With PS Vita’s launch week in full effect, we wanted to give PlayStation.Blog readers just one more slice of Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen. Have any of you elite assassins picked up both PS Vita and this stealth-action game?

My good friend from Acquire, Hiroshi Watanabe, wanted to share his experiences in developing Shinobido 2 for PS Vita. Fans are important to us and to this industry; even Mr. Watanabe started out as a student and was a BIG fan of the first Shinobido game for PS2. In his role as programmer, Watanabe put a lot of work into making the gameplay pop — and with the new trailer, and the game now out in the wild, you can see for yourself.

Check out our trailer and screens in the update below. Oh, and newfound PS Vita owners: let us know what you think of Acquire’s latest (and bloodiest!) adventure!

Hello. I’m Hiroshi Watanabe, a programmer for Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen. Like some of the other development team members, I was also once just a student who spent my fair share of playtime on the Shinobido series. I was already a huge fan when the PS2 game Shinobido: Way of the Ninja launched. So you can imagine my excitement when I got to join the development team for the game’s newest iteration on a new handheld console, PS Vita.

Anyway, as fans of the previous Shinobido titles know, I believe that the one of the most attractive features of the series is the “Harakiri engine.” It immediately responds to the situation between the three daimyo (warlords), allowing for a variety of stories, and of course missions. And let’s not forget the game’s fast-paced action. Without a doubt, the newly added “Fukurou” and “Zankoku” definitely make this game special.

Shinobido 2’s many various objects in the game are actually what make the game stand out so much from other stealth titles — and I personally prepared them! These interactive objects provide extra spice to the world of feudal Japan, and mean that swordplay is not the only way to dispatch your enemies. The interactive objects provide new strategies, whether it’s making a pile of logs collapse on an enemy, you throwing a bucket to create a distracting sound, slashing right through sliding doors, throwing tiny Buddha statues at an enemy’s head, or detonating stacks of buckets using explosives. Of course, it was no small feat creating and adjusting so many objects. :)

Now that Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen is officially out in North America and Europe, we couldn’t be happier to finally have fans (just like I was and still am) getting their hands on the final product.

Check the video above for a look at the slice-and-dice action, as well as a glimpse at my favorite new mode of transportation: the glider suit! Sound off in the comments below with your thoughts on the latest trailer, and stay tuned right here to the PlayStation.Blog for more sneak peeks and updates on all of the PS Vita titles from Namco Bandai Games through launch next month. Until then, watch your back for the blades of your enemies — they’re everywhere!

Hello again, PS Vita fans! Hoping you enjoyed our premiere of the first Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen details not long ago. As promised, I’m back to share a post with you from our friends on the development team ACQUIRE Corp. Our friend Toshiko Tazaki has more details to share on how they shaped the tension and atmosphere in their upcoming assassin-thriller. Have a look and a listen down below, and stay tuned to PlayStation.Blog as we lead up to the game’s launch on February 22nd for more in-depth looks at how the team brought this killer game together on the PS Vita.

Toshio Tazaki, Sound Artist, Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen (PSVita)

You may not think about it much when you are playing games, but creating tension and atmosphere takes a lot of work on the development side. I wanted to share with you a bit about how we did this in our game, Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen.

Music and sound production of Shinobido 2 was actually started with a mandate from our director, Abe-san, who asked us, “Why not enhance the melody and atmosphere on our music unlike any game we’ve done before?” Every day, I made considerable efforts to adjust the melody balance to make it better than the day before. Composers tend to be desperate to give their music something different when preparing soundtracks for a whole game.

When the project began, I aimed to produce a song each day…but sometimes I got stuck and more than a little bewildered! Once I finished half of the song writing, I came to realize more details of each character by checking each of the key event scenes in the game.

When I listened to the completed songs at first, I was very clear where they would be used in the game…but I sometimes changed my mind and replaced them with more suitable arrangements or created new songs for the parts that needed more emotion. It was quite enjoyable to produce the music for game events, and the more I thought about each character, the more inspired I was to really get the music right!

It is unusual for me to say this, but I enjoyed it so much that I wanted to keep composing and developing the sounds even after the project wrapped! I would like to thank the director for letting me take part in this title. :-) By the way, I’ll show you a photo related to the sound development here. Please have a look at this snap shot of music data displaying what it looks like when the main character is found by enemies in the game.

You may be asking yourself, “What in the world is this?” What looks like just a pattern of .wav files is actually the full song, which I’d love to share with you below. It’s called “Detection.”

Well, that’s it from me. We’ll be back to share more on the development of Shinobido 2, and we hope that you enjoy the sounds of assassination when our game launches this February in the US and Europe. I can’t wait until you can all hear the rest! If you have any questions or feedback, please let us know, and if I can’t respond immediately, our friend FilthieRich can chime in! See you soon!

We’re nearly two months away from the launch of the PS Vita here in North America and Europe on February 22nd, 2012 – and as many of you know NAMCO BANDAI Games will be bringing Acquire’s epic assassin tale of vengeance and betrayal to the PS Vita on DAY ONE! If you aren’t familiar with Acquire’s work, they have a killer pedigree having worked on series’ like Tenchu and Way of the Samurai, so you can bet your lucky ninja stars that their next epic will be impaling the competition on day one.

Let us know what you think of this first video in the comments section, and join me in my campaign in convincing the @PlayStation team to give me a PS Vita early. The teasing and taunting continues and I need one YESTERDAY. Also, keep your eyes right here to the PlayStation.Blog in the coming days and weeks when we kick off an exclusive series of blogs and info from the developers themselves. Get HYPED my friends, NAMCO BANDAI Games and PS Vita are going to be in full effect this February. Stay tuned!

If you’re like me, then you’ve already whipped out your fat red marker and circled February 22nd, 2012 on your calendar the minute our friends at Sony Computer Entertainment announced the launch date of the PS Vita in North America. Last week we were able to reveal the name of Touch My Katamari, which will be hitting on launch day. Today, we’re back with more on another launch title from Namco Bandai.

While they still won’t let ME have a PS Vita yet, I do know at least one other person that does have one. That would be Mr. Kazuhiro Watanabe at famed studio Acquire in Japan. Known around the world for being among the best developers in the stealth action genre with their work on the Tenchu series, Mr. Watanabe’s team has been working non-stop on a PS Vita title that will be slicing the life out of enemies before they can even see what’s coming.

Previously teased during Tokyo Game Show under the subtitle “Tales of the Ninja,” the team has finalized the name of their upcoming assassin adventure, and has just revealed their brand-spanking new logo for Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen. We here at Namco Bandai Games had a chance to catch up with Mr. Watanabe himself for a quick rundown of what the game is all about, and you can read it here first.

Questions for Mr. Watanabe

Fans of your work are very familiar the Shinobido games, but for those new to the series, what can you tell us about them?

Shinobido is an assassin-based stealth action game set against the backdrop of a war-torn land, where three opposing territorial forces fight for control. The player must choose which of these forces to support by taking on various missions. Depending on the player’s choices, the game’s “Harakiri Engine” will allow for a variety of outcomes and constantly changing missions. The player could choose to focus solely on one territorial force for a swift route through the game, but if he takes on missions from all three forces equally, it will prolong the story and allow for the character to develop further. This open-ended storyline, combined with a sandbox world to explore, various ninja tools and even alchemy, help to create a rich and diverse experience for any aspiring assassin.

We noticed that the new subtitle is ‘Revenge of Zen.’ What can you tell us about this ‘Zen’ character anyway? Will we be dead by the time we see him?

Our main character and hero, Zen, is fueled by revenge after his village is burned to the ground, and his beloved murdered before his eyes. He is steadfastly devoted to his missions, and does not kill without good reason. Dare to betray him, however, and he’ll kill you quickly and silently, so don’t bet on “seeing” him. Ha ha.

We’ve heard that the gameplay experience is much less about being a ninja, and more about being an assassin. Can you elaborate on what that means for players?

The element of “assassination” is not necessarily more important than any other part of the game. However, assassination missions will occur often as the three opposing territorial forces fight and attempt to weaken the other. Other missions include robbing the enemy’s provisions, kidnapping or protecting people of importance, and others.

What can players expect to see with this game on PlayStation Vita that won’t be seen on any other platform?

In addition to the two analog sticks and buttons, touch panel controls add a comfortable and intuitive feeling to gameplay. One important touch control feature is the Caution Icon, which helps you lock onto an enemy before being spotted. In addition, the Vita’s “near” function will be a special feature and we’ll have more details on how it will work very soon!

We’ve heard that the dead bodies of the assassinated enemies play a key role in the gamplay of Shinobido. Can you tell us more about how this will work?

When the enemy spots a dead body while scouting the area, they’ll become much more cautious. In some cases, they may even ring an alarm bell to call more enemies to them. Thus, it’s important to hide your slain victim from sight to complete missions more easily.

Lastly, do you have any advice for aspiring assassins getting ready to slice and dice their enemies this February?

Though the game contains some complex controls, if you just follow the tutorials and upgrade your character’s skills, you’ll soon be able to complete missions with ease. “Zankoku (Bullet-time)” delivers devastating slashes to the enemy in a flash. And where players could previously only jump or use the trusty Grapple Hook to get around, “Fukurou” now makes it possible for players to fly, which adds a whole new dimension of exploration. We can’t wait for everyone to try it out!