Hello everyone, as most of you know, I really love Ninjas, including the ones featured in video games. Well, I think one of the earliest Ninja games I remember playing was Shinobi which was released in the arcades and I believe it was also made for one of Sega's first video game systems prior to the Genesis. Well, this game was released in 1987 and I can still remember playing it when I was very young, although back then I had a hard time getting past the first stage. Well years later, I was able to purchase the Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for the Playstation 3 and it turns out that Shinobi for the arcade was an unlockable game. Well, this time I was determined to beat the game, and although it took me awhile, and I cheated a little, I was able to finally finish the game. I really enjoyed the bonus stages in which several ninjas jump at you, and you have to hit them with your shurikens, and if you are able to defeat all of them, you get an extra life. I also liked the fact that you can upgrade your shurikens to a weapon that looks like a gun if you are able to get a power-up. I have to say that the game was somewhat short, but it was all worth it at the end, I was able to defeat a Japanese demon-like creature and finish the game. I also have Shinobi II but unfortunately, I was not able to finish it, but maybe I will go ahead and give it a try. I would say that although Shinobi may not have been all that popular, it was a great game, and I think for me, when I was able to play the remake of the Ninja Gaiden series, I still can remember Sega's own ninja, which was Shinobi.
*The above photo was found on http://www.wikipedia.org