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In what seems a never-ending development, the Wii has snatched yet another Playstation/Xbox exclusive for its own. Tenchu: Shadow Assassins, the next chapter in the stealth-rich feudal fighter, is scheduled to reach North American Wii owners in the first quarter 2009.
Combining all of the shadows, stalking, and swordplay that the series has become known for, Tenchu: Shadow Assassins will be the first title in the series to appear on the Wii. Developer Acquire is taking full advantage of the Wii-mote and nunchuk for its latest work; players will be challenged to use new controls right from the start as the game will map most functions to the Wii-mote (no word yet on alternate configurations).
Displaying their latest gem at the Tokyo Game Show, publisher From Software put its lethal baby in the hands of the public to mixed reviews. The new Wii-mote functions well enough and fairly intuitively.
Movement is handled, as you might imagine, by moving the Wii-mote; a flip of the controller sends the character jumping into the air, while shaking the control left and right sends your assassin from shadow to shadow. Camera and strafing are directed by the Z and C buttons and 'A' remains context sensitive for snapping to walls for cover or slicing through hapless guards.
In an interesting twist, players can select their method of dispatch by shaking the control in differing directions (though this particular feature has been less than responsive from some early accounts). Though hand to hand isn't the way of the ninja, Tenchu: Shadow Assassins (or at least the import) features a turn-based system attack and defense system for those unwary enough to encounter enemy attention. When spotted players will use the Wii-mote as an on-screen sword cuts and counters.
Though the Wii is (currently) not capable of rendering high-def textures, Tenchu: Shadow Assassins looks decent on the system (for a lower res platform). Naturally, the stealth kills are the showpiece of the game, and are as visceral as ever; bones go crunch and blood flows as Rikimaru and Ayame return to the family business.
According to Ubisoft's web page, players will have ten missions and 50 side quests to satisfy their thirst for swift, silent justice.
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