A settlement's finally been reached between the disgruntled Team Ninja members and Tecmo. The lawsuit filed last July was on the issue of unpaid overtime work under flexible working hours. Details after the jump.

There's life after Itagaki. Tomonobu Itagaki">Team Ninja is still very much alive, even with Tomonobu Itagaki's departure. In fact, Tecmo's announced that they'll be bringing three new titles that are currently being worked on by Team Ninja to the TGS 2008 show floor! Will they be Ninja Gaiden or Dead or Alive titles, or new IPs? Who knows... TGS, here we come!

Following numerous trials and tribulations (probably because of a certain rock star developer we might all know - cough*Itagaki*cough), Yoshimi Yasuda has now resigned from Tecmo. Details of his resignation weren't revealed, but the only thing we could get is that he's bidding farewell to the company for "personal reasons".

Following the release of Ninja Gaiden 2 for the Microsoft Xbox 360, things have gone way South for the people over at Tecmo. As if the departure of iconic game maker Tomonobu Itagaki and some key Team Ninja members wasn't enough, a big lawsuit has been filed against the company for alleged violations of the labor laws in Japan. More details after the jump.

Tomonobu Itagaki, the creator of Ninja Gaiden 2, Dead or Alive 5, and other hit games has left Tecmo, and rumor has it that other members of Team Ninja will be following suit. To find out more about this, head on over to the full article.

After a quiet gaming release week, we're going to have a jolly good time decapitating enemies and chopping off limbs in the release of Team Ninja's Ninja Gaiden 2. Some of you golfers might want to take a swing at the handheld Hot Shots 2 for the PSP, while adventure fans will also have a jolly great time smashing enemies up in The Incredible Hulk (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP) or make their own platform hero in Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP, PC). Check out the entire list in the full article.

 Team Ninja's leading man, the guy with a few smiles and a thousand words, behind the Tecmo-published Ninja Gaiden and Dead or Alive series deserves his own QuickJump Quicklist, so here's something dedicated to Tomonobu Itagaki and all his greatness. We've collected some lines from Itagaki that are either very amusing, or so badass fanboys would rather follow him around and wipe his sunglasses clean for a living.

Find all that at the full article!

Being the two current handhelds in the gaming industry, most people cannot help but pit the PSP and DS against each other. Some even go so far as to bash either Sony or Nintendo's handheld, while praising the other. However, Team Ninja's Tomonobu Itagaki of Dead or Alive fame is convinced that this kind of thinking is flawed.

He explained that what Sony aimed to do with the PSP is providing "toned-down" console-quality games, on the go. On the other hand, Nintendo attempted to provide an entirely new level of interactivity between the gamer and the game, which makes both handhelds entirely different from each other.

However, Itagaki finds some beef at the current Nintendo DS game line up:

So now that we are in this market where there are a glut of relatively low-budget games that are filling up the marketplace, the market may be ready for a more serious, more refined experience...They may be tired of all the "training" games, and looking for something more substantial. Or maybe not.

Certainly some interesting interview with the vocal Itagaki, who doesn't hesitate to voice out his thoughts. The full transcript of the interview is coming up, so stay tuned!

 

If you've been penny-pinching to save up for upcoming games, here's a little primer on US retail releases this week, starting July 2.

Eye catchers of the week (for the grown-ups) would be Ninja Gaiden Sigma for the PS3 and Vampire Rain for the 360. We've been covering both games for quite some time now, and the anticipation is fit to burst through Rachel's black leather suit.

Moms and dads may also want to get Platinum Sudoku or Vegas Casino for those quiet times when the kids are busy with Marvel TCG and Taito Legends 2. (More about these and other games in our Full Article).

What a way to start the month of July! New month, new week... new games!

Ninja Gaiden Sigma. The demo for this ninja action adventure title was one of the few demos that actually lived up to its hype. For those who are old enough to crave challenges and gameplay more suitable for mature audiences, this PS3 exclusive is a must-buy.

• PlayStation 3 - July 3, 2007
• US$ 59.99
• ESRB M (Mature)
• Tecmo and Team Ninja

Vampire Rain. Take on the role of John Lloyd, the government's vampire hunter, as he purges Los Angeles of the vampire threat. We're hoping that this horror action adventure game will cast new light on the vampire game genre with its stealthy "high-tech Buffy meets Sam Fisher" gameplay.

• Xbox 360 - July 3, 2007
• US$ 59.99
• ESRB M (Mature)
• Microsoft Game Studios and Artoon

See the other game releases by clicking on the Full Article link below!

 

Weekends usually means slow news days, so we'll help you pass the time with a brief look at recent gaming related rumors. First up, something that appeals to the testosterone-laden. German gaming news site GameFront.de reports that in the rumor column in the latest issue of Electronic Gaming Monthly (EGM), it was speculated that Team Ninja is working on a PS3 iteration of the Dead or Alive franchise.

Other rumors reported include speculations that game developer Hudson Soft is working on a version of Bonk for the Wii and the Nintendo DS; Capcom's making a remake of the original Megaman solely for the PlayStation Network; Level 5's Professor Layton for the PSP is coming to North America; and, NIS's Disgaea series is coming to the PS3.

Surprising to see a lot of rumors on planned games for Sony and Nintendo recently.

Before we end this, we'll leave you with something interesting. It was noted in the same rumor column that the next Kingdom Hearts will be a spin off, and that it will appear on a "Hearty Console". Take that as you will.