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A different take on the ninja game.

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: November 22, 2002
Author: Amazon User

This game surprised me. I wasn't sure what to expect, given that I haven't played any of the previous Shinobi games (although I do remember the first one, from the arcade, from way back when). I was pleasantly surprised to find out that not only was it different than the usual ninja games I am used to (two great ones for PSX--Tenchu and Tenchu II), but that I liked it, a lot.

The game has a decidely "arcade" feel to it, from the graphics to the sound. Other reviews have mentioned gameplay, so I won't do so here. What I will say is that the fast pace of the game (in large part due to the need to keep your cursed sword from draining your lifeforce) makes for a lot of fun, and a lot of challenge. I have played this game for several hours now, and have died more times that I can remember. This might be frustrating to those who are used to beating a game in 10 hours or less (usually after plugging in all the cheats--and then ranting about how short the game is). For those who like a game that takes a while to beat, Shinobi is for you.

The graphics are pretty good, but not great. Hotsuma is wonderfully rendered, with his body armor and his flowing scarf (which makes him look very interesting, although a bit effete for a ninja), but the background objects (like buildings) are nothing to write home about. Everything is cast in a greenish-yellowish "washed out" hue, but I suspect this is intentional, since it is supposed to be a post-apocalyptic Tokyo.

A few cons. The camera takes a bit of getting used to. You can change the angle and rotation using the right analog stick, and can center it from Hotsuma's point-of-view with the L1 button, but it can get to be a bit of a problem when you are trying not only to fight several ninjas on the ground, but that pesky helicopter above your head. Also, I find the background music kind of annoying.

Overall, I think that this is a must-buy or must-borrow for those who like ninja games, fast paced arcade-style games, or fans of the old Shinobi series. It seems too hard of a game to get any serious use out of renting.

Extremely fun, but incredibly difficult

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: March 04, 2003
Author: Amazon User

I checked out this game not only to see what has been done to it since the side scrolling series, but because someone said it was a very difficult game and wanted to be challenged. They were right about that! I almost gave up on beating this game, and I've finised a lot of other games. The story is cool with demons taking over Tokyo and you having to face off against your now possessed ninja clan members. The graphics are ok, and the look to the main character is cool. Shadow dash,running along walls and quick cutscenes when several enemies are killed in one sequence are cool touches. The bosses are right out of an anime movie, including a possessed helicopter, giant tiger head spider, giant moth, and a god-like insanely powerful (no joke here!) final boss. The levels also force you to go straight for the mission and slash enemies to get to the end. Doors will be blocked off once you enter them and will not reopen. As said before, the bosses start out easy and then get ridiculously difficult. Aside, from levels having various pits and no checkpoints,there's also the fact that later you lose life slowly unless you kill to keep your "living" sword alive, giving you an extreme disadvantage in boss battles and basicly making everything a timed level.
I finally finished the game and can say that it was overkill on how difficult some levels and the final boss were. Many people complained that there was no use of stealth in the game. Having played some of the 2-d ones, I don't remember any stealth in those either, so didn't expect it here. So in all, a very fun game that is very difficult. If you're a fan of shinobi or animes you will probably like this game, but if you want a less difficult game with levels to backtrack and use stealth, you may want to rent it.

In short...

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 2
Date: August 02, 2004
Author: Amazon User

I think all the features of this game have been covered so....

If you're an older gamer (20+) who enjoyed the Genesis Shinobi titles and didn't mind the difficulty - this game IS FOR YOU.

I've updated this review to clarify a couple of things:

1.) Yes, the game is very difficult. But those reviews that say that it's difficult and the fighting system is bad are innacurate. There absolutely IS a strategy to fighting groups of enemies. You charge your sword on the smaller ones, then kill the large one in one slash! If you understand and use this system the way it was intended, you can even kill some stage bosses with as little as 2 hits!

2.) Platforming - to me it was the most difficult part of the game, but it's not impossible. All Shinobi games I can remember had verydifficult jumps. The only really bad part - is no checkpoints. You restart the whole level. However if you die during a boss fight, you won't have to repeat it.

The point is, it seems everyone either loves it or hates it, there's no middle. I can see how it may be frustrating, but I don't think why people would think it's boring. But I think everyone should give it a chance. It's cheap now, and it just may become your favorite game... it did for me.


This game is worth way more then it's current price (08/02/04)

Hack-Slash with Gorgeous Graphics

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 3 / 5
Date: February 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Shinobi means "female ninja", but in this latest version on the PS2 you're Hotsuma, leader of the turned-to-zombies Oboro clan.

The cut-scenes are lovely and tie together what is in essence a traditional hack-and-slash game. You drop into a level. Various bad guys and girls with swords and slicy weapons come after you. Slash - slash - slash and you get to the boss. Level over.

Being a big fan of feudal Japan and the samurai. I always wince a bit when ninja are running around with, say, giant, long, flowing red scarves. I can see it now.

Enemy 1: "Where is that attacker they warned us about?"
Enemy 2: "I don't see him anywhere. All I see is a neon-bright glowing 8' long red scarf drifting through those shadows over there ..."

Not only does Hotsuma have to fight his way through legions of enemies, but they're all actually the dead zombie bodies of his clan. The bosses are various servants, friends and siblings. He has to kill them all. And his cursed soul-sucking sword sucks the evility out of each corpse as it falls. Better hurry - the sword gets angry if it goes too long without death around it.

The combination moves are great - if there are three enemies in an area, kill them all quickly to witness the video clip of a smoothly executed triple-attack. The regular enemies are rather easy to dispatch, with the bodies cleaving in two for a thunk-thunk sound effect. The bosses are much more difficult, and make sure you really did some practicing instead of racing through the level.

There are various specials and secrets to watch for, and as each area gets a rating, you're encouraged to go back and replay areas to aim for that top score. Sound, music and voices are all good, and draw you into the game. The cool ninja-poses help you feel like you're in a movie.

Recommended for fans of arcade-fighting games.

Shinobi is very good, but verry frustrating

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: December 16, 2002
Author: Amazon User

I think Shinobi is one of the coolest games i have ever played. I have played better games, but this is one of the most fun to play and watch. The only problem I have with it is that it is very frustrating, and there are no check points. The other thing is that all the rooms in a level look the same. other then that, this game is awsome.

A Fine, But Flawed, Action Romp

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 2 / 3
Date: January 14, 2003
Author: Amazon User

"Shinobi" casts you as a rogue ninja out for vengeance against the sorcerer who slaughtered your clan in a post-apocalyptic Tokyo. The story unfolds throughout the game in beautifully rendered cut-scenes, but it never amounts to much in the end. That is fine, considering that "Shinobi" is best enjoyed as a frantic action game where the backstory is expendable in the face of some intense, and quite enjoyable, gameplay. Unfortunately, this very same action can become repetitive as the game endures, and without a gripping story to keep you involved, "Shinobi" certainly has its lulls. Still, fans of the original series will definitely want to give it a look, and newcomers will find a lot to like despite the game's failings.

The Pros:

· Intense action and a slew of powerful ninja abilities keep things moving most of the time. Despite the fact that this is a hack-and-slash 3rd person action vehicle, and there are many such games on the market, you've probably never played anything quite like "Shinobi" when it comes to the abilities and magical attacks at your disposal. Similarities abound to various other games, but "Shinobi" still has a personality all its own.
· The rendered cut-scenes are gorgeous and well-animated, and despite the fact that they fail to tell a completely coherent story, you will be glued to the screen in any case. It's good, cinematic stuff, and the voice-acting and translation-from-Japanese are much better than you might expect.
· If you love a challenge, then "Shinobi" is calling out for you to give it a go. This game isn't a breeze, and the boss encounters will have your palms sweating for sure. You will die, and you will die often, before you finally overcome your enemies and come to the end.

The Cons:

· The action, while generally fun, can get tedious and repetitive sometimes. Every level in the game pretty much feels like the level that came before it, and certain areas within a level are carbon copies of areas you just visited moments before. Sometimes you would swear you were going in circles.
· "Shinobi" only lets you save between levels, and given the difficulty of some of these levels, that is a large oversight. Imagine jumping puzzles that can kill you with one false step and a sword that drains your health if you linger in one place for too long without feeding enemy souls into its hungry blade, and then imagine dying near the exit of a lengthy mission only to start from scratch at the beginning. There aren't even any checkpoints. This makes things needlessly frustrating.
· This game comes complete with bland in-game graphics, some mostly atrocious music, and repetitive sound effects. None of these things make or break a good game, but they certainly don't add points either.
· A disappointing ending makes the experience feel a bit unsatisfying.

Despite my niggles, I enjoyed "Shinobi," after a fashion, but it's nothing to rave about, and there are certainly those who will become furious and never finish it because of its unforgiving save system. However, if you are patient, you will persevere, and you might even enjoy yourself in the process, and that's at the very core of a good game... but not a great one.

Final Grade: C (or 3 stars on a curve)

Wicked

5 Rating: 5, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: December 01, 2002
Author: Amazon User

The satisfaction of slashing through demons, etc...
is just so WICKED

Disgrace to the original

2 Rating: 2, Useful: 2 / 5
Date: July 09, 2005
Author: Amazon User

I remembered playing Shinobi (the original arcade version) when I was a kid and it was the first game I ever beat. That was a great feeling and I'll never forget that. I was really looking foward to this and I bought it the first day it came out. All the other reviews are correct, after level 2 it got repeative (even the graphics)and really difficult. If anyone decides to play this I recommend gameshark codes, you'll need them. I like challenges but this was more frustrating than a challenge. I was very dissapointed with this, they could've done so much better. This game I wished I waited till the price went down, definately not worth the $50, but I went ahead and bought it anyways; bad mistake on my part. Some will like this and some will not.

Good game for back in the day

3 Rating: 3, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: December 24, 2002
Author: Amazon User

Shinobi was a very fun game back when it first came out. I can't seem to see the fun in this one though. This would have been great if it came out 4 years ago. It is just out of time.

Shinobi is Hard, but fun!

4 Rating: 4, Useful: 1 / 1
Date: February 08, 2003
Author: Amazon User

Shinobi is one of those games that won't let you through a stage until you master it. If you want a good game with high difficulty then shinobi is you game. Also if you collect 40 orobo clan coins scattered throughout the game you can play as the original shinobi--Joe Mushasi.

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