Most Helpful Customer Reviews
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10 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Fun but difficult action game, June 21, 2003
I remember playing the very first shinobi in arcades way back in the 80's. Seeing Shinobi return with modern-day gaming technology was a big surprise.This game is your typical run of the mill action hack 'n slash game. Its not really boring...its alot of fun actually. Most hack 'n slash games get boring rather quickly but Shinobi manages to maintain exciting gameplay throughout most of the game. The soundtrack is sort of Japanese-techno with a quick beat. It sounds somewhat inspired by Japanese Animation. The graphics are pretty decent (though noticeably full of PS2 'Jaggies') and the flowing sash that trails behind your character is very, very cool. Unfortunately I have noticed that many people complain about the difficulty. Frankly I must agree. The game can be extremely frustrating at times. I found myself spending more time turning it off and walking away from it than sitting through and playing it. When you die in the game you must restart from the beginning of the level, no matter how much progress you made, which is, needless to say, very frustrating. The game is a good challenge but it definitely would've benefit from mid-level save checkpoints. 'Tate' kills are a nice little reward for quick multi-kills. They occur when you killed a group of 4 or more enemies in quick succession. When you kill all of them, you are treated to a brief in-game cutscene with Shinobi striking a pose, sometimes uttering a line, and then watching your enemies fall to bloody pieces around you (again, looking as if inspired by Japanese Animation.) These kills help to fuel your power and will increase the power of your weapon. However, in later levels Tate kills will become very necessary for you to survive, since your sword begins to consume your life. If you go more than 1 minute without killing an enemy, you will die. this becomes very frustrating, since it leaves no time for you to look for secrets. Tate kills also become nearly impossible in later levels since the enemies become stronger. Some cannot even be killed...many enemies requires lots of dashing and jumping to even do damage to their invincible blocking. These incredibly annoying enemies often take so long to beat that the other enemies die before the Tate can be completed. Fighting enemies can sometimes become frustrating. The targeting system is pretty strange...instead of targeting the nearest enemy, it will target the enemy that is often farthest from you or is most directly in your line of view, often resulting in the closer enemies around you getting in some cheap hits. Sometimes in the middle of a combo, Shinobi will freeze in a pose, allowing other enemies to get a good 2 or 3 hits on you. Otherwise, the fighting just takes a little bit of skill and some getting used to, but you will enjoy it. The commercial was right: Shinobi's back. And in a big way. This is definitely a good game but you must have a high threshold of patience. This game can become very frustrating, resulting in cheap deaths(especially in levels that are just packed with pitfalls) and unbeleivably difficult boss fights lead to many fights being done and over and over. Alot of the levels are very bland and very repetetive as well. But the game has a good story, told through some pretty good cinematics. The American voices aren't that bad either. Usually translated voices are pretty awful, but Shinobi has some decent talent (although the rogue ninja woman has an irritating 'school-girl' type of voice). If you were a fan of Shinobi in the past, or are looking for a fast-paced action game with a decent story, pick it up. However if you are a casual gamer that isn't looking for much of a challenge, stay away. The difficulty of the game will probably get to you rather quickly.
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9 of 10 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Hack and slash done right, November 27, 2002
This game, Shinobi is one of this year's best. If you're tired of pre-rendered backgrounds, or useless item fetching, or protect the base missions, then Shinobi is right for you. Forget all the other stuff that makes other games boring. Shinobi concentrates on fast, furious Ninja slice-em-up action. The origins of this game is old, with roots to the late 80's. I was introduced to the Shinobi line when Revenge of Shinobi for the GBC came out. I've always loved old jump around and slash stuff games. Ninja Gaiden, and old Shinobi, those were great. Now, this game combines the great old type of action, with much improvements. First of all, the graphics are really something to look at. Whether it's the way Hatsuma stands, or the red scarf flying back as you rush ninjas, the game looks cool no matter what. Eye candy galore! Fast paced action with little to no rest. It's not something newbies will appreciate, as this game is tough. Very tough. In fact, the fast paced action also requires you to plan out and time your moves. It's challenging when you have to keep up with the fast pace, and decide how, who and when to attack. I love it! Enemies can block, and even stun you. Often, levels will take more then a few attempts to complete. Vet gamers will be used to this, however others will be frustrated. If you give up easily, or if you are used to easy games, stay away from Shinobi. Controls are solid, smooth and fast. While watching someone play Shinobi, you might scratch your head and ask "how the heck do you keep up with that?" With an effective lock on and a managable camera, the action flows smoothly. Think of a more mature, faster, cooler, Kingdom Hearts type of battle. The wild camera adds to the game's style. Speaking of style, there is a lot of it. Usually in most games "cool moments" are scripted and happen when they are supposed to happen. In Shinobi, "cool moments" happen all the time. Slash four or more enemies with your sword, and they death freeze. Then they all die at the same time, while Hatsuma does a cool ninja pose. No scripts, no planned out events, Shinobi is spontanious action where anything can happen. Sound is good, while not the best I have heard. The voice acting is nice, and the sounds in the game are well done. Music is good, but not great. The japanese techno semi rock adds to the theme of this game, however it could be better. But sometimes the music can't help but get stuck in your head. There is replay value to this game, which is the icing on the cake. This isn't like the usual Arcade to console ports. This game has unlockable stuff that is actually worth getting. Estimate 40 hours to unlock, which gives it a good amount of time. Even when you do unlock everything, Shinobi is still a blast to play! It's a game you will want to re visit, even when late 2003 rolls around.
With fast paced action, good graphics, average sound, and replay value, Shinobi seems to be one of the best games of the year. Something that gets to the roots of ninja games, pure raw uncut fast action. Fun to play, and a break from pre-rendered backgrounds and item fetching. While not for everyone, with its above average challenge level. Old vets that seem to be bored to death with the dullness of ordinary games should pick this one up. Even newcomers should check this one out. Once you get the hang of it, Shinobi is one of the best gaming experiences. In short, it's Hack and Slash done right.
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6 of 7 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars
Shinobi's BACK?!?!? Well almost......, December 3, 2002
Shinobi was one of those games that just about everyone poured countless quarters into during the late 80's and early 90's. So one would think that it would be a natural to resurrect for the Playstation 2, right? Well not quite. Sega has offered up a new Shinobi for the 21st century. Unfortunatley, Shinobi's come back hasn't made it all the way back to it's former glory.I'd have to say that when I gave this game 3 stars I was being a bit generous. There are things I do like about it but, if I could I'd actually give it two and a half stars. This game suffers from a number of problems. First the good. The main character of Hotsuma is very easy to control. Once you learn the in's and out's of his movements, running along walls becomes almost second nature. Hotsuma is also one ninja with serious style. The red scarf, though serving no purpose, is probably one of the nicest flourishes since Lara Croft's pony tail in Tomb Raider II. The CG cutscenes are also nicely done. Unfortunatley that's where the positives end. This games main downfall comes from it's gameplay. The action is highly repititive. I understand the idea, to bring an arcade style version of Shinobi to the PS2. But unfortunately the good people at Sega failed to give the game any depth. There's little variety in gameplay. You spend most of the game running through generic looking environments that pass for a post apocalyptic Tokyo, hacking and slashing your way past non-descript badguys. The word "Shinobi" in Japanese means "Stealth". In truth stealth has absolutley nothing to do with this game. To be fair I wasn't really expecting another version of Tenchu, but I would have liked to experience something different than your run of the mill arcade slasher. Add the fact that there are no checkpoints and if you get killed, you have to start at the begining of the level can make the game very frustrating. The game's music isn't anything particularly unique and captivating either. The games camera can be a bit tricky at times also, but you can always re-center it by pressing L1. Shinobi was one of those games that you feel could have and should have given you alot more. Maybe on the PS1 this would have been a great game, but on the PS2 you feel that it could have been better. With any luck Sega will regroup and give us a better game for Hotsuma the next go around. But for those who might want a better ninja/stealth based game, you might want to check out Tenchu and Tenchu 2 for the PS1. At least until Tenchu 3 or Splinter Cell makes it's way to the Playstation 2.
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