sondi
BACKER
2010
2007
2005
2018
An incredible story bolted down by some modern gaming tropes. The combat and presentation is still top of its class compared to its contemporaries, but the gearscore-ification of a classical action adventure series doesn't do it any favors. Ignoring these open world and RPG elements, you have a fun action game with a great story once again.
2001
2002
If you can get over the sluggish controls and frustrating platforming over insta death pits, Shinobi is a stylish game with a gameplay loop that never gets old to execute. Personally, the controls fought against me more than helped me succeed. The good parts of this game are overshadowed by the very serious negatives.
2014
2023
Now that recency bias has worn off, I can reflect on this game better. My initial praises are still valid, though with caveats: The combat is amazing, though shallow once you dive deeper into it. Character building is almost nonexistent since there is no real investment in a specific skill with quick respecing. While I still really love the story of this game for the more mature tone, at many points I felt it dragged on a little too long.
The graphics are gorgeous and some of these set pieces are some of the best I've seen, but the world is forgettable. Littered with many lifeless NPCs and side quest that didn't flesh out the world as much as I would hope, Along with the "Open Zone' design, I didn't feel a connection to the world as much as I felt to the characters changing it.
The graphics are gorgeous and some of these set pieces are some of the best I've seen, but the world is forgettable. Littered with many lifeless NPCs and side quest that didn't flesh out the world as much as I would hope, Along with the "Open Zone' design, I didn't feel a connection to the world as much as I felt to the characters changing it.
1999
2011