1993
Sega
Shinobi III is a sequel done right in every possible way, it's faster, better looking, better sounding, longer and more action packed than ever.
Shinobi can now perform several new moves including arial attacks, climbing and even being able to block. But the most notable addition is sprinting, you can now run by double tapping the directional button, allowing you to move around the level more quickly. You can also performing a running sword swipe by pressing the attack button while running, this attack can take out most common enemies in one hit before they even have a chance to fight back, this is far more satisfying than relying soley on your ninja stars, it also allows you to keep your mommentum, rather than stopping every time to fight an enemy.
The graphics have seen a massive improvement, the backgrounds contain more scrolling layers and the character sprites are more detailed and feature more frames per animation, whether he is climbing on a rail or using his surf board, it's all beautifuly animated, you will also notice the grass blowing in the wind in some stages. The biggest improvement is the framerate, the game now runs at 60fps than the 30fps the original uses, making the game look and feel more responsive.
The music has also seen an improvement, the tracks are far more upbeat and feature better quality insrumentation than its predesessor.
Some levels do tend to overstay their welcome, (especially that maze level which makes a return, although it's nowhere near as annoying as the original), others will abrubtly end without warning, but these are minor complaints for an otherwise excellent sequel on the Genesis.
8/10
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