Phew, some of our writers are left-handed. So how will the character be controlled on screen using the stylus?
Itagaki: Well, I plan to have footage of the actual game being played available to view on the Internet in the near future. My reasoning for this is that, because the controls in this game are so innovative, watching someone play this game is the only way to realistically understand how wonderful it is.
You can perform all of the amazing action in this game simply by pointing the stylus at Hayabusa, his enemies, or the environment, or by tracing it around the screen or speedily slicing with it. The variety of Hayabusa's actions is on par with the Xbox and PS3 versions, not to mention that they are incredibly fast. When you get the chance to play this game for the first time, you will have no choice but to be surprised.
But as Ninja Gaiden is a very intense action game, as you say, we can imagine it hurting our hands with all the quick, cramped movements on the DS. How have you got round this?
Itagaki: I'm sure your hands will be fine! [Laughs.] Relax; I don't planning on making Ninja Gaiden DS as difficult as the Xbox variants. My first priority is giving everyone the chance to try this innovative new control scheme and enjoy how great it feels to manipulate Hayabusa.
Okay, we're glad to hear that. Moving on to the DS itself, have you been limited by the technology in any way?
Itagaki: No, not at all. As we are able to take complete advantage of the strengths of the DS hardware - namely its ability to allow the player to interact directly with the screen - I would say that we are actually finding that there are increased possibilities, not limitations.
