Shinobi: The Complete History - SGR [RE-UPLOAD]

[@MurderMostFowl]

The opening title animation of Revenge of Shinobi for MD/Genesis with the sword deflecting the throwing stars was jaw dropping to me as a kid

[@TheDecline99]

One of the best games I've ever played.

[@rickymaru6456]

*Ting Ting* Lol

[@tatumdeshawn4237]

instablaster...

[@videogamemusicrenditionsby7625]

Likewise!

[@JetSetWealthStyle-1973]

Funny because i was more impressed with how sweet that thunder sound. That was bad assed Christmas of 1989 lol.

[@utm4638]

"Shinobi 3" is one of the best games I've played on any system. Extremely playable, gorgeous, and challenging as well! Never regretted a single second spent on it. 💖

[@slopesgameroom]

I was always a revenge of shinobi guy but I do love shinogi free to blown away when I played it actually

[@NPazable]

I had a handful of second hand genesis games when I was a kid, and Shinobi 3 was by far my favorite, to the point where it was the only game for the system I've ever beaten. I went to RoS later on and realized just how much I relied on the run/slash attack. It wasn't a bad game but I did have to go back to 3

[@videogamemusicrenditionsby7625]

And the soumdtrack is fantastic!

[@Swift19850]

It’s been 25 years and I’m still waiting for Shinobi 4 to come out

[@Dorelaxen]

Revenge of Shinobi is one of my all time favorite games, and I'm lucky enough to have the first version released in NA. It was so damn surreal fighting against all the licensed characters, not knowing back then that none of them actually WERE licensed.

[@thegreathadoken6808]

I suppose most of us around at all back then were young and naive enough that we weren't particularly aware of copyright and licensing anyway. Probably wondered why all video games didn't have Batman and the Terminator as bosses in them.

[@Dorelaxen]

That's a fair point. Ignorance is bliss, so they say. The innocence of childhood. We'd sit and watch wrestling, all these guys presented to us as these larger than life heroes, only to find out later in life that most of them were real shitbags in reality. Sitting and playing a game for hours on end, blissfully unaware that it was actually awful (Pac-Man on the 2600 comes to mind...). I think it's part of why many of us now spend our adult lives trying to go back to our childhoods.

[@thegreathadoken6808]

Duuuuude, the hours I put into my emulators trying to capture that spark, that magical feeling of playing a brilliant new video game back in the day. I think the last time I genuinely and unmistakably had that feeling of magic was possibly when I bought my Xbox on release day with Halo. Or perhaps it was before that with FFVII or Gran Turismo. It was long ago, anyway. I only really hear echoes of the awesomeness I used to feel from these games. It usually takes upgrading a GPU or something to get genuinely childishly excited now.

[@Dorelaxen]

Haha, I hear that. I did recently play a game that came out last year that really got me in that kind of mood again. Really ignited that spark in me, like the first time I played Full Throttle or Day of the Tentacle. An indie game called Night in the Woods. A friend of mine told me about it, and from his description, I could not have imagined I was going to experience something as great as it was. Another thing I hate about modern gaming is the music. It's mostly just ambient noise, or vague orchestrations. Nothing I would ever listen to outside of the game. Night in the Woods? The soundtrack is absolutely BRILLIANT. It's not got so much in the way of "game" to it, it's more akin to the old point and click or text adventures of old, but hey, I love point and click games.

[@thegreathadoken6808]

@@Dorelaxen I was lucky enough to be given an Amiga 500 for Christmas, 1986. Computer would have costed around £600-£650. With the games I was given too? Maybe £800. That would be comfortably over $1000, maybe close to $1500. I was 8 years old! Damn lucky. Anyway, I say all that to show you where Amiga was in the gaming pyramid back then...right at the very top. The Rolls-Royce. Like the equivalent of being 8 and being given a gaming PC with an i9 processor, 64GB DDR4 RAM, and twin RTX titans. So I had a fucking blast, it was just a magical, magical time. My folks were just as amazed by what this thing could do as I was. I had Sublogic Flight Simulator 2, Defender of the Crown which was an absolutely legendary game of it's day, a few others but also 2 games from Sierra Online; Kings Quest: To Heir Is Human, and Leisure Suit Larry in the Land of the Lounge Lizards. Point and click was practically my introduction to top flight gaming. Haven't really found a point and clicker that won me over since a couple of the Broken Sword games back on the PlayStation, thrn another one on the Xbox.

[@Tempora158]

30:40 "Kunoichi" is not the name of the character, just like "shinobi" is not the name of the shinobi in Shinobi. The name of the kunoichi in Nightshade/Kunoichi is Hibana.

[@MrZillas]

Kunoichi is just a female ninja

[@technosis9094]

Played them all, but that third one for the Genesis was my fav. That music, good Lord. Just makes u want to keep going.

[@jamcalx]

GG Shinobi 2: the silent fury was my first ninja videogame. That and Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles was my intro to ninja fiction and interest in learning real world ninja history. Also, the "Wingbat" is actually based Go Nagai's 70's horror superhero Shonen protagonist DevilMan.

[@cowboyredux9081]

“Which I played on, you guessed it, the Amstrad CPC 464.” ... I did not guess it...

[@TheWiddaC]

Not only is that the terminator it's also the hulk

[@eval_is_evil]

That's japanese humour for you

[@ansonpayne1410]

Yep

[@Kullen64]

You actually CAN play as Joe in Shinobi on PS2 :)

[@neoqwerty]

It's just really hard to unlock him, but... Worth it, honestly.

[@rikhorror]

Hello ! I've been digging into your "complete history" series, incredibly interesting for sure! Such depth for each video and tons of knowledge. Video games were huge during my life into the early 90s, SEGA master system, Mega drive, the NES, super nintendo, oh those days!! I'm glad to learn so much about them ... 25 years later. Thank you very much!

[@HunterForHire422]

The ps2 games are some of my favorite games ever made. Growing up with Shinobi created my love and addiction to challenging combat games like bloodborne, my all time favorite game

[@neogenesis7706]

Shadow dancer genesis is my fav. And i have all 3 games.

[@patricklacey4946]

That soundtrack was an instant classic

[@niemand7811]

I started to play some of the games, the Aracade Shinobi as well as Revenge of Shinobi and Shinobi III from the Sega Genesis Collection, and have not been let down. Just the opposite. Rewatching this video now makes me realise why you are such a fan of this franchise. I see it now.

[@jaganshi5444]

Shinobi III is my shit, I've been able to beat it on expert no deaths since childhood. Favorite game of all time hands down

[@facadeESEA]

one of my favorite series of all time... shinobi 3 is still a fantastic game, aged perfectly.

[@videogamemusicrenditionsby7625]

A master piece!

[@johnathangodbolt]

There are a couple of these that I never knew about. And while Shinobi III : Return of the Ninja Master will always be my favorite in the series, they all collectively are fantastic. Great work on the excellent review/look-back of the series!

[@thegreathadoken6808]

"When you take away all the bad games, what you have left is a bunch of good games". Well yeah... Shinobi games ARE generally decent though, I know what you meant.

[@jedoled]

Shinobi 3ds is a Master-Piece. You must own it!!! Great video! You sold me Shinobi Ps2, just need to find it now... Shinobi is a big chunk of Playhistory.

[@GiordanDiodato]

Shinobi PS2 is on PSN on both PS3 and PS4, so... it's easy to find.

[@gr00vinRuben]

Best game ever on playstaion

[@HunterForHire422]

Favorite game ever made

[@zeeke.tv_4842]

I love these videos so much. I always look forward to another upload

[@kouuraki494]

I grew up with Revenge of Shinobi on PC in Sega Smash Pack 2. I never got very far, but that opening screen and the music hits me hard with nostalgia.

[@CorruptionDee]

Shinobi 1987, System 16 arcade version, is my favorite game of all time. The reason being is that I remember being 6 and 7 years old playing the game in my NYC corner store. It was the first time I've ever seen such an awesome ninja game. How much did I love the game? I was completely dissatisfied with ALL home ports, so at 17 I bought a JAMMA arcade machine, System 16 adapter, and the Shinobi arcade board. Well worth it.

[@riggel8804]

Dee Jimenez. Can you one life clear it? I spent about a week on it and found the later stages to be too hard for me to attempt a one life clear and i was left wondering if it was even possible. It didn't seem to be too heavy on the rng if i remember right.

[@CorruptionDee]

NiggelMyNiggel Nah. I wish. If anything, I've actually gotten worse since I haven't played it much anymore and it requires cat-like reflexes.

[@riggel8804]

Dee Jimenez yeah it's really hard. The turbografx 16 port is really close to the arcade and it is a little easier i think. You don't get infinite lives but other than that it's easier

[@technosis9094]

Nice.

[@bojackson3073]

Just so you know how awesome this series is... i'm very careful with who i sub to, these complete histories (even for games i never even played) have kept me up late the past 2 nights. so you have been added to my sub list. i LOVE information, Gaming Historian is in my top 5 favorite KZbinrs. keep making these please! im gonna run out soon!

[@shanaenaeshanaenae9400]

Oh good. You gave the 3ds version some love! I really love that one. I got it used for almost nothing. The guy at the classic game store was surprised. He said that same cart had been returned four times, and that people said it was too hard. So it had sat on the shelf for a couple years. Perfect for me though! I love mastering ninja games. Shinobi 3 and ninja gaiden black being my favorite ninja games of all time.

[@sirwilhelmh.y9749]

Great Vids, your quality is amazing! Thank you by the way, I was worried a "Chuck Norris" meme would get dropped around 13:00

[@MaddSweetGT500]

I really enjoyed Shinobi Legions. It was a bit hard but very good game imo. Especially with the FMV ... I still love that stuff.

[@StrifeLightning]

You are my hero I have been trying to remember the name of Rolling Thunder for Years! I used to play it all the time as a kid it was an awesome game.

[@crait]

Dude, Shinobi is great. I loved the second one for the Game Gear that I had as a child.

[@jeremycronic]

17:56 Shinobi 3! Used play this as a kid on the Sega Nomad. Great video

[@distane8376]

I just bought the Mega Drive/Genesis classics and I am using his videos as a type of companion series while I play the games. I love it. Giving the games historical context helps me appreciate them more.

[@Kali-Yuga-Peace-Corp]

Every single time I see videos like this I think it is that overview Ninja Game with the great music, that I never remember the name of.

[@fortnitereplays7389]

that version of shinobi has a cheat code for unlimited shurikens.

[@RaikenXion]

This was really insightful, ive still got the triple pk Revenge of Shinobi, Golden Axe and Streets of Rage on the Mega Drive, and i got those games all over again when i bought the Ultimate Mega Drive Collection on PS3, i actually feel like playing revenge of Shinobi all over again now after watching this, and im gonna keep a look out for that Shinobi game on 3DS.

[@natejoe9924]

Shinobi is a really good game I really like that game

[@MrThunderwing]

My second complete watch through of this video. You did a damn good job here Dan, Joe Musashi would be proud!

[@grimp7346]

Quite the surprise dropped yesterday at the game awards and lemme tell you…

[@ordohereticus3427]

The Game Gear Shinobi titles are classics. They really pushed the system and captured a console-trier experience. Shame for the battery life, though. Lol.

[@Locke5413]

And then, a new Shinobi has been announced. Hype.

[@antlion9397]

Thank you for bringing light to this underrated franchise

[@moviemetalhead]

Far from underrated

[@vincenzochianese9378]

It's not underrated, it's only forgotten

[@mrf19741]

The Original Arcade Version is my All-time Favorite.

[@CorruptionDee]

Awesome video by the way. You really did your homework. I can only imagine how difficult it was compiling the information and footage.

[@pv8685]

a shinobi complete history.... damn slope you really are not scared of work. great video. you are simply one of the best entertainers alive! i fell in love with your stuff when i have seen the thing on a spring review but this here is whole new level of reviews / complete historys. thumbs up!

[@slopesgameroom]

Huge thanks mate :D working on another as we speak / a very big one

[@pv8685]

@@slopesgameroom nice. Cant wait to see it. ☺

[@mopbrothers]

Revenge of Shinobi will always be my favorite Ninja game. It’s polished and memorable, though extremely hard.

[@RLKDragon]

I've only ever played Shinobi and Shadow Dancer on the arcade, as Galloping Ghost arcade in Chicago has them. I immediately fell in love with the two, with such unique easy to play yet hard to master level design, allowing for chances to improve on tactics and points.

[@alexanderboone2517]

This is hands down best Shinobi history video out there to date.

[@slopesgameroom]

Thanks mate, really appreciate it

[@magne7771]

BRO I always thought that was 'robot hulk', instead of 'the terminator' how did I MISS that

[@STP.83]

The Revenge of Shinobi is one of my favorite video games of all time, played it over and over in the 90th. I also like most of the other Shinobi games.

[@Marc_Araujo]

Shinobi III is the best in the series imo and the second-best game on the Genesis, behind Sonic 3 & Knuckles.

[@zeromusura3497]

As always great work. Love in general the shinobi games!

[@GALLAGHER88]

I was a big fan of the ps2 Shinobi games, and yes they were EXTREMELY difficult. In the ps2 Shinobi you can unlock Hotsuma's brother, Moritsune(if I spelt it correctly). In Nightshade you actually start out playing as Hibana, however you can unlock Hisui(the blue Kunoichi with the umbrella as shown in this video) as well as Hotsuma(from the ps2 Shinobi, if you have a completed game file from Shinobi on your memory card) as playable characters. Now the BIG tie in that I loved with these games is if you completely 100% ps2 Shinobi, Joe Musashi will also become playable in the game AND if you have that 100% Shinobi file on your memory card, Joe Musashi is also playable in Nightshade as well. I had too much time on my hands as a teenager lol. Was this stuff hard to do, yes indeed but my god was it was amazing to see my old favorite ninja in new age games at the time.

[@bischoffdev]

The two GG Shinobi games have a special place in my gamer heart. Now I want to buy a Game Gear again...

[@StarDragonJP]

Of course you gotta show the Shinobi PS2 commercial, I still remember seeing that on TV. Fun fact, that's the guy that played Hiro Nakamura in Heroes playing on the arcade

[@mankeyteal9880]

Thanks for this! Cheers from Brazil!🐦

[@HybridAngelZero]

I actually played Shinobi III for the first time only a few years ago and it just wowed me. The game is just a beautiful work of art. Also, Hotsuma, the protagonist of the 2002 PS2 game, is a party member in the 3DS tactical RPG Project X Zone 2

[@StarDragonJP]

Even though I never played the PS2 Shinobi, I always remembered that commercial

[@HunterForHire422]

SHINOBI'S BACK!

[@jjthecat9692]

The soundtrack for Revenge of Shinobi is such a banger. Extremely underrated.

[@104d_3rr0r_vince]

Shinobi is in my top 5 list of all times. Especially the CPC version with that mustache hero.

[@inglesemmovimento3895]

Fantastic video. One of the most important games of my infancy

[@AnthonyRiddle]

I still can't believe that Sega never ported the first Shinobi to the Genesis

[@totalnonstopwillsinn]

Shinobi on sega genesis was freakin dope, with all the those character appearances and fresh ass visuals...thanks for bringing back the memories.

[@LawgSkrak]

Hey look who that is in the Shinobi PS2 commercial! 😮😊

[@justinmartin8543]

Joe Musashi Shinobi Hayate Shadow Dancer Sho Shinobi Legions Hotsuma Shinobi 2002 Hibana Nightshade Funoka Shinobi 2

[@swamdono]

I just want to remind everyone who's played Revenge of Shinobi of the labyrinth stage pre-internet. I'll see you in the psychiatrists waiting room.

[@Crowquilll]

That brought on one of those "Leave the Genesis on for days" moments. Pause to go to sleep and school and then pick it back up the next afternoon. Not only did you need to figure out which doors to take, you needed to also dodge doors. About the time you have it figured out you accidentally hit a door and have to navigate back again. Made the final boss pretty anticlimactic.

[@rodneybrett5088]

Nightshade/Kunoichi is still one of my all time favorite PS2 games. I like it even better than the Shinobi game on PS2. The sequel really perfected the "tate" chain combo system and even though the game was Dark Souls hard before that was even a term, it was incredibly rewarding to successfully tate enemies to the point in which you could take out a boss in one or two hits.

[@GiordanDiodato]

it's the same for Shinobi on PS2.

[@HunterForHire422]

Both are fantastic games that are criminally underrated

[@sombra1111]

Not enough likes in this awesome video. Outstanding job.

[@hypojames]

Shinobi 3 was and is phenomenal, the soundtrack is absolutely top notch. Revenge of Shinobi is a close 2nd, again absolutely amazing soundtrack and excellent gameplay.

[@l30S3UX]

Shinobi 3DS had pretty good gameplay, very fun to master it and it moves like a ninja, it also have nonsensical story and unexplainable dark graphics ; almost too hard too see and surely hard to sell

[@GiordanDiodato]

It's too bad it got shitcanned in sales. It's definitely a great game.

[@bjraleigh1439]

Hopefully a big return when a new installment hits. Definitely need to play the ps2 titles again.

[@vallaurianv6024]

Amazing video and amazing series. Only topped by Ninja Gaiden as the world’s best ninja series - 1 and 2 on Xbox and 360 are unbeatable

[@jtheurp9101]

Shinobi the silent fury, or as it is called in Germany, Shinobi silent but deadly

[@davidedema7641]

Yaaaaay!!! The master system shinobi was the first version I ever played and I remember playing it religiously. Also being confused why the max power up was a gun when you're a ninja 😂 revenge of shinobi on the mega drive (genesis) was my next love of the series 😍

[@DaNargh42]

Must've had the second or third revision of Revenge of Shinobi. I remember spiderman but it was definitely the bat demon afterwards

[@arvinbautista4287]

Shinobi and Nightshade on the PS2 are big favorites of mine! I skipped over Shinobi on the 3DS since I was late to the 3DS. I'll have to pick it up with your recommendation!

[@PhillyReese215]

Marvel vs capcom complete history please

[@Asterion608]

What was once the original and greatest videogame crossover now turned into complete shit due the Total Incompetence and supidity of both companies. THe complete history, here you have it.

[@nexusofice9135]

Why not a complete (VS CAPCOM) history in general? Capcom vs SNK was great. As well as SNK vs Capcom. Tatsunoko vs Capcom was a wonderful game as well. The list goes on.

[@Premium_Water]

Spiderman is Batman I KNEW IT!

[@alexdoe6338]

Great recap. Any chance you can do a history of the Shinobi STORY (if there even is enough material for an origins and more in-depth plot background)

[@KnjazNazrath]

I feel like we're close to either a new release or the death of the series. Cheers for giving me an excuse to get my StC Shinobi poster out of storage and finally get it framed some time soon.

[@cesarhernandez6861]

Whirlwind is THEE best music track of Shinobi 3 and possibly the entire series!

[@TheGamingCircle]

Shinobi on the master system was my first console gaming experience so this game can never be forgotten i used to love it and still do:-))

[@jakehands]

Even after 30 years of playing of game, I still return to Revenge of Shinobi and complete it once more.

[@riggel8804]

Thanks dude just finished off the wizards and warriors series and have been looking for a new game. Maybe give this one a try

[@grumpyoldwizard]

I felt like I accomplished something when I beat the Genesis Revenge of Shinobi with no cheats. It was darn hard.

[@disturbedrebirth]

I loved the PS2 Shinobi. Kunoichi was okay too, but not as hard.

[@stevenyanis9051]

14:39 the hulk?

[@RobM42]

Only ever played the original Shinobi on the master system, but it was a awesome game.

[@TaylorZanderFrancis]

Yeah, even though the final boss was an absolute tease.

[@GiordanDiodato]

forgot to mention that Shinobi X's (Europe only) soundtrack was done by Richard Jacques, the composer behind Sonic 3D Blast/Flicky Island on Saturn and (most infamously) Sonic R. and it's AMAZING. The reason is kinda funny. Apparently the CEO of Sega of Europe didn't like the original soundtrack, so he had Richard Jacques make new music for the game. Though I think it was just a stab from Sega of Europe to Sega of Japan, since SOE was pissed with SOJ in the 90s.

[@RUOK2000]

My nostalgia goggles working over time on the Cyber Shinobi, 7 year old me played it to death!

[@nikolasmace9845]

Can you look at GODZILLA Video Games??????????????

[@moviemetalhead]

Hopefully he does upload a video of him just staring at Godzilla games.

[@pferreira1983]

He covered Godzilla in this video (wink).

[@pferreira1983]

@@moviemetalhead That would make Nikolas Mace proud, ahahahahahaha!

[@DocDelray]

I spoiled myself on the series and played number three first. Grew up an SNES kid but as far as Sega goes this was top tier in my mind.

[@kutulukutu]

We all read that stuff, Mr. Ibbertson. All of us.

[@chainmaro1637]

The ps2 shinobi you can play as joe musashi if you collect 40 oboro clan coins

[@kingstarscream3807]

I could never do it. Collecting 40 Oboro coins meant beating the game on expert difficulty and I couldn't defeat the wizard at the end. It's barely manageable on normal. Such precision and skill required to beat a game is unheard of nowadays.

[@chainmaro1637]

@@kingstarscream3807 talk about ninja gaiden on steroids

[@mickael486]

Is there a collection or a Sega Ages release of the Arcade version of Shadow Dancer anywhere?? I'm guessing no. Just like with Golden Axe II Revenge of Death Adder. 😪

[@koreysmith4874]

i just subbed. never played Shinobi (other than the ps2) but now i want to. you shpuld do Ninja Gaiden games next. love Ryu Hayabusa!!

[@looselygaming6130]

shinobi 3 is STILL an GREAT game to play that is so entertaining and challenging

[@GeorgeBeckwith-k3u]

Loved playing the old shinobi games, got shinobi for ps2, the only ninja games i play shinobido n shinobi, loved revenge of shinobi on mega drive

[@MurderMostFowl]

Not shinobi related, but the Master System game Kenseiden to me is one of the greatest most underrated games of all time

[@ansonpayne1410]

Excellent video!

[@MarkO-ul5hv]

Great Video really enjoyed it

[@cameronwyda6672]

Sega didn't run out to get the Spiderman license so he could appear as a boss in Revenge of Shinobi, they had the license for another game: Spider-Man, released in 1990. So, they simply used that.

[@justincredible9672]

No one reads that stuff it was my first time 3ver reading the footnotes on videos lots of good info great video keep it coming