Kotaku: Shinobi

Shinobi, The Skin Flick

Brian Ashcraft — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 04:00:21 MST

SEGA video game Shinobi? Not so risky! Shinobi the adult flick? MAXIMUM RISKY. Rule 34 aside, some unscrupulous individuals have turned SEGA's flagship ninja series into something, well, risqué, substituting shuriken and ninjato for more embarrassing weapons. Like the most recent Shinobi game Nightshade, this Edo-era Shinobi naughty flick features a female lead — several, rather, but in various phases of indignity. The movie stars Ruka Uehara, Shizuku Tsukino, Yuka Satsuki, Shuri Himesaki and Hitomi Hasegawa (all Wiki links). After the jump, we've put the MAXIMUM amount box art as we possibly can!

Keep in mind the disgraceful links below are TOTALLY NOT SAFE FOR WORK. You've been warned.
Shinobi Skin Flick [NSFW via NSFW Bizarre Japan]

Pong Slot Machine Pays Out More With Pong Prowess

Michael McWhertor — Fri, 02 Nov 2007 16:20:23 MDT

Bally, former maker of fabulous pinball tables, has introduced something new the world of slots with its Skill Series line of machines, the first of which is based on the classic paddle game Pong. While most slot machines are based on nothing but chance, Pong breaks new ground with its skill-based pay outs. During a 45-second bonus round, a random occurrence, gamblers will be able to play a round of old school Pong. Performing better naturally gives you a higher pay out. Even if you're clueless behind the paddles, you'll still get something, but power Pong players may walk away with a bit more of their cash.

Reader Jason spotted a row of the new machines on the floor of the MGM Grand in Las Vegas, testing his Pong skills and sending us potentially drunken pics. The skill-based slots are slowly being approved in states that permit legalized gambling, with manufacturer Bally promising a follow up with a Breakout based slot machine.

If only they had one based on the arcade game Shinobi and not that horrid PlayStation 2 abomination I'd be a 7% richer man.

Super Metroid And Some Other Stuff

Mike Fahey — Mon, 20 Aug 2007 08:00:13 MDT

Metroid Prime 3: Corruption is just a week away, and the VC Metroid Madness continues with the release of Super Metroid (800 points) on the Nintendo Wii Virtual Console. This is what I think of whenever people talk about Metroid. I'd go as far as calling it one of the best 2D adventure games of all time. Of course the sheer awesome exuded by Super Metroid doesn't take anything away from this week's other two entries, which were...um. *rereads press release a few times* Oh yes! Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (800 points) for the Sega Genesis, which features Joe Shinobi realizing he screwed up years earlier and Neo Zeed is still alive and kicking. Instead of committing seppuku for his failure he tries to sweep the whole thing under the rug. Amateur. Finally we have Neutopia, the complete and utter Zelda ripoff from Hudson Soft for the TurboGrafx 16 (600 points). Still a fun game - just not a very original one. Hit the jump to see what Nintendo's crack press release writing team has to say!

WII-KLY UPDATE: THREE NEW CLASSIC GAMES ADDED TO WII SHOP CHANNEL
Aug. 20, 2007

You've longed for it, you've begged for it and now it's finally here. Nintendo's Month of Metroid continues with today's release of the ultra-classic Super Metroid® for the Super NES®. It's one of the many teasers to whet your appetite in advance of the Aug. 27 release of Metroid® Prime 3: Corruption for Wii™. You have a full week to dive into Super Metroid and explore the other great new games added to the Wii Shop Channel: Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master™ and Neutopia.

Three new classic games go live at 9 a.m. Pacific time. Nintendo adds new games to the Wii Shop Channel every Monday. Wii owners with a high-speed Internet connection can redeem Wii Points™ to download the games. Wii Points can be purchased in the Wii Shop Channel or at retail outlets. This week's new games are:

Super Metroid (Super NES, 1 player, rated E for Everyone - Mild Violence, 800 Wii Points): The Space Pirates, merciless agents of the evil Mother Brain, have stolen the last Metroid from a research station, and once again Mother Brain threatens the safety of the galaxy. Samus Aran must don her awesome array of high-tech weaponry to retrieve the deadly Metroid hidden deep within the cave-riddled planet Zebes. Super Metroid features excellent graphics, with a huge variety of enemies and worlds to explore. The side-view action will be familiar to many players, only now there are new weapons and items, including the Grappling Beam, which allows Samus to swing across large chasms, and the X-Ray Scope, which reveals secret passages.

Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master (Sega Genesis, 1 player, rated E10+ for Everyone 10 and Older - Animated Blood, Fantasy Violence, 800 Wii Points): In this thrilling sequel to The Revenge of Shinobi, Joe Musashi finds that Neo Zeed - the crime syndicate he believed he had wiped out two years earlier - is indeed still alive and well. The return of Neo Zeed and its leader, the mysterious Shadow Master, forces Musashi to return from exile and confront the growing evil. As the Shinobi, the master of long-forgotten Oboro Ninjitsu martial arts, Musashi must utilize all his powers to overcome his various enemies. Thanks to his considerable combat skills and special Ninjitsu moves, only the Shinobi can thwart Neo Zeed and vanquish the Shadow Master.

Neutopia (TurboGrafx16, 1 player, rated E for Everyone - Mild Fantasy Violence, 600 Wii Points): In this action role-playing game, you take control of a brave boy who sets off on a journey to rescue the kidnapped princess and reclaim the eight medallions that were stolen by the evil demon, Dirth. You'll need to rely on your magic compass and information you've gathered to find entrances to labyrinths and defeat the bosses in them. Solve puzzles, avoid traps, move blocks and destroy walls to uncover secret rooms in the labyrinths. Carefully use your map to uncover hidden treasure and powerful equipment. Travel the land, underground, sea and sky on your quest to recover the medallions. With a save function, the right difficulty level and a system that doesn't include experience points, this is truly an RPG that anyone can enjoy.

Unlock The Mysteries Of The Ninja Easily (With Sudoku)

Michael McWhertor — Mon, 13 Aug 2007 14:40:12 MDT

As a child, I found myself enthralled by the mystery of the ancient art of ninjitsu. Like any other 80s-raised, red-blooded American pre-teen, I was a boy consumed by all things ninja, having discovered the shadowy assassins via Daredevil comic books and Sho Kosugi films—I even watched the dreadful TV series "The Master" religiously. Still suffering from a Shinobi obsession that began in 1987, I'm still fascinated by masters of the art of stealth. Fortunately for thirty-something ninja wannabes like myself, my brain, if not my body, can apparently match that of a master ninja's, simply by spending some time with my PC.

UK software publisher and, I assume, ninja training school Avanquest Software has released Ninja Brain Workout, a series of distractions, such as sudoku, crossword and jigsaw puzzles, mahjong and even the Great Wall of Words. I assume this last task will finally unlock the throwing of shuriken with deadly accuracy and help me cling to ceilings with minimal effort, as I've never heard of it.

For those of you looking to up your ninja skill set, apparently those visions of years of torturous training were only a ruse by those who knew of the legacy of the ninja arts. All it takes is a bit more time working out sudoku grids.

Anyone out there willing to test this out?

Ninja Brain Workout [Avanquest Software]

Nothing Says Gambling Like Ninjas And Zombies

Brian Ashcraft — Wed, 20 Jun 2007 05:00:03 MDT

Why play for points and achievements when you can play for more important things? Things like money. A new slot machine based on the Sega PS2 game Shinobi has popped up at casinos. Good thing readers Aaron and Joel sent us pics of the swank set-up. Joel was nice enough to include a single pic of slot House of the Dead EX — which, according to the machine, has exactly 243 ways to win. (And probably a gazillion ways to lose.) Brian Ashcraft

Sega Honors Sonic With Billionth Port

Michael McWhertor — Sat, 24 Jun 2006 13:09:33 MDT

Looking to squeeze every last nanoliter of hedgehog blood from the corpse of Sega's beloved mascot, Sega announced that they'll be bringing an updated port of the 1991 blast processing hit to the Game Boy Advance. It's called Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis and will play exactly like the other 999,999,999 versions of Sonic The Hedgehog you've played on every other platform, from the Dreamcast to the PS2 to the TRS-80, but with the now classic spin dash move. You can also save your progress. *cough*

Sega also wants to remind you that Sonic Rivals is coming to the PSP and that more Sonic Adventure-style 3D platformers are still coming to the Xbox 360, PS3, and the Wii.

Hey, Sega, I know Sonic is keeping the lights on at HQ, but would it kill you to take some of the Shadow The Hedgehog cash and give us a System 16 collection so I can play some damned Shinobi?

Check the full release after the jump for more Sonic love.

The Blue Dude With the 'Tude Rockets Onto Next-Gen Consoles With Sonic The Hedgehog on PS3 and Xbox 360, a New Sonic Adventure on the Wii, Sonic Rivals on PSP, and a Special Edition of Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis for the GBA
He's fast, he's blue, he's sold over 44 million games, and he just turned 15 years old! Tomorrow, SEGA(R) will join millions of fans around the world to celebrate Sonic The Hedgehog's 15th birthday and his continued success with four bold new upcoming games. Born on June 23, 1991 as the fastest, most technologically advanced character for the SEGA(R) Genesis(R) console, Sonic continues to innovate as he prepares to blast onto next-gen consoles and the Sony PlayStation(R)Portable system with groundbreaking new adventures. Additionally, in honor of its beloved mascot's 16-bit roots, SEGA will release the game that started it all with Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis exclusively for the Game Boy(R) Advance this November. The game will feature two new additions to the classic 1991 debut including Sonic's famous Spin-Dash move and a new save ability, and will retail at the special price of $19.95.

Fans will be treated throughout the year to special 15th anniversary events, culminating with the release of three original Sonic adventures shipping later this year, as well as the original Sonic The Hedgehog Genesis for the Game Boy Advance. Sonic will make his first appearance on next-gen consoles with the dynamic new adventure Sonic The Hedgehog for the PlayStation(R)3 and Xbox 360(TM) this fall. Sonic The Hedgehog melds top-tier production values with next-gen art, physics, and game design to create the fastest and most intense Sonic experience yet. Featuring brand new interactive 3D environments, Sonic gameplay is taken to a whole new level with a large cast of new and returning characters, and a blistering sense of speed. Sonic will also debut this fall on the PSP(R) with Sonic Rivals, a one-on-one racing platformer that also features Knuckles amongst other rivals combining classic 2D gameplay with 3D worlds. Available in 2007, a new Sonic adventure is also in development for the Wii(TM) console, combining Sonic's high velocity with the unique Wii controller and a colorful retelling of the classic tale Arabian Nights.

"Sonic's 15th birthday is a landmark occasion bringing SEGA and Sonic fans together to celebrate the hedgehog's trademark speed, heroism, and attitude," said Scott A. Steinberg, Vice President of Marketing, SEGA of America, Inc. "The breathtaking speed and gameplay innovation that Sonic introduced in 1991 will reach new heights in Sonic The Hedgehog, Sonic Rivals, and Sonic's new adventure for the Wii. These titles continue a super-Sonic legacy of ground-breaking gameplay and story elements that only next-gen consoles can deliver."

In addition to his video game fame, the "blue dude with the 'tude" has starred in two animated TV series, numerous comic book adventures, and an animated movie — he's even had his own theme park and was the first and only video game character ever featured in the Macy's Thanksgiving Day parade. But it's his video games that matter most to his legions of fans. Sonic has starred in more than 30 video game adventures, a distinction that earned him his star on the 'Walk of Game' landmark honoring pioneering gaming icons.

With the four upcoming new games, Sonic The Hedgehog is ready to blaze his way to the top of the video game world with the same speed, optimism, and brashness that set the gaming world on fire in 1991.

About Sonic The Hedgehog

Currently celebrating his 15th anniversary, Sonic The Hedgehog is one of the most popular video game icons of all time with over 44 million games sold worldwide.

— Over 8,000 Sonic games are sold worldwide every day

— Gamers have spent over 500 million hours and collected over 66 billion gold rings playing Sonic The Hedgehog games

About SEGA(R) of America, Inc.

SEGA(R) of America, Inc. is the American Publishing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA(R) Corporation, a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Inc. The SEGA of America Web Site is located at www.SEGA.com.

About SEGA(R) Europe Ltd.

SEGA(R) Europe Ltd. is the European Publishing arm of Tokyo, Japan-based SEGA(R) Corporation, and a worldwide leader in interactive entertainment both inside and outside the home. The company develops, publishes and distributes interactive entertainment software products for a variety of hardware platforms including PC, wireless devices, and those manufactured by Nintendo, Microsoft and Sony Computer Entertainment Europe. The SEGA(R) Europe Web Site is located at www.sega-europe.com.

Will someone please check on the guys at UK:R? I suspect they're either having a string of minor heart attacks or wanking themselves into dehydration over this. Michael McWhertor