GDC '08: Ninja Gaiden II stalking stores in June

SAN FRANCISCO--Those who follow the way of the ninja would probably frown upon a public announcement heralding one's arrival, but Microsoft has a game to hype.

At the company's Game Developers Conference keynote address today, Team Ninja executive director Tomonobu Itagaki showed off the latest build of the Xbox 360 exclusive Ninja Gaiden II, and then gave gamers fair warning on when it would descend on retailers. Ryu Hyabusa's latest outing is set to ship in North America on June 3, with worldwide releases to follow later in the month.

Ninja Gaiden II was originally revealed last September, when it served as Microsoft's big announcement heading into the Tokyo Game Show. The game has not yet been rated, but it's a surefire M for Mature if the gore-soaked screenshots released so far are any indication.

For more on the game, check out GameSpot's previous coverage.