E3 2002: Tenchu 3 impressions

Activision is showing off a pretty solid build of its upcoming ninja stealth action game, Tenchu 3: Wrath of Heaven. The PlayStation 2 game is being developed by K2, a company new to the Tenchu series. But from the looks of the version being shown here at E3, the team at K2 definitely understands how to make a Tenchu game.

Like Tenchu 2, Tenchu 3 will have three playable characters. The two lead characters, Ayame and Rikimaru, will have multiple endings and a generally deeper campaign than the third. As the first sequel to the game (Tenchu 2 was a prequel to the original), the story will detail the events that take place after the end of the original Tenchu.

The stealth kills of the previous games are back in effect and have been enhanced. You can now sneak along the rooftops and jump off them to perform stealth kills from above. The game now has a cooperative two-player game that will allow you to perform two-man stealth kills on foes. The game will also have a competitive multiplayer mode that pits you against another ninja. Unfortunately, the level editor featured in a previous build of the game won't be present here.

The game plays a whole lot like the previous Tenchu games. The item set is extremely familiar, and the game controls roughly the same. The enemy AI has been improved, however, so foes will now chase you more intelligently than before. Enemies will even climb up onto rooftops if necessary.

If there's one stumbling block in the game, it's probably the graphics. The game looks sharper than the original PlayStation Tenchu games, but the models still have a blocky look to them, and the textures aren't very crisp. Perhaps this is something that can be fixed before the game is released.

Tenchu 3 will feature 25 levels, and it is scheduled to hit stores in the fourth quarter of this year.