Sunday, June 14, 2009

Shinobi (Xbox 360) Trial Impressions


This past Wednesday, Sega released 6 classic games to the Xbox LIVE Arcade, and I downloaded the trial versions of two of them. First up was Shinobi, a classic side-scroller that I owned on my Sega Master System, though I do recall the game looking very differently.

Regardless, you play as Joe Musashi, and must stop the criminal organization "Zeed" who've kidnapped a bunch of children from what I assume to be your clan. You guide Musashi through the levels, tossing ninja stars, kicking, jumping, or using your "Ninja" power to defeat your foes. Honestly, I remember there being more special moves and weapons, though perhaps they just weren't included in the trial version. I know I am remembering the right game, because I distinctly remember the bonus levels where you must toss ninja stars at ninjas from a first-person view, and try and prevent any of them from jumping right at you.

While I enjoyed the trial of Shinobi, and certainly had some nostalgia tossed my way, one thing ruined it all for me: The one hit kill. You get hit once, you die and need to start the stage over. Man, how did I used to play games like these? Remind me of that the next time I gripe about an inferior Checkpoint save system.

So when all is said and done, I think it's best that I leave Shinobi buried in the sands of time.

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