The Revenge of Shinobi

1001 Video Games

The Genesis version of The Revenge of Shinobi appears in the book 1001 Video Games You Must Play Before You Die by General Editor Tony Mott.

Development and characters

Early versions of The Revenge of Shinobi had you fighting Batman as a boss, but because SEGA failed to get the licensing rights for the Caped Crusader, he was replaced by a winged demon in later versions of the game. In earlier versions the round 7's boss was no other than Godzilla, but it was eventually replaced by a skinless dinosaur. One of the other bosses is very reminiscent of the Hulk. Spider-Man is also present as a boss. Both Batman and Spider-Man were deleted from from versions of the cartridge released as the "classic edition" and on the version found with the SEGA CD. Instead of Spider-Man and Batman you fight a character that turns into a were-bat.

Awards

• Electronic Gaming Monthly
  • December 1989 (Issue 5) - Game of the Year (Forecasting the 1990 Award Winners) (tied with Super Mario Bros. 3)
  • October 1990 (Issue 15) - Worst Ending in a Game
  • November 1997 (Issue 100) - ranked #83 (Best 100 Games of All Time) (Genesis version)
• Power Play
  • Issue 01/1991 - Best Genesis Game in 1990