THE BORE
General => Video Game Bored => Topic started by: Tieno on June 15, 2008, 05:57:18 PM
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http://www.1up.com/do/newsStory?cId=3168238
I bet this rumor comes via James Milkie
In case you thought Team Ninja's former boss, Tomonobu Itagaki, was leaving game publisher Tecmo as a solo act of attrition, think again. If that act was a single shot across Tecmo's bow, here comes the fusillade. Word on the street is that key members of Team Ninja -- as many as three dozen or more -- are headed out the door as well, but that's not all. It seems that each one of the soon to be ex-ninjas will be serving Tecmo with a class-action lawsuit in regards to unpaid bonuses for completed games.
While Tecmo has fired back, stating, "Tecmo would like to assure its loyal fans that Team Ninja, known for its top-selling and critically acclaimed Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive franchises, is intact and, as a matter of fact, has several new projects already underway," one has to wonder just how many people are left that truly constitute the development group known as 'Team Ninja.' Journey was never the same after Steve Perry left, but imagine what it'd be like without the whole band. Yes, Tecmo still owns the IPs and can freely make all the Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive games/ports it wants to, with or without Team Ninja (Dimps, we're looking at you), but what will these games be without the people who made them hits?
Another problem for Tecmo is that in Japan, any lawsuit filed against a publicly-traded company must be immediately reported to its shareholders on the same business day. The fact that Itagaki had actually filed a complaint against Tecmo in Tokyo District Court on May 14, but Tecmo management withheld this information from shareholders, possibly as late as when the notorious developer released his high-profile public statement on June 2, creates even bigger problems for the game publisher.
We'll have more on this drama as it unfolds, but with this peek into the myriad facets of Japanese law, it looks like Tecmo's shareholders better brace for even more bad news.
(http://www.ninja-dojo.net/html/images/Ninja_schwarz.gif)
:ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja
:ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja
:ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja :ninja
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Now MS can buy tecmo and give it to itagaki and we can have Ninja Gaiden 3 for real!
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There goes Tecmo.
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Now MS can buy tecmo and give it to itagaki and we can have Ninja Gaiden 3 for real!
After Ninja Gaiden 2: Red.
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I hope the guy behind Ninja Gaiden Sigma goes too, just to shutup the Itagaki haters and Sony fanboys.
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:bow :bow :bow
ITAGAKI
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however, this is BAD NEWS BECAUSE WE NEVER GET A NINJA GAIDEN BLACK 2
FIX THE PROBLEMS WITH NG2 SO IT'S PERFECT DAMMIT
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I hope the guy behind Ninja Gaiden Sigma goes too, just to shutup the Itagaki haters and Sony fanboys.
no no no
Imagine the possibilities for new Itagaki feuds! I don't even have to play his games to enjoy the drama.
As one Gaffer put it, the games will be a battle between Team Master Ninja and Team Ninja Dog.
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i hope the animation guy goes with itagaki, ryu animations are the best in the business.
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As one Gaffer put it, the games will be a battle between Team Master Ninja and Team Ninja UnderDog.
Beware, every dog has its day!
Yes, while they were still graced with the presence of Itagaki.
Now that day is over, and their future is nothing but darkness and shadow.
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Itagaki's talked about making a WWII game.
I'd like to see a game set in the Pacific Theater, where a solo super ninja single handedly turns back the round eye invasion from Glorious Nippon.
Anyway, this is not surprising. Dudes like to hate on Itagaki but the man is clearly a game design genius, and a profitable manager to boot. None of Team Ninja's games may have been mega blockbusters but I'm pretty sure more than most of them sold over 1 million units, so he probably put a lot of money in a lot of pockets.
I don't care who snatches him up, as I own both systems now. I guess I would prefer MS simply because he's already (ostensibly) familiar with the X360 hardware and could pump out a game faster on that kit.
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itagaki going to sony?
there will be blood.
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I don't care who snatches him up, as I own both systems now.
What if he goes to Team Nintenja. What then.
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I don't care who snatches him up, as I own both systems now.
What if he goes to Team Nintenja. What then.
Make sense. Be realistic.
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I don't care who snatches him up, as I own both systems now.
What if he goes to Team Nintenja. What then.
Make sense. Be realistic.
We're talking about Itagaki here. Do you think he'd be so predictable? No ninja is predictable.
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Hope he stays indipendent and does whatever the fuck he wants. Make a studio like Mizuguchi did. Master Ninja Entreteainment or Master Ninja Studio.
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Hope he stays indipendent and does whatever the fuck he wants. Make a studio like Mizuguchi did. Master Ninja Entreteainment or Master Ninja Studio.
Let's come up with potential names for this hypothetical studio.
Death to Ninja Dogs Games
Ninja Dogs May Cry Entertainment
Tomonobu's Video Game Extravagant Empornium
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Itagaki Dermatology Clinic
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i am glad they did decided to do the right thing.
now that team ninja is dead (well moreso than it already was with itagaki's departure) we can all look forward to itagaki's new hotness.
:bow itagaki :bow2
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his next game will be violent as well.
hope he teams up with a western developer or even capcom, need better graphics.
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I don't care who snatches him up, as I own both systems now.
What if he goes to Team Nintenja. What then.
Make sense. Be realistic.
We're talking about Itagaki here. Do you think he'd be so predictable? No ninja is predictable.
No ninja is stupid either
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I don't care who snatches him up, as I own both systems now.
What if he goes to Team Nintenja. What then.
Make sense. Be realistic.
We're talking about Itagaki here. Do you think he'd be so predictable? No ninja is predictable.
No ninja is stupid either
Naruto.
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Gesundheit
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bubububu the NG2 hurricane pack. :'(
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bubububu the NG2 hurricane pack. :'(
fuck that game, it's a sinking ship. Bury it!
I just hope Itagaki and the ninjas he takes with him end up somewhere that gives him the proper amount of time to do his games. I knew there was something wrong this gen--all of the games were on time or close to it and they pretty much all have serious issues (or are shit, like DoAX2.) Last gen, his games were out when they were done, which often resulted in several month delays a week before you thought the game was coming out. But they were virtually bug free and a solid 60fps.
Sounds like Tecmo put the pressure on, withheld the DoA4 money, and TN said fuck it, we're not putting in as much effort.
at least, that's how i dramatize it in my head.
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to me, it sounds like NG2 was on itagaki and his team personal budget.
like they said: let's make NG2 for us and our loyal fans and end this shit.
as for doax2, sounds like tecmo forced them to make it for profit.
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bubububu the NG2 hurricane pack. :'(
wouldn't have been worth a shit without itagaki working on it.
just appreciate the current champion of action games that is NGII as is and wait impatiently like the rest of us for itagaki to top it.
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he couldnt even top his original game, i guess setting the bar low and placing NG2 as the best is good enough
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(http://i28.tinypic.com/20tm0b5.jpg)
dorvil mah croy
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he couldnt even top his original game, i guess setting the bar low and placing NG2 as the best is good enough
DMC has been the same for four games.
Yes, clearly
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Itagaki goes to Sega and gets the reigns to the Shinobi franchise. Like Babe Ruth, I'm calling it. :-*
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One of my wife's friends' husband works for Team Ninja (he does music and sound direction), and they were over at our place yesterday. I of course asked about the Itagaki flap etc.
He said that it was as much a shock to them as to anyone else. The team is all currently on a 3 week vacation after finishing NGII, and he says they have no fixed plans for when they return. He said that Itagaki had been crusading for his staff against Tecmo for some time, in an attempt to get overtime pay etc. for them, with some success. (Hence the 3 week completion vacation!). The staff are very loyal to Itagaki, since he basically only ever wanted to work with people who were exactly in line with his philosophy of game development and life in general, so it wouldn't shock me if some or more left to join him. But he had no idea what Itagaki's plans were so nothing is settled yet. He said he couldn't imagine him joining another big firm, and laughed out loud at the idea of him going to work for Namco or Capcom in particular. He thought Itagaki would eventually start his own studio. I didn't press him for any trade secrets, since this was only the 2nd time meeting the guy but if anyone is curious about TN generally, ask away and I'll try to get an answer for you.
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bubububu the NG2 hurricane pack. :'(
DLC is apparently up to MS at this point. They're waiting on NGII sales to see if they want to commission it from TN. (MS is publishing...).
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can you ask him if they are planning to do hurricane packs or at least a patch for the bugs/glitches/framedrops?
or is it really up to ms at this point?
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See above. They're ready to do DLC of some sort (I asked about Mission Mode specifically and he said 'yes') but it depends on MS. I wasn't rude enough to ask about the frame rate ;)
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Ask him what's up with Tomonobu's skin condition. I have no idea what causes it.
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yeah, ask him about hayashi and his relationship with itagaki and the rest of the team, "good or bad" answer would be more than enough.
as for the framerate, sorry if i sounded rude Corma but NG was polished as fuck, you know? just sad to see them drop the fucking ball here.
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Ask him what's up with Tomonobu's skin condition. I have no idea what causes it.
untreated acne is the most obvious answer, there are worse conditions than itagaki's.
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Ask him why Itagaki intentionally sabotaged his own game
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Hayashi - he mentioned Hayashi as one of the guys that he thought might step up as a leader. But he said that TN is full of strong personalities so Hayashi is far from the only candidate. (he actually referred to him as 'Hayashi-kun', indicating that he's a younger guy, not a senior team member).
TN relations - Well, it's obviously complex. Previously, he had said that Itagaki was terrifying, a real task master. But he also gave the main speech at his wedding, and fought for the team's benefits. It seems that generally, the team is very loyal and in tune with Itagaki, but that they also have a lot of unusually (for Japan) personalities within the team. He really didn't seem to know what way things would go when he got back to work. He was pretty relaxed about it though! My sense is that some people might leave, but that there will be some core of people who stay because they see this as an opportunity to do their own things, rather than Itagaki's. Of course, it might take months for Itagaki to get a new studio off the ground anyway. Funding, offices, publishing deals...it doesn't happen overnight. Plus Itagaki has the legal stuff to contend with now, and very possibly a 'no competition' clause in his contract that would prevent him from publishing a game for xxx no. of months.
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Ask him why Itagaki intentionally sabotaged his own game
He doesn't know, but when I said that what might have happened was that the team finished the game, Itagaki was told he wasn't getting the completion bonus he was promised, and thus he walked. He thought that sounded plausible. It's clearly been a long-running feud. And by extension, if Itagaki was not getting a bonus anyway, what does he care how much it sells, other than ninja pride. This is all just supposition though. (I was trying to have a conversation with our wives present, not grill him for 1up ;) )
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he couldnt even top his original game, i guess setting the bar low and placing NG2 as the best is good enough
it's not setting the bar low, it's having the ability to look beyond NGII's technical faults and still being able to recognize that it is the supreme action game as of right now.
let me ask you this demi. which is of these lesser action games is better when comparing them to each other, dmc3 or dmc4? your answer means everything.
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corma, is there any hate/ill feelings between hayashi and itagaki? or the rest of the team?
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I would say DMC4 is better.
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corma, is there any hate/ill feelings between hayashi and itagaki? or the rest of the team?
Didn't get the sense there was any personal dislike, no. He thought Hayashi might step up as a leader, which implies he must be at least fairly well-liked by the remaining team members. No idea about him and Itagaki.
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itagaki on interviews, usually say the guy that handled the sigma port is a young guy on our team, he doesn't even mention his name lol, but then it could be a translation error.
hayashi is the AI planner btw, on the first game at least, didn't look at ng2 credits.
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So did Tecmo boss really talk shit about him or not?
All he told me was 'there a lot more to it than has been made public so far'.
But that's almost always the case in labor disputes.
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hmmm...
well, at least we will get mission mode in some way, thanks corma.
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Ask him what's up with Tomonobu's skin condition. I have no idea what causes it.
untreated acne is the most obvious answer, there are worse conditions than itagaki's.
Yes, but not the only answer. I always felt it was more due to his lifestyle; imbibing copious amounts of alcohol on a regular basis can also cause you to break out like he does. Anyway, just curious.
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he's old now with two daughters, doubt he gives a shit anymore.
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he couldnt even top his original game, i guess setting the bar low and placing NG2 as the best is good enough
it's not setting the bar low, it's having the ability to look beyond NGII's technical faults and still being able to recognize that it is the supreme action game as of right now.
let me ask you this demi. which is of these lesser action games is better when comparing them to each other, dmc3 or dmc4? your answer means everything.
I still think NG1 is superior in a lot of ways (more hardcore in general.) I can see why people would like NG2 though--the actual action is pretty feckin' amazing.
Cormacaroni-- thanks for posting all that. Sounds interesting, if true. I neither believe or disbelieve since I don't know you, but I'll gladly keep reading. ;)
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corma is in japan and he's dcharlie's friend, i trust him.
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So the sound guy wasn't aware of any sort of TN exodus? Cast doubts on the story's accuracy.
I would hope that the sound guy WOULD be one of the people Tomonobu takes with him. NG and NG2 have amazing sound effects and music.
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Draft - yeah, I was bit surprised to see the story, to say the least. It doesn't mean it isn't true though. I've only met this guy twice, and for all he knows, I could turn around and blab anything he says in confidence on the internet...errr :ninja
Agreed on the music. Just though orchestral chords on the start screen of NG are cooler than most games' entire soundtracks to me. This guy did a lot of work on Dragon Sword as well btw. I actually asked if they had any plans to release a soundtrack CD but he says the last time they did, it barely sold (due in part to the ridiculous price- 6,000 yen!). Pity. I'm hoping to get to hear some of his stuff live at his place sometime though.
And would you believe he doesn't own a 360?! Wife won't let him buy one! She gave my wife some terrible ideas, let me tell you...
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And would you believe he doesn't own a 360?! Wife won't let him buy one! She gave my wife some terrible ideas, let me tell you...
I could get away with pooping on the PS3 or buying 5 360's.
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disgusting women.
and oh, this rip will do for now: http://www.ninjafortress.com/forums/viewtopic.php?t=3548
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Yeah, I don't know how tight you are with the sound guy, but the next time you see him, maybe toss back a little sake, chain smoke for a bit, and see if he has any MP3 CDs laying around.
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http://n4g.com/industrynews/News-171094.aspx (http://n4g.com/industrynews/News-171094.aspx)
Yasuda, the president of Tecmo, announced to Bloomberg Japan today that Team NINJA with it's new leader has been appointed to work on a big budget title game with a new genre, and is expected to be completed next year.
With the absence of Itagaki, the team has taken on a new motto for game development, "New Title, New Genre, New Location, New Leader".
Team NINJA's new game will not follow Tecmo's past game genres like Fighting, Action, or Horror Adventure; instead they will focus on a brand new genre and focus on targeting the western audience, though details can not be disclosed at this time...
the new leaders (there are two of them) of Team NINJA are Jin Hasegawa (Project Manager/CG Team Leader in various Fatal Frame projects) and Yousuke Hayashi (Director for Ninja Gaiden Sigma).
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:lol
Bye Itagaki
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lol at making games for western.
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Wasn't Hayashi the AI guy for Ninja Gaiden? If he is on board, maybe it isn't all to shit. That said, the next Itagaki made game will have shit AI.
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Looking forward to Tecmo's shitty FPS then.
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Tecmo contracted out by Capcom to make Lost Planet 2.
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even tho they would be completely shitty w/o itagaki i can't believe that they're not at least going to continue established franchises.
itagaki WERE ARE YOU?!
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Itagaki is too busy fighting incendiary ninjas somewhere around the world.
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never mind ninja gaiden, i can't believe they aren't doing a new dead or alive game.
doa is like, the reason tecmo is alive now.
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(http://i37.tinypic.com/8wji2v.jpg)
http://www.1up.com/do/blogEntry?bId=8814514&publicUserId=4549175
Continuing in our hit list of high-profile interviews is our conversation with former Team Ninja-boss Tomonobu Itagaki. You asked for it, you got it. In his first interview since leaving (and suing) Tecmo, we got the man in black to bring us up to speed with what he's been doing, what his thoughts are on the Japanese gaming industry, and what he's up to next. It's interesting, because he has some strong words to say about the previously-mentioned Kamiya (and Kamiya's game Okami), due to the fact that Kamiya had some strong words to say about Ninja Gaiden. FIGHT! Love him or hate him, you can't help but listen to him, and we've got the newly-liberated Itagaki, first.
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James Miekle is so fucking annoying.
"LOOK AT ME IM NOT JAPANESE BUT I WISH I WAS SO I HATE ANYTHING PRO AMERICAN AND SPORTS BECAUSE IM A FAT FUCK WHO THINKS ASIAN GIRLS ARE THE HOTTEST GIRLS ON THE PLANET AND ANYTHING JAPANESE IS SO GOOD IN MY ASS"
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Can't wait to hear what Itagaki is up to.
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lol at making games for western.
coming from a dead rising fan :lol
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lol at making games for western.
coming from a dead rising fan :lol
are you dumb? that was FUCKING CAPCOM and this is FUCKING TEAM NINJA.
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But Mielke loves the 360 and hates the PS3.
And preemptive strike against Itagaki if he says anything bad about Kamiya. Itagaki has nothing on Kamiya.
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lol at making games for western.
coming from a dead rising fan :lol
are you dumb? that was FUCKING CAPCOM and this is FUCKING TEAM NINJA.
both are japanese developers trying to make games that appeal to westerners.
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But Mielke loves the 360 and hates the PS3.
And preemptive strike against Itagaki if he says anything bad about Kamiya. Itagaki has nothing on Kamiya.
Itagaki never made an atrocious piece of shit like Okami.
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But Mielke loves the 360 and hates the PS3.
And preemptive strike against Itagaki if he says anything bad about Kamiya. Itagaki has nothing on Kamiya.
Itagaki never made an atrocious piece of shit like Okami.
okami >>>>>>> DoA*
okami is a nice looking zelda clone
DoA is just shit.
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But Mielke loves the 360 and hates the PS3.
And preemptive strike against Itagaki if he says anything bad about Kamiya. Itagaki has nothing on Kamiya.
Itagaki never made an atrocious piece of shit like Okami.
Okami :lol
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lol at making games for western.
coming from a dead rising fan :lol
are you dumb? that was FUCKING CAPCOM and this is FUCKING TEAM NINJA.
both are japanese developers trying to make games that appeal to westerners.
good luck for them then.
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But Mielke loves the 360 and hates the PS3.
And preemptive strike against Itagaki if he says anything bad about Kamiya. Itagaki has nothing on Kamiya.
Itagaki never made an atrocious piece of shit like Okami.
bububu it's art!
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Isn't LP the better example of Capcom grabbing at a Western audience?
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Isn't LP the better example of Capcom grabbing at a Western audience?
both are.
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Itagaki never made an atrocious piece of shit like Okami.
Sure he did. Then again, I probably am not the market for a hentai dating sim volleyball game or a mediocre fighting game series. Ninja Gaiden is still awesome. Ninja Gaiden 2 is not as awesome, but it is still pretty great. Ninja Gaiden DS is bad. Okami is harder than that scribble crap.
Okami was a pretty great game, only problem is that it took too long and it was way too easy.
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ninja gaiden ds had it's hard moments, try to unlock that female character and you will know what i mean.
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I tore through that game, even on "hard mode" and all that jazz. It is easier than Twilight Princess.
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i bet your dick is huge.
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I tore through that game, even on "hard mode" and all that jazz. It is easier than Twilight Princess.
Now that's just a lie.
You're a liar.
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I'm no Johnny Gat, but keep fantasizing about it.
I died over 100 times in Ninja Gaiden 2. I'm no expert. NGDS was just really easy.
Now that's just a lie.
You're a liar.
It's true. That fairy well was putting the pressure on.
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The only game easier than Twilight Princess is Okami.
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kamiya isn't even worthy of standing in the same room as itagaki. perhaps if in some crazy world they work together itagaki will let kamiya crawl around in his great shadow, as it should be.
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if itagaki didn't have kamiya to cheat off of, he'd still be the inexplicably mouthy creator of a third-rate animu fighting game
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"I am prepared to reveal this evidence as the need arises for the sake of greater justice." (http://kotaku.com/tag/Itagaki-vs%27-Tecmo/)
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James Miekle is so fucking annoying.
"LOOK AT ME IM NOT JAPANESE BUT I WISH I WAS SO I HATE ANYTHING PRO AMERICAN AND SPORTS BECAUSE IM A FAT FUCK WHO THINKS ASIAN GIRLS ARE THE HOTTEST GIRLS ON THE PLANET AND ANYTHING JAPANESE IS SO GOOD IN MY ASS"
i thought he was asian ???
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But Mielke loves the 360 and hates the PS3.
And preemptive strike against Itagaki if he says anything bad about Kamiya. Itagaki has nothing on Kamiya.
Itagaki never made an atrocious piece of shit like Okami.
I LOVE YOU.
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i thought he was asian ???
Twinkie
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he totallly has those asian eyes going on
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Twinkie
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Listen To The Secret Tecmo Tape (http://kotaku.com/5028957/listen-to-the-secret-tecmo-tape)
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That other dude is a rat. The president asks him to not talk and he's recording it? Tecmo should sue Itagaki for making crappy games that have Wii level graphics.
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i should sue you for that post.
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Itagaki is gonna lose...
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In Itagaki's statement, the game designer says that this audio recording is only a small part of concrete evidence he has. "I am prepared to reveal this evidence as the need arises for the sake of greater justice," Itagaki states.
losing is not an option.
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How is that legal? I can't even record my professors' lectures without their permission.
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legal or not, a master ninja must win.
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How is that legal? I can't even record my professors' lectures without their permission.
This varies by region even in the US.
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wtf, he's giving up on the game industry and taking up photography!?
http://plusd.itmedia.co.jp/games/articles/0807/24/news074.html
ironic that itagaki would choose to go into a field where everything is camera angles
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I guess he's taking inspiration from Dead Rising now.
fantastic
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HUAHUAHUAHAUHAUHAUHAUHA
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erm, i think you may be jumping the gun there jonny. The photography thing is just something he's doing in his downtime, as far as I can see. He goes on to talk about the games he wants to make in the future.
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erm, i think you may be jumping the gun there jonny. The photography thing is just something he's doing in his downtime, as far as I can see. He goes on to talk about the games he wants to make in the future.
Y SO SRS
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Geez, take the fun out of a little joke, thank you :(
too subtle for me clearly!
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what does the motherfucking man say about games he'd like to make in the future?
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what does the motherfucking man say about games he'd like to make in the future?
can't tell you man, that would be ruining the thread for all these funsters
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distinguished black fellows?
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oh it's just the same shit he talked about in may. a game set in space and a ww2 pacific theater game.
could you imagine itagaki doing a war game? there'd be gigantic boobs and blood fucking galore. which would be awesome.
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Itagaki confirms: Canon reigns supreme. Nikon is the shitty DMC of SLRs.
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http://kotaku.com/5039243/troubled-tecmo-president-resigns
Today, Tecmo Co. Ltd. announced that Tecmo president Yoshimi Yasuda will resign. The Board of Directors accepted Yasuda's resignation -- which was for "personal reasons". Starting September 1st, Chairman of the Board Yasuharu Kakihara will assume the position of Tecmo's president.
just as planned.
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Tecmo has been in existance long before Itagaki joined their ranks, so i sincerely hope they survive. Would be bad for another classic Videogame company to fold...
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Itagaki confirms: Canon reigns supreme. Nikon is the shitty DMC of SLRs.
:'(
Tecmo has been in existance long before Itagaki joined their ranks, so i sincerely hope they survive. Would be bad for another classic Videogame company to fold...
They suck.
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Itagaki confirms: Canon reigns supreme. Nikon is the shitty DMC of SLRs.
:'(
Tecmo has been in existance long before Itagaki joined their ranks, so i sincerely hope they survive. Would be bad for another classic Videogame company to fold...
They suck.
:bow Bomb Jack :bow2...
also:
Ninja Gaiden (NES) >>>>> Ninja Gaiden (360)