<s>
is	O
a	O
2000	O
stealth	O
video	O
game	O
developed	O
by	O
Acquire	O
for	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
second	O
entry	O
in	O
the	O
Tenchu	B-Application
series	O
,	O
it	O
was	O
published	O
in	O
the	O
West	O
by	O
Activision	O
and	O
in	O
Japan	O
by	O
Acquire	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tenchu	B-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
a	O
prequel	O
to	O
Tenchu	B-Application
:	I-Application
Stealth	I-Application
Assassins	I-Application
(	O
1998	O
)	O
,	O
following	O
the	O
early	O
lives	O
of	O
Azuma	O
ninja	O
Rikimaru	O
and	O
Ayame	O
as	O
they	O
and	O
their	O
fellow	O
Tatsumaru	O
must	O
confront	O
a	O
militant	O
force	O
called	O
the	O
Burning	B-Application
Dawn	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Production	O
on	O
Tenchu	B-Application
2	I-Application
began	O
following	O
the	O
original	O
's	O
success	O
at	O
the	O
request	O
of	O
Activision	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
Tenchu	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
Activision	O
acquired	O
the	O
intellectual	O
property	O
and	O
shifted	O
production	O
to	O
newly-formed	O
company	O
K2	O
for	O
the	O
next	O
entry	O
Tenchu	B-Application
:	I-Application
Wrath	I-Application
of	I-Application
Heaven	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tenchu	B-Application
2	I-Application
is	O
set	O
in	O
Japan	O
during	O
the	O
Sengoku	O
period	O
,	O
four	O
years	O
prior	O
to	O
the	O
events	O
of	O
Tenchu	B-Application
:	I-Application
Stealth	I-Application
Assassins	I-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Each	O
is	O
supported	O
by	O
a	O
ninja	O
clan	O
;	O
Matsunoshin	O
is	O
supported	O
by	O
the	O
Gohda	O
's	O
long-standing	O
allies	O
the	O
Azuma	O
Ninja	O
,	O
while	O
Motohide	O
ends	O
up	O
manipulated	O
by	O
both	O
a	O
neighbouring	O
lord	O
and	O
the	O
rogue	O
ninja	O
group	O
called	O
the	O
Burning	B-Application
Dawn	I-Application
led	O
by	O
Lady	O
Kagame	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Motohide	O
is	O
later	O
killed	O
by	O
Toda	O
,	O
only	O
to	O
be	O
killed	O
in	O
turn	O
by	O
Kagame	O
,	O
who	O
founds	O
the	O
Burning	B-Application
Dawn	I-Application
to	O
the	O
goal	O
of	O
turning	O
ninja	O
into	O
an	O
acknowledged	O
political	O
force	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Over	O
a	O
period	O
of	O
time	O
following	O
Toda	O
's	O
death	O
,	O
the	O
Burning	B-Application
Dawn	I-Application
partake	O
in	O
a	O
series	O
of	O
underground	O
criminal	O
activities	O
such	O
as	O
kidnapping	O
,	O
theft	O
,	O
forced	O
labor	O
,	O
smuggling	O
and	O
murder	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
one	O
such	O
conflict	O
,	O
Tatsumaru	O
is	O
apparently	O
killed	O
while	O
fighting	O
Kagame	O
,	O
but	O
in	O
fact	O
suffered	O
amnesia	O
and	O
was	O
adopted	O
by	O
Kagame	O
into	O
the	O
Burning	B-Application
Dawn	I-Application
under	O
the	O
title	O
"	O
Seiryu	O
"	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
a	O
final	O
campaign	O
by	O
Lord	O
Godha	O
against	O
the	O
Burning	B-Application
Dawn	I-Application
on	O
their	O
flagship	O
Fire	O
Demon	O
,	O
Rikimaru	O
kills	O
Suzaku	O
and	O
then	O
mortally	O
wounds	O
Kagame	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
In	O
the	O
post-credits	O
scene	O
of	O
Tatsumaru	O
's	O
campaign	O
,	O
Suzaku	O
is	O
revived	O
as	O
Onikage	O
,	O
servant	O
of	O
the	O
demonic	O
Mei-Oh	O
and	O
a	O
leading	O
antagonist	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
Tenchu	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tenchu	B-Application
:	I-Application
Stealth	I-Application
Assassins	I-Application
,	O
developed	O
by	O
Japanese	O
company	O
Acquire	O
,	O
was	O
released	O
in	O
1998	O
and	O
went	O
on	O
to	O
sell	O
one	O
million	O
units	O
worldwide	O
,	O
prompting	O
the	O
creation	O
of	O
a	O
second	O
title	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
original	O
's	O
director	O
Takuma	O
Endo	O
had	O
wanted	O
to	O
develop	O
a	O
potential	O
sequel	O
on	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
2	I-Device
,	O
but	O
unfamiliarity	O
with	O
the	O
new	O
technology	O
and	O
demands	O
from	O
Western	O
publisher	O
Activision	O
led	O
to	O
a	O
sequel	O
being	O
produced	O
on	O
the	O
original	B-Device
PlayStation	I-Device
,	O
which	O
Endo	O
regretted	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
success	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
Tenchu	B-Application
allowed	O
Endo	O
to	O
hire	O
more	O
people	O
to	O
ease	O
production	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
During	O
production	O
of	O
both	O
Tenchu	B-Application
and	O
Tenchu	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
mistrust	O
and	O
tension	O
had	O
built	O
up	O
between	O
Acquire	O
and	O
Activision	O
over	O
requests	O
for	O
changes	O
,	O
making	O
working	O
together	O
increasingly	O
difficult	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
This	O
decision	O
was	O
reinforced	O
by	O
a	O
lack	O
of	O
character	O
development	O
in	O
the	O
story	O
of	O
the	O
first	O
Tenchu	B-Application
.	O
</s>
<s>
Compared	O
to	O
the	O
style	O
of	O
the	O
original	O
,	O
the	O
music	O
for	O
Tenchu	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
made	O
more	O
Japanese	O
in	O
tone	O
at	O
the	O
request	O
of	O
the	O
producers	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
was	O
recorded	O
at	O
a	O
studio	O
in	O
Okinawa	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
performer	O
for	O
the	O
game	O
was	O
Tsutomu	O
Kitagawa	O
,	O
who	O
previously	O
performed	O
in	O
and	O
supervised	O
motion	B-Application
capture	I-Application
for	O
the	O
first	O
game	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tenchu	B-Application
2	I-Application
was	O
officially	O
announced	O
in	O
May	O
1999	O
during	O
that	O
year	O
's	O
E3	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
A	O
guidebook	O
was	O
published	O
in	O
Japan	O
by	O
Dengeki	O
PlayStation	B-Device
on	O
December	O
11	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Tenchu	B-Application
2	I-Application
:	I-Application
Birth	I-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Stealth	I-Application
Assassins	I-Application
received	O
"	O
generally	O
favorable	O
"	O
reviews	O
,	O
according	O
to	O
review	B-Application
aggregator	I-Application
Metacritic	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Jim	O
Preston	O
reviewed	O
the	O
PlayStation	B-Device
version	O
of	O
the	O
game	O
for	O
Next	O
Generation	O
,	O
rating	O
it	O
four	O
stars	O
out	O
of	O
five	O
,	O
and	O
stated	O
that	O
"	O
Tenchu	B-Application
2	I-Application
does	O
n't	O
surpass	O
the	O
original	O
but	O
does	O
succeed	O
in	O
capturing	O
its	O
smooth	O
gameplay	O
and	O
despite	O
some	O
minor	O
weaknesses	O
,	O
the	O
game	O
is	O
without	O
a	O
doubt	O
exceedingly	O
cool.	O
"	O
</s>
<s>
Following	O
Tenchu	B-Application
2	I-Application
,	O
the	O
series	O
 '	O
licenser	O
Sony	O
Music	O
Entertainment	O
Japan	O
underwent	O
restructuring	O
,	O
resulting	O
in	O
Activision	O
buying	O
the	O
Tenchu	B-Application
intellectual	O
property	O
in	O
November	O
2000	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
The	O
development	O
studio	O
K2	O
,	O
newly-formed	O
in	O
2000	O
by	O
industry	O
veteran	O
Mitsuo	O
Kodama	O
,	O
created	O
the	O
sequel	O
Tenchu	B-Application
:	I-Application
Wrath	I-Application
of	I-Application
Heaven	I-Application
for	O
release	O
in	O
2003	O
.	O
</s>
<s>
Acquire	O
's	O
inability	O
to	O
work	O
on	O
Tenchu	B-Application
,	O
but	O
continued	O
wish	O
to	O
develop	O
titles	O
using	O
a	O
feudal	O
Japanese	O
setting	O
,	O
resulted	O
in	O
them	O
partnering	O
with	O
Spike	O
to	O
create	O
Way	B-Application
of	I-Application
the	I-Application
Samurai	I-Application
.	O
</s>
