When one looks at the recent installments in the
Ninja Gaiden franchise, one finds titles that are intense and full of action, but also look really good. The latest game is even being redone on the PS3, complete with full HD graphics. Considering this, why would the folks at Tecmo choose to bring their action series to the DS and not the PSP (aside from the obvious, what with the DS selling like crazy since launch)? Well, apparently the PSP's technology is what stopped the game from being on Sony's handheld. Well, that and what Itadaki thinks his fans want.
"The design philosophy for the PSP as a piece of hardware is a home gaming machine ... If we were gonna make it for PSP, it'd be better for us to make it for a powerful home system instead," Itadaki says. He also says what he thinks his fans want, stating "I think if I were to develop this game on the PSP, most of my fans would be upset."
[Via PSP Fanboy]
_thumbnail.jpg "Prince of Persia: The Fallen King")
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
5-21-2007 @ 1:55PM
Saphion said...
That's a polite way of saying "The PSP is a bit naff, really".
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5-21-2007 @ 2:25PM
ConstyXIV said...
Someone over in the comments on the linked PSP Fanboy article explained it best. Itadaki was trying to say that if they were to put a Ninja Gaiden game on the PSP, they would have to make it a more console-like game, and they don't think the PSP has the necessary resources (just like the PS2 didn't for the original). The DS is actually a handheld system as opposed to a console shoved into a handheld case, therefore DS games aren't expected to be the same experience as their console cousins.
In short, the DS sets them free from the expectations of a console game.
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5-21-2007 @ 2:26PM
ConstyXIV said...
Someone over in the comments on the linked PSP Fanboy article explained it best. Itadaki was trying to say that if they were to put a Ninja Gaiden game on the PSP, they would have to make it a more console-like game, and they don't think the PSP has the necessary resources (just like the PS2 didn't for the original). The DS is actually a handheld system as opposed to a console shoved into a handheld case, therefore DS games aren't expected to be the same experience as their console cousins.
In short, the DS sets them free from the expectations of a console game.
Reply
5-21-2007 @ 3:11PM
hvnlysoldr said...
DS prints money. PSP developments costs more. All the good PSP games go off the radar after a few weeks while some of the DS games have been going strong for months. Those weeks with best-selling PSP games barely make a blip to the PSP sales. DS is built on the philosophy on pick-up-and-play portability. PSP tries to replicate a home console. Tecmo has been working on this since the DS launched and they're not backing off their bet.
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5-21-2007 @ 7:51PM
Blinkus said...
It makes sense, mostly. The PSP is just a watered down home console available on the road, while the DS offers unique gameplay options. So instead of making a smaller, weaker, and less shiny version of what's already available (for the PSP), they're gonna make something completely new (for the DS).
But it's not like there isn't any value in making a popular game accessible portably nor is it like it wouldn't be appreciated by PSP owners.
Maybe it's just a resources thing.
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