Ninja Gaiden ships out

Late Tuesday, Tecmo announced that it had shipped Ninja Gaiden to stores. Rated "M" for "Mature," the acrobatic action adventure game will retail for $49.99 and is available only for the Xbox.

The shipment announcement closes the book on Gaiden's long and winding road to retail. Originally announced in May 2002, it was yanked from a holiday 2003 release at the last minute, earning it a Most Disappointing Delay of the Year nomination by GameSpot. In February, the Team Ninja-developed game was delayed a further two weeks so that it would arrive "without any compromise on the quality," according to Tecmo's John Inada.

However, it appears Ninja Gaiden has been worth the wait. The game is receiving stellar reviews, including an accolade from GameSpot's own Greg Kasavin. And even though Inada warned last month that high order volume "may add extra days to the normal manufacturing lead time," some gamers are claiming to have already purchased the title.