The latest edition of the most recent Ninja Gaiden installment, Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, is set for a North American launch date of September 29th. The game is the first Ninja Gaiden title being produced since the departure of former Team Ninja leader, Tomonobu Itagaki, last year. His departure from the company was a bit of a surprise to many, and didn’t end on very good terms. As a result, many people doubted the future of Team Ninja and Tecmo as a whole. That was, until Tecmo decided to merge with Koei earlier this year. They’ve since reformed Team Ninja under the guidance of Ninja Gaiden Sigma producer, Yosuke Hayashi. Given his impressive performance with his previous PS3 title, Ninja Gaiden Sigma, I have high expectations for any future projects involving him and his team.

Unlike the 360 release, this version will feature new playable characters, such as Ayane from Dead or Alive, and Momiji from Ninja Gaiden: Dragon Sword. A co-op mode is included this time, voice chat, and over 30 different missions to play through. In addition, there is a challenge mode available that will rank players online according to their total karma points at the end of each mission. With the game itself being marketed as the most definitive version of the series to appear to date, you’ll be sad to learn that it’s only being released for the PS3. It’s also rumored that Team Ninja will be shifting their main development platform from Xbox 360 to PS3 from here on out, so games should be released on that console first. The game is also going to be rated M for mature, so keep that in mind if you’re planning on making it a gift.