Hack and slash sequel Ninja Gaiden 3 was shown behind closed doors at the Tokyo Game Show today.

Japanese publisher Tecmo Koei took the lid off of the game with a solitary image, VideoGamer.com reports.

Apparently we'll see series star Ryo Hayabusa's more human side, and discover more about him.

It's also a more violent and bloody experience, although we can't possibly imagine how. The image below holds clues.

The report suggests Ryo, like so many videogame characters these days, will be visiting hell and kicking ass.

No release date or platforms were mentioned.

The announcement comes as no surprise. Last year Team Ninja's new boss Yosuke Hayashi promised Ninja Gaiden would return - and that it would do so as a multi-platform game.

"We feel that we're in a position of being able to make that call, and to provide pure entertainment that's going to be enjoyed by action gamers and our fans," he said. "That calling is already there - we feel it, and therefore we will continue to work towards a future for the series."

I don't like the tone of some of these Goldeneye previews.

Before they even mention a single impression about the game there is this whole diatribe of nostalgia, expectations negative thoughts. Is it even possible for this game to get a fair shake or are people just going to rag on it because they wanted N64 Goldeneye in HD? I mean read this, this is how the Eurogamer preview starts, all this before we get any impressions.

Eurogamer Goldeneye preview

Eurogamer said:

It's not a remake, it's a re-imagining. Dangerous words, as Tim Burton discovered before curling one out all over the memory of The Planet of The Apes. However, while the original version of that film remains eminently watchable, videogames are a different beast. In gaming terms, 13 years is an epoch. GoldenEye may have (yawn) pioneered the first-person shooter genre on console, but anyone digging Ye Olde Nintendo 64 out of the loft for a quick blast would find a bewilderingly ugly game. It might have looked the business when Princess Diana was still warm and Oasis were a fresh-faced Slade tribute act, but time moves on apace.

That said, given the deification of GoldenEye, it's hard to see what Activision has to gain from this nineties reboot (apart from the obligatory wheelbarrow full of cash). Fans of the original will be predisposed to criticise it, and younger gamers will neither know nor care about a game based on one of the more torpid Bond excursions, despite what the game's executive producer says about it being "one of the most loved films of all time".

Clearly, there are a lot of toes to tread on, and one of the original Rare dev team has already dismissively thrown his two penn'orth in. If he's pissed off, how do you think poor old Pierce Brosnan is feeling? Airbrushed from history and replaced by a dead-eyed Chester goon in a pair of powder-blue budgie-smugglers. Of course the argument is that Daniel Craig is currently James Bond, and as such he should be the face and voice of any current Bond project. It's closer to the truth to say he's on the books, along with Judi Dench, Rory Kinnear and David Arnold - who composed the last five Bond themes - one of the set designers, and even Craig's body double, who provides the motion capture

Planet of the Apes references, a wheelbarrow of cash, Martin Hollis quotes? (Yawn) in brackets? Princess Diana and Oasis references? Is this writer trying to be cool and snarky? It just reads like a waste of my time.

Is it me or does TLG not look anywhere near as impressive as the first demonstrations? The Ico shot at the end isn't far behind, especially if the boy wasn't there... I mean yeah, it's been HD-fied (not really, screens are small), but it's still PS2 assets...

Ico/SOTC PS3

Agnates said:

Is it me or does TLG not look anywhere near as impressive as the first demonstrations? The Ico shot at the end isn't far behind, especially if the boy wasn't there... I mean yeah, it's been HD-fied, but it's still PS2 assets...

I think it's just because the games (from those screens) use this white fog filter thing and a similar art style? I think the PS3 game will excel in the animation department if the pre-vis video is anything to go by.

Azura's Wrath, Capcom game by Naruto Dot.Hack devs

Agnates said:

Those games had pretty great animation themselves but anyway, the better hardware won't be the reason for that if TLG does surpass them, it's just animation. But even outside the comparison that just doesn't look great to me. Previous shots did. Hopefully a new video will look great again and these are just duds.

But the camera is pulled out so far in those pics. It's when you get close in the HD detail will show?

So if the gameplay is mostly like that, like where the kiddo is climbing or where the big beast thing is just about screen-filling, then the detail will be wasted and only seen in close up cut scenes? I mean, it's not gonna be first person or anything, I imagine at least a few of those screens are indicative of normal gameplay... Especilally if it's got Ico-like environment tackling it will want to give you wide views more often than not, outside indoor stuff...

Where is Inafune, I want to punch him in the face. What is he doing to Capcom. NT DmC, wtf is that?!?!? There goes one of their best franchises. Where the hell is Resident Evil.