I think they're talking about the arcade version of Shadow Dancer compared to the MD game.

The original Shinobi only came out on Master System (and some micros), I played the arcade version on Switch earlier this year. Gave it a 7/10 in the 2020 52 Games in 1 Year Challenge!! thread, good stuff.

I just tried arcade Shinobi there (Wii VC). What a coin eater this was. I've got bad....

I mean I was never great but I could get a hell of a lot further when I last played.

Addictive as hell - it just keeps you playing. Craftsmen at work here. Love the music too.

Spiderman has been pallette swapped out of this version.

Those bloody ninjas that take 2 hits and can deflect your shots......

That bonus level

The Wii VC version has some options like fast and slow enemy attack speed as well as a difficulty setting. Wonder if that was in the original. It's emulated OK - you have to coin up to play and there's a free play toggle in the options.

I don't think I've played the arcade game. There was a one level demo on 360 I think, but otherwise the MS port is my reference point for that one.

Would love to play the Saturn version, mostly poor reviews from UK mags put me off but it scored very well in Diehard Gamefan iirc.

I'm going to play a few I think. Shinobi III probably edges it overall but Revenge is my fave.

Heh, I never finished it without the 2-up spamming.

Revenge is in my top 5 MD Games - I completed it back in the day eventually, the bloody labyrinth took me a while, and the last boss with the hair!

That revenge gif has blown my 8 year old mind

Shadow Dancer (MD)

So turns out this has much more in common gameplay wise with the original Shinobi than Revenge and III.

Simple stuff really, but it plays so well little else matters. Only real minor negatives are the length, graphics and sound.

When something is this fun it's always frustrating when there's so little of it. Another 3 levels or so with a password system would have been much welcomed.

The graphics and sound aren't bad, but this came out in 1990, one year after Revenge which is far superior in these departments. It has a bit of a budget feel to it unfortunately, the Mega Drive was more capable than what's on show.

There's a decent enough variety of enemies and the bosses are good for the most part, the difficulty curve feels spot on to, it's a tough game but very rewarding.

4/5

My Reviews

Shadow Dancer - Megadrive (40mins)

Smashed through this one with save states too.  It's quite simplistic, and the one hit kills yet infinite bumping-into-things doesn't system still strikes me as odd.  I borrowed this a couple of times and remember it being tough but doable.  There's nothing remarkable to anything on offer really, but it's a solid ninja platformer, and easily one of the better MD games available in 1990.  The magic is probably better implemented than in Shinobi and possibly Revenge, it's quite useful for certain points of each level and replenishes between stages.  The dog sic is quite handy too, rather than just being a redundant gimmick.  Overall good but not great - it would have dated fairly quickly but it's one of those games where the simplicity still manages to make it shine.  Loses ninja side scroller kudos points for the music being genuinely poor.  81%.

Moot_Geeza wrote:

GG Shinobi completed.  Took a lot longer than expected (dat final stage).  I've played it briefly a couple of times, probably got through all of the selectable levels at one point or another, but this was the first time I've seen the final level in all its frustrating glory.  I wonder how many kids fought with the bastardness of the level and dying batteries simultaneously.  I like the fact that 1-ups can be recollected, making an insanely tough level simply very tough for non SSS (save state spammers, lel).  I should probably hang my head a bit given that I was, exclusively, a Sega gamer up to 1997 or so (at least in my own house), yet I've never properly played this one.  In my defence the GBA was my first handheld.  I wasn't even aware of the differing ninja abilities, which works perfectly - they've even got their own set of magic attacks, some of which are needed to finish the game.  Thoroughly enjoyed this from start to finish, great tunes, tidy visuals and a well paced difficulty curve.  A well earned 90% from me, and it's left me wanting a Castlevania Rebirth style downloadable Shinobi update more than ever.

I enjoyed the Master System version of Shinobi as a kid, but some of the levels are a bit horrible these days - the medusa boss and some of the later stages where spinning ninjas bounce diagonally around the screen spring to mind.  It had to be finished on one life iirc, otherwise you'd lose the gun/chain/health boosts.  Then I got Revenge of Shinobi for my bday in 1992 (from a new classmate!  Getting moved from a rough school to a posh school was great!).  Revenge is the series highlight for me, but there's a case for III being a better game, and this one makes such a fantastic stab at doing something different I could see why someone might consider it the best in the series.  Anyone played the sequel?

I was one of those gg shinobi kids. Completed it too at the time but don't ask me how. My ninja skills aren't what they used to be when revisiting it on emulator.

Anyone ever try that PlayStation 2 3D one?

I tried MAME versions of Shinobi and Shadow Dancer. Shinobi I’m giving up on. It’s a lot like a side-scrolling shooter with its one hit deaths, and tricky enemy patterns that, while not completely requiring memorisation, really need the skills of a ninja. Too unforgiving really. Good though. I’m interested in the Sega ages version which lets you rewind and tweak the health.

About half way through Shadow Dancer and that’s picking up the difficulty now too. I played a fair amount of those two in the arcades and don’t recognise anything beyond the first level of each so don’t think I ever had the skills. I’m interested to see when bells stop ringing for me in Revenge because I really pumped the hours into that.

There was a 3DS game to, I was tempted with it years back but never found it at a decent price.

I've played Shinobi and Shadow Dancer this year, I don't wanna OD on the Ninja goodness so I'm gonna leave it there for now. I will return next year though, Revenge and III are on my gaming bucket list.

Cyber was an MS exclusive right? Bet it's not a patch on Alex Kidd in Shinobi World

I think Shinobi is in with a shout of a top 5 Sega IP for me. An update of sorts would be good, in the rebirth mould as mention by moot above would be preferable.

I could name a a few Sega IP's I'd like someone to give the Sonic Mania treatment to.

Owned Revenge back in the day on Mega Games II, it was always my least favourite on that cart. Even when I upgraded them to individual carts (because compilations - yuk) I never clicked with it.

In the early ebay boom I picked up III, but just looked at it admirably on the shelf like so many other games.

The first time I played it beyond testing if the cart worked was with you for a bit on Wii VC. We both loved what we played of it from what I remember but that was years before this thread gave us a kick up to bum.

Some scrolling beat 'em ups I've completed in the 52 games in a year thread:

Streets of Rage II (MD) 

Undoubtedly one of the better scrolling beat 'em ups.

It's an odd genre for me though. In the late 8-Bit and early 16-Bit days I absolutely loved them. Double Dragon 1/2, Golden Axe 1/2, Turtles in Time, Final Fight and the original SoR were all firm favourites.

Fundamentally this is a better game than all of those, but what hurt it for me back in the day is that it came out after Street Fighter II.

I pretty much lost interest in the genre overnight, as did everyone in my circle. We no longer wanted to clear the streets, it was all about Sonic Booms and Spinning Bird Kicks etc.

The biggest complement I can give this game is that it's one of only a handful of scrolling beat 'em ups I've played and enjoyed since, which includes SoR4. The reason for that is the quality shines through.

I'd honestly rather play a few of the aforementioned games over this, but it cant be argued that it was and still is one of the best examples of the genre.

5/5

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Captain Commando (Arcade)

Didn't enjoy this anywhere near as much as Moot. By 1991 there had already been a few superior scrolling beat em ups with deeper moves sets imo.

I just found it a bit dull and uninspired. There was times playing where I was punching air after the enemies had died because I was in a day dream just button mashing.

Is there such a thing as a bad co-op scrolling beat em up though? This is probably one of the worst I've played so I'm gonna say no... there isn't.

It's brainless fun, and there's far worse ways to kill an hour.

3/5  

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Knights of the Round (Arcade)

Another brainless scrolling beat em up from 1991. Again, there were far better examples of the genre by 1991.

The move set is once again is far to simple, but at least each of the three characters has a unique move. There's also a blocking/parry mechanic, but I struggled to get to grips with it tbh.

Then there's a levelling up system that increases your power and armour, but it's no River City Ransom.

Ultimately another forgettable game like Captain Commando, but mindless fun none the less.

3/5

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Warriors of Fate (Arcade)

Will basically echo what @Moot_Geeza said above. Whilst I did prefer this over Knights of the Round, it wasn't the night and day difference it was for him.

Just like Captain Commando, they're all ok. Forgetful and not worth returning to, but fine for a single playthrough.

3/5  

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Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja (Arcade)

Wow, this really is quite bad.

Best way to describe the basic gameplay would be Shinobi meets Double Dragon.

Like a typical arcade game this just throws enemies at you with a timer counting down to make you pump more quarters in.

It's all very basic and comes from a time when all we had at home was 8-Bit consoles or micros and were generally wowed at graphics like these in the arcade.

Oddly iconic, and was just about worth finishing to see President Ronnie enjoy his burger.

2/5

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Two Crude (Arcade) 

Slightly better than Bad Dudes Vs. DragonNinja, but ultimately still pish.

2/5 

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Splatterhouse (PC Engine)

Simple scrolling beat 'em up played on a single-plane, very much carries the DNA of Kung Fu Master.

It's superior to Bad Dudes VS Dragon Ninja and Two Crude imo, and as much as I'm a defender of Altered Beast, in 1990 I would have much rather had a PCE with this.

The atmosphere and comic gore do add to its charm, decent little game.

3/5

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Final Fight (Arcade)

One of the Grandaddies of the scrolling beat 'em up genre. Very basic in it's move set, but it's just so damn iconic it's hard not to love.

5/5

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Final Fight 2 (SNES)

Shows just how compromised the SNES port of the original was on a 8 Meg cart, the sequel does everything right and is exactly what the original should have been.

A good game but not quite as good as the arcade original.

4/5

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Final Fight 3 (SNES)

By 1996 the genre was on its arse and most people were playing Resident Evil from Capcom or Super Mario 64 on their Nintendo's, it was a relic on release.

Looking at it now though, it's arguably the pick of the bunch, the move set has been widely expanded with Street Fighter style Special and Super moves to boot.

Despite that, it's just lacks a certain something that made the original special.

4/5