Playing through the first few levels of the NGS+, memories from nearly a decade ago came flooding back to me: the placement of treasures, decapitating enemies with a single charged slash (hold down the triangle button to, um, execute), and the difficulty. The Ninja Gaiden series resides firmly in the “tough, but fair” challenge department. When you die – and you will – it’s usually not due to AI cheapness, but rather a mistimed block or a delayed dodge. That doesn’t mean the game can’t get frustrating, but when you prevail, the frustration melts into delicious satisfaction. For those having trouble, NGS+ adds Hero Mode, which helps automates some blocking and dodging to help you along. There’s no shame in it.

Ninja Gaiden was one of the best looking games around when it first debuted, and NGS+ still looks nice on PS Vita. While it doesn’t approach an Uncharted Golden Abyss level visually, it’s better looking on Vita’s OLED than an 8 year old game ought to look.

Tecmo’s Team Ninja has added a number of features to take advantage of the new Vita hardware, such as six axis arrow shooting and touchscreen prompts to enhance your Ninpo magic attacks. I had trouble adjusting to the new controls in first-person view, but fortunately, they’re optional.

The most significant addition to NGS+ is the new Ninja Challenge mode, a series of snack-sized trials can be completed in just a couple of minutes – geared toward gamers on the go. Each of these 76 missions provides a straightforward goal, such as clearing a certain amount of enemies, taking on a boss character, or engaging in a weapon-specific objective. This is also where you can use use alternate character Rachel, and try out new costumes and weapons that you might not have earned yet in the story mode.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma arrived on PS3 before the advent of PSN Trophies, so NGS+ is the first to incorporate the addictive baubles. I took a look at the Trophy list, and most of the rewards involve killing lots of dudes with each weapon, or by mastering techniques such as the powerful Izuna drop.

I can confirm that Ninja Gaiden Sigma Plus is no longer a “launch window” title – it’ll be ready for launch day. If you’re picking up a PS Vita on February 22nd, or are looking for a primer for the upcoming Ninja Gaiden 3, you should give Ryu Hayabusa’s first modern adventure a look.

I apologize for the fact that I’m practically yelling at Shibata-san; this dude over at the neighboring Alienware booth was incredibly, obnoxiously loud. If you were there, you know who I’m talking about.

Anyways, with a good deal more development to go, we’ll keep tabs on this game for you, and report back at the next milestone.

To further whet your appetite as we gear up for launch, the Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 table boasts a record five multiball game modes, a massive amount of killer action-packed missions where players can unleash a ridiculous amount of punishment with lightning-fast weapon combos, ball slicing effects, electricity charged ramps and much more!

Currently, we have a tentative release date scheduled for October 2009, so mark your calendars and plan to spend some quality time slashing your way through the Sky City Tokyo-themed table come this fall. As always, stay tuned to this blog or check out the official ZEN Pinball site for the most up-to-date information.

Until next time, keep those flipper fingers loose!

While at the Tecmo Koei booth we got a chance to chat to Akihiro Suzuki, the Director of Koei’s upcoming PS3 exclusive action RPG, Trinity: Souls of Zill O’ll.

It’s the latest in the Zill O’ll series, but you’d be forgiven for not knowing that — the previous games never made it outside of Japan. It’s a pretty popular series over there and now it’s coming to both the US and Europe, so we’ll be able to see what all the fuss is about when it releases next year.

It’s a prequel to the Zill O’ll series, so story-wise it promises to be very accessible. In terms of gameplay it’s also a departure from the norm for the series, as it leaves its turn-based RPG roots behind and embraces a more action-orientated approach.

Why Tecmo? Because the team there is working on two games you’ll only play on PLAYSTATION 3. We’ll be talking Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 tomorrow; today we bring you an interview on a game that many readers have been asking about: Quantum.

This 3rd person action-shooter is shaping up to be a very interesting addition to the PS3 software lineup, with a brutal brand of shooting that may well be a first on the console. Take a look at the video (with US Producer Pete Garza) and let us know what you think.

I’m definitely looking to get more time with the game (which is currently around 40% complete), and we also are looking forward to sharing more with you as well.

More from the show floor to come!