Being an avid Shinobi lover back on the Genesis (I played 2 and up...missed out on 1.) I couldn't get enough of it. A lone ninja (Joe Musashi) going off on an adventure that....I can't quite remember. No matter, it expanded pass the Genesis to what I believe was either Sega CD or that 32X crap. Neither I had. It really didn't make it's appearance again until the PS2 version which I remember Sega hyping up more than enough with the "SHINOBI'S BAK!!" commercial. Got it for christmas, fell in love with it. But most people will tell you to get Ninja Gaiden over Shinobi. I personally say get both and shut up. But what can be improved in the Shinobi series. Man where to start.


Don't that guy look familiar? No? Hiros anyone?

PROBLEMS
the Biggest problem of all Shinobi games that me, my friends, and my sister joke about is....SHINOBI CANT SWIM! In real life, you can't be a damn ninja and not have some type of swimming abilities. I could understand in the original 3 on the Genesis and only to an extent. But when the PS2 version hit, I figure, "Shinobi should be able to swim on" *Drowns in water.* ".....". This sceneario is common. Especially on one of the many stages in the PS2 version where the stage is pretty much..covered in water. Granted it takes the fun out of the game if such a stage is implemented, but it just means a need for a better stage would arise if Shinobi could swim.

Granted, this problem I wouldn't complain about as it adds to the hardness of this game, but there have been times where I wish you had some type of halfway point. Yea. You know what i'm talking about. Especially on those long ass stages where you'll be near the end and BAM. Fall in a hole, drown, or killed...only to start allllllllllllllllllllllll the way at eht beginning of the stage. Such things can and WILL discourage people to stop playing for the rest of the day (or at least for a few hours.) You start at the beginning of a fight if you die at a boss, but no save point for actual stages? Come on sega.

Speaking of dying, the PS2 Shinobi (which i'll just call Shinobi from here on out.) well...feels too easy when there's infinite lives. I guess Sega figure if you die too many times and too far in a stage, you'll be too pissed off to play that many times. Not really me. Back on the original Shinobi, there were halfway points, certain amount of lives, stuff that'd make you risk your ninja ass to get. At least with lives, you can have a halfway point and when lives are gone, THEN you send us back to the beginning of the stage.

Now i'm sure most of you (or I hope) skipped the last Shinobi incarnation, Nightshade. Which was somewhat a sequal to Shinobi but only by the sword. The game itself was a rather letdown compared to the first one and the controls changed alittle (which..kinda didn't help.) I tried to like the game, but it just felt clunky, the story was boring, and without the "Tate" system introduced in Shinobi, the game was well...it felt dull. No need to go around looking for enemies or actually TRYING to build the sword's killing spree to prevent it from eating away from your health. Which leads me to...

The Tate system. When I first played it, I loved this system. It made you not sit around all willy nilly like looking around and that you had to keep moving if you didn't want the sword to eat away at your health. Not only that, once you unlocked Hotsuma's brother, Moritsune (I think that's right.) playing through the game with him made the sword eat away quicker. Then Joe Musashi, for old school memories, made players have infinite shuruikens (which were stronger used with Joe.) and the sword was secondary (not eating sword either.) I loved it and if we were talking a new Shinobi, lets throw it back in Sega.

granted i'm sure there's more to add for this series alone, I overall think it's already decent...just needs alittle work. But what do you guys think of the Shinobi Series as a whole? what else could be added and taken away?