Team Ninja Leader Discusses Wii

By Shawn White / Friday, 26 May 2006

In an interview conducted by Game Informer magazine, Team Ninja Developer Head Tomonobu Itagaki discussed Nintendo's next-generation console, Wii, including any plans to develop for the system and the console's compatibility with Team Ninja's franchises.

During the interview, Itagaki noted he is very interested in the Wii controller. However, at this time he is engaged in three other projects - Dead or Alive Xtreme 2, Dead or Alive Cronus and Ninja Gaiden 2 - and is too busy to work on an original Wii game.

On the topic of Ninja Gaiden 2, which is presently without a solid platform, Itagaki expressed concerns with the control scheme if the game was made for Wii. According to the Tecmo developer, Wii's controller might might be a potential problem with sword control, especially in the realm of drawing the weapon backwards and swinging. Also, Itagaki worried enemies would need to have their intelligence reduced to compensate for the control issue.

Itagaki stated that people possess different strength levels, hence making development more difficult rather than easier, since the development team would have to anticipate an extensive variation in the speed different people move the controller. For these reasons, Itagaki was unsure if a game like Ninja Gaiden 2 could work on Wii.

Currently, Tecmo is preparing Super Swing Golf Pangya for Wii, slated for a Q1 2007 release, so the company is in possession of a Wii development kit, although it's unknown if Itagaki has had the opportunity to work with it yet.

The full Game Informer interview can be found here.

The Wiire will keep you updated.