch and knowing you can, so... [laughs]

GP: Your two Ninja Gaiden projects seem very different. One is a refinement on the Xbox original, while the other is a completely new take on the series. Which way do you think the next console Ninja Gaiden will go?

Our biggest strength is working on these powerful home systems, so that's always going to be the main path we're going to be taking.

Itagaki: Our biggest strength is working on these powerful home systems, so that's always going to be the main path we're going to be taking. Now that we're able to do a lot more within the team, we're branching out to do more games, so that's our "third pillar," so to speak, to go with Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive. I think we'll continue to do both.

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