With the inclusion of HD cables as standard, Itagaki hopes that people will end up making the move to HDTV. He suggests standard CRT over other types, devoting a lengthy rant to his displeasure with LCD televisions. Itagaki states that Team Ninja has flagship class LCD televisions throughout its offices, and hes not impressed with any of them. The problem, he states, isnt so much with response time, but with inaccurate color. Combine that with the high prices, and he comes to the conclusion: buying a CRT is, as a gamer, a wise choice.
Itagaki is also sure to give some talk to sound, offering the hope that players will invest in a 5.1 system. Dead or Alive 4 is fully 5.1 compliant, and Team Ninja has even mixed separate surround and stereo tracks for some parts, including the ending movie. Itagaki was a bit surprised when the interviewer revealed that surround sound systems are down to about 200 bucks.
On the note of high definition televisions, Famitsu Xbox 360 poses a question that weve all been wondering: what happens when you play DOA4 on a standard 4×3 television rather than a wide screen 16×9 screen? Itagaki feels that black borders are horrible and not good looking, which is why current generation Xbox games support both 4×3 and 16×9. I could not take pride in using black areas on both sides of a wide television, he states, and I have no desire to have my fans play something in which I do no take pride. While hed like people to purchase a wide-screen television, he realizes that this is not an option everyone, and so DOA4 is being made to display in full screen on a standard 4×3 television. In other words, he jokes, the game is fully SD compliant (the joke is that current generation Xbox games were listed as being fully HD compliant).
The interview turns to a discussion of the Xbox 360 hard disk. Responding to the question of what kind of effect the lack of a standard hard drive in America and Europe will have on his games, Itagakis states that hes known for quite some time that MS was looking into releasing a version of the system without the hard disk. Without a hard disk, he explains, its difficult to do things like the Ninja Gaiden Hurricane Pack. There are also problems with caching. He suggests that smooth startup sequences for games would be difficult. Also regrettable, he states, is that, minus a hard disk, he wont be able to manage sound in the way Dead or Alive Xtreme Beach Volleyball does now, where music is copied over from the game disk.
However, those who plan on buying the fully equipped hard disk neednt worry, as Itagaki adds The Xbox 360 I buy will have a hard disk equipped. I believe 80% will buy the hard disk model. And so, take solace that we will make games that fully utilize the hard disk, just as we have until now. Those without the hard disk are being taken care of, though, with Itagaki planning on tuning the game for the core system as well.
In closing, Itagaki asks that users make a couple of additional purchases for their Xbox 360. First up is a USB keyboard. DOA4 allows for keyboard chat. The game uses a lobby system that Itagaki refers to as House, where players can create their own avatars, which Itagaki refers to as a Doll. Itagaki also suggests purchasing a joystick. Team Ninja is overseeing the development of an official joystick with peripheral maker Hori, just as it did for the DOA3 stick.
Dead or Alive 4 is scheduled to launch with the Xbox 360, so we should be able to experience Team Ninjas latest and greatest in less than two months.
Source: IGN
