The Revenge of Shinobi

"I don't like it, but maybe you should try it anyway."

Because I'm reviewing 6pak and all of its games, I feel I must review Revenge of Shinobi. But what did our parents instill in us as kids? "If you can't say something nice, don't say anything at all or the fanboys will be all over you like stink on a turd." Well, thanks, mom. I'll do just like ya taught me. I'm really only going to be nice because I can't do a James Rolfe style review of it lest I risk a violation of ToS.

Sound: Well... at least the music is pretty good. From what I understand, this was a launch title for the Genesis, so it set the bar rather high for the musical capabilities of the system.

Graphics: The graphics are fairly good. The color pallette seems a bit stale. I wish the colors would pop out more, but it's not like they're gonna go back and fix it for one guy that doesn't even like the game.

Alright... As far as looks and sound go, this game is great considering it came out in 89. The music is extremely catchy and the graphics are decent, but the gameplay... Dear evil Jesus is the gameplay ever bad.

Gameplay: First off, it's a platformer and a sidescroller. This is proof that just because you have a tried and true game formula, that doesn't mean it's gonna turn out good. Even grandma burns a few cookies now and then. In any platformer, you can expect to jump, right? In this game, you'll definitely have to jump, the question is: "Will you make it?" When you get shot with throwing stars every time you get two inches off the ground, it makes it kinda hard to progress. Not to mention that the only decent way to eliminate the enemies on the screen is to sacrifice a life. THE GAME TEACHES KIDS TO BE SUICIDE BOMBERS! Where are Hillary and the rest of the anti-game politicos on this one? Oh well... I wouldn't wish that on any game.

Summary: I suppose I should say at least give it a try. Regardless of my opinions, you should at least try any game. You can get it as a stand alone cartridge for the Genesis or in 6pak. It was also released on a game collection for the Dreamcast.

5 out of 10 Poptarts

Reviewer's Score: 5/10, Originally Posted: 08/30/07