Chin up, Itagaki. You went out a winner! Tecmo have announced today that Ninja Gaiden II has now sold over one million copies worldwide since release. Which, really, they'll be over the moon about considering the game launched with little marketing and (come on, let's be honest) wasn't even as good as the first one. Wonder whether the next one - the one without Itagaki - will do any better. For all we know, Square could add Sephiroth as a playable character and watch it sell 20 million.

Ninja Gaiden II skewers 1M [GameSpot]

While the freezing issues with Ninja Gaiden II that arose with the title update and mission mode downloadable content pack towards the end of last month have yet to be fixed, Microsoft assures us that they are working closely with Tecmo and Team Ninja towards a solution.

Microsoft is aware of the issues that players are experiencing with the title update to "Ninja Gaiden II" and are currently working to resolve them with Tecmo/Team NINJA. Please stay tuned for a new update. We thank you for your patience!

There is currently no ETA for a new update. Their suggestion for the meantime? Clear your cache and play the game offline. Doing so will remove all game updates and disable the mission mode DLC, but you'll be able to complete the main game without locking up while we wait for further updates. Hit the jump for cache clearing instructions.

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Well TECMO and Microsoft did release their Ninja Gaiden II Mission Pack this past Friday as promised, which stealthily infiltrated players' games and killed them. Seems like a very ninja thing to do to me, but apparently users started getting a bit upset when their game started getting corruption errors after unlocking the first new achievement. The pack was pulled, but on top of that the title update that preceded the release is causing freezing during cutscenes. Luckily the folks at the Gamerscore Blog have some good news...

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If I had worked on Dead or Alive 4 with the folks at Team Ninja, I would definitely spend my bonus money on this amazing Ryu Hayabusa statue from First 4 Figures. The company that has brought us so many pretty works of Metroid and Zelda art has been awarded the licence for Ninja Gaiden II from Microsoft and TECMO, and the first product coming out of that licence certainly does not disappoint.

Ryu is clad in a lovely black leather ensemble, standing a whopping 18 inches above his base of artificial grass, with the full piece measuring 31 inches tall once you figure in the Eclipse Scythe. As with all things First 4 Figures, Ryu is extremely limited and rather pricey - only 1,999 pieces are being made at a cost of $US 349.99 each. Each model comes with a certificate of authenticity that allows you to purchase the same numbered version of the next in the series. Grab those bonus checks and head over to First 4 Figures to preorder!

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We knew Ninja Gaiden II Mission Mode was coming on July 25th, but what exactly is Mission Mode? Mission Mode is a pack of 25 new missions for the game, broken up into two sets. Karma missions involve trying to get the highest possible score, while survival missions are all about taking on hordes of enemies with a single weapon to see how long you last.

The pack will be available tomorrow for 800 Microsoft points, or the price of your standard Xbox Live Arcade title. Is it worth it? Not a clue. A real ninja does not pay to go on missions - we get paid for them, and then kill the guy who pays us, taking the rest of his money.

More Ninja Gaiden II Missions for Your Pleasure! [Gamerscore Blog]

They're the people in the shadows. You don't know their names, but you know their words. They localizers, the folks that take games from not only another language, but also another culture and open them up for another audience. "Good translation is tough to quantify", says Tokyo-based localizer Matt Alt. "If it's well done, it sort of disappears. Ideally the person playing the game doesn't even realise they're reading something that wasn't originally written in their native tongue". He runs AltJapan along with his wife (and company president!) Hiroko Yoda run out of a small second story office on Tokyo's westside. And with 99.999 percent of the games AltJapan works on that's true. Well, save for one: Ninja Gaiden II.

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Those looking for more to do in Ninja Gaiden II should start rooting through the couch cushions for loose Microsoft Points, because details on the game's DLC have appeared, like, out of nowhere. One second there's a puff of smoke, the next Gamersyde reports that you'll be paying 800 MS Points for 25 new missions via Xbox Live. Cheap!

According to the report, two types of self-contained missions will extend the life of your Ninja Gaiden II experience: "Karma Attack missions task you with obtaining the highest score, while Survival missions give you a single weapon to fight off as many enemies as possible". What? No camera battle missions? That's the best part!

Ninja Gaiden DLC details [Gamersyde]

July is Ninja Month! So says Xbox Live, which now randomly sports a Ninja Live ad which takes you to ninja paradise. Well, not exactly ninja paradise. In ninja paradise, you'd all be dead. Instead, you get links to ninja movies and television shows, ninja games, ninja style, and this particular Ninja Gaiden II page, which displays the dates for new Ninja Gaiden II content. July 11th sees the release of NGII Skull videos, and then on the 25th the game gets its Mission Mode on righteously.

I personally want to thank Microsoft for making Ninja Month every bit as special as they did Pirate Month. Oh wait, there wasn't a Pirate Month, now was there? FACE!

Ninja Gaiden II owners, Tecmo has stuff for you to buy. Today, three costume packs for Ryu Hayabusa went up on Xbox LIVE. The three packs (dubbed "Demon", "Shadow Walker", and "BioMetal") are 200 Microsoft Points a piece -- that's $US 2.50 in US money. Each pack contains five costumes variations on the pack's theme. So that works out to fifty cents an outfit. Way cheaper than real ninja clothes!

コスチュームパック [IT Media]

Whoah, NECA! Slow down! You'll wear yourself out, then you won't be any good to anyone. Not content with releasing God of War figures, and Gears of War of War figures, and Bionic Commando figures, they've just released shots of a Ninja Gaiden II figure as well. Of course, it's of Ryu Hayabusa, who'll stand 7" tall and come with a bunch of weapons and accessories when he's released in September. In case you haven't noticed with those ball hips and wacky shoulders, the emphasis here is on his flexibility, not his detail.

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