Tomonobu Itagaki
Encyclopedia
is a Japanese
video game designer who created the Dead or Alive fighting game and beach sport simulation series and also revived the Ninja Gaiden franchise in 2004. While his games are generally widely-acclaimed and he is considered a well-respected game designer, Itagaki has also gained infamy for the female characters in his games having large, overly-animated breasts, and also for his frankness and lack of humility in interviews and the comments he makes about his competitors and their games. Joining Tecmo in 1992, Itagaki produced two video game franchises that were commercial successes and earned him several promotions; he headed Tecmo's development team, Team Ninja, and sat on the executive board. He left the company after 16 years of service, filing a lawsuit against it for withholding bonus pay. His new team at Valhalla Game Studios, comprising other Team Ninja members, is currently working on a new game, Devil's Third
.
Senior High School on March 1985. Following that, he entered Waseda University and graduated from its School of Law on March 1992.
He is married, and has a daughter, born in 1997, whom he has mentioned as one of the primary influences on his projects, including developing Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword
for the Nintendo DS
, and a constant gaming partner in games like the Halo
series. Itagaki has in his office a set of katana his father made for him, which he tends to take out to show to his visitors. As he wishes to stop people from reading his expressions during gambling-type games, he is always seen wearing sunglasses, a habit that has become his trademark in the video game community.
version of the American football
video game, Tecmo Bowl
. His career breakthrough came in 1996 with his first Dead or Alive
game, a game based on Virtua Fighter created in response to Tecmo management's request. He was mentored by Yoshiaki Inose (of Solomon's Key
's , Bomb Jack
's , Rygar
's and the Nintendo Entertainment System
Ninja Gaiden's fame) and Akihiko Shimoji (of Tecmo Bowl
's fame) in his early years at Tecmo, and was impressed by them to include fun as a necessary component in his projects.
His rise through the company had been steady since then. He was appointed as the head of the third creative department in April 2001. He then assumed the post of Team Ninja Leader in July 2001. Tecmo appointed him as an Executive Officer in June, 2004. He later assumed the position of General Manager of the high-end production department in February, 2006. His Executive Officer position was however taken away in August the same year, due to his involvement in a sexual harassment
scandal.
The release of Dead or Alive 2
had greatly increased the series popularity, as well as Itagaki's. He had sought to create fighting games with details he felt were lacking in other games. In the later iterations, Itagaki has built the story of the games around themes of family - Kasumi
and Ayane
in Dead or Alive 3
, and Helena in Dead or Alive 4
. To date, the series has gone through four iterations with various enhanced editions. A fifth iteration has also been announced to be in the works.
In the Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball
series, Itagaki brought together the girls of Dead or Alive onto an island. The player is to foster good relationship between the girls to create a harmonious winning beach volleyball
duo. In the second iteration of the series, the focus is shifted by expanding the number of activities the player can have the girls take part in. He explains the core of the game as a paradise where the player can watch the girls they 'love' enjoy simple activities.
Ninja Gaiden was Itagaki's effort to develop a game centered on violent gameplay, with super ninja
Ryu Hayabusa
as the protagonist. Capitalizing on the brand name of the earlier NES series, Itagaki developed a critically acclaimed action-adventure game for the Xbox
which also had an international online tournament held for it. He continued work on it to release Ninja Gaiden Black as the opus of his Ninja Gaiden work. He continued the series on the Nintendo DS
with Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword
, partly due to a promise made to his daughter. At the same time, he brought the series' next chapter onto the Xbox 360
as Ninja Gaiden II.
Itagaki claims to be one of the very few in the Japanese video game industry to establish communications with the Western world. He suggests other Japanese developers should do like-wise and be aware of the gaming tastes outside of Japan, so as to be able to reverse the Japanese gaming industry slump of 2005.
On June 2, 2008, just before the release of Ninja Gaiden II for the Xbox 360
, Itagaki announced that he was resigning from Tecmo and was suing the company for withholding a bonus promised for his previous works. He was also suing Tecmo's president Yoshimi Yasuda for damages based on "unreasonable and disingenuous statements" made in front of Itagaki's colleagues. In an interview with 1up.com, Itagaki has revealed that he is working on a project with former members of Team Ninja under a new studio, Valhalla Game Studios. The title in question, Devil's Third
, was revealed shortly before E3 2010
.
. He finds the payoff for the game's button-prompting sequences to be less fulfilling than that of Genji: Dawn of the Samurai
's (whose Kamui sequences he calls dumb, but entertaining). Likewise, he cited Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
and Final Fantasy X
as games lacking the interactivity appealing to him.
Itagaki professes a liking for simplicity of inputs, he states too many inputs would result in the loss of the gaming experience. As such, he respects Sega-AM2
for their work on Virtua Fighter 4
. Likewise, he deplores implementing scenarios to show off technology just for the sake of it, sarcastically asking what is the point of cutting down "thousand heads of cabbages on screen." In his integration mindset, everything (graphics, controllers, interactiveness, responsiveness, etc.) has its place, even CG
pre-rendered cutscenes which he says can deliver a better cinematic experience of some scenes than doing them in real-time.
, proclaiming it to be more 'software friendly' than the architecturally inferior PlayStation 3
. Furthermore, he admires the Nintendo
Wii
's dedication to innovation, which he holds in high regard for the spirit of gaming. Itagaki claimed that he wanted to develop his games for what he viewed as the most powerful console on the market at the time of design.
Itagaki has also spoken of his handheld philosophy which goes for responsiveness and physical interaction, instead of raw hardware power. As such, Itagaki refuses to make a handheld game for the PlayStation Portable
(PSP), stating it goes against the design philosophy of being a handheld device. He says a game created, based on the specifications of the PSP, would be more suited for a true home console. This view is reflected in his statements on why Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword
as a handheld game has to be designed to take advantage of the Nintendo DS' touchpad rather than conventional inputs which would have rendered it a typical game.
series and Dead or Alive: Code Chronos
fall into the latter. The Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball games are just meant for simple fun, and to fulfill a 'love' for the female characters, letting the player nurture and watch the girls partaking in simple joys. Even though he admits to there being sexual content in the game, Itagaki refuses to create scenarios which he feels are vulgar for his 'daughters', a term he uses to call the female characters. Code Chronos falls into the same category of development, developed as Itagaki's hobby for style.
just to polish the game based on feedback of top Japanese Dead or Alive players recruited to test it out. For Ninja Gaiden, he wanted to leave the best and the ultimate action game on the Xbox before moving on to the Xbox 360, thus he reworked the game and integrated the additional downloadable content to produce Ninja Gaiden Black. With Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, he chose to patch an easy-cash exploit rather than leaving it alone and ruminating over the consequences.
Itagaki creates his game characters by immersing himself in their roles and the games. This is a reason why he objects to the suggestion of Kasumi in the Ninja Gaiden universe, saying her 'soft' nature is conflicting with the 'hard-edged' nature of the game whereas Ayane perfectly fits in. It is this role immersion which helps him to develop and exclude guns from the moveset of the Spartan named Nicole in Dead or Alive 4
. However, immersing himself in the games' atmosphere has also failed him at times. The Butt Battle, and Tug-of-War of Dead or Alive Xtreme 2
were heavily panned on the basis of minigame design. Itagaki defended those games as nostalgia comedic pieces, meant to make the player remember the celebrity games played on Japanese television.
' by the gaming industry, and to push himself to produce games which can contend as the best games of the genre. He openly claims to be the sole creative force behind his projects, as well as being able to convey his plan clearly for the team to understand. He bemoans that the Japanese are starting to forget the basic concepts, closing off their minds to outside criticisms.
Itagaki has consistently given harsh opinions on Namco
's Tekken games, mainly due to his grudge against the company for its insulting radio commercial on his Dead or Alive
game. He has stated he never forgets an insult to his family, and will retaliate with "nuclear missiles more than 100 times for that". This along with what he views as Tekken's stagnation in the fighting game genre (starting from Tekken 4
), led him to condemn the Tekken series, placing it as his top five hated games, in spite of him stating Tekken
, Tekken 2
, and Tekken 3
were good games which his family enjoyed.
suit against Itagaki. She claimed that Itagaki had made several unwanted sexual advances on her since September 2003. While Itagaki admitted to kissing her, he claimed that whatever had gone between them had been consensual. Tecmo's ensuing investigation reached the conclusion that "the allegations in question were a result of the former employee's desire to vent frustration over her own personal affair, and not indicative of sexual harassment." Tecmo has also demoted Itagaki and the accuser for their mingling of "personal affairs with their corporate responsibilities". Meanwhile, the court has found Itagaki innocent of the charges.
Japanese people
The are an ethnic group originating in the Japanese archipelago and are the predominant ethnic group of Japan. Worldwide, approximately 130 million people are of Japanese descent; of these, approximately 127 million are residents of Japan. People of Japanese ancestry who live in other countries...
video game designer who created the Dead or Alive fighting game and beach sport simulation series and also revived the Ninja Gaiden franchise in 2004. While his games are generally widely-acclaimed and he is considered a well-respected game designer, Itagaki has also gained infamy for the female characters in his games having large, overly-animated breasts, and also for his frankness and lack of humility in interviews and the comments he makes about his competitors and their games. Joining Tecmo in 1992, Itagaki produced two video game franchises that were commercial successes and earned him several promotions; he headed Tecmo's development team, Team Ninja, and sat on the executive board. He left the company after 16 years of service, filing a lawsuit against it for withholding bonus pay. His new team at Valhalla Game Studios, comprising other Team Ninja members, is currently working on a new game, Devil's Third
Devil's Third
Devil's Third is an upcoming 2013 third-person shooter video game developed by Valhalla Game Studios and published by THQ for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360...
.
Personal life
Born in 1967, Tomonobu Itagaki graduated from Waseda UniversityWaseda University
, abbreviated as , is one of the most prestigious private universities in Japan and Asia. Its main campuses are located in the northern part of Shinjuku, Tokyo. Founded in 1882 as Tokyo Senmon Gakko, the institution was renamed "Waseda University" in 1902. It is known for its liberal climate...
Senior High School on March 1985. Following that, he entered Waseda University and graduated from its School of Law on March 1992.
He is married, and has a daughter, born in 1997, whom he has mentioned as one of the primary influences on his projects, including developing Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword
Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword
Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword has received generally positive reviews. On the review aggregator Game Rankings, the game received an average score of 85% based on 14 reviews. On Metacritic, the game received an average score of 84 out of 100, based on 17 reviews...
for the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
, and a constant gaming partner in games like the Halo
Halo (series)
Halo is a multi-million dollar science fiction video game franchise created by Bungie and now managed by 343 Industries and owned by Microsoft Studios. The series centers on an interstellar war between humanity and a theocratic alliance of aliens known as the Covenant...
series. Itagaki has in his office a set of katana his father made for him, which he tends to take out to show to his visitors. As he wishes to stop people from reading his expressions during gambling-type games, he is always seen wearing sunglasses, a habit that has become his trademark in the video game community.
Career
Tomonobu Itagaki joined Tecmo in 1992 as a graphics programmer, and initially worked on the Super FamicomSuper Nintendo Entertainment System
The Super Nintendo Entertainment System is a 16-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America, Europe, Australasia , and South America between 1990 and 1993. In Japan and Southeast Asia, the system is called the , or SFC for short...
version of the American football
American football
American football is a sport played between two teams of eleven with the objective of scoring points by advancing the ball into the opposing team's end zone. Known in the United States simply as football, it may also be referred to informally as gridiron football. The ball can be advanced by...
video game, Tecmo Bowl
Tecmo Bowl
is an arcade game developed and released in 1987 by Tecmo. While moderately successful in the arcades, the game became and remained widely popular and remembered when it was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989. The NES version was considered by many to be the first NES American...
. His career breakthrough came in 1996 with his first Dead or Alive
Dead or Alive (arcade game)
Dead or Alive is a fighting game and the first entry in the long-running Dead or Alive series. It was released in 1996 in arcades, followed by home ports for Sega Saturn in 1997 and Sony PlayStation in 1998 .-Gameplay:Dead or Alive was unique in its debut that featured fairly different choices in...
game, a game based on Virtua Fighter created in response to Tecmo management's request. He was mentored by Yoshiaki Inose (of Solomon's Key
Solomon's Key
right|thumb|Arcade version of Solomon's Key is a puzzle game developed by Tecmo in 1986 for arcade release on custom hardware based on the Z80 chipset...
Bomb Jack
is an arcade platform game that was released in 1984 by Tehkan . It was followed by two official sequels, the console and computer title Mighty Bomb Jack, and the arcade game Bomb Jack Twin...
Rygar (video game)
Rygar is an arcade game created by Tecmo in 1986 and originally released in Japan as . It is a scrolling platform game where the player assumes the role as the "Legendary Warrior", battling through a hostile landscape...
Nintendo Entertainment System
The Nintendo Entertainment System is an 8-bit video game console that was released by Nintendo in North America during 1985, in Europe during 1986 and Australia in 1987...
Ninja Gaiden
Tecmo Bowl
is an arcade game developed and released in 1987 by Tecmo. While moderately successful in the arcades, the game became and remained widely popular and remembered when it was ported to the Nintendo Entertainment System in 1989. The NES version was considered by many to be the first NES American...
His rise through the company had been steady since then. He was appointed as the head of the third creative department in April 2001. He then assumed the post of Team Ninja Leader in July 2001. Tecmo appointed him as an Executive Officer in June, 2004. He later assumed the position of General Manager of the high-end production department in February, 2006. His Executive Officer position was however taken away in August the same year, due to his involvement in a sexual harassment
Sexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
scandal.
The release of Dead or Alive 2
Dead or Alive 2
Dead or Alive 2 is a fighting game in the Dead or Alive series. It debuted in arcades in October 1999 and was released on February 29, 2000 for the Dreamcast....
had greatly increased the series popularity, as well as Itagaki's. He had sought to create fighting games with details he felt were lacking in other games. In the later iterations, Itagaki has built the story of the games around themes of family - Kasumi
Kasumi (Dead or Alive)
is a player character in Dead or Alive fighting game series by Team Ninja and Tecmo. Kasumi has served as the main character of the Dead or Alive franchise since its beginning in 1996, being the official protagonist in the first two main games in the series, and playing very important roles in the...
and Ayane
Ayane (Dead or Alive)
is a player character in the Dead or Alive and Ninja Gaiden fighting game series by Team NINJA and Tecmo Koei. Ayane has also a complex relationship with Kasumi, the leading heroine of the Dead or Alive series, ever since they grew up together...
in Dead or Alive 3
Dead or Alive 3
Dead or Alive 3 is a fighting game in the Dead or Alive series. It was released exclusively on the Xbox as a launch title.-Gameplay:...
, and Helena in Dead or Alive 4
Dead or Alive 4
Dead or Alive 4 has received generally positive reviews. IGN gave the game 9.0/10, calling it "a move in the right direction for the series", and praised the fighting system as "deeper and more sophisticated". GameSpot awarded the game a score of 8.8/10, with one of its only negative comments going...
. To date, the series has gone through four iterations with various enhanced editions. A fifth iteration has also been announced to be in the works.
In the Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball
Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball
is a beach volleyball game by Tecmo released in 2003 exclusively for the Xbox. The game is a departure from the rest of the Dead or Alive series which otherwise consists of fighting games and marks the first game in the series to have a Mature rating due to the very revealing swimsuits featured in...
series, Itagaki brought together the girls of Dead or Alive onto an island. The player is to foster good relationship between the girls to create a harmonious winning beach volleyball
Beach volleyball
Beach volleyball, or sand volleyball, is an Olympic team sport played by two teams of two players on a sand court divided by a net.Like volleyball, the object of the game is to send the ball over the net in order to ground it on the opponent’s court, and to prevent the same effort by the opponent....
duo. In the second iteration of the series, the focus is shifted by expanding the number of activities the player can have the girls take part in. He explains the core of the game as a paradise where the player can watch the girls they 'love' enjoy simple activities.
Ninja Gaiden was Itagaki's effort to develop a game centered on violent gameplay, with super ninja
Ninja
A or was a covert agent or mercenary of feudal Japan specializing in unorthodox arts of war. The functions of the ninja included espionage, sabotage, infiltration, and assassination, as well as open combat in certain situations...
Ryu Hayabusa
Ryu Hayabusa
is the protagonist of the Ninja Gaiden video game series as well as a player character in the Dead or Alive series, both published by Tecmo. According to the game canon, Ryu Hayabusa is a ninja and the leader of the that has spiritual, physical and magical ties to ancient dragons...
as the protagonist. Capitalizing on the brand name of the earlier NES series, Itagaki developed a critically acclaimed action-adventure game for the Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
which also had an international online tournament held for it. He continued work on it to release Ninja Gaiden Black as the opus of his Ninja Gaiden work. He continued the series on the Nintendo DS
Nintendo DS
The is a portable game console produced by Nintendo, first released on November 21, 2004. A distinctive feature of the system is the presence of two separate LCD screens, the lower of which is a touchscreen, encompassed within a clamshell design, similar to the Game Boy Advance SP...
with Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword
Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword
Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword has received generally positive reviews. On the review aggregator Game Rankings, the game received an average score of 85% based on 14 reviews. On Metacritic, the game received an average score of 84 out of 100, based on 17 reviews...
, partly due to a promise made to his daughter. At the same time, he brought the series' next chapter onto the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
as Ninja Gaiden II.
Itagaki claims to be one of the very few in the Japanese video game industry to establish communications with the Western world. He suggests other Japanese developers should do like-wise and be aware of the gaming tastes outside of Japan, so as to be able to reverse the Japanese gaming industry slump of 2005.
On June 2, 2008, just before the release of Ninja Gaiden II for the Xbox 360
Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, Itagaki announced that he was resigning from Tecmo and was suing the company for withholding a bonus promised for his previous works. He was also suing Tecmo's president Yoshimi Yasuda for damages based on "unreasonable and disingenuous statements" made in front of Itagaki's colleagues. In an interview with 1up.com, Itagaki has revealed that he is working on a project with former members of Team Ninja under a new studio, Valhalla Game Studios. The title in question, Devil's Third
Devil's Third
Devil's Third is an upcoming 2013 third-person shooter video game developed by Valhalla Game Studios and published by THQ for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360...
, was revealed shortly before E3 2010
Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010
The Electronic Entertainment Expo 2010, commonly known as E3 2010, was the 16th Electronic Entertainment Expo held. The event took place on June 14–17 at the Los Angeles Convention Center. E3 is an annual trade show for the computer and video games industry presented by the Entertainment Software...
.
Game design philosophy
Itagaki believes a good game should be an integrated product of good graphics, interactivity, and playability. He also places a high priority on ensuring his games are interactive with the player's actions and respond quickly to the player's inputs. It is this opinion which led to his derogatory statements on Heavenly SwordHeavenly Sword
Heavenly Sword is a video game developed by Ninja Theory exclusively for the PlayStation 3 console and published by Sony Computer Entertainment Europe...
. He finds the payoff for the game's button-prompting sequences to be less fulfilling than that of Genji: Dawn of the Samurai
Genji: Dawn of the Samurai
Genji: Dawn of the Samurai is a PlayStation 2 game released on September 20, 2005. It is loosely based on The Tale of the Heike.A sequel, Genji: Days of the Blade was released for PlayStation 3.-Storyline:...
Metal Gear Solid 2: Sons of Liberty
is a stealth action video game directed by Hideo Kojima, developed by Konami Computer Entertainment Japan and published by Konami for the PlayStation 2 in 2001....
and Final Fantasy X
Final Fantasy X
is a role-playing video game developed and published by Square as the tenth title in the Final Fantasy series. It was released in 2001 for Sony's PlayStation 2, and will be re-released for PlayStation 3 and PlayStation Vita in 2012...
as games lacking the interactivity appealing to him.
Itagaki professes a liking for simplicity of inputs, he states too many inputs would result in the loss of the gaming experience. As such, he respects Sega-AM2
Sega-AM2
Sega Amusement Machine Research and Development Department 2 is a research and development team for the video game company Sega. Originally known as "Sega Amusement Developing Section 8", AM2 was previously headed up by famed designer Yu Suzuki...
for their work on Virtua Fighter 4
Virtua Fighter 4
is a fighting game by Sega. It is the fourth game in the Virtua Fighter series.The game was first released in arcades on the NAOMI 2 board in 2001...
. Likewise, he deplores implementing scenarios to show off technology just for the sake of it, sarcastically asking what is the point of cutting down "thousand heads of cabbages on screen." In his integration mindset, everything (graphics, controllers, interactiveness, responsiveness, etc.) has its place, even CG
Computer graphics
Computer graphics are graphics created using computers and, more generally, the representation and manipulation of image data by a computer with help from specialized software and hardware....
pre-rendered cutscenes which he says can deliver a better cinematic experience of some scenes than doing them in real-time.
Opinions on hardware
As a game developer, Itagaki has defined his philosophy as being able to extract the strengths of a game machine, and integrate them together to develop games to a level no one else can reach. He defines a game developer's satisfaction with a game machine as dependent upon these criteria. With this philosophy, he continually expresses happiness in developing on the Xbox 360Xbox 360
The Xbox 360 is the second video game console produced by Microsoft and the successor to the Xbox. The Xbox 360 competes with Sony's PlayStation 3 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
, proclaiming it to be more 'software friendly' than the architecturally inferior PlayStation 3
PlayStation 3
The is the third home video game console produced by Sony Computer Entertainment and the successor to the PlayStation 2 as part of the PlayStation series. The PlayStation 3 competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Nintendo's Wii as part of the seventh generation of video game consoles...
. Furthermore, he admires the Nintendo
Nintendo
is a multinational corporation located in Kyoto, Japan. Founded on September 23, 1889 by Fusajiro Yamauchi, it produced handmade hanafuda cards. By 1963, the company had tried several small niche businesses, such as a cab company and a love hotel....
Wii
Wii
The Wii is a home video game console released by Nintendo on November 19, 2006. As a seventh-generation console, the Wii primarily competes with Microsoft's Xbox 360 and Sony's PlayStation 3. Nintendo states that its console targets a broader demographic than that of the two others...
's dedication to innovation, which he holds in high regard for the spirit of gaming. Itagaki claimed that he wanted to develop his games for what he viewed as the most powerful console on the market at the time of design.
Itagaki has also spoken of his handheld philosophy which goes for responsiveness and physical interaction, instead of raw hardware power. As such, Itagaki refuses to make a handheld game for the PlayStation Portable
PlayStation Portable
The is a handheld game console manufactured and marketed by Sony Corporation Development of the console was announced during E3 2003, and it was unveiled on , 2004, at a Sony press conference before E3 2004...
(PSP), stating it goes against the design philosophy of being a handheld device. He says a game created, based on the specifications of the PSP, would be more suited for a true home console. This view is reflected in his statements on why Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword
Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword
Ninja Gaiden Dragon Sword has received generally positive reviews. On the review aggregator Game Rankings, the game received an average score of 85% based on 14 reviews. On Metacritic, the game received an average score of 84 out of 100, based on 17 reviews...
as a handheld game has to be designed to take advantage of the Nintendo DS' touchpad rather than conventional inputs which would have rendered it a typical game.
Pet projects
Itagaki classifies his projects into core projects (for business and technical excellence purposes), and those purely for self-fulfillment. The Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach VolleyballDead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball
is a beach volleyball game by Tecmo released in 2003 exclusively for the Xbox. The game is a departure from the rest of the Dead or Alive series which otherwise consists of fighting games and marks the first game in the series to have a Mature rating due to the very revealing swimsuits featured in...
series and Dead or Alive: Code Chronos
Dead or Alive: Code Chronos
Dead Or Alive: Code Chronos was the code name for a cancelled video game that was in development by Team Ninja for the Xbox 360....
fall into the latter. The Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball games are just meant for simple fun, and to fulfill a 'love' for the female characters, letting the player nurture and watch the girls partaking in simple joys. Even though he admits to there being sexual content in the game, Itagaki refuses to create scenarios which he feels are vulgar for his 'daughters', a term he uses to call the female characters. Code Chronos falls into the same category of development, developed as Itagaki's hobby for style.
Work ethics
Itagaki is thorough with his games, working on them from start to release, and even post release to correct what he feels are deficiencies, and polish them up to their full potential. He has shown this in his project developments, such as pushing back the release of Dead or Alive 4Dead or Alive 4
Dead or Alive 4 has received generally positive reviews. IGN gave the game 9.0/10, calling it "a move in the right direction for the series", and praised the fighting system as "deeper and more sophisticated". GameSpot awarded the game a score of 8.8/10, with one of its only negative comments going...
just to polish the game based on feedback of top Japanese Dead or Alive players recruited to test it out. For Ninja Gaiden, he wanted to leave the best and the ultimate action game on the Xbox before moving on to the Xbox 360, thus he reworked the game and integrated the additional downloadable content to produce Ninja Gaiden Black. With Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball, he chose to patch an easy-cash exploit rather than leaving it alone and ruminating over the consequences.
Itagaki creates his game characters by immersing himself in their roles and the games. This is a reason why he objects to the suggestion of Kasumi in the Ninja Gaiden universe, saying her 'soft' nature is conflicting with the 'hard-edged' nature of the game whereas Ayane perfectly fits in. It is this role immersion which helps him to develop and exclude guns from the moveset of the Spartan named Nicole in Dead or Alive 4
Dead or Alive 4
Dead or Alive 4 has received generally positive reviews. IGN gave the game 9.0/10, calling it "a move in the right direction for the series", and praised the fighting system as "deeper and more sophisticated". GameSpot awarded the game a score of 8.8/10, with one of its only negative comments going...
. However, immersing himself in the games' atmosphere has also failed him at times. The Butt Battle, and Tug-of-War of Dead or Alive Xtreme 2
Dead or Alive Xtreme 2
Dead or Alive: Xtreme 2 is a 2006 video game for the Xbox 360 game console. Developed by Team Ninja, it is the sequel to Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball...
were heavily panned on the basis of minigame design. Itagaki defended those games as nostalgia comedic pieces, meant to make the player remember the celebrity games played on Japanese television.
Frank personality
Itagaki values frank and "to the point" attitudes, believing anything else would allow "quibbles and sectionalists" to come in and derail the train of thought. His frank attitude is also in line with his admitted aggression, taking criticisms as challenges to overcome instead of something to mope over. This relates to his desire for challenges, producing games like Ninja Gaiden which are acknowledged as 'hardDifficulty level
In general usage, difficulty level refers to the relative difficulty of completing a task or objective.In computer and video games, the term specifically delineates the ease or difficulty with which an average user may complete a game or a part of a game. Arcade games as well as many early console...
' by the gaming industry, and to push himself to produce games which can contend as the best games of the genre. He openly claims to be the sole creative force behind his projects, as well as being able to convey his plan clearly for the team to understand. He bemoans that the Japanese are starting to forget the basic concepts, closing off their minds to outside criticisms.
Itagaki has consistently given harsh opinions on Namco
Namco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
's Tekken games, mainly due to his grudge against the company for its insulting radio commercial on his Dead or Alive
Dead or Alive (arcade game)
Dead or Alive is a fighting game and the first entry in the long-running Dead or Alive series. It was released in 1996 in arcades, followed by home ports for Sega Saturn in 1997 and Sony PlayStation in 1998 .-Gameplay:Dead or Alive was unique in its debut that featured fairly different choices in...
game. He has stated he never forgets an insult to his family, and will retaliate with "nuclear missiles more than 100 times for that". This along with what he views as Tekken
Tekken 4
Tekken 4 is the fifth installment in the Tekken series. It was developed and published by Namco. It was released as an arcade game in 2001 and on the PlayStation 2 in 2002. It is succeeded by Tekken 5.- Gameplay :...
), led him to condemn the Tekken series, placing it as his top five hated games, in spite of him stating Tekken
Tekken (video game)
Tekken is a fighting game and is the first of the series. It was released at arcades in late 1994 and on the PlayStation in 1995. A simplified "arcade" version of the game was later released in Tekken 5s Arcade History mode. It was developed and published by Namco...
, Tekken 2
Tekken 2
Tekken 2 is the second installment in the popular Tekken fighting game series. It was first released in arcades in 1995, and later released for the PlayStation in 1996...
, and Tekken 3
Tekken 3
Tekken 3 is the third installment in the popular Tekken fighting game series. It was released for Arcades in March 1997, and for the PlayStation in mid-1998. The original Arcade version of the game was released in 2005 for the PlayStation 2 as part of Tekken 5s Arcade History mode...
were good games which his family enjoyed.
Sexual harassment allegations
On November 7, 2006, various gaming sites reported that an unnamed female former Tecmo employee had filed a sexual harassmentSexual harassment
Sexual harassment, is intimidation, bullying or coercion of a sexual nature, or the unwelcome or inappropriate promise of rewards in exchange for sexual favors. In some contexts or circumstances, sexual harassment is illegal. It includes a range of behavior from seemingly mild transgressions and...
suit against Itagaki. She claimed that Itagaki had made several unwanted sexual advances on her since September 2003. While Itagaki admitted to kissing her, he claimed that whatever had gone between them had been consensual. Tecmo's ensuing investigation reached the conclusion that "the allegations in question were a result of the former employee's desire to vent frustration over her own personal affair, and not indicative of sexual harassment." Tecmo has also demoted Itagaki and the accuser for their mingling of "personal affairs with their corporate responsibilities". Meanwhile, the court has found Itagaki innocent of the charges.
External links
- Tomonobu Itagaki's profile at IGNIGNIGN is an entertainment website that focuses on video games, films, music and other media. IGN's main website comprises several specialty sites or "channels", each occupying a subdomain and covering a specific area of entertainment...
- Tomonobu Itagaki's profile at GiantBomb
- Valhalla Game Studios Co, Ltd.