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Tecmo Upgrades Ninja Gaiden Via Xbox Live

Posted by simoniker on from the patch-patch-patch dept.

joinder writes "IGN is reporting at that Tecmo will be releasing an freely downloadable upgrade of Ninja Gaiden via Xbox Live, including 'improved AI' and 'full 360 degree control of the [in-game] camera', as well as new enemies, bosses, and weapons. As far as I know, this is the first time such wholesale gameplay and content changes have been made on a console title - fortunately, the Ninja Gaiden upgrade is free if you have Xbox Live. Could this be a symbol of a positive trend to come, or a negative one that would equate to the bugfix/patch crazy world of the PC gaming world?"

10 of 87 comments (clear)

  1. Isn't this a change in MS' patch policy? by empaler · · Score: 3, Interesting

    I thought Microsoft would only allow patches that directly influenced online gaming perfomance?

    (Of course, I could be wrong)
    (Though very unlikely, I rule!) ;)

    1. Re:Isn't this a change in MS' patch policy? by Niobium-41 · · Score: 5, Informative

      Actually.. since this patch is being used in Phase 2 of the MasterNinja Tournament. It directly affects online play for the people in the tournament.

      It also just happens to be available to people not participating in the tournament.

  2. downhill, for x-box anyway by dfenstrate · · Score: 5, Insightful

    The reason why console games are so vigourously play tested is because once you make a playable disc or cartridge on a system, there's no such thing as a do over.

    This will probably only encourage laziness on the part of some x-box designers.

    --
    Alcohol, Tobacco and Firearms should be the name of a store, not a government agency.
  3. Camera control by secolactico · · Score: 3, Interesting

    'full 360 degree control of the [in-game] camera'

    Dear god... make it so, make it so!

    The funky camera in Ninja Gaiden is perhaps the hardest aspect of the game for me (admitely, I haven't got very far in the game) and I constantly wish for "Super Mario Sunshine"-like camera control. Screw the first person view, it's not that useful anyway.

    --
    No sig
  4. Fishy by netfool · · Score: 4, Insightful
    Maybe this part of MS's long arm:

    1) Developers make a great game
    2) Have developers not include all the features
    3) After the game has been released and sold well, have developer release the extra features and levels etc which are only available through XBox Live
    4) People will want those extras and will get XBox Live
    5) Profit

    GENIUS!
    [/conspiracy theory]

    --
    Left 4 Dead Gaming Group - http://www.l4dgg.com
  5. Re:Can Thief do the same thing, then? by Gaijin42 · · Score: 5, Informative

    Microsoft does not allow patches for non xbox-live games. It has nothing to do with what type of content the update is.

    Ninja Gaiden has an XBox Live portion already (head to head battles) even tho nobody uses it. That is the loophole that gets them their update.

    If Thief had a "vs" mode, or a level download feature, then they could fix the difficulty bug, even if nothing about "live" was modified.

  6. Horrible precedent by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Insightful

    If the network were free, I'd have less of a problem with this. But XBL isn't free.

    People without paid network access have no means of obtaining these patches. Tecmo sure ain't shipping patch CDs. Even Microsoft themselves provide multiple distribution formats for their countless Windows and Office patches, but not here. And all of a sudden, Xbox owners without XBL are second-class citizens who are missing out on more than just network access by foregoing the monthly MS tithe. Bad precedent, but miraculously, nobody will ever notice.

    Put another way, the application of XBL changes. The application of Xbox is to play games. The app of the remote control is to enable DVD playback. The app of XBL is to provide online competition, cooperation, and communication. But now, XBL is a patch delivery system as well. And what happens when Xbox owners who don't have XBL (and weren't previously interested) start to see it as such? They get XBL. What does that make this? Paid patching, that's what. Now, what happens when Microsoft starts seeing paid patching as a revenue stream (thereby making its use as a selling point to publishers quite attractive to MS)? QA goes down, because both pubs and MS will see post-shipment bugfixing as nothing but a good thing - MS gets XBL subs, pubs can be lazier and can meet ship dates by shipping buggier code. Welcome to Windows gaming, console fans. How stupid we've been these nigh 20-30 years.

    1. Re:Horrible precedent by rufo · · Score: 3, Interesting

      Actually, the PS2 is starting to have patches also. From what I understand SOCOM 2 has required updates that it will store on your memory card, and of course FFXI requires the hard drive and will download content/updates onto the drive. I'm sure more games will come out that will use the HD, and of course what better use is there for a hard drive then changing, constantly updated content? (Obviously game storage, but as the PS2 usually uses memory cards for that purpose I understand the HD isn't typically used for game saves.)

      Also, it's not unheard of to update console games once they've been released. 007: Agent Under Fire and MechAssault both had buffer-overrun problems that let hackers ultimately run unsigned code on the Xbox (something I've recently taken advantage of) that were fixed in later versions. The first version of Ocarina of Time for N64 had red blood when you killed Ganondorf, which was changed to green blood in later versions (along with other minor fixes) due to ratings concerns. The first pressings of Gran Turismo 2 had numerous bugs which caused Sony to offer a recall for any disc exhibiting problems. I'm sure there are many other examples of console games being updated after release. It would not surprise me in the least if Ninja Gaiden's Platinum Hits version (for it will be a Platinum Hits game eventually, I'll bet my life on it) had the patch already incorporated, and perhaps they'll even include the patch starting with the next batch of CDs they press.

      Another option would be for Microsoft to release discs avaliable for little or no charge with just content updates on them once they decide to discontinue Xbox Live. That way the content and patches are still available, and they still get to collect additional revenue from Xbox Live while the service is up.

      --
      My English teacher once told me that two positives don't make a negative. Two words for her: Yeah, right.
  7. Re:It is a cool thing by wibs · · Score: 3, Interesting

    Here's a solution: charge developers a hefty fee for doing any of these patches. A very hefty fee. It'll still be cheaper and easier than a recall, but it won't encourage anyone to release a bajillion patches per game.

    --
    If you get nervous, just remember that there are a few billion other people who don't really give a damn.
  8. Wow by Peteloaf · · Score: 3, Insightful

    I absolutly cannot believe all the negativity. Tecmo, in an effort to both add replay value to an extremely popular title & address user complaints (camera mostly), is releasing a free add on for Ninja Gaiden and all that everybody can do is insult both Tecmo & Microsoft? I don't uderstand. What should Tecmo have done? "Fixed" the "problems" before release? How are new enemies & weapons a problem? The camera, maybe, but I dare any user on this board to name 1 third person action game that has a flawless camera - especially a game that moves as fast as Ninja Gaiden already does. Had Tecmo offered to give every body who owned Ninja Gaiden $100 would you all still cry foul? What do you people want?