Shinobi or Gaiden?
Sega or Nintendo?
Hayabusa or Musashi?
This question has raced through the minds of many a gamer who has tackled both the Shinobi
and Ninja Gaiden series, either game playing an important part in the history of side-scrolling
shuriken-throwing console adventures.
Needless to say, it's been fun exploring either side of the debate, and the tension continued
to stay red hot when Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master was released in 1993 by Sega.
It's not much of a change from the second one at all, save for smoother gameplay and
more attention to how fast the game moves as opposed to the difficulty of knocking out
armed soldiers.
You continue with Joe Musashi as you take a kunai to a gunfight against the Neo Zeed
crime syndicate, armed with throwing knives, katana, and overall martial arts skill.
Seven levels total up the length of this game, each with a different layout, starting in
more natural surroundings and eventually leading you to enemy bases and even a strange facility
where monsters are being created.
Anyone else having flashbacks of Mt.
Nibel reactor?
Joe Musashi is equipped with expert skill in terms of not just throwing knives or swinging
a blade at his foes, but also moving through both ground and air as effortlessly as a monkey
when he jumps from wall to wall or climbs onto rails.
However, even though this ninja has mad skills, it's likely you'll get frustrated often through
your adventure.
This elevator level requires quick thinking and reflexes to dodge the scumbag soldiers
creeping through and shooting at you.
You're a ninja, though, so this shouldn't be too hard, right?
Just wait until you have to have to bounce off a wall and curl around it at the same
time.
Hard mode.
Not every level involves being on foot.
You'll be on horseback in a stage that might remind you of Sunset Riders as an enemy ninja
squad jumps out of a kite and hustle towards you.
Then the miniboss appears, jumping through the air and dropping spears on you.
Each boss has a technique that might be intimidating at first, but once you get into a certain
rhythm, you'll usually be able to take them out easily.
Sometimes its hard to find the higher ground on the recent string of Shinobi games released.
It's hard to forget the first time you laid your hands on this game and the first run
you took through it where you were just on fire, leaving your enemies in a cloud of bloody
dust.
When it comes to the soundtrack, however, I put more money on the old school Ninja Gaiden
tunes that are fast paced, adding to the excitement of it all.
They're ok, I guess, but they ring of Sonic 2 more than anything else.
Nevertheless, Shinobi III offers quality sound in the realm of katana swishes, clinking kunai
knives, and staccato ki-haps.
As a gamer, who couldn't love ninjas?
Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master is a fantastic addition to your old school collection,
but if you can't find it in stores, leave it to Steam and the Sega Genesis Classic Collection
to satisfy your taste for blood and steel.