It was way back in June when Nikkei Corporate reported that both Koei and Tecmo were working on looking to combine their respective IP to unite their fanbases. While it's not the Xtremely Bouncy Dead or Alive Bikini Beach Volleyball that some folks were hoping for, the new rollout is still very much capable of meeting the now merged publishers' goal of bringing fanbases together.

If Sony's motion controller is as responsive and accurate as they promise, then perhaps Ryu Hayabusa could add it to the list of his weapons. That's what Koei Tecmo president Kenji Matsubara has in mind for Sony's motion controller and what could be the next Ninja Gaiden. Fancy swinging your ninja blades live? Read on and find out more.

For the hardcore Ninja Gaiden fan, here's a nice little treat to go along with getting your copy of Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2. The previously reported blank listing at GameStop now has a name and a face, and it's the Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 Collector's Edition.

Over in Japan, Tecmo has announced an official release date for Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2, the PlayStation 3 version of Ninja Gaiden 2. They're also prepping a couple of special editions for the game. Details after the jump.

After a quiet gaming release week, we're going to have a jolly good time decapitating enemies and chopping off limbs in the release of Team Ninja's Ninja Gaiden 2. Some of you golfers might want to take a swing at the handheld Hot Shots 2 for the PSP, while adventure fans will also have a jolly great time smashing enemies up in The Incredible Hulk (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP) or make their own platform hero in Lego Indiana Jones: The Original Adventures (Xbox 360, PS3, Wii, DS, PSP, PC). Check out the entire list in the full article.

Ninja Gaiden Sigma's Rachel may have failed to reach everyone's expectations as the "world's greatest female action character," but it seems that Sonia, the leading lady for Ninja Gaiden 2, will be awesome. So awesome, she won't be playable in Tecmo and Team Ninja's upcoming gorefest. More details in the full article.

Ninja Gaiden fans better strap on their ninja swords and prepare for a fight to the finish. Tecmo has sent out word that downloadable content for Ninja Gaiden Sigma will be headed to the PlayStation Store this coming September 6, and it's got survival written all over it.

The downloadable content sets, known collectively as "Survival Mode" comprise of three different DLC packs, all with the basic premise of engaging an endless stream of enemies until you can no longer fight. The three downloads provide different sorts of themed battles, with a World Ranking available for each theme.

The downloadable content for Ninja Gaiden Sigma that'll be released on September 6 is called "Weapon Master". The theme behind this survival mode set is the use of different weapons, as this content pack includes five survival modes where you are allowed the use of a limited array of weaponry.

The second and third pieces of downloadable content, which are scheduled for an unspecified future date, are called "Speed Master" and "Rachel Master". In "Speed Master," you're tasked with defeating enemies as quickly as possible, with different modes altering the time and power gauge to increase the level of challenge. In "Rachel Master", you'll be playing the survival modes as Rachel rather than Ryu Hayabusa.

There's currently no word on the prices for these different Ninja Gaiden Sigma content packs, but we'll inform you of the prices and release dates of the packs as soon as they become available.

PlayStation 3 owners who just can't get enough of Tecmo's Ninja Gaiden Sigma should be happy to know that there's a Collector's Edition of the game out now, chock-full of extras and surprises that'll make any Ryu Hayabusa fan flip out and explode in a burst of Team Ninja joy. If you're already making plans to buy the original version, however, here's a teaser video of one of the Collector's Edition's goodies, namely a behind-the-scenes look at the game titled Behind The Sword.

The video shows a lot of gameplay, with Rachel putting that massive scythe of hers to good use. There's also some bow-and-arrow action from the Ninja in black himself, as well as some nifty boss-dodging. And let's not forget the insights we get from the legendary (and controversial) Team Ninja leader and Executive Producer Tomonobu Itagaki, as well as Yosuke Hayashi. Nearing the end of the video, we find out about Behind The Sword - an in-depth look into the inner workings of the slash-em-up that's achieved legendary status up till now. Certainly something to look forward to.

The Collector's Edition of Ninja Gaiden Sigma is out for sale now. Enjoy the video!

Team Ninja recently mentioned that it will try to silence the PlayStation 3 critics with the help of real-life Rachel video game title Ninja Gaiden Sigma. The Nintendo Wii, to be quite frank, also has a lot of critics (ranging from weak graphics to lack of hard-hitting games).

When asked if Team Ninja is also willing to silence them Wii haters, producer and director Yosuke Hayashi gave a rather ninja-esque answer. Gaming site Pro-G was at the recent Ninja Gaiden Sigma event in London and met up with Hayashi.

The exact question was if the title is going to make an outing on the Wii. Just imagining playing as Ryu Hayabusa, or Rachel for that matter, using the Wiimote sends shivers down our spine. However, Hayashi's answer was quite vague:

We would make something for the Wii if we came up with something unique that would only work on the Wii. There are several groups within Team Ninja. The PS3 group, the Xbox 360 group, and there are Wii fans in Team Ninja.

Pro-G mentioned that Hayashi told them something more but the site didn't divulge it. The only Ninja Gaiden action Wii fans can have for now are the ones coming from the Virtual Console.

Gone were the times when males dominated the gaming scene. Years have passed, and hundreds of digital babes made gamers blush. We have Terra from FFVI, Samus Aran from Metroid, Lara Croft from Tomb Raider - all those characters from established franchises. Tecmo, however, believes that the world's greatest female action character is their Ninja Gaiden Sigma's Rachel.

Director Yosuke Hayashi dropped by CVG to give some word about their upcoming playable female character. He said:

Our main goal has been to create a new playable character, the fiend-hunter Rachel, who will be considered 'the world's greatest female action character'. Rachel offers a new and different experience, and through her character, players can enjoy a manoeuvring feel and actions that are completely different from the super Ninja, Ryu Hayabusa's.

The game may look cool, and we all enjoyed the demo, but here's a big statement we've got here. Will Tecmo live up to their word? We'll have to wait 'til Ninja Gaiden Sigma ships next month.