This Way Back Wednesday I go back to an arcade game that I could never get too far on when I was kid. In my local mall there was an arcade I would always go to, and the first game I always played was Shinobi. I gave myself a limit of $1, which was four continues on Shinobi, because each continue was 25 cents. I remember going through the the first level with somewhat ease but then always dying at the boss, even when I used my ninja skill. When the game came out on Xbox 360 I figured I may become better with age, but I was still as horrible. So I decided to take one more crack at it, with the ability to have infinite continues, and see just how far I could get.
I’m not going to lie to you, even with infinite continues if there is a part you can’t pass then it’s something you can’t pass. I was well ready to breeze past this game using my new infinite quarter power, but it turns out there is a part on the second level that just pissed me off so much I gave up. The first level came with a few deaths and the boss took me two times to beat him, but the precision shot you need to hit some of these enemies is ridiculous. The game was suppose to be cool and a quarter eater, and it lived up it’s purpose, but some of these attack points you have to hit require time. I have no problem with spending a little time trying to hit an enemy, but each level also has a time limit so you have to move quickly. The game has you portraying a ninja, but that doesn’t mean you also have lighting fast reflective fingers that can jump and throw a projectile at the exact moment on your first try. There are plenty of times I threw a projectile just to see it fly right above an enemy as they lie down and take a shot at me with their slow moving bullets. Much like in Street Fighter 2, a perfectly timed slow projectile attack is just as important as one with speed. This rule comes into part when enemies are throwing swords, or shooting guns at you. You are able to see bullet come near you, but if you time your jump or duck wrong it’ll hit you and this is a one hit kill game.
This game is both as fun and frustrating as it was when I was younger and I probably won’t go back to play it again, maybe if you want to see a let’s play with me getting frustrated I’ll give it another go. I cut out the deaths and the whole second mission where I died so please enjoy what looks like a flawless run on the first level