86| Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master
Released: August 22nd, 1993
Definitive Version: Sega Mega Drive; Also on: PC, PS3, Xbox 360, Wii Virtual Console, PS2, 3DS eShop, PSP, iOS
During the 1980s and the early 1990s, Nintendo had a death grip on the video game market in North America. Competitors came and went as they continuingly got stomped by the Godzilla sized monster known as Nintendo. It wasn't until juggernaut arcade manufacturer Sega took them on with the Sega Genesis (known as Mega Drive everywhere else) that Nintendo's grip began to loosen. One of the main reasons why Sega was successful while noone else was revolved around the fact that the company perfectly predicted the market. The toddlers and tykes who began playing games with the NES due to a jumpy plumber with magical abilities were now tweens and teens, thus demanded something more edgy and mature. Sega recognized this and brillantly decided to release a more mature looking console that stood for realistic sports games and flashy action games rather than cutesy platformers. This worked so well to the point that the Sega Genesis actually old sold the successor of the NES, the Super Nintendo, in North America. This is something nobody would have predicted a few years earlier.
If one were to give a game as an example that would define this whole strategy, at least in terms of gearing up Sega's existing Japanese products to market toward Westerners, I would say Shinobi III would be the best example. Despite being Japanese up the ass with a Japanese style soundtrack, mechs, and even Godzilla, the game was very successful in the United States. This is because rather than being marketed like some '90s anime, it was marketed as a "cool violent ninja game". While the game technically fulfills those requirements as it is certainly cool, is violent enough to have blood (at times), and stars a ninja, it is much more than that. The game is arguably the greatest action sidescrolling game of its era. The reason for this is really nothing special as the game isn't particularly innovative or even unique for its time. It often holds this title due to its quality. For starters, the game feels great. Controlling the main character feels like actually controlling a ninja as they are equipped with shurikens, a long sword, and dive kicks. It may sounds simple, and it is, but it perfectly gets the job done. The beauty of this game is in its level design. From the enemy placements to the location of platforms, everything feels like it was meticulously placed to enhance your enjoyment. Add in multiple stages that add diversity such as a horse riding stage and a surf/hoverboard stage, and you have yourself a game that is paced well and is infinitely replayable. Shinobi III is pretty much the quietessential "Sega action game that you replay every week or so for the hell of it", and that's a title it deserves.
It's a little sad that the series went to the way side after this game's release. A Sega Saturn entry was made but had shitty digitized graphics and poor gameplay thus was panned. A Playstation 2 reboot of the series was released and actually managed to sell reasonably well and have a large following. Unforunately a direct sequel was released that didn't even have "Shinobi" in the title and bombed. The franchise was dormant for years until a 3DS entry was released which was met with slightly positive reviews. It's unfortuante that Sega hasn't been able to capitalize on the Shinobi franchise since the early '90s, but that is understandable as the series success was a product of its time. The Sega "cool" factor of the early '90s was a transition period for the gaming market rather than the end result..
The Sega cool factor became the Sony cool factor, with a lot more money and brains behind the marketing. Sony are like a Sega doppleganger. lol
The Shinobi games were awesome. Many great memories with them.
I loved the first Shinobi game I played in the arcades. There was really nothing like it. I became so good at it I was able to finish it without losing a single life and without using ninja power on most of the boss fights. I hated the one with the dog (Shadow Dancer or whatever it was called) and couldn't really get into any subsequent ones but that first one will always be magical in my mind.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shinobi_(video_game)
If you watcht he G4 Icons documentary, Sony focused marketing the Playstation to the specific age of nineteen years old. According to the marketing director or some other higher up, "if you are 13 years old you wish you were 19, if you were 30 years old you wish you were 19". This resulted in Sony being able to leap frog Sega as all of the teenagers who purchased a Genesis five or six years ago now wanted something even more edgy and mature. While the new teenagers "graduating" from a Nintendo console went to the Playstation instead as it was seen as even more mature or edgy than a Sega console. Nintendo was Disney. Sega was Toonami. Sony was MTV. Sega excelled at a particularly small demographic that could really go toward either system, and the Playstation's pletheora of game really made it obvious which decision they were going to go with. Simply having a ninja with exploding robots or having games with comic book characters in them was no longer cool. Cool was now playing an interactive R-rated movies as you fight to survive against zombies or playing a racing simulator where you "drive cars for real".
I loved the original Shinobi as well. I played Shinobi III a few times, but never really got into it though. I think by the time it came out I no longer cared about ninjas so much. Early 90's ninja burn-out reared its ugly head.
What if you're 19 years old?