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Sega/Shin Force > Systems > Sega Saturn > Games > Shin Shinobi Den
Shin Force ~ Shinobi ~
 Shin Shinobi Den / Shinobi Legions / Shinobi X Review
Shinobi
Sega Force Vault
02.02.1999
Reviewed
10.27.2007
Publisher
Sega (Japan)
Vic Tokai (USA)
Developer
Sega
Format
1x CD
Origin
Import / Domestic
Available
Jun. 30, 1995 (Japan)
May, 1996 (USA)
Exclusive
Yes
Difficulty
Adjustable
Dimensions
2D
View
Side
Genre
Action / Platform
Player(s)
1
Options
n/a
Requires
n/a
Importable
100%
Intro
     > Ahhh...  the Shinobi series goes way back to the System 16 arcade board and the 8 bit Master System.  The newest incarnation is on the Dual 32 bit monster -- aka the Sega Saturn.  Titled Shin Shinbi Den, this game originally came out in the summer of 1995 (in Japan), then about a year later in the USA as Shinobi Legions.  Europe and Australia know it as Shinobi X. 

     > The story is simple... Shinobi's brother, Kazuma, has kidnapped their sister and Shinobi must save her from certain doom.  The game is a horizontal/vertical scrolling, 2D action wonder.

     > There are only a few insignificant differences between the Japanese and American versions.  Mainly, the American version is short a few FMV scenes.  Other than that, the game is 100% importable for those who need to know.
Graphics
     > The series 2D heritage stays intact with Shinobi Legions.  What you'll see is a combination of digitized backgrounds and characters which is really done well here.  The backgrounds usually have multiple scrolling layers which adds depth.  One neat effect is the blood squirting after you've sliced an enemy in two!  Even the character animation is great considering this was a first round title.  However, my favorite effect is the digitized looking flame explosions which are present throughout the game. 

     >  Shinobi Legions has some familiar locales and some new ones.  There a nine levels and they include a bamboo forest, biological factory, redwood forest and mining cave.  Of course, the usual round up of nasty bosses has to be dealt with at the end of each round.
Control
     > First, I'll tell you the button layout.  You have Shurikin, Slice/repel, Jump/double jump, thunder dragon attack and defend.  In addition, there are plenty of techniques and moves to learn such as running, crouching, sanaku jump and hassou sanaku jump -- to name a few.  Along the way there are power-ups to be collected like small/large life, small/large shurikin, Bishamon Katana and Thunder Dragon.  When you put all this together, you get excellent gameplay which is the hallmark of Sega consoles, and an excellent carryover to Shinobi III.
Sound
     > The music is barely average.  It's a mix of AM2-like arcade music with ninja-esque melodies.  The effects are decent and include sword slashing, explosions, bazooka firing and hit moans.  The FMVs have decent enough sounds, but the story they tell is the real draw.
Fun
     > Shinobi Legions shines in the fun department.  The game combines great 2D graphics and gameplay which will keep you intrigued to the end.  Action games haven't gotten much better than this.
Bottom Line
     > Take the character Shinobi...  put in digitized 2D graphics...  create an FMV storyline...  add tons of excellent gameplay with mediocre sound and you have the best Shinobi game of the series.  Shinobi Fans surely already have this game, but anyone looking for some great 2D ninja action can pick this up inexpensively...
Ratings
Overall: 8.5 | Graphics: 8.5 | Control: 9.5 | Sound: 7.0 | Fun: 9.0
~ Shinobi ~
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