Talk:Shinobi (1987 video game)

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Zeet!!wtf?

As far as I recall, the total enemy collective (as recounted in the manual that came with the master system game) was known as the ring of five. The five being: 1. Ken-Oh 2. Black Turtle 3. Mandara 4. Lobster 5. Mystery Samurai/Ninja

And btw guns and swords weren't the only powerups.

This article is primarily about the ARCADE version of Shinobi, not the SMS version, and for the arcade version the information about powerups given in the article is correct. Those extra powerups were only in the SMS version (and the NES version, which was based on the SMS port). To quote from Classic Gaming's look at the history of the series: "The first home port of Shinobi was the Sega Master System version. While significantly slower paced than the arcade game, it still maintains the methodical feel of the gameplay, and is still excellent. There are noticeable additions too, including a lifebar and several new weapons you get for rescuing hostages, including guns, whips and bombs. However, the importance of ninja magic is downplayed, as you only get to use them after beating one of the incredibly difficult bonus stages." So you'd be right if this article was focused on the SMS version, but it isn't, and there definitely aren't any whips, bombs, etc. in the arcade version.
As far as "Zeed" goes, it is technically correct, but the names "Zeed" and "Oboro" were not actually given until the home versions and sequels came out. The promotional flyer for the original arcade game simply says "Ninja children are captured by a syndicate of evil Ninja and outlaws" without giving either side any names at all, and the ending only refers to the bad guys as "a terrorist organization," again without naming them. The Japanese manual for the home SMS version of Shinobi was the first to use the name "Zeed" - for whatever reason they changed that to "Ring of Five" in the American manual, but "Zeed" is considered their official name in Shinobi canon. The SMS and Genesis sequels "Revenge of Shinobi" and "Shinobi III" were the games that really developed the Zeed/Oboro storyline, revealing a villain named Neo Zeed to be in charge of the gang and a sworn enemy of the Oboro Clan. But those two games are talked about in the Shinobi series article, and are beyond the scope of this one. --Zequist 15:43, 1 October 2006 (UTC)[reply]

Bad dudes also named "Cyber-Zeed" in The Cyber Shinobi. This sort of backs up "Zeed" claim. Chief of Naval Operations 09:10, 21 November 2006 (UTC)[reply]

I'd add that "Zeed" and any mention of terrorist organisations are absent entirely from the Virgin Games home computer release, at least in the UK. A largely different plot is given in the boxed game's instructions, which while Sega might well disown its canonicity if they'd ever read it, remains an absolute work of literature. Therein, the antagonist is a disgruntled former student Bwah Foo, his organisation only characterised as "the Dark Side", and the whole synopsis is ... very English. With respect to the points above this probably falls into trivia territory and below the standard for inclusion in this coin-op-focused article, but it may be worth noting that the plot as stated (not to say the whole ethos of the game) is entirely alien to UK gamers of a certain vintage. 87.75.113.64 (talk) 10:42, 14 September 2024 (UTC)[reply]

Marilyn Monroe's Face

Did you know that 6 portaits of Marilyn's face is a mini game of sorts ? if you look at the dot in picture in the lower right corner, you will see the mole on the center of her forehead instead of near her mouth !

Reception Box

If other editors decide to put a reception box into the article showing the general reviews of the game, You should make sure it represents the Sega Master System version with prominance(and if you can find reviews on it, the Arcade version too), as this was the only port officially made by Sega themselves and most reviewers consider the SMS version a "classic port of a classic game" and the arcade original "a classic". The other ports on other Systems were licensed out to other companies and are of lesser quality as a result. Don't make a reception box just based on reviews of the third party ports as they don't represent the general opinion of the Sega versions of the game(both of which were well recieved). Refer to the 2 Sega versions first. Colliric (talk) 16:17, 12 April 2013 (UTC)[reply]