Ninja Gaiden Hurricane Pack Debuts On Xbox Live

RobZ65 writes "The new upgrade to Ninja Gaiden, previously mentioned on Slashdot Games, has just debuted for download via Xbox Live. The pack features improved camera, more bosses, improved AI, a new weapon, and two new costumes. What do you fellow Slashdotters think about addressing customer complaints in downloads? GameSpy has hands-on impressions of the Hurricane Pack from a couple of weeks back, and IGN covers the new Intercept Technique for blocking and countering, if want more info."

Comments

For non-live users?

[Jonny_eh]

Will it be available on a demo disc with a magazine? I believe they did that for the extra Splinter Cell level. Would downloading it off the net, then FTPing the content to your xbox be considered 'illegal'? Especially if this update is more of a patch, then a content download.

Re:For non-live users?

[jmarr]

actually, it's more of a content download than a patch. new enemies, new weapons and new costumes as opposed to new camera system, increased difficulty and increased speed. It's hard to call increased difficulty and speed a patch since they are not addressing user complaints or bugs - I doubt there were many that complained that Ninja Gaiden was too easy. The camera system could be looked at as a patch since so many complained about not being able to control it, but you really can't call it a bug either. get a free 2month subscription to Live and then cancel it.

Re:There goes an advantage of the console...

[Quarem]

"It used to be that conole games didn't need updates or didn't need add-ons."

Rather I think it is that they couldn't have update or couldn't have add-ons because there was no way to deliver new content. Now that a system exists to deliver new content online I see no reason why console developers shouldn't take advantage of this opportunity to give fans a little more.

Anybody that has played Ninja Gaiden knows that the game was darn near perfect. This Hurricane Pack was not "needed" at all; it's a little extra for all those fans out there. It should also be noted that this pack is being released forthe second round of the Master Ninja Tournament, to add something fresh and more difficult for this round of competition.

With respect to patches and updates for console games, I think it is something that should be expected when gaming goes online. In most cases the shear amount of play that goes into an online game will reveal new bugs or game balance issues that were not seen during testing. The amount of testing before release to fix most of these issues would be unreasonably long. Heck they are still working out bugs and game balance issues in Warcraft 3 and Starcraft and those games have been around for years now. Developers should just be ready to deliver fixes for problems that appear after release (unlike Ubisoft).

"And personally, I would feel ripped off if I bought the game and didn't get these addons because I had to sign up for X-box Live."

The fees that people pay for Xbox Live help pay for the development of new content. Xbox subscribers should feel ripped off if they paid for new content like this that was delivered to everyone freely.

Re:There goes an advantage of the console...

[blueZhift]

Oh I don't know about that. I remember when Gran Turismo 2 came out for Playstation, it was full of bugs, which Sony initially denied but eventually had to own up to and ship CDs with a fixed version. I'm sure they would have killed to be able to just put a patch on the net for download.

While it's true, that some companies have pushed out buggy products because they knew they could patch it later, it's also true that real enhancements can be made the same way. So on balance it's a good thing. Besides, on the console a game still has to get past the console owner (ie Sony, Microsoft, or Nintendo) before they can press disk 1. But even with that, as games become more complex, it is inevitable that bugs will slip past the QA process.

Holy Crap!!!

[Peteloaf]

Come on now, it's the same thing again. Tecmo, COMPLETELY INDEPENDENT of Microsoft, releases a FREE add-on to an incredibly popular game and all you guys can do is cry foul? HOW? It's a FREE add-on with new content & a new reason to play the game! Do you want Tecmo to come and give everybody free money and openly declare there hatred for everything you don't like? What does it take to please you people?

And by the way, how many of you would be crying foul if this were a free add on for a PS2 or GC game, huh?

Re:Holy Crap!!!

[fwitness]

A whole lot to discuss here. The question is essentially this.

Is the effect of internet access on console machines an asset or a liability?

The answer cannot be solved by a four-line /. comment unfortunately. This particular patch seems to be an excellent candidate for discussion though. This patch is both a bugfix (camera updates) and updated content (new moves/weapon).

First, bugfixes. It would be nice if we lived in a world where patches were unneccessary. In this world all developers felt a supreme responsibility to the user to release a bug-free, 100% enjoyable experience. This would mean that the developers would have unlimited budgets, unlimited time, and have volunteers test each part of a game. Those volunteers would of course not be allowed to 'leak' info about an unreleased game, lest someone review a beta of the game and destroy the games sales potential (think of the prerelease of 'The Hulk'). These users wouldn't need a non-disclosure agreement because they are perfect users who completely understand the development cycle of software, the retailing system, and the social environment in every market in which the game is released. There would be no bugs in any released version of any game, since the developers would *never* bow to any deadlines told to magazines, or orders from marketing to ship the product early.

Let's face reality though, this isn't going to happen. There will always be some low end developer looking to make a quick buck, and won't put in proper R&D.

Next, new content. Back in perfect world, those same developer also know exactly what everyone wanted in their game ahead of time, and included it all. Since they had unlimited feedback from testers and the public, this was not even an issue.

Obviously this is also unrealistic. What we want is perfect world, but it isn't going to happen due to human nature. Until then we need to vote with our dollars. Don't buy games that are buggy on release (*especially if they are fixed later*) but do buy games after they've added new content. It isn't the perfect solution, but it's the one that gets the job done.

The last thing is yes, the /. crowd is biased against Microsoft. If it were a PS2 or GC game there would be much less complaining. The problem is that Microsoft, and those making software for their products, have been known to use the rush/patch idea before, so there is legitimate concern for worry. It's up to the gamers of the world to tell those companies that we won't buy HaloXP 3.5 Service Pack 6a just because you didn't get it right the first time.

Re:It is Microsoft after all...

[NeoCode]

I'd mod you down but I wanted to reply to this. This download is NOT a patch. They are not trying to fix anything because nothing is broken. The camera in NG was a pain in the ass but I beat the game with it. There is a lot more content in this update.

And its not like PS2 games have been bug free. At least, XBox has a platform that addresses these issues.

Regardless, its NOT a patch but a content update.

Re:So no broadband=no live=no patch=broken game.

[Babbster]

I'm aware that a lot of people put little stock in game reviews, but given its current 91.7% rating (before added content/camera change) on Game Rankings, I don't think Ninja Gaiden can be categorized as "a broken game."

Re:So no broadband=no live=no patch=broken game.

[PhotoBoy]

It's a Hurricane Pack not a Hurricane Patch, like offering extra levels for Splinter Cell this pack offers NG players new moves, costumes, enemies and weapons.

That said I refuse to subscribe to Live as I don't really like online play, so the only way I'll get to enjoy this is on a cover CD. :(