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Shinobi
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Shinobi Legions was the only Shinobi game developed for Sega Saturn, and the last sidescrolling title in the series until Revenge of Shinobi on the Game Boy Advance. The gameplay is similar to that of Shinobi III but with many tweaks. The plot represented a break with the traditional storyline of the previous games, as it focuses on an entirely new character named Sho. Shinobi Legions is ... notable for its use of live-action cutsequences between each round and the use of digitized live-actors in game sequences. Overall the game isn't at the same quality as previous titles and focuses more on the "realistic" graphics.
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As mentioned, Shinobi is a very hard game. Soon into it, Hotsuma will often find himself taking on numerous powerful foes that can cause lots of damage quickly. Though the early stages of the game are mindless hack-and-slash affairs, to defeat many of the later opponents, Hotsuma will need to quickly dash around behind them and strike at where they're vulnerable--a matter that's complicated when so many foes are around. He'll ... take on nimble flying opponents, all while having to avoid instant death from falling. Shinobi's levels can be quite long, lasting 10 or 15 minutes, and they tend to get even harder toward the end of any given level; and dying during the course of the level always requires you to start that level over from the beginning. The result is a game that's certainly not short but that will invariably require you to attempt each level multiple times.
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Shinobi has some very colourful cinematography and more 'majestic-bird-of-prey' shots than The Beastmaster. It ... has a comic book sensibility mixed with a healthy dose of Kierkegaard . You know, when a warrior has no purpose in the world, well, what then? Having a softspot for this type of 'End of the Shogunate' era (nineteenth century) Chambara picture, you find the theme is a common one. Here however, instead of a stately, restrained film, it is an explosion of fantasty CGI involving poisonous mists, shapeshifting, clothing that kills, and other mystical acoutrements. This visual style sets it clearly apart from Akira Kurosawa or Toshiya Fujita: Realism is not the aim here, just slick visuals which move the story along conterpoint to the melodramatic love story. It suffers perhaps from too many supporting characters (which the director feels the need to flash a text label for each at the beginning of the film).
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Given the legendary status of the earlier Shinobi titles, Sega had a lot to prove with this release. Taking a 2D game into 3D is a risky proposition, but Shinobi succeeds because it doesn't try to bring 2D mechanics into virtual space. Instead, the game borrows the feel of the original but adds extra abilities and changes to make a contemporary title that feels fresh, not regurgitated. Visually, the design is excellent but the implementation is a bit rough. Shinobi is a very different, and much more violent, game than you might remember from the Genesis and Master System days. Unfortunately, Shinobi falls a tad short of expectations thanks to its pedantic level designs, which become predictable and monotonous quickly while the difficulty curve is a paradoxically steep.
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Shinobi Taizen will feature different missions for Rikimaru and Ayame in its scenario mode. The game will ... let players challenge each other head-to-head through PSP's Wi-Fi or USB connections, though details on this new multiplayer mode have not yet been disclosed. Screenshots of Shinobi Taizen suggest that players will be able to unlock additional characters, aside from Rikimaru and Ayame.
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The naming conventions in the Shinobi series sort of got a little confused on the Mega Drive / Genesis. Shinobi III is actually a sequel to the Mega Drive launch title Revenge of Shinobi and shares many similarities with the legendary game. Shadow Dancer is Sega’s second 16-bit Shinobi game so it all sort of makes sense in a strange way even though the Japanese names are different.
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Shinobi