Shinobi

The Good
So Namco's Rolling Thunder was released in late '86 and introduced the "leap up/drop down" platforming idea, used in Shinobi a year later. You played a spy in Rolling Thunder and play an unmasked ninja in Shinobi and can slip behind enemies and their defenses and beat them. I think Shinobi is an improvement, better background graphics, enemies and bosses and you have short range attacks as well as long, but like Rolling Thunder, the game plays quite fairly, your ninja is quite fast and maneuverable. The game has good, Japanese-rock, background music.

The Bad
I can't think of anything specific, but the game certainly isn't perfect. I can't complain too much about how hard the game becomes later, when so many other games are tough right from the start.

The Bottom Line
A classic arcade platformer, with interesting gameplay, introducing or at least building on some ideas.