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Ninja Blade to be released in April

360 exclusive gets demo next month.

Microsoft will release exclusive Xbox 360 action game Ninja Blade in Europe on 3rd April - four days earlier than the US.

There will be a demo of the slasher on Xbox Live from 9th March.

Ninja Blade - developed by From Software of Armored Core and Tenchu renown - follows hero Ken Ogawa and his pack of warriors as they fight a disease that is transforming citizens of Tokyo into monsters.

Sounds very Ninja Gaiden, but Ninja Blade takes a more steroid-enhanced approach, and adorns Ogawa with an array of upgradable super-human powers. He can run at silly speeds up and down walls, produce incomprehensible flurries of screen-filling attacks and smack the floor with more force than Hulk Hogan.

The potential is there, although the relative lack of fuss so far doesn't bode well. Still, can't be worse than Tenchu Z. We hope.

Head over to our Ninja Blade page for some gameplay videos and screenshots.