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Amidst all of the media clamour and in between a shockingly strong February line up of triple A titles, you might have completely missed a short news bit that circulated out of Japan that From Software, makers of the critical darlings Otogi and Otogti 2, have quietly released Ninja Blade overseas, a suspiciously non-copyright infringing Ninja Gaiden clone; a ninja action game with designs by Capcom’s Keiji Nakoka — all region-free on Xbox 360 and presented in English, no less.

While I can categorically state that every console — no, make that everything in life — is greatly improved with the addition of more ninjas, it is with grave seriousness that I say that, while the prospect of playing Ninja Blade early excites me, it is the second half of the last paragraph that truly floors me: a Japanese title region-free on Xbox 360? Wait, I’m still dizzy from it, so let’s say it again: a Japanese title, region-free on the Xbox 360. Microsoft, how can this be?

Maybe I’m over-thinking this, but this region-free Xbox 360 title represents a huge boost in potential for a console whose list of exclusive content is looking a little thin after March. But there is more to it than just that; imagine the fanboy outcry if a certain Square-Enix RPG were to launch region-free on the Xbox 360, cleverly sidestepping the Asian embargo placed on the title. YouTube might just explode. Babies would cry. I’m not saying that this is a fantasy that is totally unlikely to happen; it is happening right now. Tons and tons of Asian and US Xbox 360 titles have been released with no region encoding. Halo 3? Check. BioShock? Afraid so. Gears of War 2? Yup. The list goes on and on. Suddenly, games are no longer trapped in one region; they can now cross borders in the global marketplace.

What makes the case of Ninja Blade so special is that it represents a change of thinking at Microsoft. Ninja Blade is arguably the first uniquely Japanese title to launch region-free. I hope that this sets a precedent for all future Xbox 360 releases as Japan is host to more than a few exclusive titles by old-school companies such as Success, Cave, Triangle Service, and Compile. If this is a sign of things to come, the list of differentiators that separates the PS3 from Xbox 360 suddenly becomes a lot shorter.

I consider myself a gamer without borders; I love Japanese SHMUPS (that is the technical term, of course) and all types of 2D fighters. So, I was enthralled when Sony announced that the PS3 would launch a region-free gaming platform. No longer would I have to modify or buy import consoles just to get my fix of brightly coloured and vertical scrolling digital cocaine. No longer would I have to write those handwritten letters of my youth begging publishers to localize games in North America. True story: when I was 12, I once hand-wrote Capcom a letter — in pencil, no less — politely requesting the localization of the complete Dungeons & Dragons Collection. Two weeks later, they mailed me a full coloured catalogue highlighting a whole stack of games that would never see the light of day on this continent. Suffice to say, a little something died that day. A little something called innocence.

PS3 gamers have been lucky so far, just a quick click onto National Console Support, Play-Asia, or onto Ebay and they’re well on their way to enjoying all kinds of import exclusive titles from Afrika to White Knight Chronicles.

My PS3 is home to a bunch of these hidden exclusives titles. These are exclusives that have hidden in plain sight, held just behind a few borders; titles like: Sega’s superb Initial D Extreme Stage and Genki’s Wangan Midnight. I played Arc System Works’ Battle Fantasia long before it was released on the Xbox 360, pulling off the super moves with ease on my PS3 digital pad while my Xbox 360 friends mucked about on their mush pads. If I could read Kanji, I would be knee deep in Yakuza 3 right about now.

To me, Ninja Blade represents untapped potential. If Microsoft is truly sincere about keeping their hardcore crown in 2009 and beyond they need to get creative. Allowing all titles to go region-free is a move that could expand markets, creating channels for developers to reach their fans right across the planet. It adds an extra element of depth to our conception of what we should consider an exclusive title. I’m already frothing out the mouth at the idea of playing exclusive Japanese titles by Success or Cave in high definition on my Xbox 360. C’mon Microsoft, you listening? Make it happen.