Shinobi (Nintendo 3DS game)

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Shinobi
Shinobi.jpg
Developer(s) Griptonite Games
Publisher(s) Sega
Composer(s) Norihiko Hibino
Yoshitaka Suzuki
Takahiro Izutani
Series Shinobi
Platform(s) Nintendo 3DS
Release
  • EU: November 11, 2011
  • NA: November 15, 2011
  • JP: November 17, 2011
Genre(s) Action-adventure, hack and slash
Mode(s) Single-player

Shinobi, known in Japan as Shinobi 3D, is a video game developed by Griptonite Games (a division of Foundation 9) and published by Sega as part of the Shinobi series, and was released worldwide in November 2011.

Contents

Gameplay

The game is primarily controlled with buttons, but there are minigames that make use of the touch screen. [1] Player controls the protagonist Jiro Musashi in arcade style gameplay, similar to the original 2D games. The game typically plays in a 2D sidescrolling fashion, using 3D graphics.

Plot

The game's story begins in the year 1256, Kencho Era Japan, where the young Oboro Clan Leader Jiro Musashi (father of Joe Musashi, the main character from the original Arcade and Sega Genesis Shinobi games) is summoned to defend his home village from the ninja forces of Zeed. After battle, he is sent 800 years into the future, where Zeed now rules with an iron fist. Aided by Sarah, the leader of a local resistance, Jiro continues his battle against Zeed. As he battles on, he begins to uncover a deeper conspiracy (depending on the level of skill and difficulty), a secret mission is unlocked, revealing an ancient alien Orn that instigated the events in the Kamakura era, including the betrayal of Jiro's own teacher, in hopes of creating the most powerful Ninja army in space. After defeating Orn, the alien's spaceship explodes, and Jiro, protected by a Ninjutsu spell is last seen reentering the atmosphere. After landing on Earth, Jiro walks into the horizon, presumably to restart the Oboro Ninja Clan anew. The timeline is altered so Joe Musashi doesn't exist in the 20th Century in this timeline.

Development

The game was revealed in the May 2011 issue of Nintendo Power . [2] [3] [4] Sega originally planned to release the game in September 2011, but due to slow 3DS hardware sales, they postponed the game until November of that year. [5]

Reception

Shinobi 3D has received mixed to positive reviews, receiving an aggregate score of 69 on Metacritic. [6] Destructoid praised Shinobi 3D for having "tons" of content, but noted that the steep difficulty curve and lack of coherent narrative may turn off some players. [7] Official Nintendo Magazine UK similarly stated that "Shinobi won't be to everyone's tastes since we're now in an age where games are expected to be easy enough for everyone", but said it should be enjoyed by players looking for a challenge. [8] GameSpot praised the way the game reconciles difficulty with accessibility, remarking that the game makes only a few missteps in this, and calls Shinobi 3D "among the small number of quality games in the growing 3DS library worthy of a spot on your shelf". [9] However, GamesTM was more critical of Shinobi 3D, judging the "unsympathetic difficulty" of the game as "cheap and archaic within the context of plodding action". [10] According to Eurogamer : "To call this a bad game would be grossly unfair, but it's a truly unexceptional one. For a series like Shinobi, that is dishonour enough". [11]

Related Research Articles

Shinobi (忍び) is the Japanese word for male ninja. It may also refer to:

<i>Shinobi</i> (1987 video game) 1987 video game

Shinobi (忍) is a side-scrolling hack-and-slash action game produced by Sega, originally released for arcades on the Sega System 16 board in 1987. The player controls ninja Joe Musashi, to stop the Zeed terrorist organization from kidnapping students of his clan.

<i>The Revenge of Shinobi</i> (1989 video game) 1989 video game

The Revenge of Shinobi, released in Japan as The Super Shinobi, is a video game developed and published by Sega in 1989. It was the first Shinobi game developed for the Sega Genesis, and was later released on the coin-operated version of that console, the Mega-Tech.

<i>Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master</i>

Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, released in Japan as The Super Shinobi II, is an action game developed and published by Sega for the Mega Drive/Genesis console that was released in 1993. It is the direct sequel to the previous The Revenge of Shinobi. The game was originally intended to be released in 1992, and to be very different from the final version of the game in terms of levels and storyline.

<i>Shinobi</i> (2002 video game)

Shinobi is a 3D action-adventure video game developed by Overworks and published by Sega as part of the Shinobi series. It was released for the PlayStation 2 console on November 10, 2002 in North America; December 5 in Japan; and May 15, 2003 in Europe. The game stars the master ninja Hotsuma, leader of the Oboro clan, who wields Akujiki, a sword that feeds on souls. He can also use ninja magic, shurikens, and special moves. Upon finding a golden castle after an earthquake, Hotsuma makes it his goal to defeat the powerful sorcerer Hiruko who had summoned hellspawn creatures in Japan to destroy in Tokyo. Hotsuma's mission is to stop Hiroko from destroying the world and avenge the death of his clan.

<i>Shinobi</i> (series) Video game series by SEGA

Shinobi is a series of hack-and-slash action video games created by Sega. The ninja (shinobi) Joe Musashi is the protagonist of the original series of games.

<i>Nightshade</i> (2003 video game)

Nightshade, released in Japan as Kunoichi, stylized in all regions with the kanji 忍 behind the title, is an action video game for the PlayStation 2 (PS2), developed by Overworks and published by Sega in 2003. It is the 11th game in the Shinobi series and follows the exploits of a female ninja named Hibana. The game is a sequel to the 2002 PS2 game Shinobi.

<i>The Cyber Shinobi</i> 1990 video game

The Cyber Shinobi is a side-scrolling action game produced by Sega that was released for the Master System in 1990. It was the third Shinobi game for the console and served as a futuristic-themed sequel to the original Shinobi. The game was released in Canada, Europe, Australia and Brazil, at a time when the Master System was discontinued in other markets.

<i>The G.G. Shinobi</i>

The G.G. Shinobi (ザ・GG忍) is a side-scrolling action game by Sega released for the Game Gear in 1991. It was the first Shinobi game developed specifically for a portable game platform. The player controls the modern-day ninja Joe Musashi, protagonist of previous Shinobi games, as he goes on a mission to rescue four kidnapped comrades from an enemy, gaining control of the other ninjas as the game progresses in a manner inspired by Mega Man. It was followed by The G.G. Shinobi II: The Silent Fury in 1993. The G.G. Shinobi was one of the first Game Gear games available on the 3DS Virtual Console in March 2012.

Joe Musashi

Joe Musashi is a player character and main protagonist in Sega's Shinobi series of video games, first introduced in 1987. This original Shinobi hero has achieved great popularity during the late 1980s and early 1990s, when it was used as one of Sega's mascot characters. During this time he was cast as the protagonist of the original arcade game as well the Mega Drive/Genesis sequels The Revenge of Shinobi and Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, also starring in two Game Gear titles. The Mega Drive/Genesis game Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi also starred Joe Musashi in its overseas release, although the character was originally written to be his estranged son in the Japanese version. In more recent Shinobi titles, he appears as an unlockable character in the 2002's Shinobi and its follow-up Nightshade and in Shinobi 3D, which stars his father Jiro.

<i>Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi</i>

Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi is a side-scrolling action game developed and published by Sega for the Sega Genesis in 1990. It was re-released via emulation services such as the Wii's Virtual Console and Microsoft Windows in 2010, and was also included in the North American version of Sega Genesis Collection for the PlayStation 2 and PlayStation Portable.

<i>The G.G. Shinobi II: The Silent Fury</i>

The G.G. Shinobi II: The Silent Fury is a side-scrolling action game by Sega released for the Game Gear in 1992. It is the sequel to The G.G. Shinobi, an offshoot of the Shinobi series created for Sega's portable platform. The player controls Joe Musashi as he rendezvous with his ninja allies from the previous game, giving the player access to different characters with unique abilities as the game progresses.

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<i>Sonic Colors</i> 2010 video game

Sonic Colors is a 2010 platform game published by Sega. It follows Sonic's quest to stop his nemesis Doctor Eggman from enslaving an alien race and taking over the world. The gameplay is similar to prior Sonic games, with players collecting rings and defeating enemies; the camera perspective often switches from third-person to side-scrolling perspectives. The game also introduces Wisps, power-ups the player can use to increase attack power and reach new areas.

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References

  1. ↑ "Contact Support". Segabits.com. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
  2. ↑ "Contact Support". Segabits.com. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
  3. ↑ "Contact Support". Segabits.com. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
  4. ↑ "Contact Support". Segabits.com. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
  5. ↑ Fletcher, JC (2011-07-19). "Shinobi and Crush3D delay3D". Joystiq . Archived from the original on 2011-07-22. Retrieved 2012-08-06.
  6. ↑ "Shinobi Critic Reviews". Metacritic . Retrieved 2013-01-20.
  7. ↑ Nakamura, Darren (2012-01-24). "Review: Shinobi (3DS)". Destructoid . Archived from the original on 2012-06-21. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
  8. ↑ East, Thomas (2011-11-10). "Shinobi 3DS review". Official Nintendo Magazine . Archived from the original on 2011-12-20. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
  9. ↑ Light, Austin (2011-11-10). "Shinobi Review". GameSpot . Archived from the original on 2012-03-11. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
  10. ↑ "Shinobi". GamesTM . December 2011. p. 107.
  11. ↑ Stanton, Rich (2011-11-28). "Shinobi Review". Eurogamer . Archived from the original on 2012-01-30. Retrieved 2013-12-22.
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