The Japanese version identifies him as Joe Musashi's estranged son Hayate ( 疾風), while the English language manual identifies him as Joe Musashi himself coming out of retirement. The game was remade for the Mega Drive/Genesis under the title Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, with the protagonist's identity differing between regions. The ninja and his dog must disarm various time bombs spread across an unnamed metropolis that were planted by a terrorist group. In the arcade version of Shadow Dancer, Joe Musashi is replaced by a nameless new ninja and his canine companion as the game's protagonists. When Neo Zeed returns in Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master, Musashi comes out of retirement one last time and destroys them for good.
With his master assassinated and his girlfriend Naoko kidnapped by the enemy, Musashi swears revenge, and in the ensuing battles through a series of locations in Japan and America, as chronicled in The Revenge of Shinobi, all but annihilates Neo Zeed. His peaceful existence in the mountains of Japan is shattered when the ninja crime syndicate Zeed rises to power and attempts to revert Japan into the Sengoku period of civil war when the ninja thrived.Īfter being defeated by Musashi in the original Shinobi, Zeed reforms three years later as Neo Zeed and attacks the Oboro clan directly. In the manual of The Revenge of Shinobi, Musashi's backstory is told as that of a weak boy who first entered the dojo of the Oboro clan at a young age and gradually, through tireless practice and meditation, worked himself up to become the most skilled and respected ninja of his clan. His name is a combination of both an archetypical Western first name and Japanese last name, Musashi likely being derived from the legendary Japanese swordsman Miyamoto Musashi. The titular character of Shinobi (the original Japanese word for " ninja") is most commonly associated with that of Joe Musashi, the protagonist of the original arcade game and many of its sequels. 4.8 Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (1993).4.4 Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi (1990).The Shinobi franchise sold more than 4.60 million copies. The series' games are a showcase of Sega's technical accomplishment, noted for their high quality of graphics, gameplay and music, as well as their high level of difficulty.
Along with Alex Kidd and Sonic the Hedgehog, Joe Musashi has long been one of Sega's flagship characters, acting as a mascot for a short time in the late 1980s when the ninja boom was in full force. The first Shinobi game was released in 1987 for arcades and has since featured in a dozen other Shinobi titles. The ninja ( shinobi) Joe Musashi is the protagonist of the original series of games ( Shinobi to Shinobi III). Shinobi ( 忍 SHINOBI) is a series of hack-and-slash action video games created by Sega.
Shadow the Hedgehog statue announced by First 4 Fi.The logo from Shinobi (2002) bears the shinobi kanji (in red) that adorns every title in the seriesĪrcade, Amiga, Amstrad CPC, Atari ST, Commodore 64, IBM PC, Nintendo Entertainment System, PC Engine, Master System, ZX Spectrum, MSX, Sega Genesis, Mega-Tech, mobile device, Sega Game Gear, Virtual Console, Microsoft Windows, iPhone, Nintendo eShop, Sega Saturn, PlayStation 2, Xbox 360, Wii, Nintendo 3DS.Hardcore Gaming 101 presents Sega Arcade Classics.Grabbed my copy, will show photos and review it when it arrives! UPDATE: It's out! You can get it from the following: Oh yeah and while you're at it go get Sonic & All-Stars Racing Transformed, which just released here today.
Hopefully the "volume 1" is an indication they have a 2nd volume in the works if this one sells well, so get on it! The book will be available to pre-order on Amazon (no link yet) sometime in December, with a $10 black and white version and a $25 full colour version, as well as a Kindle release for just $5. Loving the inclusion of Dynamite Dux, the Quartlet gang and even Teddy Boy there! Of particular note is the beautiful cover art by none over than Jonathan "Persona" Kim, who is most well known for working on the Scott Pilgrim game and Skullgirls, and has done plenty of Sega fan art over the years.
As far as I can tell the book will also go into these games console ports and spin offs. The English release of the History of Sonic book is due sometime in December, but at the same time we now have another Sega book to look forward to! Hardcore Gaming 101 has revealed Sega Arcade Classics Volume 1, which will contain articles about the best Sega franchises that started in the 80s, including Space Harrier, Alex Kidd, Shinobi, After Burner, Outrun, Wonder Boy and many more.