<s>
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
:	I-Application
Dragon	I-Application
Sword	I-Application
is	O
a	O
2008	O
action-adventure	O
video	O
game	O
released	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
,	O
developed	O
by	O
Team	O
Ninja	O
and	O
published	O
by	O
Tecmo	O
(	O
in	O
Europe	O
it	O
was	O
published	O
by	O
Ubisoft	O
)	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
main	O
installment	O
in	O
the	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
series	O
,	O
it	O
features	O
Ryu	O
Hayabusa	O
as	O
the	O
protagonist	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Dragon	O
Sword	O
is	O
set	O
between	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
and	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
II	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
played	O
,	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
is	O
held	O
sideways	O
,	O
as	O
in	O
Hotel	B-Application
Dusk	I-Application
:	I-Application
Room	I-Application
215	I-Application
and	O
Brain	B-Application
Age	I-Application
:	I-Application
Train	I-Application
Your	I-Application
Brain	I-Application
in	I-Application
Minutes	I-Application
a	I-Application
Day	I-Application
!	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Set	O
six	O
months	O
after	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
,	O
Ryu	O
Hayabusa	O
has	O
rebuilt	O
the	O
Hayabusa	O
Village	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
When	O
fellow	O
villager	O
and	O
kunoichi	B-Application
,	O
Momiji	O
,	O
is	O
kidnapped	O
by	O
the	O
Black	O
Spider	O
Ninja	O
Clan	O
,	O
he	O
is	O
forced	O
to	O
find	O
her	O
,	O
while	O
uncovering	O
the	O
secrets	O
behind	O
the	O
mysterious	O
Dark	O
Dragonstones	O
and	O
their	O
relation	O
to	O
the	O
Dragon	O
Lineage	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
game	O
's	O
system	O
heavily	O
depends	O
on	O
the	O
stylus	O
,	O
similar	O
to	O
The	B-Application
Legend	I-Application
of	I-Application
Zelda	I-Application
:	I-Application
Phantom	I-Application
Hourglass	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Like	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
,	O
Ryu	O
can	O
also	O
block	O
attacks	O
by	O
pressing	O
any	O
of	O
the	O
buttons	O
or	O
the	O
directional	O
pad	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
playable	O
demo	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
downloadable	O
from	O
the	O
DS	B-Device
Download	I-Device
Station	I-Device
Volume	O
7	O
and	O
was	O
previously	O
available	O
from	O
the	O
Wii	O
's	O
Nintendo	O
Channel	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Six	O
months	O
after	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
(	O
chronicled	O
as	O
the	O
Dark	O
Dragon	O
Blade	O
Incident	O
)	O
,	O
Ryu	O
Hayabusa	O
has	O
rebuilt	O
the	O
Hayabusa	O
Village	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
After	O
a	O
training	O
session	O
with	O
the	O
up-and-coming	O
kunoichi	B-Application
,	O
Momiji	O
,	O
she	O
is	O
kidnapped	O
by	O
members	O
of	O
the	O
Black	O
Spider	O
Ninja	O
Clan	O
,	O
on	O
orders	O
from	O
their	O
leader	O
,	O
Obaba	O
,	O
who	O
hopes	O
to	O
obtain	O
the	O
Eye	O
of	O
the	O
Dragon	O
for	O
the	O
ancient	O
Fiend	O
,	O
Ishtaros	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
As	O
Ryu	O
desperately	O
searches	O
for	O
her	O
,	O
he	O
is	O
suddenly	O
transported	O
back	O
to	O
the	O
monastery	O
in	O
Tairon	O
,	O
capital	O
city	O
of	O
the	O
Holy	O
Vigoor	B-Application
Empire	I-Application
,	O
where	O
he	O
faces	O
hordes	O
of	O
Fiends	O
in	O
the	O
vicinity	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
series	O
director	O
Tomonobu	O
Itagaki	O
has	O
stated	O
that	O
he	O
decided	O
to	O
make	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
because	O
of	O
the	O
originality	O
that	O
the	O
platform	O
allows	O
,	O
which	O
he	O
feels	O
is	O
the	O
most	O
important	O
aspect	O
of	O
a	O
handheld	O
platform	O
,	O
and	O
also	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
challenge	O
for	O
himself	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
One	O
of	O
Itagaki	O
's	O
goals	O
with	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
DS	I-Application
is	O
to	O
create	O
a	O
game	O
that	O
can	O
be	O
played	O
by	O
all	O
gamers	O
everywhere	O
,	O
saying	O
that	O
his	O
other	O
titles	O
"	O
have	O
traditionally	O
targeted	O
men	O
above	O
the	O
age	O
18	O
and	O
Westerners.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Another	O
is	O
the	O
removal	O
of	O
graphic	O
violence	O
common	O
in	O
the	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
prequel	O
series	O
to	O
receive	O
a	O
lower	O
ESRB	O
rating	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
Dragon	I-Application
Sword	I-Application
has	O
received	O
generally	O
positive	O
reviews	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Reviewers	O
praised	O
the	O
good	O
visuals	O
and	O
intuitive	O
controls	O
,	O
but	O
a	O
common	O
point	O
of	O
criticism	O
was	O
its	O
short	O
length	O
,	O
six	O
to	O
seven	O
hours	O
,	O
and	O
lack	O
of	O
the	O
difficulty	O
compared	O
to	O
previous	O
games	O
in	O
the	O
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
series	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Ninja	B-Application
Gaiden	I-Application
Dragon	I-Application
Sword	I-Application
was	O
named	O
by	O
IGN.com	O
as	O
the	O
best	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
action	B-Application
game	I-Application
of	O
2008	O
,	O
also	O
awarding	O
it	O
as	O
having	O
the	O
best	O
graphics	O
technology	O
for	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
nominated	O
for	O
the	O
best	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
game	O
of	O
2008	O
award	O
and	O
was	O
nominated	O
for	O
the	O
award	O
for	O
the	O
best	O
original	O
score	O
on	O
the	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
in	O
2008	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
It	O
was	O
also	O
awarded	O
Best	O
Use	O
of	O
Control	O
Scheme	O
by	O
GameSpot	O
in	O
their	O
2008	O
Special	O
Achievements	O
video	O
game	O
awards	O
,	O
and	O
nominated	O
for	O
Nintendo	B-Device
DS	I-Device
Game	O
of	O
the	O
Year	O
as	O
well	O
.	O
</s>
