Whether you like it or not, we will be heard (maybe only by ourselves but we will be heard nonetheless)! The fifth episode of Blood Work's podcast is now live! In similar fashion to this here blog, the Blood Work podcast is a celebration of horror cinema and another way to share our passion for horror with you!
Episode #5 is about a particular section of horror near and dear to our hearts, dusted off from the golden age of cinema: THE UNIVERSAL MONSTERS! Specifically the horror characters from Universal Studios' golden age of
horror, from 1923 to 1960, the well known icons to the underappreciated
and obscure. Listen as we gush over these legendary horror characters and their films, regale you with tales of our introductions to these horror heroes, discuss the impact they've had on cinema and pop culture, and more! If you too share in our love of the Universal Monsters, join us and give us a listen!
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Ninja anime horror is not something you run into very often, at least I don't. To say that I like ninjas is an understatement. Just as saying "I enjoy horror movies" doesn't quite encapsulate the scope of my passion for the genre. And while I haven't been as connected with Japanese anime in recent years as I once was, I still do have a love for "Japanimation." Finding something that connects all your favorite threads, at least more than two specific passions, is something quite rare in my experience. So when you do come across something like this you NEED to seize it!
Just recently I was in a second hand movie/video game store and came across an anime dvd from the early 2000's by the company ADV Films, titled BLOOD REIGN: CURSE OF THE YOMA (not to be confused with BloodRayne or Blood Rain or the endless amount of things with Blood and some variation of "Rain" in the title). Based on a manga from 1985, the anime is a two episode OVA, each episode close to forty minutes (so its basically an 80 minute anime movie).
What follows is a tale set in feudal era Japan, filled with action and mystery, and steeped in Japanese mythology and lore. Yoma is a Japanese word for "demon" or "ghost" and, as we all know, the Japanese have a TON of demons and spirits in their culture. Ninjas versus ninjas versus demons/monsters. Are- are you serious? That sounds amazing!
THE PLOT
At the height of the Sengoku period, war raged across all of Japan. The bodies of the dead and dying lay strewn across the land of the rising sun. Many spirits linger. Wronged and brutally murdered in life, these spirits are twisted into demons. Existing only to plague the living, these Yoma have turned the dark corners of the land into living nightmares for any who pass by. Marou, a ninja of the Takeda Clan, suddenly disappears. Suspecting the ninja may have gone rogue, the Takeda Clan dispatches Marou's childhood friend and fellow ninja, Hikage, to track and eliminate Marou lest vital information on the clan be shared with enemies.
INITIAL IMPRESSIONS
What I absolutely loved about this anime was the concept. Set during the bloodiest period in Japanese history, the concept of Yoma rising and gaining power due to the atrocities of war makes perfect sense. And ninjas by nature stalk the shadowy corners of the world, the same places these Yoma would hide. During this time period the various ninja clans, particularly the IGA ninja, were being targeted by Oda Nobunaga and systematically eliminated. It was a precarious time to be a ninja in Japan. All of this meshed together naturally for me.
And, well, c'mon, it's ninjas fighting monsters. What's not to love?
The narrative centers on the Takeda ninja, Hikage, and his mission to find his missing friend Marou. The anime begins with a sequence where Hikage is very much portrayed as a "closer to real life" ninja (so no insane super human abilities) which is rare and refreshing to see. The story has Hikage engaged in a very real secret mission: return Marou to the ninja clan or assassinate him before he can divulge the secrets of the Takeda to a rival clan. Hikage is obviously conflicted about his mission but remains loyal to his clan. We see him fighting rival ninjas and engaging in espionage. As the story goes events grow stranger and scarier as the Yoma slowly appear. All of this I found cool and intriguing.
In terms of animation this one is okay. It's up to par with the 1989 Devilman anime, so, I was cool with it. One of the first few animes I ever saw was NINJA SCROLL. I still hold Ninja Scroll on a pedestal and compare it to many anime I see against action and animation quality. Blood Reign feels very much like a forerunner to themes and ideas that appear in Ninja Scroll, albeit with a decidedly more spiritual/horror bent. Blood Reign was made in 1989 whereas Ninja Scroll was released in 1993 so there's bound to be some differences in animation quality. Ninja Scroll has better animation but it was made four years later.
In terms of action Ninja Scroll again is superior. I was slightly disappointed in the action but not enough to dismiss the film entirely. The fight scenes are quicker and less elaborate than some of the more spectacular action animes out there. The film leans more on creating atmosphere than wild action set pieces. Still, there are some genuine ninja techniques and weapons on display which add quite a bit of authenticity. Even with the action lacking a bit, I was still able to enjoy the anime very much.
Mixed in with everything else are some great horror visuals. I am a big fan of the ninja elements herein, but the anime also impressed me with its horror elements as well. I talked about atmosphere earlier, the filmmakers use this to great effect in the horror sequences. Some of my favorite moments in the anime are these scarier scenes. Between the two episodes there are several great scenes making this one of the better horror animes I've seen.
THE VERDICT
Feudal era Japan, ninjas, and monsters? Wrapped up in a horror anime? SOLD! Blood Reign caters to many of my passions, so much in fact that its hard to be objective. I'll admit, as a ninja action anime it doesn't quite meet the standards of Ninja Scroll. But as an anime horror epic is where this one succeeds. There are some great atmospheric moments and horrific scenes that make Blood Reign particularly noteworthy. As well as mystery, intrigue, and authentic ninja tactics and espionage, overall this is a pretty good anime in my book.
Overall Ranking: 7 out of 10
Nude-O-Meter: 0 out of 10
For more of our thoughts on anime, check out these other posts below!
I've been a life-long devotee to the NINJA GAIDEN franchise since I can remember. The first Ninja Gaiden on NES is my all-time favorite NES video game and a strong contender for my all-time favorite video game ever. Needless to say, I dearly love the Ninja Gaiden trilogy on NES. I used to imagine what a Ninja Gaiden movie would look like when I was growing up and wishing to be hero ninja Ryu Hayabusa.
I'm not sure when I discovered that Ryu Hayabusa was a regular character in the fighting game series DEAD OR ALIVE. It was around my time in college and shortly after DOA 3 came out. I was so blown away that my old ninja hero, Hayabusa, was in a fighting game (I had become a huge fan of fighting games by that point). Then in 2004 Tecmo released a new Ninja Gaiden exclusively on Xbox. I borrowed my buddy's Xbox and played everything I could on Ninja Gaiden. Then again on Ninja Gaiden Black. Then yet again on Ninja Gaiden Sigma (finally on a system I owned, the PS3). I missed Ninja Gaiden 2 on Xbox 360 but you better believe I played it once it hit PS3 with Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2!
When Ninja Gaiden 3 came out I didn't bother buying it (even though it was launched on the PS3). I had seen the trends and figured a Sigma version was sure to come (just like you never buy a Peter Jackson Lord of the Rings film when it comes out. You wait for the extended cut). And sure enough Tecmo released the "Sigma" version of NG3, NINJA GAIDEN 3: RAZOR'S EDGE! I bought NG3:RE quite some time ago (not on release day mind you, but a few years ago nonetheless). The game got shelved after only playing the first level, for whatever reason. And there it waited and collected dust as I basically fell out of playing modern video games, shifting focus to retro gaming.
Recently I've been getting back into ninja video gaming in a big way (if you haven't checked out my GAMING DIARIES: THE SHINOBI CHRONICLES, please do!). While trekking through the classic Shinobi series, I was inspired to play Ninja Gaiden 3: Razor's Edge. And after a week or two I am now able to say I have beaten it and at long last finished the modern Ninja Gaiden trilogy! "Sigh" it feels good to say that.
THE PLOT
A terrorist group has laid siege to London and demand the presence of the Dragon Ninja. Top officials of the Japanese Self-Defense Force visit the Hayabusa village to relay the message. Ryu agrees to accompany the JSDF to London where he encounters the Regent of the Mask, one of the terrorist leaders. In a battle the Regent curses Ryu with "the Grip of Murder," a fatal curse that slowly spreads from Ryu's arm to his whole body with the more people he kills. The Regent flees leaving Ryu and the JSDF to follow. Ryu is forced to chase the terrorists to uncover their true plot and find a way to save himself from the horrible curse.
PRESENTATION
The game looks as good as the previous games. I didn't notice much of a graphical enhancement beyond Sigma 2 or even Sigma 1. It's been a while since I played to original Ninja Gaiden for Xbox, but my memory has that game looking remarkably similar to this one. So, no noticeable visual enhancements in nearly 10 years. It still looks good, but either that first game in 2004 looked WAY ahead of the competition and games are just now catching up to it or Tecmo didn't invest much at all in the graphics of Razor's Edge. That or my memory is going. I am getting old after all.
The move list and abilities menu gets a new coat of paint but otherwise doesn't function any differently. And beyond that the presentation is the same as it always has been for this new trilogy.
GAMEPLAY
If you've played the previous Ninja Gaiden games for Xbox or Playstation 3 then you should have no trouble jumping right into this game. There wasn't really anything strikingly new I noticed as I went through the game. But even having played through every difficulty, including MASTER NINJA difficulty, on both the previous games, there was one major thing I noticed: Razor's Edge was hard.
VERY HARD
I'd go as far as to say it was downright mean! I guess when the original iteration of Ninja Gaiden 3 was released there was considerable backlash from the fan community about how "streamlined" the game was for normie players. Veteran players were whining about NG3 being too easy. I wasn't aware of this when I bought Razor's Edge. I just thought Razor's Edge was like the "Gold Edition" of the game with all the extras and stuff, you know, like how the Sigma versions were. I didn't realize that it was a direct response from the game designers to the angry fan complaints about the game being easy.
Now, it had been many years since I last played a Ninja Gaiden game (barring the original NES trilogy which I play almost every year). My skills may have been a little rusty but I wouldn't say they were bad. I started the game on Normal difficulty and got beat down...bad. Razor's Edge slapped me hard, pissed in my hair, and said, "Go home!" And after so many times dying the game itself asks you if you'd like to drop down a difficulty level, Hero Mode (which is this game's Easy Mode). I got to the first boss of level 1, the mid boss spider-tank thing, and was thoroughly punished for even existing.
In no time at all the game asked me if I wanted to drop down to Hero Mode...
Like an idiot I said, "No!" The fact that the game even does this feels a little like a mean taunt. All of the modern Ninja Gaiden games have done this (the Ninja Gaiden game from 2004 called easy mode "Ninja Dog" mode, really rubbing salt in your wounds and pride). These games have always prided themselves on being really fricken hard, even the original Ninja Gaiden II for NES advertised "Hard To Beat!" on the game box. I refused to be a Ninja Dog in those past games and I refused to be one here!
Again, it had been a while since I last played Ninja Gaiden, but this was really tough. I don't remember the previous games being this tough from the start, so hard that the game didn't really feel fun anymore. I've gotta admit that it wasn't fun until about halfway through, after fighting that evil Gigantosaurus, that the game became fun. Throughout the entire game I must've been asked over a dozen times or more if I wanted to step down to "Hero Mode." Oh god, how annoying that became, seeing it pop up periodically, most often during certain boss fights.
The things I hate most about this game are:
1: Spider-Tanks
2: Helicopters (again I ask, why the hell is this a staple of ninja gaming?!)
3: Gigantosaurus boss
4: Cliff (generally everything about his character)
5: Giant evil airships
6: Kunai climbing (this game makes climbing a stupid wall an arduous event)
7: Bow and Arrows (I've hated these in all three games)
8: the first stage of the final battle with The Goddess
Ryu has a guard/slide-dodge move which I heavily relied on to avoid attacks. That move became my best friend. The Izuna Drop and the Ultimate Technique, mainstay moves from the previous two games, were also present and, once more, my best friends in this game. There are a host of weapons to choose from once more but I mainly stayed with the traditional katana and the Lunar Staff. I didn't need anything else to get me through the game. There's a new gameplay mechanic called STEEL ON BONE or BLOODY RAGE where Ryu's curse flares up like a case of bad herpes. During these flare-ups you can cleave enemies apart with bloody efficiency. Doing this helps fill your Ninpo (ninja magic) gauge. Other than that the game plays like the previous two games in the series.
After the fight with the dinosaur something clicked with me. I'm not sure what changed but I started enjoying playing the game. Before that point though the game felt like a chore I was doing out of spite. I think I hit my stride at that point. Either that or I had a decent sized life bar by that point that I wasn't dying all the freakin' time and I had unlocked enough moves to make playing the game easier. Regardless, that's when I started liking the game.
But then the hate sorta resurfaced at the end for a moment. When the character of Cliff (who looks strangely similar to Rhys Ifans) transformed into a monster and I had to hear that "We're just getting started!" line repeated over and over I got frustrated. I muted the tv at that point. Then the first stage of the final battle with The Goddess (the only stage of the fight worth noting) became a demoralizing struggle. Basically you have to survive against a giant monster with screen covering attacks while killing an endless stream of regular enemies (regular in this game is still very very hard) to fill your completely empty and newly enlarged Ninpo gauge.
I could get my gauge to about 75% full using the Dragon Sword but that was the best I could do. After trying many many times on my own, I broke down and went to GameFAQS for a boss strategy guide. And guess what? THERE WAS NONE! Luckily I found a forum post where someone recommended the Lunar Staff. I tried the battle again with the Lunar Staff and got it on my first try. The Lunar Staff appears to be the only way to go with this fight as it has a wider hit field and keeps the other enemies just far enough away to keep you from being mauled. Having to exploit such a fine detail in order to win is either genius or plain stupid.
Like the previous Sigma versions, Razor's Edge periodically inserts "bonus" levels where you get to play as other characters. Ayane, the purple-haired kunoichi of the DOA series, gets two levels all to herself in this game. And then there's a level where Ryu returns to the Hayabusa village and about halfway through the level it becomes a co-op level where Ryu and the kunoichi Momiji team-up to fight evil ninjas. Out of all the levels in the game I enjoyed these three the most. I was hoping for another bonus level with the game's fourth playable character, Kasumi (the poster character and main protagonist of the DOA series). Instead Kasumi is only unlockable once you beat the game and has no story elements whatsoever in the game. I do like Kasumi's design in this game quite a bit.
NARRATIVE
I've never been too fond of the stories for the Ninja Gaiden series. I've enjoyed the first two Ninja Gaidens on NES' stories but beyond that nothing really stands out. I guess the modern era Ninja Gaiden games' stories have felt pretty generic to me. This game too feels slightly more generic than the previous two (despite having the writer of the original NES game back). It's more of a "insert your generic action hero here" story rather than something uniquely Ninja Gaiden or authentically Japanese. The game's design even loses those authentically Japanese or "real" ninja elements for the most part. I'm not disappointed about the story being blah because that's become the expectation with Ninja Gaiden games. I am disappointed that the Japanese esthetics in the game's design are far more minimal in this third installment.
But what has always been a disappointment in these games is Ryu's character. And NG3:RE is no exception. The action gameplay is and has always been the shining aspect of these games, but beyond that, Ryu is an incredibly boring character. From his generic character design to his monotone and flatlining personality, Ryu is so very vanilla. Even when the game tries to push Ryu out of his comfort zone, the voice acting and animation is vapid and cliche.
It's weird but the best character in this game, or the character treated the best, in my opinion, is Ayane. I'm sure today's sensibilities would say that she's once again portrayed as an oversexed piece of fan-service and cheesecake (which she is, let's be honest). But she's the only one in this game who's having fun and that fun translates. Also, her character has range, not much, but more than Ryu's. Designwise, her look is the most interesting among the game's characters, and easily the best design she's had in any of her many video game appearances. And she's teamed-up with the original lady of the Ninja Gaiden series, Irene Lew.
EXTENDED PLAY
As far as the replay value of this game goes, there's a good amount. There are 50 golden scarabs to collect (as per usual) and 10 crystal skulls to find too (which are now challenge stages complete with Ninja Gaiden 2 bosses at the end of them!). Chapter Challenge mode lets you stage select to anywhere in the game and you are allowed to play the entire game as any of the four characters (Ryu, Ayane, Momiji, and Kasumi) which is totally awesome! My favorite part of Ninja Gaiden 2's bonus material were the Co-op Challenges where you can two-player through special levels and this is also featured here as well. However, the online network lag is just as bad as it was in Sigma 2 (which is a HUGE letdown).
And of course there's the trophies to collect and multiple higher difficulties to battle through. But, if I'm being honest, after muscling through the game on Normal difficulty, I do not feel the need this time to go through anything worse than that. What I'm most excited for in terms of extended play is playing as the other characters and the co-op gameplay.
THE VERDICT
I love the Ninja Gaiden franchise. I always have since I've been playing video games. And I am happy to say that I still love Ninja Gaiden. I'm glad I finally sat down and carved out time for NG3:RE, at least for one playthrough. And I'm proud to say that I still haven't cowed to the game's difficulty (no Ninja Dog here!). But am I done with this current style of Ninja Gaiden? Yes. I don't need another game in this current trilogy style. NG3:RE has some fun elements to it. As always I love when the game is extended to include other playable ninjas (because Ryu himself is such a generic snore-fest). Maybe it's that I played the first modern Ninja Gaiden on all difficulties on all three releases. And then played everything on NG Sigma 2 save one online challenge. Maybe it's having done all of that that's got me played out. But overall I feel this gameplay/presentation of Ninja Gaiden has been done to death.
Overall Ranking: 5 out of 10
I'll play the original NES Ninja Gaiden trilogy all the live long day. But I don't know how much I relish the idea of having to play the "modern" Ninja Gaiden trilogy again, any of them really. I know I'm being harsh, but I've felt more obligated to play them as opposed to genuinely wanting to play them. Maybe the closest I came to truly enjoying these games was somewhere in Ninja Gaiden Sigma 2 or Ninja Gaiden Sigma 1, but even NGS2 was soured because of the laggy online network.
I am happy that we have a modern completed trilogy of Ninja Gaiden games. But I feel it's time for another ninja video game series to rise and take the ninja gaming experience to the next level. And by that I don't mean harder difficulty!
For more of my posts on video games and video game related stuff, check out these posts below!
Ahh, the Super Nintendo. One of the greatest video game systems ever devised. The Super Nintendo/Sega Genesis era was without question one of the, if not the, greatest periods in the history of video games. The video game craze was booming and everybody wanted in on the action! From Marvel and DC Comics, Shaquille O'Neal, the NBA and NFL, major studio movies like Bram Stoker's Dracula (what kid walked out of that movie saying, "I want to play as Keanu Reeves in a game!"?), and kids cartoons such as Tiny Toons and Animaniacs. And that's only the tip of the iceberg.
I never got into the Super Nintendo as heavily as I did the original Nintendo, but looking back on those experiences today, if I'm being honest, those games that I played on the Super Nintendo were just as influential if not more impactful on my gaming evolution. Truly the SNES helped me grow as a gamer and introduced me to many games that would become lifelong favorites. The love I have for many of the franchises I'm a fan of today were either born of or cemented with the games on the SNES.
Retro Gaming is a fast growing market today and acquiring the original cartridges for both NES and SNES, even the Nintendo 64, is becoming increasingly difficult and expensive. I'm sad to say that, in my ignorance, I parted with most of my collection over the years. More than half of my NES collection and at least half of my SNES collection as well. Had I but known...
Thankfully there are still a few games in my collection yet, games I could never part with (although current market prices have been quite enticing). Below are the games that I personally enjoy the most on the Super Nintendo. These are the games that helped shape the gamer I am today, the games that were a revelation upon discovery, that blew my mind as a kid in the 90's. Many of these games I still have in my collection today, but some no longer are (to my everlasting chagrin 'sigh' I sold some back in the day).
The Super Nintendo isn't my favorite video game console system, that honor goes to the original NES, but I do hold the SNES near and dear to my gamer's heart. These games may not be the best games ever to come out on the SNES, and there are a ton of SNES games I've never played, but the games below represent my personal favorites. For my list of Top Ten Favorite NES Games click here!
On with the list!
THE BONUSES
#13
MARVEL SUPER HEROES IN WAR OF THE GEMS
Release Date: 1996
Long before Avengers: Infinity War was even a twinkle in Kevin Feige's eye, CAPCOM and the SNES were adapting the comic story for the screen. This game was basically a "copy and paste" job based off of Capcom's extremely successful X-MEN games of the time, specifically X-Men: Mutant Apocalypse. Obviously the X-Men are awesome and were on top of the world at the time. But my heart has always belonged to THE HULK.
This is just your classic style 2D action platformer "Beat um' up!" What makes it special for me is being able to play as the Hulk and battle two of my favorite Marvel villains by the end, The Magus and Thanos. The Infinity Gauntlet was one of (and still is) my favorite stories and it was amazing seeing it transformed into a video game 22 years before it became a movie.
#12
FINAL FIGHT 2
Release Date:1993
The side-scrolling "beat um' up" genre really hit its peak in the SNES/Sega Genesis era. Capcom's FINAL FIGHT franchise really led the way during the SNES period, the original Final Fight trilogy being some of my favorite games. The original Final Fight SNES port of the game was problematic in that it removed the two player co-op function as well as deleting one of the chief characters completely: one of Capcom's greatest ninjas, GUY!
FINAL FIGHT 2, in my opinion, was the best of the trilogy and simply the most fun of them all. Final Fight 2 had the two player co-op option and played beautifully. The only downfall was that Haggar was the only returning hero (my least preferred of the original three heroes). However, the game offered two new heroes including MAKI (perhaps Capcom's first kunoichi) who is one of the best characters of the series.
#11
MEGA MAN X2
Release Date: 1994
Umm... seriously? Another Capcom game?
It need not be said, but Capcom ruled my world during this period of my gaming career. Yeah, they had great games during the NES era but during the SNES era Capcom was on top of the world. One of the most iconic series in video gaming across all eras is MEGA MAN. With the Super Nintendo Capcom introduced the world to the second Mega Man, MEGA MAN X. X is arguably the coolest of the two Mega Men and really advanced the series, at least in terms of design and story.
Mega Man X2 offers the same great gameplay as the the previous Mega Man games but has, in my opinion, the cooler story. X is a Maverick Hunter. After defeating Sigma, a group of Mavericks emerged calling themselves "X Hunters." Their mission: destroy Mega Man X! And their tactics are brutal, luring X to his death with body parts of ZERO, X's deceased partner.
THE TOP TEN
#10
THE NINJA WARRIORS
Release Date: 1994
Yet another beat um' up action game, but this is perhaps the my favorite of the beat um' up genre. THE NINJA WARRIORS had the benefit of being a later release and the game developers paid close attention to the competition. As a result, The Ninja Warriors takes the best elements of the beat um' up genre and puts them all in one game! The graphics are some of the best on Super Nintendo and the game plays like a dream.
Who am I trying to kid? It's the ninjas! You get to choose between three ninjas to play the game as: NINJA, KAMAITACHI, and KUNOICHI. Ninja is the big man with the most power. Kamaitachi is the quick one. And Kunoichi is the one in between, meaning the most balanced of the three (and easily the best one of the three!). And did I mention all three ninjas are robots?!
I love this game! And it is so much fun to play!
#9
CONTRA III: ALIEN WARS
Release Date: 1992
I have enjoyed the CONTRA games for NES all my life. The original Contra was one of the first games I remember playing in my life. SUPER C is arguably superior to the original. CONTRA FORCE, the third game in the series, sucked (it's no wonder Konami didn't call it Contra III). And then there's CONTRA III: THE ALIEN WARS (the real Contra III), maybe the best of the entire series.
This game didn't do anything different from the previous Contra games, but rather it perfected the Contra style gameplay. This game is incredibly fun! The graphics are amazing! And the action is peddle to the metal. It's just the original Contra all over again but that in no way is that a bad thing. It's Contra refined, the best the series has ever been, in my opinion.
#8
TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES IV: TURTLES IN TIME
Release Date: 1992
"Bury my shell at Wounded Knee!"
You've got to be kidding, right? Another beat um' up?! I thought we were done! Ah, but not just any beat um' up: TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES IV: TURTLES IN TIME! To many, including me, this was perhaps the greatest chapter in the saga of the Ninja Turtles. Greater than anything in the movies or the cartoon. To my ten year old self this was the greatest TMNT adventure ever. As a game it was hands down the best of the TMNT games (maybe it still is!).
Following in the footsteps of the classic NES hit, TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES II: THE ARCADE GAME and TEENAGE MUTANT NINJA TURTLES III: THE MANHATTAN PROJECT, this game refined what its predecessors created. I'm speaking for most kids my age when I say that this game was what I hoped the third TMNT movie was going to be. I'll say that this isn't the best of the beat um' up genre, but what places it ahead of The Ninja Warriors on this list is how wild the game is and, of course, its four leading protagonists.
Don't worry, folks. This is the last beat um' up game on this list. But, wow, I've got a serious soft spot of these kinds of games from this era.
#7
DONKEY KONG COUNTRY
Release Date: 1994
As a good friend once said, "Funny like a bunny. Cool like a King K. Rool."
A true Super Nintendo classic that everyone can agree on (well just about everyone)! Donkey Kong Country is undeniably fun, fast paced, and massive in scope. I can still remember the fun of such levels like MINE CART MADNESS or BARREL CANNON CANYON. And I can still hear the music from the game in my head.
This was the first game I ever used a strategy guide for, not because I couldn't figure out how to beat the game, but to get all the hidden stars. In fact, this is likely the first game that I 100% completed, having done absolutely everything that there was to do. This game introduced me to the "Completionist" gaming concept and changed the way I looked at gaming going forward. I played the sequels on SNES and they were amazing too. But none of the sequels could match the experience of the first DKC.
#6
GRADIUS III
Release Date: 1991
One of the first NES games that blew my mind as a kid was Konami's LIFE FORCE (or Salamander in Japan). It was the first "Scrolling Shooter" game I ever beheld, let alone played, and happens to be the second outing for the hero ship of the Gradius series, the VIC VIPER. Needless to say, it left an impression on me.
I was unfamiliar with the title GRADIUS when I just happened to rent and play Gradius III and I was shocked to see a Life Force like game in front of me. The fun, action, and excitement of Life Force was rediscovered. And as with most of my favorite SNES games, Gradius III was an enhancement of a gameplay style I had already loved.
I became a long time Gradius fan after that and still hold it as one of the greatest game franchises out there.
#5
DEMON'S CREST
Release Date: 1994
I discovered this game by chance in college. My friends and I stumbled across an emulation of the game and the name itself prompted investigation. An ominous and frightening opening title led to a first level where I was controlling a little red-winged demon and fighting a giant zombie dragon! It was love at first sight.
Then I started recognizing the character I was playing and the world I exploring. I was that super annoying red demon from GHOSTS N' GOBLINS! I had no idea that Firebrand (Red Arremer) had his own video game let alone a series (Demon's Crest is the third game in the GARGOYLE'S QUEST trilogy). The sprite details and artwork are amazing and there is a wide variety of gameplay that make this game feel fresh and captivating.
And the monsters! Oh how I love the monsters and the setting of this game. It's like someone tailor-made this game for me. It also helps that I was really big into DEVILMAN at the time. Anyway, after demoing the game on that emulator I rushed out to buy it and have held it near and dear ever since. It's a great adventure game!
#4
SUPER METROID
Release Date: 1994
One of the first games I ever owned on the Super Nintendo, SUPER METROID was a mind-blowing experience for me. I had played the original Metroid on NES. I used the password cheat JUSTIN BAILEY all the time, and enjoyed it, but the game was nothing compared to this.
The mood. The atmosphere. The exploration. I had no idea a game could offer such an experience. The sheer scope of this game still blows me away thinking about it. The power-up system, the monsters, SAMUS ARAN, all of it I found incredibly captivating. And the smooth gameplay was addictive. Never before had I played a game for that long nor a game as massive as this. Super Metroid was my first epic video game conquest.
There are only a few Nintendo owned franchises that I go gaga over and Metroid is the biggest. But when the franchise went from 2D to 3D with Metroid Prime I was done. Even so, I still love Metroid and Samus. This game would've been number one on this list, but when thinking about all the games here, the following games could not be denied.
#3
SUPER STREET FIGHTER II
Release Date: 1994
One of my biggest video game passions are Fighting Games. I could play fighting games forever and be perfectly fine. I remember the craze surrounding the first STREET FIGHTER II, seeing and playing it for the first time on an arcade machine in a bowling alley and then later in a gas station. I wasn't sold quite then but it had caught my attention.
I got into Street Fighter rather late in the series. It was the late 1990's and a friend of mine had purchased STREET FIGHTER ALPHA 3 for the Playstation. That game drew me in like no fighting game had before. But I didn't own a Playstation at the time. I was a generation behind and still had my SNES.
SUPER STREET FIGHTER II (the fourth version of Street Fighter II) was the SF game that I first went crazy over. I had Street Fighter II Turbo prior but that one didn't do it for me. Super added four new playable characters, two of them being some of my all time favorites for the series: FEI LONG and CAMMY (my all-time favorite Street Fighter character). Never had I engaged with a video game quite like this. I hosted Super Street Fighter II tournaments in my basement for months on end, gathering as many as twelve people (for a loser like me that was a lot!)!
My love of Street Fighter would only grow from there. And when I finally got a Playstation you better believe one of the first two games I purchased was Street Fighter Alpha 3.
#2
SUPER CASTLEVANIA IV
Release Date: 1991
I am, if anything, predictable, yes? How many saw this coming?
What haven't I said about this game? What praises haven't I heaped upon its shoulders?
Much of my 16 bit era gaming didn't involve new or revolutionary games that evolved the medium. No, much of my love for the 16 bit era comes from sequels and similar gameplay to beloved 8 bit era games. The graphical enhancements and gameplay refinement of such old favorites like Contra, Gradius, Metroid, and more captivated me. None more so than Castlevania.
There were few games on the NES that I could beat as a kid. I remember renting SUPER CASTLEVANIA IV from Main Street & Davisson's and playing it over a weekend. I remember beating it on my own without cheating and thinking, "It is possible to win at video games!"
What places this game above the rest like Super Metroid or Demon's Crest (games which I considered for the #1 spot) is the replay value. Super Metroid and Demon's Crest, while being some of the greatest games ever made, take a LONG time to defeat. Super Castlevania IV resides in that sweet spot of being lengthy but not too long to dissuade repeat playings. While my love for these games may well be equal to each other, I've replayed Super Castlevania IV far more than I have the others.
And, well, it's Castlevania. C'mon!
#1
CASTLEVANIA: DRACULA X
Release Date: 1995
Have you ever just simply taken to a game? Or have you ever invested so much of yourself into a game that you kinda feel a personal ownership of it? I'll be the first to admit, in just about every aspect, this game is technically inferior to Super Castlevania IV. But I just like it. I really like it!
At first I was understandably disappointed when this game didn't play exactly like Super Castlevania IV. And it was much harder too. It was overall far more abrasive. But it looked good. And it had a rockin' soundtrack. At the time I was knee-deep in my first Castlevania franchise binge. I had managed to defeat the impossibly hard original Castlevania somehow. Surely I could beat this one too... right?
It took a lot of work. A lot! But during this brutal ordeal trying to defeat the game, a bond formed between me and the protagonist Richter Belmont. A bond forged in the fires of high video game difficulty. Over time I became really good at the game, even looking for ways to make it harder. As crazy as it sounds I came to love this game in its challenge. At the time, anyone and every one who had played the game spoke negatively about it. With no one else embracing the game as I had, I kind of felt like it was my job to sing its praises.
And after having taken this game to the limit, this was one of the first instances in my gaming career where I felt a sense of pride in having defeated a very hard game. Such pride would follow me in many other games going forward. At any rate, there are many reasons why I love this game and why it is my personal favorite Super Nintendo game, most if not all being personal reasons. Which I guess is what this blog is all about: these pieces of fandom that are personal to me and those here at Blood Work.
I said earlier that Capcom ruled my world during this era. Well, Konami was my video gaming god for a time too! Oh, how the mighty have fallen 😢
And there you have it!
My top ten personal favorite Super Nintendo games!
What are your top ten favorite SNES games?
Leave your list in the comments below!
And for more Top Ten lists from Blood Work, check out the lists below!
I've been gaming since the 1980's when my dad bought our family our very first NINTENDO ENTERTAINMENT SYSTEM a.k.a. the original NES. I was just a little kid back then and I had no real talent for gaming. Either that or the games were really hard! To spare my ego I'll say it was probably a combination of the two. Anyway, we had only a few games and I maybe beat one or two legit and the rest I used my GAME GENIE on to cheat and destroy.
Years passed and I got a hand-me-down SUPER NINTENDO (when the NINTENDO 64 and PLAYSTATION were popular). If the games on the NES were my foundation and the genesis (SEGA?) of my love of gaming, the SNES cemented that love of gaming for life. Games like SUPER METROID, SUPER CASTLEVANIA IV, and SUPER STREET FIGHTER II were directly responsible for making me the life long gamer that I am. The big difference with these games was that I was older (with slightly more talent though not much) and I could beat these games!
While falling in love with the SNES I came to know the greatness of the SEGA GENESIS! Then came the Playstation followed shortly by the PS2 (the first console system I ever bought on the very launch day) and so on and so forth. During my college years was probably the height of my gaming career, discovering and playing many of my all-time favorites and acquiring my greatest gaming achievements.
Now much older, and having acquired a somewhat decent collection of systems and games, I am trekking back through the stacks and knocking out some of those harder games from my childhood that kicked my ass. Not to mention the extensive backlog of games I purchased but never had the time to get to.
Here are the diaries of my gaming adventures!
THE SHINOBI CHRONICLES
I first became obsessed with the Shinobi franchise in college a few years after SHINOBI for the PS2 came out. The Playstation 2 was still the current console system at the time and me and my buddies, Ross, Red, Chad, Brett, and Chris were all gaming together in the dorms. Ross is to blame for introducing me to Shinobi, a love affair that has lasted ever since.
Coming into the series at the PS2 Shinobi is pretty late in the franchise, I'll admit. But whether you jump into the story at issue #397 or issue #1, all that matters is that you find the story. From there I went both backwards and forwards with the franchise, getting the new games as they would come out and going back and getting the previous games.
In the early to mid 2000's, buying up old games was easy. There were great places like FUNCOLAND and GAMERS that made retro gaming easy and affordable (which was great because I was a poor college student surviving on cafeteria food and Keystone Light). Today, buying original NES and SNES games in large quantities is impossible (the prices are ludicrous!). I sound like an old man when I say that those were the "good ol' days" of collecting. We bought a TON of NES games, SNES, Sega Genesis, Playstation, PS2, Dreamcast, and even TURBO GRAFX 16!
As you can imagine we spent more time gaming than studying. And for every game we played there was an equally large pile of backlog games that we said we'd eventually get to. Some of those games in the backlog were the classic Shinobi games for NES, Sega Genesis, Game Gear, and Sega Saturn. It's a sin, I know, that I bought all these games and never really played them. But destiny had another time in store with which these games would again enter my life!
SHINOBI REDISCOVERED
I. Love. Shinobi.
Like, really love Shinobi. I say that, and I mean it. But I'm a bit of a poser. There are a few Shinobi games I've never beat and some, 'gasp,' that I've never even played! That is just plain unacceptable.
"I will not be a Shinobi poser! I will not!"
There is only one way to change this. I must play ALL the Shinobi games and beat them without cheating, legit. And that is what I am going to do!
Below lies the chronicle of my Shinobi conquest!
First up:
SHINOBI (1987)
The original Shinobi was released in arcades in 1987, the first console port of it came in 1988 for the SEGA MASTER SYSTEM, and then finally on the NES and virtually every other system at the time in 1989.
Shinobi is a 2D side scrolling platformer. You play as Joe Musashi (the preeminent protagonist for most of the series), modern day ninja master of the Oboro Clan. You wield the fabled shinobi saber, Oborozuki ~ Hazy Moon, the blade of the true ninja master. The evil organization Zeed has kidnapped ninjas from the Oboro Clan and is holding them hostage. It is up to Joe to storm the gates of Zeed, rescue the hostages, and destroy the masters of Zeed. Notably, this is the only time Joe Musashi is featured wearing black and completely unmasked (his iconic image would be solidified in the next game).
You primary weapons are shurikens (unlimited), yours fists, and your feet. You can upgrade to a pistol as well as acquire secret ninja magics (Ninjitsu). You progress through 5 levels, 4 stages per level (save the first level which only has 3 stages). The last stage of every level is a straight up boss fight.
The first level displayed enemies with smart A.I., they'd only attack when you entered their sights. For a Nintendo game of the era, the smart A.I. was quite remarkable. The design of the first stage of level 1, plus the final boss of level 1, were almost lifted completely for the first stage of Ninja Gaiden for the NES (my absolute favorite NES game). The first level was a breeze, just a matter of getting use to the controls.
Next up is a Bonus Stage! Aww, the era of arcade style bonus stages... After every level (save the last level) you get to play a bonus stage to earn more ninja magic (as well as different kinds of ninja magics). The bonus stages are kind of a Ninja First Person Shooter of sorts. Hordes of green ninjas come running in from off screen and jump at you (the screen). You move Joe back and forth throwing as many shurikens as you can. If you kill all of the evil ninjas you get a new ninja magic!
Level 2 upped the difficultly considerably. Specifically the boss of Level 2 stage 4 was a PAIN. The Black Turtle (the boss of this level) eschewed a now classic troupe of ninja games: that of the evil helicopter. The helicopter fires a barrage of bullets at you and then dumps loads of evil ninjas on top of you after that. I tossed a few shurikens at the helicopter and it made that "ting" sound of metal on metal, which is usually indicative of your attack having no effect. From there I searched for the helicopter's hidden weak point. I found none. My next thought was, "perhaps I have to kill a certain number of ninjas and time it out?" So I tried this. I was on a hot streak there and must've killed a hundred ninjas and yet they still kept coming. I had died and tried again many many times by this point and was pissed off to no end.
Ninjas battling helicopters... And this has become a staple of most ninja games. Why? Why? Why?!?!?
I said, "F*** this! I'm going to GameFAQS!"
There are two walkthroughs on GameFAQS. The first guide's strategy for the Black Turtle said to ignore the helicopter and kill all the enemies that drop out. This is FALSE! I tried that and it didn't work. I gave it a helluva try and nothing happened. So I went to the second walkthrough and it said to shoot the helicopter nose/engine (that thing that I did shoot and it went "ting!"). I tried that and the Black Turtle crashed and burned!
"WHOSE LAUGHING NOW, WHIRLYBIRD?!"
On to Level 3. More of those damn bouncing ninjas from the last boss fight assail you from here on out and they're a pain in the ass. Overall this level isn't too bad. I made it through the stages and to the boss. First off is a tower of statues stacked atop each other from the bottom of the screen to the top. And they inch towards you slowly. You have to hammer rapidly on the attack button, throwing more shurikens than you've ever thrown before. You can only decimate one statue at a time, the next one dropping down where the previous statue stood. My back was to the wall and the final statue was in my face by the time I killed them all. Then came the actual boss, Mandara! Mandara is a giant head on the wall that spits lightning at you. A few shots to his head and he's done. A few tries and I had him beat.
Level 4 again wasn't too bad to get through. The boss at the end, however, was a fickle jerk! Lobster, as he's denoted, is a gigantic evil samurai with a sword bigger than my whole body. The whole time he's charging towards you and there's no way you can jump over him. Once he corners you, you're in for huge damage. His weak spot is his head. A shot to the head knocks him back. He's fickle in that he sometimes decides to just turn off his weakness. In one attempt I was nailing him perfectly in the head (which is a very small spot on an otherwise massive person) again and again. I had his back against the far wall! Then he decides no more. Suddenly I either can't hit him anymore or my hits stopped registering. When Lobster wasn't cooperating this level was a pain. Most of the time my attempts would be a mix of his weak spot being there and not being there. Anyway, I got him.
On to the final level!
Level 5 was a little harder than the previous levels. There's evil ninjas, riflemen, and pitfalls. Then there's a few new enemies: kamakazi ninjas and killer monks, both of which are tenacious and harder than all others to kill. Then there's the final boss:
The Masked Ninja. This dude is worthy of being a final boss... what a dick.
He starts off using one pattern against you. You hit him enough and he suddenly he changes his pattern, a first for the bosses of this game (and not a trait I have run into too often in the NES era. So, bravo Sega... and simultaneously, I hate you). This boss shifts through three more phases, each one more tenacious than the last. Countless attempts later, frustrated as hell, I finally beat him and with that, the game!
The original Shinobi, arguably the most important and influential ninja video game of all time, was defeated! And without cheating! Overall I thought it was a very fun and challenging game. Definitely worthy of classic status. I will definitely be revisiting this game again and again throughout the years. But, as with any continuing franchise, the subsequent games would push the series even further, into new and greater realms. I'd liken this first Shinobi to the first Castlevania, the first Metal Gear, Metroid, Mario Bros., and so on in that it is a great game and a solid foundation, but the franchise's greatest triumphs were yet to come.
2nd:
THE REVENGE OF SHINOBI(1989)
A true Sega Genesis and video game classic, The Revenge of Shinobi solidified Joe Musashi as the original video game ninja hero and turned him into one of Sega's most popular heroes. TROS came out the same year as rival and arguable holder for greatest ninja game franchise ever (I personally love them both), NINJA GAIDEN.
What's interesting is that Sega made two direct sequels to the original Shinobi at the same time. SHADOW DANCER and The Revenge of Shinobi both came out in 1989. Both retain similar platforming elements to their predecessor. Shadow Dancer however feels more akin to the original Shinobi in terms of layout and mechanics while TROS feels like a real leap forward for the series (more on Shadow Dancer later).
The Revenge of Shinobi is 2D platformer composed of 8 levels and three stages per level, the final stage of each level being a straight up boss fight. The evil organization Zeed has reformed, now christening themselves Neo Zeed. Out for blood against the Oboro Clan, Neo Zeed kills Joe Musashi's master and kidnaps Joe's bride to be. Once again Joe Musashi takes up the sword to save those he loves and stop villainy.
Like the original Shinobi, there are many versions of this game. Unlike the original game though, the multiple versions of TROS are due to numerous instances of copyright infringement. Rambo, the Terminator, Spider-Man, Batman, Godzilla, and actor Sonny Chiba all make unlicensed appearances in the original version. There are at least five versions of this game on Sega Genesis, each revision editing out one or more of the various copyright infringements until all that remained was The Terminator (apparently James Cameron doesn't play video games... or is a big Shinobi fan!). Well, they did change his color though (after a few shot he takes on a green skin hue. Hulk, anyone?).
I have the third version of the game which actually obtained the copyright to use Spider-Man from Marvel, but gone are Rambo and Batman. Godzilla is still there and so is Sonny Chiba's likeness. But Terminator's skin is green. The game itself, however, is unchanged. Of course I discovered there were different versions of this game after I bought it (otherwise I would've tried to track down an original Version 1.0 copy... I still may do that... cause I'm a collector and I want to fight Batman and Rambo!)
The game is shuriken based combat like the original Shinobi, but your shurikens are limited (there's a counter keeping track of your inventory). Once you run out of shurikens you have only close range kicks, knife stabs, and sword slashes (the sword only works if you have the Power Up though). You also have the signature Ninjitsu magic (three different types which are all selectable) which you can only do once per level (unless you acquire more). You are given a completely new ability in this game: the double jump shuriken burst! The double jump is an essential technique for the completion of this game (and not as easy to master as you'd think).
Mastering the double jump was annoying as hell. You can only execute the double jump at the height of your jump or slightly before the height of your jump. If you don't time it just right the double jump won't occur and you'll fall just like you would a regular jump. There were countless times I hammered on the jump button and no double jump happened... grrrr. There are numerous instances where a double jump is needed to survive and a nigh perfect run was ruined when the double jump failed to execute. I roared and cursed the television many times at instances such as this.
Also, when you're double jumping and hit the attack button you perform a shuriken burst. Eight (I think it's eight) shurikens fly out from your hands, each in a different direction covering most of the screen. It's a great "attack all" move that can save your ninja ass big time. And it can drain your shuriken stock quickly if you're abusing it too. The double jump shuriken burst would go on to be a trademark technique of the Shinobi series going forward.
LEVEL 1
You begin the game in the Oboro Ninja Village and the level is beautifully rendered. Feudal Japan design esthetics abound in this level giving the game an authentic Japanese presence from the start. You fight evil ninjas, evil samurai, ninja dogs, and finally a giant evil uber-samurai as the boss. This is a great level to find your bearings and get used to the game. It's not too hard but it's not too easy either. As you may have guessed it is by far my favorite level based solely on the Feudal Japan architecture. Graphically it looks amazing. The end boss (the uber-samurai) was more challenging than I thought he'd be, but once you figure him out he's not too bad.
Level 2 is notable for the pitfalls... ARGGG!!! THE PITFALLS!!! I hate the pitfalls. Here's where the double jump timing either saves you or eff's you hard. I've lost countless lives here (Level 2 Stage 1 to be precise). It's a pretty waterfall level that I ended up hating because of the damn pitfalls which are one-hit kills. Your life bar doesn't amount to $#!+ when it comes to pitfalls. Level 2 Stage 2 still has pitfalls but they aren't nearly as bad. The scene changes from a wilderness waterfall to the dark back alleys of the city and rooftops. Bruce Lee lookalikes appear here (with Bruce Lee's signature flying kick attack). A nun also crosses paths with you, then they rip off their habit to reveal their true identity as a deadly kunoichi. I like these Nun/Kunoichi enemies. The final boss is a ninja who fights a lot like the final boss of the original Shinobi. He's not nearly as bad as the final boss of the original Shinobi (thank god! That would be just plain mean. It's only the second level for god's sake!).
Level 3 is a military base/airport of sorts. Level 3 Stage 1 introduces the dual plane element. There is a tall chain-link fence that runs the entire stage. When you double jump you hop over the fence. If badguys are on one side of the fence and you are on the other, you can't hit them and they can't hit you. This is good as this level introduces soldier enemies with rifles and machine guns (oh how I hate the enemies with guns!). There are no pitfalls here, thank god, but again if you don't get the double jump right, you don't flip over the fence as intended and instead land in front of a barrage of bullets. Very frustrating indeed. You definitely need a healthy stock of shurikens as close range attacks are far too dangerous most of the time. This level brought the hurt big time! The second stage isn't nearly as bad (you're in the belly of a big plane) and thank god the boss of the level, a brain in a jar, is a chump. Still, you'll spend a lot of your time mastering that godforsaken first stage!
Level 4 is a junkyard with soldiers and flamethrower baddies. The flamethrower enemies were introduced in Level 3 Stage 1 (another reason why that place sucks!) and if you have version 1.0 of TROS they look exactly like Rambo. My copy, version 1.3, has them looking bald and wearing shades. Anyway, not a tough level, you just need to take it slow. There are lots of layers to the stage design, both foreground and background plates, which sometimes hide the enemies, letting you walk into a barrage of bullets sometimes. Stage 2 is a bunch of pitfalls and evil conveyor belts in a smelting factory. Once you jump to the top you end up in another junkyard where you fight The Terminator! He can be annoying but once you get his timing down (he throws junked out engines and car-frames at you) he's not too bad. The car-frames are kinda big and can be tough to dodge at times.
Level 5 SUCKS HARD! This is a top contender for my most hated level of the game (maybe even any game! I fricken hate this level!). You could be having a good run at the game and this level is the deciding factor whether you succeed or fail altogether. You start off in the lobby of a building and have to jump your way up to the roof. Waiting to f$#K you hard are soldiers, grenade throwers, strafing laser beams, "surprise! ninjas," and bombs. ARGHH!! Your only saving grace is one of your ninja magics. I don't really need them up to this point (or at least I could get by without them until here). One of your three Ninjitsu is an Invincibility field. I travel as far as I can up the stage without it, then, when my life bar is nearly gone, I activate the Invincibility field. The Invincibility field remains until it has been hit a certain number of times. It's basically an emergency life bar. With any luck I have ascended 3/4ths of the stage before I have to use it. I jump like crazy as fast as I can up the rest of the level. And if the double jump fails me at crucial moments, you fall all the way down to the bottom/beginning of the level. Oh God, how I hate this level! And that's only Level 5 Stage 1.
Level 5 Stage 2 is a serious pain in the ass too! You're on the freeway overpass now. This stage once again utilizes the dual plane feature. The forward plane consists of the overpass uprights (platforms which you can stand on and have to jump from one to the other) and pitfalls... loads of pitfalls. The background plane is the freeway itself in which you have to avoid being hit by speeding cars and hordes of kunoichi. Also peppered throughout are soldiers with machine guns and grenade throwers. The speeding cars do a TON of damage if you get hit, like nearly a third of your life bar. The soldiers and grenade throwers are experts at knocking you off the uprights and into the pitfalls too. Of course, the speeding cars fly right passed the enemies with hurting them. You HAVE to bounce back and forth between the planes to make it through the stage and I have failed hard over and over here. If you time your double jump wrong you can land in front of a speeding car. Conversely, if you accidentally double jump into the forward plane at the wrong time, you're jumping directly into a pit. There a ton of kunoichi here and a good shuriken burst would be handy to take them all out, but the damn double jump needed to do it shifts you into the opposite plane! ARG!! I HATE THIS LEVEL!
Thank the lord that the final boss is a chump! You're riding what looks like a high tech weaponized train. There are three weak spots you have to destroy while avoiding being blasted in the face by fireballs. And you have to avoid being electrified by an electric pulse beam. No double jumping needed. Just get on the other side of the fireball cannons and jump every time the electric pulse occurs and you're good.
Level 6 is a cake walk compared to the last level. You start off in a cool looking China Town district fighting off various kung fu warriors, including more Bruce Lee lookalikes. There is one part here where you have to double jump to a platform to continue. The distance is just far enough that you can't quite make it. You have to either use one of your ninja magics (the super jump) or perform the even trickier double jump timing. Magic makes it easy but it can be done without, but finding the right timing and spacing can be frustratingly difficult. Anyway, me being a hoarder when it comes to video game items, I try to do the harder option. Stage 2 you're riding atop a train. At first you're in a tunnel and have to jump over or duck beneath overhead girders. There are a few ninjas and flamethrower guys too but other than that the level is a breeze.
JOE MUSASHI VERSUS SPIDER-MAN & BATMAN & DEVILMAN
The final boss of level 6 is a double header. First you fight Spider-Man. He tries to web you up, but once you beat on him a little he goes away. Then Devilman swoops down and you have to fight him and his little devil bats. Neither are too hard. Spider-Man you have to keep moving back and forth to avoid his webs. Devilman is easier in that all you have to do is avoid his bats and duck or jump over him as he swoops. SPECIAL NOTE: Devilman wasn't the original second boss of level 6. Originally it was one boss, a shapeshifter. First it looks like a bargain bin Spider-Man (without the fine details). Then it morphs into a Batman lookalike. DC, understandably, didn't like the unlicensed use of Batman's likeness so Batman was removed in the second version. Interestingly Marvel was cool with Spider-Man and gave Sega the license with slight caveats: Spider-Man would be better detailed and be the actual Spider-Man as opposed to a shapeshifter. And the player wouldn't defeat Spider-Man but rather drive Spidey away. This would be known as TROS version 1.3 (the version I own). But after the license expired Sega had to remove Spidey and replaced him with a pink pajama wearing guy who fights exactly like Spidey.
Level 7 increases the difficultly a bit. The first stage occurs on the docks meaning lots of pitfalls. You have to jump from platform to platform over open water (the pitfalls). Annoyingly placed ninjas try to knock you into the water at every turn. Take your time and you're okay. There are a few spots where baiting the ninjas out of their hiding places saves your ass big time (jumping forward far enough to trigger the ninjas but then pulling back and landing on the previous platform. Kill those evil ninjas and move on free and clear!). Then you come to the biggest jump in the game. You NEED to use the super jump ninja magic here. There is no other way. And even then if you don't time the double jump just right you can still fail. This spot nearly broke my spirit. Even using the super jump I kept failing. It seemed impossible for a long while. Then one day (yes, it took me several days) I finally did it! Literally two platforms later and the stage is over! Level 7 Stage 2 is a descent into the belly of a huge freighter vessel. Other than a bunch of soldiers with machine guns (who blend in with the backgrounds pretty well) the level isn't too bad.
JOE MUSASHI VERSUS GODZILLA
The boss of Level 7 is none other than the king of the monsters himself: GODZILLA! Well, it's basically Godzilla. It's a miniature Godzilla (about 20 feet tall) without his signature dorsal plates. But other than that it is the spitting image of Gojira. He breathes fire (orange not blue fire) and whips his tail (a strike from his tail is devastating to your life bar!). There is a platform on the far left wall and far right wall. Standing on those platforms puts you at eye level with Godzilla and thereby his weaken point (his head). Unload shurikens as fast as you can without getting burnt to a crisp. Leap over the top when he steps super close, avoid his tail, and jump up to the opposite wall platform and repeat. Godzilla takes a long time to kill. One way to really speed up the process is by using your final Ninjitsu: Self-Destruction. Using this ninja magic costs you an entire life but it inflicts huge damage to your opponent. I usually use this magic to help defeat Godzilla.
Level 8, the final level! You start off at the docks outside of Neo Zeed's headquarters. More platforms to jump between. More pitfalls. And a ton of soldiers and grenade throwers to tear down your life bar and knock you into the water. The fireball cannons make a return appearance too. This is one tough level. Truthfully I have to use my Invincibility field to make it through every time. Stage 2 is a massive labyrinth. There are warp doors all over the place that transport you to another area of the labyrinth. I'd still be lost in there right now. If I was younger and had more time maybe I'd have discovered the path myself. But I'm too old and I don't have the time. I looked up a map of the labyrinth on GameFAQS. I'm not gonna lie, I tried the labyrinth on my own and went as far as I could. But my window for gaming nowadays is short (unlike my bachelor days where I could and would devote entire days on end to gaming). Anyway, the correct path is pretty well hidden so good luck to anyone who tackles this labyrinth by themselves.
The final boss is the leader of Neo Zeed, a mask wearing, head banging, kabuki costumed villain. He has huge swinging hair that acts as an impenetrable shield. When you're close he'll strike with his hair. Only then is he vulnerable. You duck beneath his attack and strike. Once you hit him you need to get back because he'll retaliate by throwing his hair at you (and it is very difficult to avoid and does big time damage). Meanwhile, in the background, Joe's bride-to-be is shown in the background in a cage, the ceiling slowly lowering upon her. In essence it's a timer. You have to beat the boss before she gets crushed. Needless to say I didn't beat him in time nor at all. It took me many attempts. Dodging his flying hair is very hard.
When I finally beat the boss, Joe's bride was long dead. I received the "Bad Ending" with Joe standing on the cliffside alone in the twilight. It took me so long to kill the boss that I couldn't fathom how anyone could kill the boss in the required time to save Joe's ladyfriend (still, I give myself kudos for surviving as long as I did against the boss, dodging his attacks pretty well, and defeating him without any power ups or magic. Not an easy task! Strangely this is similar to how I defeated the final boss of the PS2 Shinobi for the first time). Again I went to GameFAQS for a strategy guide this time. Basically they told me what I already knew: You need to have the power up and use Invincibility magic (because you lose the power up when get hit). One guide recommended two magic uses of Invincibility because avoiding the flying hair was next to impossible. Well, what they didn't tell me was that getting to the boss with a power up and a magic was a beast in itself. So the guides didn't really help this time. I went back, played the game all over again, implemented a strategy of my own design, and reattempted the finale boss. I discovered a way of dodging the flying hair with relative efficiency (you have to time your jump at the last second!). I only had one magic to use but it turns out I didn't need any more as my dodging skills served me well. With the power-up, getting close to slash the boss with the sword, he went down pretty fast. I saved Joe's wife-to-be and attained the "Good Ending" at last!
The Revenge of Shinobi was defeated to my satisfaction. It took lots of practice and many attempts. Overall I think this is a great game! The graphics are incredible for a game from 1989 and the gameplay, despite some small issues, is tight and fun. The gameplay is challenging, downright frustrating at times, but not impossible. You have a feeling of a accomplishment once you beat it. The design of the game is fresh and interesting and highly detailed. And it has a really good soundtrack too! Of all the ninja games I've played, TROS is one of the best.
Next up...
3rd:
SHADOW DANCER: THE SECRET OF SHINOBI (1990)
In 1989 two sequels to the original Shinobi were made, and released only two months apart. The first was an arcade and Sega Master System release titled SHADOW DANCER. The game proved popular enough to warrant an updated port to the Sega Genesis a year later. SHADOW DANCER: THE SECRET OF SHINOBI is the title of the Sega Genesis version, exclusive to that console system.
The gameplay is relatively similar to the original Shinobi, identical in some respects. To me, Shadow Dancer feels like a true gameplay and game design sequel to the original Shinobi while The Revenge of Shinobi feels more like a spiritual/thematic sequel as well as a continuation of the original game's plot. Shadow Dancer is a side-scrolling platformer in which you play as Joe Musashi (if you're playing the North American version. In the Japanese version the protagonist is identified as Hayate, Joe's son) once again. Accompanying you for this adventure is your faithful dog, Yamato. Joe fights with his trusty shurikens and sword once more and can sic his dog on enemies. The dog can stun lock enemies allowing you time to walk up to them and finish them off.
Just like the other Shinobi games prior, there are multiple levels and three stages within each level. The object of each stage is to rescue all of the hostages (much like the original Shinobi) and, of course, travel from one end to the other. Unlike Shinobi or TROS, you have no life bar this time around and taking a single hit is a one-hit kill. Yep, all it take to stop you dead in your tracks is one measly little hit. The enemies have to actually hit you though. By that I mean you can bump into enemies endlessly and be fine as long as the enemies don't land an attack on you. The bosses are exceptions as touching them is instant death!
Your dog, Yamato, is invincible however (even to pit falls!). Holding down the attack button will charge Yamato's meter. As long as there's an enemy in his sights he will sic them on command. His only weakness is if an enemy is shielding themselves, in which case Yamato will run head first into their shields, hurting himself, and will be unplayable for a brief period. Enemies range from only needing one hit to kill to needing three hits at worst. With a power-up though you can take out any regular enemy in one hit. You also have your trademark ninja magic but this time all the magics basically do the same thing: clear the area of enemies. There are different magic animations but they all do the same thing. No super jumps and no Invincibility shield. And you can't stock up on magic uses either. You get one magic use per life and or one magic use per level (if you're good enough to make it through entire levels without needing to use more than one magic).
So with that... let's begin!
There are three difficulties and an option for non-shuriken play. I left everything on default or "standard" settings. Letting the title screen run for a few seconds eventually reveals a prologue story, scrolling text setting up the narrative. This time Joe isn't fighting Zeed or Neo Zeed, but a new evil organization called Union Lizard, a cult who worships a reptilian demon named Sauros. Union Lizard has taken over New York City! Only Joe Musashi and his canine friend, Yamato, can save the city and its citizens from total annihilation!
Level 1 Stage 1 is a city in flames! There are two planes of gameplay... sort of. You start off on the ground with enemies running toward you. Above you is a ledge with a hostage and another enemy. You can't interact with the characters on the above ledge unless you press "up" on the d-pad and "jump" at the same time. By doing so Joe performs a backflip super jump that places him on the above plane. This mechanic of play is present in the first three levels and can be advantageous in avoiding enemy attacks. Anyway, the first level is pretty straight-forward. The level is very impressive in design, showcasing the awesome graphical capabilities of the Genesis, specifically with the city in flames in the background.
The next stage is less impressive but still highly detailed. Again, Stage 2 is pretty straight-forward. In addition to enemies, you have to avoid falling debris from buildings and there are two points where the ground opens up revealing a pitfall! The final boss is a giant demonic samurai. He leaps and lands causing debris to fall from above (which avoiding can sometimes be nigh impossible) while breathing fire at you. His weak spot is his head. I died more by falling debris than his fire. Overall though, this boss is impressive to look at but easily taken out.
After each boss stage there is a bonus stage! Another carry-over from the original Shinobi, the presence of these bonus stages lends further synchronicity between Shadow Dancer and the original game. These bonus stages have Joe falling from the top of a skyscraper with enemy ninjas leaping up the side of the building to confront him. It's basically a shooter game here, like Gradius or R-Type. Killing all the ninjas gains you extra lives.
Level 2 Stage 1 has Joe along the Brooklyn Bridge (I think). This is an impressively laid out level with many planes to jump between, but be careful not to jump too far down as the very bottom contains pitfalls galore! Compared to the last time I was playing Joe Musashi on a bridge, this bridge stage is a cakewalk! This stage introduces your first enemies that take 2 hits to kill: Blue Ninjas! The next stage is a train depot or warehouse/shipping yard exterior. A helicopter passes overhead at the beginning, portending death from above later. The fence that divides planes makes a return appearance from TROS. Hopping back and forth over this plane is kinda weird as you press up and jump to get over to one side but then have to press down and jump to return to the original side. Other than more Blue Ninjas, this stage isn't too bad.
The boss is a demonic face and hands that animate bricks along the wall. A monstrous face will appear from out of the brick wall spanning the entire background. Then HUGE hands appear and reach out for you. You have to shoot the boss in the face, between the eyes to be precise. You have a window to shoot him as he appears (at a random spot on the wall) and then another immediately following the huge hands (provided you avoided the hands, of course) before he disappears into the wall again. His hands can be very difficult to dodge, especially if the jerk appears directly above you. This guy earned my verbal ire and cussing out during a playthrough. He can be hit or miss, but overall not too bad.
Level 3 Stage 1 has you begin at the base of the Statue of Liberty. You need to climb your way to the top. This stage isn't all that impressive to look at. It introduces Pink Ninjas (which also take two hits to vanquish)... oh how I hate Pink Ninjas! These bastards jump in the air and then dive attack the exact spot you're standing. This wouldn't be so bad as all you have to do is move out of the way. But here you're wedged between two Blue Ninjas which do a good job of keeping you in place. Having a power-up really helps here. It's when you don't have a power-up that you get killed quite easily. Stage 2 is unique in that you ride an elevator to the top of the Statue of Liberty (a forerunner to stages that would later become staples of two-player "beat um' up" games like the classic Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles II: The Arcade Game). The helicopter that passed by in Level 2 returns here, swooping across the screen firing bullets. In addition to that, the stage drops ninjas on you sporadically (anywhere from 2 ninjas to 4 ninjas at a time). There comes a point where all the enemies align in a worst case scenario. I have used a magic attack (clear all) every time I go through this level.
The boss of Level 3 is a ten foot tall woman who throws giant buzz saw blades at you. She is one of the more frustrating bosses in the game in that it is difficult to hit her weak point. Her face is the only place she takes damage and she keeps it well covered. The opening occurs when she throws her blades. I still have difficultly timing the shuriken throw to hit her, but I got pretty good at avoiding her blades. When I get her low enough on life I usually just say "screw it" and hit her with a magic attack to finish her off.
Level 4 Stage 1 sports one of the best looking stages in the entire game. From the Statue of Liberty to... a cave system? Whatever, I don't understand it, but the stage looks really cool. This level throws more ninjas at you, more gunmen, and the toughest challenges thus far. The level is pretty straight forward, no jumping between planes, no lift-elevators, no helicopters. Just loads of badguys as you move from one end of the level to the other. And it is tough. This level still takes lives from me every time. Stage 2 is basically the same with added difficulty of "shadow spots." Streaks of black obscure many areas of this stage. Enemies hide in these spots. Only Yamato can spot these hidden enemies and he barks to let you know. It's not terribly difficult but you need to take your time.
The boss is a giant spinning wheel of fire. The wheel itself spins while also encircling the screen, either coming to a stop on the left or right of you. When it stops you have to toss shurikens at it's center. This boss is pretty easy once you realize you need to stay close. At first I was keeping my distance and couldn't hurt the boss to save my life. It was very frustrating as I kept dying and losing my stock of lives. Eventually I discovered that by staying close you can hit it every time. But being that close to it means your life depends on you hitting it. If you fail to hit it and you're close there is no way to avoid its attack, unless you use a magic to clear the screen. But you can only do that once.
Level 5 is the lair of Sauros and the headquarters of Union Lizard i.e. the LAST LEVEL (five levels again, just like the original Shinobi)! It is structured differently however. Instead of stages there are 5 Rooms, each featuring a different enemy. Room 1 is loaded with gunmen exclusively. Yamato comes in handy here more than ever. Use Yamato to stun lock the gunmen so you don't get shot. Room 2 is full of armored enemies who roll at you. They're not too tough but they're fast. The armor means that Yamato has a harder time stun locking them too. Room 3 is filled with green "Frog Men" and is a total joke. Too easy. Room 4 is where it gets bad. Up till now all the rooms have featured enemies who go down in one hit. Room 4 is full of Blue, Pink, and Gold Ninjas, all of which take two hits to kill. There are no power-ups so you HAVE to hit them twice. This room has reduced me to my knees, screaming and cursing. The freakin' Pink Ninjas are the bane of my existence! A well placed desperate magic use and a lot of luck are the only things that get me through this.
But it's not over yet...
Level 5 Room 5 introduces a new enemy: Black Ninjas. Pink, Blue, and Gold Ninjas all have unique abilities that the others don't. The Black Ninjas can do everything the other ninjas can! And they take THREE hits to kill! Room 5 is littered with Black Ninjas and it is nearly as hard as the last room. Strangely I have a better success rate with this room than the previous room, due to an easier stage layout I'm thinking. Still, when four Black Ninjas surround you, you're dead. At the end of the room they drop five or six Black Ninjas on you! And if you keep walking forward you can activate even more of them (I had over ten on screen at once!). I've died at least once already by this point (every time you die your magic attack is refilled). With my magic restocked I hack my way as close to the end of the room as I can, then I take a big gamble. When the Black Ninjas overwhelm me I run for the exit, trying to activate all the remaining enemies of the room. Surrounded by 10 more Black Ninjas (hopefully all that remain in the room) is when I hit the magic! The magic kills them all and I am free and clear for the exit. There's a secret item right above the exit which gives you TWO 1-Ups! Grab it and go!
The Final Boss...
Joe enters a pitch black room. Fire slowly rises in the background illuminating the final stage. Sauros, the reptilian demon lord himself, sits in the center of the room on his throne, clad in devilish black samurai armor. He is completely invincible to start off. There are statues of ninjas on either side of him. He raises his left hand and animates the statue to his left. A Black Ninja drops down. Then he animates a Black Ninja to his right. Then he animates two more simultaneously. Finally his helmet raises revealing his weak point, a rain of fire falling down, covering the whole screen. He has six bars of life meaning you have to hit him six times to kill him. His weak spot stays open long enough for you to hit him two times, if you're fast enough. Basically, if you're hitting him twice each opportunity, you have to go through the cycle I just described three times. And each subsequent cycle Sauros animates more Black Ninjas than before.
My god... this was, by far, the hardest, the most deeply angering, the greatest rage inducing boss fight of the three games I've played here thus far. This one boss battle brought out a side of me I'm not proud of, a side I hope very few people ever see. Once again, I was reduced to my knees, yelling and screaming at the television. Thank god my family wasn't in the house. Not only was it difficult to get here, but F#$& me running this was hard! And it was all because of those gawddamn Black Ninjas! ARGG!! Just surviving long enough to get Sauros to open his weak point was arduous and maddening. The rain of fire didn't help matters either. The fire rain covers the whole screen, but in between each fire drop is a blank space just big enough to stand in and survive. But if there are still Black Ninjas running around you can't stand still! The pedestals holding up the ninja statues to Sauros' left and right actually block the fire rain and provide a bigger space to stand in and move a little. At that point, as the fire rain comes down, his weak spot is exposed. Priority one: Kill any Black Ninjas remaining as fast as possible (preferably you've cleared the screen of them already). Priority Two: Position yourself between the fire rain drops (which hang around a bit after they land), jump, and throw a shuriken. Jump again immediately and throw another shuriken to hit him twice. Then the cycle begins anew. Only now he throws at least two more Black Ninjas into the mix in addition to the others and on the third cycle, you guessed it, two more Black Ninjas on top of that.
This took me several attempts across separate sittings. I tried and I tried, failing time after time. When I finally did beat it, the video gaming gods must've had pity on me. I was on my last life with no continues left. I had accidentally used my magic attack at the wrong time (I was planning on saving it for the third cycle to wipe out the hordes of Black Ninjas) so already I thought I was &%$ED. I noticed if I knocked the Black Ninjas off screen, and then threw several shurikens after them while still off screen, that they wouldn't return sometimes (this severely cut down the time it took to kill them). Anyway, this was my last chance for this sitting. Somehow I fought back the hordes of Black Ninjas without magic, nailed Sauros' weak point every time, and won! I don't know what I did differently and I don't know why this time worked when all the others didn't. I guess I somehow hit all my marks and prevailed! PRAISE BE TO SHIRYU!
VICTORY!
We are privy to a rather mundane picture of the New York City skyline with Joe and Yamato looking over their shoulders at the city they just saved from annihilation. There is a somewhat melancholy music track playing in the background... and nothing else. No text, no epilogue narrative scroll, just a picture. Then the game starts over with a higher difficulty. And there's even another higher difficulty after that! NO THANK YOU! Well, at least not now... I may return to tackle those at an undisclosed later date. Regardless, I am pleased with my success and overall pleased with the game. The graphics are great for early 16 bit systems and the gameplay is tight and solid. This game also has an awesome soundtrack, one that I feel is, even better than the previous soundtracks.
All in all, Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi is a great game! I think I love it as much as The Revenge of Shinobi (which I feel plays not quite as smooth as Shadow Dancer). But it is the next game that I have been eagerly anticipating playing the most...
4th:
SHINOBI III: RETURN OF THE NINJA MASTER (1993)
At last! The game we've all been waiting for!
I'd heard a lot about Shinobi III over the years, stories of how great it was and how it was the pinnacle of the Shinobi series. I bought this game during the height of the PS2 era and, just like the others, it was a part of a huge backlog of games that I never got around to playing. So many games! So little time! That, and I was dumping hundreds of hours into Soul Calibur, Devil May Cry, Final Fantasy X, and of course the PS2 Shinobi and its sequel, Nightshade (Kunoichi).
Now, after all these years, I have finally given Shinobi III its due. And I must say... it has lived up to its reputation and more. Shinobi III is true video game masterpiece!
Released in 1993, this game is a direct sequel to the events and gameplay/design of The Revenge of Shinobi. Originally intended for release in 1992, Sega felt unsatisfied with the original version and redesigned the game almost entirely. A video of the original version of Shinobi III is on Youtube and it makes for interesting viewing. But moreso it makes you glad Sega did what they did.
Once again Joe Musashi, the ninja master, battles the forces of darkness. Armed with shurikens (kunai actually), ninjitsu (ninja magics), and the Oborozuki (the legendary sword wielded by the master of the Oboro Clan), Joe Musashi senses evil on the rise and is ready. The evil organization of Neo Zeed has returned, led by the mysterious Shadow Master. After four years of peace, Joe Musashi takes his sword in hand to vanquish evil once and for all!
The design and layout of the game is very similar to TROS, but sharper looking. Shinobi III is visually stunning, demonstrating the Sega Genesis' clear graphics superiority of the 16 bit generation. The level renderings are detailed, clear, and simply gorgeous. The sprites look clearer and better than ever too. Gone is the multilayered screen feature (where you'd double jump to shift planes, remember?) which I am okay with (although it was present in the Beta version of Shinobi III). The game designers offer new variations of gameplay to keep things fresh.
There's a stage with Joe riding horseback and another stage with Joe showing off his impressive surfing skills. And those aren't the only new skills Joe comes equip with. Joe has a host of new moves including a ninja dash and running sword slash. He can jump off of walls scaling up higher and higher. He can cling to the ceiling and move along the ceiling. You can do a ninja dash into a super jump. And Joe can do a midair dive kick attack. His signature double jump shuriken burst is there but, surprisingly, executing his double jump is still as rough as in TROS. And the classic ninja magics are retained as well (the invincibility shield, super jump, and kamakazi explosion magics).
Ready? Let's play!
Level 1 again is a standout level in terms of setting and layers (Sega always kills it with the first level and really sets the tone going forward). Joe Musashi is running through the trees fighting off enemy shinobi and kunoichi (acting like the classic "pogo" ninja enemies from the original game or even the pink ninjas from Shadow Dancer). There is also a return of the evil monks (last seen in the first Shinobi too) albeit designed and acting differently. The level makes great use of depth, showcasing a foreground layer of grass and trees, a mid layer in which Musashi interacts with, and a background layer. There's even a layer of atmosphere such as leaves blowing in the wind and leaves falling when ninjas leap down from the trees. The enemy ninjas are clad in an earthen green colors to match their surrounding as opposed to the kunoichi who are striking in appearance and pop when they come on screen. I can't rave enough about this level's design. I just wish it were longer and incorporated more natural Japanese elements like cherry trees or Jizo statues, stuff like that. On a side note: this level is very reminiscent of the first level of the NES game THE LEGEND OF KAGE, the classic ninja game from Taito.
This game no longer announces the different stages within each level (something the previous games all maintained), instead flowing into the next stage without stopping. Once you've moved into the next stage you trigger a new respawn point. Anyway, from the forest you enter a cave system, traveling through the interior of a mountain. There you get to practice new ninja skills such as climbing across ropes and scaling up walls by jumping back and forth between them (a signature skill of Ryu Hayabusa from the Ninja Gaiden games). You face two types of demon samurai here, mid bosses and then a six armed final boss. Both types of bosses look amazing and neither are too difficult. Other than a few pitfalls in the cave, this is a relatively easy level that's somewhat hard to die in.
SHINOBI'S TRADEMARK DIFFICULTY
The only major complaint I read about this game from critics was that it was too easy. One of the first things I noticed when popping in Shinobi III was how accessible it was. By that, I mean, the game felt far easier than the previous games. Perhaps it's that I had just come off of beating the previous games, but that first trial of Shinobi III I wasn't really trying. I was admittedly pretty terrible and I still managed to beat the level.
Like Shadow Dancer, Shinobi III features multiple difficulty settings. The default difficulty is "Normal" and there are two higher difficulties to choose from as well as an "Easy" difficulty (even easier than Normal difficulty!). This "easier" difficulty starting out was welcomed, I thought. After the infuriating final battle in Shadow Dancer, I needed a pallet cleanser. And with the large array of new abilities of Joe's to learn, a beautiful and welcoming first level was perfect. Not only that, but the user friendly atmosphere made the game instantly fun. I mean, this was the first level after all. And I fully expected a gradual increase in difficulty as the game progressed, the final stages of the game being the most brutal.
Anyway, this milder difficulty didn't bother me, rather it encouraged me to explore all of Joe's new skills and better prepare myself for the challenges ahead.
MOVING ON
Level 2 begins with a stage where Joe is riding horseback and battling enemy ninja as they run alongside him. And it is AWESOME! The level is beautifully rendered once again and controlling the horse was fun albeit a little more challenging. You leap over obstructions and toss shurikens at enemies. The boss of this stage is a boss from TROS, the boss of Level 2 (and this guy may also be the final boss of the first Shinobi on NES too based on his move set). This stage is one of the highlights of the entire game, offering something completely new and fresh to the series. I only wish you could play more riding the horse.
The next stage has you infiltrating a secret research facility. Redesigns of the Boomerang Throwers and Soldiers, classic enemies from the original Shinobi (who have appeared in almost every Shinobi game), greet you inside. Then there's an "elevator" stage like the one in Shadow Dancer, followed by the boss of the level, a floating robotic brain-ball thing. This boss has a wide range of attacks, including reversing the controls on you (left becomes right and vice versa). There's a lot you have to dodge as the boss flies all over the place. Not too hard overall.
Level 3 has you moving deeper into the secret facility, now entering the genetics laboratory. There's new brain monsters to battle, toxic waste monsters, and dozens of conveyor belt platforms to jump from over a pit of acid. You keep on going deeper and deeper down until you reach the basement. In the basement you find a whole new ecosystem. Whatever Neo Zeed was bio-engineering in this lab had complete transformed the basement into a mass of living breathing flesh with all sorts of new creatures living in the fatty pockets and flesh. While traversing the stage there's a quicksand-like floor that you sink into, not far enough to kill you, just enough to bring you down a few feet. Moving through the stage, the big boss of the level periodically appears in the background and then a targeting symbol appears on the screen. Once you fall within its cross hairs the boss has a lock on you and you get blasted.
Basically you run as fast as you can through the level to avoid being shot. There also giant tick like insects that pop out of the floor and hold you still so the boss can shoot you. Utilizing Joe's new midair dive kick attack is the best way to move through the stage. Inch your way onto the sections where the cross hairs appear, jump, and dive kick over them. This places you in front of the targeting symbol. Run and jump your way through, and dive kick any giant ticks that try to grab you. Then you come to the boss himself, the first giant monster boss of the game and one gross looking mutha. The boss is horrid, but oh so cool looking at the same time (one of my favorite bosses of the game). Shoot him between the eyes while avoiding his spores, mouth laser, and giant groping hand. The quicksand floor with impede your jump height and almost always result in getting you hit. If you use super jump magic you'll be fine. Or if you let yourself sink to the bottom then, strangely, you can jump normally.
Level 4 begins with another new kind of level never before seen in a Shinobi game: surfing! Technically the instruction manual states Joe is riding on a Jet Ski, but it looks like a rocket powered surf board (calling to mind that seminal classic of cinema, that august assemblage of 1993: SURF NINJAS! Wait... this game and that movie were both released the same month in 1993?! WHAT?!?!?! Did Sega have a hand in Surf Ninjas and was Joe Musashi set to appear?!).
"Let's digress for a second, shall we?"
Ninjas in the late 80's and early 90's were in an amazing and strange place creatively (amazingly strange, you mean?). Yes. Ninja popularity was pretty high but the concept had strayed FAR from the source inspiration. It's weird. As a kid I'd imagine seeing Joe Musashi on a rocket powered surf board was the coolest thing ever. As an adult the image is incredibly absurd! But such absurdity with ninjas was massively popular at the time (or at least extremely prevalent). The Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles cartoon series leaned hard into the sci-fi angle and absolute absurdity. This "Ninjas vs Robots" thing began spreading to video games including the Ninja Gaiden series and Shinobi series. Even without the sci-fi elements Ninjas were still growing more and more absurd. Movies like 3 NINJAS, SURF NINJAS, and BEVERLY HILLS NINJA (all films I dearly enjoy) only exacerbated the problem and, with the benefit of hindsight, marked the death knell of the ninja craze. TMNT, Ninja Gaiden, Shinobi, and the rest all died out shortly thereafter. Maybe this melding of past cultures with futuristic science fiction fantasy trend can be more accurately blamed on He-Men and the Masters of the Universe?
Needless to say, I have a love/hate relationship with this era of ninja entertainment. I was a child at the time (I may still be...) and as a kid I kinda loved these absurd ninja ideas. It wouldn't be a stretch to say that my love of ninjas originated with these ridiculous ninja renditions. My ninja love (which is stronger than ever today) further evolved over the years from these wild ideas to depictions closer to the more traditional Japanese source. Today I see these old 90's ninja media and look back both with a smile and a cringe. Today I wish the sci-fi elements of Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden would just disappear, but yet the kid in me knows I would've loved this crap back in the 90's.
Anyway,
The Jet Ski stage is basically a repeat of the Horseback stage, except instead of ninjas running at you there are robots and soldiers on hovercrafts. It is undeniably fun and a major highlight of the game while simultaneously being utterly ludicrous. After that you enter what looks like a water treatment plant with pitfalls and pipes running everywhere. This is a huge stage. Joe can cling to the pipes and explore all over the stage. You can utilize nearly the full extent of Joe's abilities traversing this level, most especially the ability to cling to the overhead. There's plenty of hidden items such as 1-Ups and extra Ninjitsu magic. After this stage you return to the Jet Ski to battle a sci-fi jet-tank thing. This boss can be a real pain in the ass and take forever if you don't have a power-up. My strategy: go into the fight with a power-up, use invincibility lightning magic, and unload shurikens on the boss. If you lose your invincibility, jump on top of the boss and dive kick him like crazy.
Level 5 begins with a stage outside of a military facility. This first stage of Level 5 is one of my favorites in terms of appearance. The background is a forest colored red by either the setting sun or a massive wildfire (I can't tell which). In either case, it is a visually striking level. It's filled with bombs, landmines, machine-gun soldiers, artillery, and more things to frustrate the hell out of you. It is the toughest stage of this level. It's tempting to want to race through the stage, but taking your time sometimes treats you better. The next several stages occur inside the military installation. As far as enemies go these stages are fairly easy. The stages themselves are massive and have a lot to explore. These stages are sectioned off and you need to detonate bombs to gain access to other areas of the stage.
After several stages inside the military base you finally reach the boss: MECHAGODZILLA! Yep, Joe faced off against Godzilla in TROS. Now, Joe must face Godzilla's mechanical double! There's even a dome-like secondary head once you blow up the main head (just like when Godzilla pulls off Mechagodzilla's head in TERROR OF MECHAGODZILLA). He's as tall as the screen and has a number of projectile attacks. When he corners you against the wall you can jump onto his arms and leap over his head to the other side. Again, I used the same boss tactic as the last level: make sure to have a power-up, use invincibility lightning magic, and unload shurikens on the boss. Mechagodzilla goes down pretty easily. By this point the game feels very large and extensive, far bigger than any of the previous games.
Yep, Mechagodzilla!
Level 6 starts with the craziest stage yet! You begin at the bottom of a mountain crevasse with rocks falling down atop you. You've got to leap up the falling rocks to the top of the mountain while killing stationary ninjas who're riding the rocks down the mountainside, along with winged ninjas flying around you. Yes, folks, that means pitfalls galore! I must've lost over a dozen lives on this stage. My saving grace was using the super jump magic which made leaping from rock to rock way more doable. And yes, there's a freakin' boss fight on this tricky terrain too! There are three rocks, one in the middle bottom of the screen and a rock on either side of it. You've got to leap between these rocks or fall to your doom while fighting a winged tengu demon. Talk about a pain in the a$$. Well, I found out that if you stay on the far left rock and crouch walk to the left, the boss will miss you most of the time. Then when you have an opening fire off shurikens like crazy! It's not fool proof though as he kept killing me on one of my sessions. But this tactic did secure me victory eventually.
I gotta give the game designers credit. This stage was challenging, unique, and pretty cool. Another highlight of the game.
The next stage is a revisit to Neo Zeed's fortress. The level is a reimagining of the final level from TROS (remember that labyrinth level with all of the doors that transport you all over the place? Well here it is again!). By comparison, this version of Neo Zeed's fortress is far easier to find your way through the maze, but it has its own extra difficulties. In TROS the enemies didn't respawn after you killed them. Here, if you pick the wrong door and are whisked back to a previous stage, the enemies have returned again. This is frustrating for sure, but the items respawn too allowing you to refill your shuriken stock. At one point I got far enough in the maze and found a rather evil looking doorway. My first thought was that this door looked too obvious and was a trick. I went passed the door to another. And then another. And then back to the beginning.
I couldn't figure out the damn maze to save my life! It took forever to get to this level and I was getting frustrated. I almost gave up and went to GameFAQS again, but then I remembered: I hadn't yet tried the super obvious door. My next play through I tried the evil looking doorway and guess what? It led directly to the boss. I learned that sometimes the obvious answer is the correct answer. The final boss of TROS waited for and had a whole new bag of tricks. What's awesome here is how Zeed appears, looking exactly like he did in TROS, complete with head-bangin' hair and all! He was very tough to kill in TROS and so I was anticipating the fight of my life! This boss battle has two stages: 1st you face two Zeeds! Zeed and a "shadow" Zeed disappear and reappear from behind the wall. Only one of them is the real Zeed and only one of them can be hurt. Once you hit the real Zeed enough the shadow eventually goes away and then you gotta beat on Zeed some more. With enough shurikens and an invincibility lightning magic use I was able to put him down on my first try.
This was both a relief and a disappointment at the same time. It was a relief in that traversing the fortress sucked and I didn't want to do it over again (which I would have to again anyway because the next level would claim my life). And it was a disappointment in that I was expecting something a little more epic and intense (that is why there are two higher difficulty settings to choose from I guess). Truthfully, I was glad it wasn't any harder than it was. I'm almost out of gaming fortitude!
Level 7 is the epic final level! Joe sneaks aboard Neo Zeed's massive flying ship. The first stage has Joe on the outside of the ship clinging to the landing gear for dear life while avoiding the rocket thrusters. Again, pitfalls everywhere. This stage was hella annoying. After that you enter another elevator stage, riding your way to the top while shooting down drones and small arms defense guns. The next stage has Joe atop the ship avoiding massive laser canons and various defense mechanisms. After that stage you enter the ship, leaping through the massive belly of the ship from piston to piston, up walls, and around open electric currents. This stage is massive and one epic journey in itself, again rife with pitfalls everywhere. The longest level by far! I swear, this level felt incredibly long and it took me many many tries to make it to the end. Luckily there were a few hidden items such as 1-Ups that kept me from dying out completely. In hindsight, this level feels heavily inspired by the final level from NINJA GAIDEN III: THE ANCIENT SHIP OF DOOM. In many ways, Shinobi III feels like an updated version of 1991's Ninja Gaiden III.
Editor's note:We'll have to do a post comparing and contrasting the Ninja Gaiden series and the Shinobi series in the future!
Then finally I made it to the endgame boss, the boss of bosses: The Shadow Master! This guy is a tall slender muscular person with many of Joe's own skills along with cybernetic enhancements. He's wearing some strange metallic armor that reminds me of Lord Zedd from Power Rangers. I was able to survive for quite a while against him but would ultimately lose every time. He ran me out of lives and the first continue screen popped up. I thought I was going to have to struggle through the whole level again to get back to him. Much to my surprise, continuing brought me right back to the boss fight! But that meant that I had to defeat the final boss with nothing but my base equipment. It took me a little bit of strategizing but I was able to win with...
"A judicious application of bacon and beans!"
I discovered that using the kamakazi magic attack refills your life bar and doesn't deplete your magic stock. So, after dying thoroughly several more times and continuing yet again, I put my plan into action. I fought him until my life bar was nearly gone, used the kamakazi magic attack to inflict more damage and refill my life bar in the process. I repeated this and eventually succeeded! The final scene Joe is once again standing upon a cliff overlooking the countryside, Neo Zeed's airship crashing to the ground in a blazing inferno. Then we watch Joe ride once more upon his horse against the setting sun (very evocative of Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade).
Fweh! Done!
Alright, it certainly sounds like this game was one of the easiest of the bunch here. Well, I completed it on Normal difficulty. There's still Hard difficulty and even Expert difficulty to boot! The challenging gaming associated with Shinobi is still there, but instead of the high difficulty being forced upon you from the get go, the game designers actually staggered the difficulty appropriately. The higher difficulty is there to please hardcore fans and gamers, you simply need to select it in the options (and I'll probably attempt those sometime in the future).
This game is the most inviting of all the Shinobi games here and by extension the most fun right off the bat. And what normal difficulty lacks in challenging gameplay it makes up for with massive levels and lengthy stages. Ultimately this game feels the most refined (obviously since it's the latest game of the four. But just because it was made later doesn't necessarily mean it would be better. In this case though, I feel it is the best of these). Visually it's the best looking and it's gameplay mechanics are the smoothest and most user friendly of this set. And it continues the tradition of having a great soundtrack!
Shinobi III is a Sega Genesis masterpiece!
WHAT COULD'VE BEEN
As I stated earlier, originally Shinobi III was going to be a very different game. The "Beta" version was sent out to reviewers and gaming magazines. You can watch a playthrough of this beta version on Youtube. Clearly Sega hadn't finished the game at that point, and while some of the original version was retained, there is a lot that was abandoned. Of the abandoned content there are a few elements that I wish the game designers would've maintained.
The final version of Shinobi III really is better in almost all respects. However, there are aspects I did enjoy about the beta version. Among those aspects was the opening level. It's still a forest level but this time it is more sprawling and far more open rather than a single screen straight run. This original version of level 1 is even more reminiscent of The Legend of Kage game for NES. Then there is Level 7. It appears to be Zeed's fortress again but Joe spends more time running along the exterior of the fortress, which resembles a traditional Japanese castle. The background is of the Kyoto horizon at night and it is gorgeous. Throughout the game Joe seems to be heading closer and closer to Kyoto as an earlier level showed the famous Toji Temple far in the distance against a twilight sky (another stage with some beautiful esthetics). Further in level 7 is another background of the full moon and it is wonderful as well.
Ultimately, aside from these backgrounds, a few stages here and there, and maybe all of the beta version's level 7, the final version of Shinobi III is superior in just about every way. It is interesting that the beta version has 8 levels while the final version has only 7 levels. If I could perform magic I'd add the Zeed fortress exterior level (the beta version's level 7) back into the final version (finished, of course). And since I'm such a big fan of that first level, I'd add the sprawling scope of the beta version's level 1 as well. Decide for yourself if there's anything you wish Sega would've retained from the beta version!
Let's check our accomplishments:
SHINOBI (NES): Defeated!
THE REVENGE OF SHINOBI (SEGA GENESIS): Defeated!
Acquired both endings
SHADOW DANCER ~ THE SECRET OF SHINOBI (SEGA GENESIS): Defeated!
On default difficulty only
SHINOBI III ~ THE RETURN OF THE NINJA MASTER (SEGA GENESIS): Defeated!
On default difficulty (normal) only
Hell yes! I am no longer a Shinobi poser! I still have a ways to get to "hardcore" status, but at least I have "walked the walk." This marks the first time I have defeated these games and (for some of them) the first time actually playing them! Of them all I feel the original Shinobi and Shadow Dancer offer similar experiences in gameplay while TROS and Shinobi III offer similar experiences to each other but different from the other two. Of these four I enjoyed Shadow Dancer and Shinobi III probably the most and I have more to play on both of those. But TROS was the only game of the these four that I went back and defeated a second time (securing both endings for the game). I fully plan on going back to Shadow Dancer and Shinobi III for a go at higher difficulties (but not until I've taken a well deserved break).
Thus marks the end of THE SHINOBI CHRONICLES... PART 1! The Shinobi franchise is far from over! We still have a ton of games left! For the second part of the Shinobi Chronicles we'll tackle the original Sega Master System games, Shinobi, Cyber Shinobi, and the original Shadow Dancer (and maybe Alex Kidd in Shinobi World)! For Part 3 we'll tackle Shinobi Legions for the Sega Saturn and Shinobi and Nightshade for the PS2! And finally for Part 4 we'll tackle all three handheld Shinobi games! So much Shinobi goodness to be had! And we also might do some gaming diaries on the Castlevania franchise too. And Ninja Gaiden. And more! So much more! Stay tuned!
For more posts on Shinobi, ninjas, and video games check out these others below!
