Exactly what I've been thinking lately while playing through the games. I think the first two entries may be a bit too demanding for a lot of people, you have to re-start them from the beginning a ton of times to learn how to beat them (especially Revenge). No passwords or infinite continues like in the Castlevania series, for example. For me the challenge is a big part of why I love even the rather unfairly designed Revenge.
I just think people showed a lack of interest in it past this game in all honesty. I love Shinobi legions but it was stuck on the Saturn with a weird graphical choice, Shinobi for ps2 had some success but nightshade unfortunately did not. Then Shinobi 3d for 3ds bombed which is unfortunate because once again it’s a good game. The franchise unfortunately tried to continue for years but people just weren’t interested anymore
Back in the day, my friend owed someone some weed money, so he offered to sell me Shinobi 3, Street Fighter Champion Edition, both CIB, and a loose cart of Streets of Rage 1 for $20. Totally worth it for me. I hope it was good weed.
Played this one for the first time a couple of years ago and absolutely loved it. Easily one of the best action platformers of its era, it can even go toe to toe with the best of the Castlevania series. An absolute classic.
I also compared this game to the best of the Castlevania series without having first read your comment, I'm glad you also seem to love it in a similar way to how I do.
@@Vulpas lol my son plays Fortnite sometimes I play with him, it is pretty fun, but nothing beats streets of rage 1-3 TMNT hyperstone hiest the Shinobi games or my personal fav genesis game truxton! Not to mention countless other classics! Toe jam and earl too!
Holy damn, Shinobi 3 was ahead of its time; the flexibility of Joe's movements and variety of ninja techniques he can do is incredible. He feels so good to play as, the stage aesthetics and the soundtrack is absolute fire. A true classic!
Shinobi 3 is still a classic and still fun to play after all these years. I find myself going back to it probably once or twice a year, like with Ristar, Streets of Rage 2 & 3, and Contra Hard Corps.
Have you tried playing it with enhancement mod? It made the game 3x more fun. It allows 6-button gameplay where you can throw shurikens, slice, and block with separate buttons. I configured mine to be similar to the Shinobi 3DS version.
@@InitialDL84 Sadly, it only works with the ROM versions so far. Steam allows the mod in the Genesis Collection version, but it no longer works. Either by its recent patches, or I just forgot how to activate the enhancement mod. I just use Retroarch for it.
Revenge of Shinobi is still the greatest platformer of all time. I stake my full reputation and credibility as a trained scientist on this truism. All other conclusions are clearly wrong.
@@MaxAbramson3 I don't quite understand that sentiment. Explain to me what makes Revenge of Shinobi better then Shinobi 3. As much as I love a good Shinobi game, none of them are anywhere close to being the greatest platformer of all time. They aren't even the greatest ninja themed platformers of all time. That honor would be for Ninja Gaiden 1, 2, 3, Shadow of the Ninja, or Hagane. That isn't me bashing Shinobi games. These other ones really are that good.
I'm gonna add that ''Inner Darkside'' has some of the best drum fills ever heard on the Mega Drive/Genesis. A very slow and groovy piece of music that is good for sneaking up on enemies.
Agreed. Revenge of Shinobi was a departure from the arcade ports and turned Shinobi into an action console game much like what the NES/PC-Engine did with Ninja Gaiden. Shinobi 3 has better level designs and more intriguing moments and boss fights nothing short of memorable. You get really nervous knowing that you are going to get difficulty handed to you with no where to escape.
@@ShadowDancer_ Revenge of Shinobi gets talked about much more because it's a classic game that introduced many to the Shinobi franchise, early in the Mega Drive's life cycle.
Finally.. you're doing my absolute favorite Genesis game. Best gameplay graphics, and a godlike soundtrack. Rented it the weekend it came out when I was a kid. Then asked for the game for my birthday. I still have and play that cartridge. 😊
I was in a comic book shop and saw this complete in the box. Never played it before, so I pull out my phone, jumped on RU-vid and came across this video, watched two minutes and bought it. Can’t wait to sit down and play it!
With a comment like that, you HAVE to be 20 years old or younger. Literally EVERYONE played this game in the 90s when the Nintendo vs Sega 16 bit wars was in full swing. I remember kids arguing if Sega was better than Nintendo because of Shinobi III. This wasn't some obscure gem lol.
Honestly, I didn’t realize the game was such a sales failure, that’s a real shame. Though it does explain the situation with the Shinobi franchise after. I’m still shocked the Dreamcast ever got a game. It’s still a shame that the franchise as a whole has gone dormant again for the last 11 years or so. Still hoping to see a return (hopefully in 2-D like SOR4) one of these days.
Thank you for this, imo this is the pinnacle of the Sega Genesis. No other 16-bit action title can match the graphics, soundtrack and gameplay of Shinobi III. Got it when I was a kid in 95 or so and still play through it at least once a year. Expert difficulty, 0 shurikens to start always.
Honestly, this is the best 16 bit game in my opinion. Perfect in every aspect. Music, controls, levels... I think the only flaw I can see is the length and the stupid falling rock level.
I played this on Sega Channel and had my mind blown. Thanks for Sega Channel mom, it really was smarter than spending $50+ on every video game I wanted
For years in the 90s I played an emulated version of what I thought was this game, but it turned out to be a reskinned Revenge instead with a changed title screen and some other wierd things, so I ignored it for a long long time until I started to see videos of the game, incredible reviews and comments so I acquired a fresh copy and was blown away. Now I wonder was this Rom I played this mysterious other version you mentioned.
before I even watch this is a magnificent classic. the horse level was weird with the "jump kick" but other than that, the music, gameplay, sound and graphics were fantastic. can't wait to see your review all the way through I haven't touched it since 1996
I was introduced to this game by the Genesis Mini, but it wasn't until I went out and bought the actual cartridge that I fell in love with it. Such a great game, truly a masterclass of arcade design.
Wow I must've played this game a 100 times over the years since it came out in the early 90 s and i never knew you could block projectiles with your sword
So many people say that. It shows how well the game is designed to still be fun and beatable with different play styles. Blocking is helpful, but not necessary. Another example is how you can destroy those big thrusters on the first part of the final stage, but you don't have to and I think it's more fun not destroying them and just making the jumps carefully.
Best Genesis game ever. Christmas of 93 our neighbor gave us shinobi 3.Thanks Landis. Got Mortal Kombat that same year in October. 1993-1994 was awesome.
One of the few Genesis games I couldn’t put down until I beat it. Can’t believe it’s been 30 years-someone pass the Metamucil 😬! Great video as usual SLX
Still conflicted if I think this soundtrack or revenge of Shinobi is the better one but regardless they’re both amazing. Shinobi 3 is a timeless masterpiece!
thanks sega lord x for another great video. i couldnt even make it to the end before i pulled out my copy of shinobi III and started playing. made sure i dropped a like first thou lol
Shinobi 3 is an absolute masterpiece, hands down one of the best games ever made for the Genesis, if there was ever a game i could call perfect its this one, top notch game design in every conceivable way, the only possible complaint i have is one of the things you gave it credit for, i hated the riding stages tbh and wish they had just created more side scrolling action stages instead, but nothing takes away from how awesome this game is. Great review as always SLX.
I love Shinobi III so much. Been playing, and beating it again and again since I started playing it as a kid in Steam and PS Vita, and it got even more fun with the enhancement mod that allowed 6-button gameplay which lets you use shurikens, slice, and block in separate buttons. It almost felt like playing Shinobi 3DS again. After the 3DS one, Sega is making a new Shinobi game along with their old IPs including Golden Axe, Crazy Taxi, Jet Set Radio, and a few others. From its trailer, it will be heavily based on Shinobi III, and Shinobi 3DS.
I've waited for your review for so long ... For me this game, that is already amazing, gets twice as much fun if you force yourself to NOT use ninjutsus or power ups (especially against the bosses)
Another great video SLX, Shinobi one of favorite Sega franchises of all time. Part 3 was definitely the more action packed of the 3, great music and visuals throughout.
When i think of this game i think its the most complete 16bit game. Responsive controls, moves that you can do make you into sharp kiling machine. (All standard moves imaginable for a character are put in Shinobi... Double jump, double dash, jump down, down kick...) Graphic, nothing short of perfect. Music, levele layouts? Atmosphere? Bosses? Perfect 16 bit game in my book.
Top 5 Sega Genesis games of all time as far as i'm concerned. Also, this is coming from someone who owned a Sega Genesis for 32 years and played Shinobi III for the very first time just a few years ago. That's how much of a lasting impression this game has. Another great review!
One of the best games for the Mega Drive with a great soundtrack. I really like the Inner Dark Side track and but most of the music is top tier. I always thought it was Yuzo who composed the music but it was done by other composers.
It wasn't just Mortal Kombat that caused Shinobi 3 to underperform. It was also because it was released the same month as Jungle Strike, one month after Shining Force was a Suprise hit, and one month before the release of the Jurassic park game. The summer of 1993 was just a really busy time for the Genesis. It's the same reason Rocket Knight didn't sell well.
This is the game that made me fall in love with the Mega Drive some years ago (I was strictly a Super Nintendo boy back in the day). There are some stages that I like less than others, in particular the one where you jump on rocks one after the other, that one got me frustrated a lot because I couldn't always double jump in a consistent way. Otherwise, it's a brilliant and spectacular work of art
My Aunt picked this up for me in the clearance bin of Kmart of all places not long after the original release. Great game and was the only Shinobi game I had back then. I remember the SNES vs. Genesis arguments I had in Jr. High and HS and this was always one to point out since I was team Sega back then.
I have to admit, this is one of only a few 16 bit games where my skills are compromised because I spend too much time staring at the gorgeous backgrounds.
Top 5 MD game for me. The control is almost perfect, the speed and action never gets old, it truly feels like a follow up, an evolution. I know most people love RoS because it has a different feel and approach to action along Yuzo Koshiro's music, and I love it too, but for me Shinobi III it's the perfection of the formula. Not saying that nobody should play the other Shinobi games, all of them feel and play different and that's great, but this one is the result of all the great ideas from them.
Knew Whirlwind had to come up in the music. Don't get me wrong, 100% that the music is absolutely fantastic, but Whirlwind? That tune is one of the best on the system. Adored it from the moment I heard it back in the day and still turn up the volume to it to this day! Great review SLX 👍
This is one of the best Genesis games easily. It's not a game I've ever beaten, although I did make it to the maze stage years ago, but what I have played of it is basically flawless. I can't think of a single thing wrong with Shinobi III.
Shinobi III is what 16 bit action games were meant to be. It's a must play for anyone with even a slight interest in the console. This is in my personal Top 3 on the Genesis, behind Streets of Rage 2 and Beyond Oasis (the best game on the platform).
As good as 3 was, for me Revenge was the best. Those first two years for the Genesis were outstanding, and interest in gaming dipped a bit after that. So missed out on initial launch of 3. I enjoy 3, but with Revenge being one of the first games on the Genesis. I would put in more hours of that game than any other Genesis game I have played. Thought seriously you can’t go wrong with any one of the Shinobi games. Sega needs to put out that collection on the current consoles like Konami did with the Turtles games. That would be epic.
There are personal reasons you can say why you prefer "The Super Shinobi" (JPN name of The Revenge of Shinobi) over Shinobi 3 ("The Super Shinobi 2" in Japan), but as you said, we can't go wrong with both games and the same was for me, I played Revenge more than Shinobi 3... heck, it took me until August 2022 to ACTUALLY play Shinobi 3 in a serious manner to REALLY experience the magic of said game (yup, my very 1st run outside of just playing it here and there with a buddy trying out some portions of the game or only the very 1st stage), it's kinda tough in the hardest settings but the sense of achievement is there (and big) were you can pull it off in the end.
In regard of the "fog" effect and the cascades, the Megadrive could'nt do translucency, or what is called "alpha-blending". However, there was a trick. On a real CRTs, those "half-drawed" layers would blurry on a CRT over composite, making the illusion of being translucent. However, this effect is lost today on emulators and FPGA recreations. The same effect was used on the cascades of Green Hill of Sonic 1, and the lights of the bar of Street of Rage 2.
It still doesn't look like a transparency, even on a CRT. It has a shimmer that makes it look really strange. It's not bad, it's just not the "normal" Genesis dithering look.
Fantastic review of a fantastic game. It's amazing it turned out so well considering its troubled release. Sure, they thought it wasn't good enough in its earlier form, but that kind of overhaul was not common. In 1993, because of Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter 2, I just didn't know Shinobi 3 existed. I had an affinity for the series since the Master System, so I would have been into Shinobi 3, but I just never saw it in any magazines. Must have been bad timing on my part. In 1995 or 1996, a good friend of mine was selling some of his old games to buy new games and I had some money. I picked up quite a few good games, though I ran out of cash before I could add Super Metroid which would have been my next pick up. But that's how I learned of Shinobi 3 and I loved it immediately. It was especially fun to play it on the Nomad, though I forget if I had that first. The Nomad revitalized the Genesis for me. When I got back into retro gaming, Shinobi 3 was one of the first games I went back to. I've since played it at least once a year. If I had to pick out a negative if I was trying to be critical, and I agree it's nitpicking, it would be that the game might be too easy once you discover a few ways to exploit things. The block might be too powerful. There are so many lives around to pick up making the self-destruct magic extremely powerful and trivial in terms of consequences. And towards the end, being able to destroy large obstacles like the thrusters on the last stage takes a lot of challenge away. Of course, the upside is that all three of those can just be avoided or minimized. Blocking isn't necessary for the most part. The thrusters don't have to be destroyed on the final stage. And the destruct magic is optional. That means the game supports multiple play styes and lets players determine some of the challenge for themselves. And games like Shinobi 3 and Shatterhand on the NES are games I don't mind adding challenge to. And I could make the same point about a game like Super Mario World, which is excellent.
Yeah. I didn't realize this released around the same time as Mortal Kombat. That's really all anyone was talking about. I would have truly adored this game if I had it as a kid.
Yeah Mortal Kombat and Street Fighter dominated everything in 1993 at that point but a few years later I picked up a second -hand copy in 1998 but it was the 60Hz Genesis version and was blocked from running in my PAL Mega Drive, at that time I didn't know about the regional lockouts and just assumed it was broken and was forced to take it back and get a refund, so I never did get to play it or see any gameplay other than the pictures on the cover. Also if anyone's wondering, to make this game super-easy there is a cheat that makes you invincible for the entire game and you don't even need a game genie for it. Just google it.
Shinobi 3 was my introduction to this franchise. It stands and one of my top 10 Genesis games of all time! I always played this game with the unlimited shurikens cheat enabled. lol
Watched a friend many years ago 1 life this game, it was insane. I enjoyed the playthrough he did, beginning to end, grew to like the game myself, eventually got myself a boxed copy while I was in Texas, for $10 (even if I already had 2 Genesis compilations for PS2 and PS3 that had the game on it). I was at a Game Over retro game shop in San Antonio, the only copy that they had was over 70 miles away, in Austin. I told me ex girlfriend at the time that was too far, she said to me, "Let's go there". I was absolutely thrilled beyond belief, and I told the guy to call that shop and tell them to hang on to it for me. That same Austin shop had my boxed Valis 3, a box for Chiki Chiki Boys (for my loose cart), a loose copy of R-Type SMS, and a boxed copy of Wonder Boy SMS. Gauntlet 4 was also there, but sadly too expensive, and a loose Phantasy Star SMS as well, it too far too pricey for my blood. I believe it was all that I picked up that day, and between both shops, damned near spent $200, 50 of it just on Kyukyoku Tiger II Plus for the Saturn. I'd end up spending another 50 at the San Antonio shop through a third party, a forum member picked up Image Fight/X-Multiply PS1 for 50 as well, and I paid him $57 (shipping fee for the extra 7 bucks, no biggie) for picking it up for me. Those shops are still over there, and I follow them on Facebook, but the prices they do decide to list on Facebook, are far worse than they were a decade or so ago when I was over there.
I feel like around 2008 was when everything started going completely nuts. I had a lot of places I would go regularly to look for and find games and every single one of them pretty much stopped being reliable, or started being so over the top expensive after around 2013 or so,I just gave up. I still look for and buy games but it’s a lot rarer than it used to be.
Shinobi III is a masterpiece, indeed. Superb gameplay, graphics and the music is as good as the tunes from Revenge Of Shinobi, wich were made by Yuzo Koshiro. One of the best 16-Bit action games of all-time!
I was kind of chuckling at your pronunciation of karyu. Ka is fire and ryu is dragon in Japanese. So, literally fire dragon, which is what the spell is. You said car-ryu, which makes me think of a dragon made out of cars. Which, honestly, sounds pretty badass. Now I want to see a spell that summons a car dragon.
I love the point gaming has gotten to. Shinobi 3 has been around for decades but I've never played it. Now, because of videos like this providing visibility, I'm genuinely excited about playing a game from 1993.
One of the best side scrolling ninja games ever made,even till now its better then 3d ninja games.,playing it on the hardest with no shurikens using your sword only is where its at
Easily one of the 16-bit greatest, Revenge is more iconic and a classic, Shinobi III is a masterpiece. Like Shining Force III, Shinobi III reached its peak with the third entry, to never get back there again.
I remember in 94 seeing this at a pawn shop for 10.00. I bought it never knowing what I was going into. This game became one of my favorites. This and a few others were the games I bragged about to my co workers on what a genesis could do
If I remember correctly Shinobi 3 was one of those rare occasions where Sega had finished making the game but held it for over a year to fully polish it before they released it. A practice I wish Sega would of done with alot of their properties instead of rushing unfinished games
I still have my copy of this game and my original model 1 Sega Genesis. I'm currently playing Jedi Survivor on PC and I can never help but think that it really is a modern version of Shinobi III, Revenge of Shinobi and Shadow Dancer. Games like Shinobi III were the blueprint and made action platformers one of my favorite genres of video games. Thanks for the review! I really like your editing style!
There's actually another really good Shinobi game that wasn't mentioned at all. It's Shinobi 3D for the 3DS. In terms of graphics it's not that great or anything, but in terms of gameplay I consider it only slightly worse than Shinobi 3. It's not just a straight up copy either, the developers were huge fans of the original Shinobi games and they put great thought in how to create a more modern 2D gameplay Shinobi game... and I think they more than succeeded. You can do stylish combos, parries, etc. Platforming is wicked (also very hard). And heck there's even short VR bonus missions that really require you to master the mechanics. Like if you parry in mid-air, you get an extra jump and you can use that to cross gaps or actually fight in the air. If you're a Shinobi fan, it's the one post-Genesis era Shinobi game that you truly have to play. But it is the hardest Shinobi game out there. The different difficulties in the game do provide different continue systems. Easy mode gives you infinite lives to retry from every checkpoint. Normal mode gives infinite continues, but requires a restart of a stage when you lose all lives. Hard mode gives limited continues on top of that. And there's a very hard mode where you start with 1 life and have no continues. The 'vehicle' stages are a bit gimmicky, but other than that I think every level is excellent and the bosses are very fun. The game plays very differently from the other Shinobi games while at the same time also feeling like it's still a true Shinobi game.
I remember playing ''Toki Going Ape Shit'' the very first time on the Mega Drive thinking to myself ''there's something about this game that reminds me of Shinobi III'' I think it was the second level where you had to keep ascending up the mountain and I later found out that it was the same developers across the two games, also all Megasoft's games use the same drum kit. They tend to use that Moonwalker SMPS drum set. I too have always felt that the Mega Drive could have pulled out one more Shinobi title before the lifespan ran out, there was still time in 1994 or 1995, I mean it teases the player at the end by saying ''To Be Continued'' but just like Street Fighter's Asassin's Fist movie, there was never to be made a direct sequel. Also in 1993 the SNES was slowly starting to win the 16-bit race as one of the things that was letting down the Mega Drive at that point was the poor western driver put in nearly every western game known as GEMS. Shinobi III was one of those games you could show off to all your mates and say it had a bangin' soundtrack that showed just what you could do with FM synthesis. FM synthesis was designed to sound real and by god does this music sound real. Definitely the best Shinobi game period, not only on the system but also in general. My favourite and for a 1 Megabyte/8 Megabit cartridge it gives the player a good hour of gameplay. Would love to see your review take on the Master System version of Shadow Dancer and also the game ''Jewel Master'' on the Mega Drive.
Excellent and absolutely comprehensive video! Going to check this out on my Genesis Mini 2, can’t believe I passed this one over. Revenge of Shinobi will always have a special place in my heart though.
For any fans of Shinobi 3, check out Vengeful Guardian: Moonrider. Its an indie game that is heavily influenced by Shinobi 3 but adds some modern stuff like abilities and some extra moves. Its pixel graphics, very well done, and a ton of fun! I highly recommend it. (Developer: JoyMasher, Published by The Arcade Crew)
The six button hack to have full controls like manual sword goes a long way. And honestly, some prefer the second game, but this is the one I grew up with and prefer by far. Also the running sword slash has I-frames during the cut itself, so if you have good timing you can even do major damage to things like the first boss while passing right through him.
ahhh nostalgia this is the ultimate sega game ever made i love it forever till the end of time, amazing gameplay soundtrack and graphics, i've mastered this game over all this years everytime i got bored from ps5 xbox switch or pc i'll just play this masterpiece, i wish one day they remake it 🥲
Shinobi 3 tiene la herencia de todos sus predecesores, Shinobi 3 es la perfección en Sega genesis... Y quizá el mejor juego ninja de la generación de 16 bits
Great review, as top notch as this game is, Revenge of Shinobi is my favorite Shinobi game, just something about the technical plodding pace and Koshiros music over III.
