Friday, September 22, 2006

Pettibone Tribute Special - "Shinobi III"

And now, friends, I want to print some of Sean Pettibone's classic writing from the videogame fanzine era. Hopefully, I'll be able to find a few essays around the internet. Jess Ragan's On-File zine database in invaluable here. Take care, truth-seekers:

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Shinobi III (aka Shinobi Why?)
Action
Genesis
Sega
Review by Sean Pettibone
Appeared in MASTERminds #13


"I'm far too fucking cool to read the instruction booklet," I thought to myself, so I'll skip the plot save for my basic summation that as most guys in tight little suits and shuriken belts do, you're out to stop the evil Zeed or something and save the world.

This is a huge disappointment. This is disappointing not because it is a bad game, but because it is 1993, and this cart parallels the original 1990 debut on the Genesis in terms of graphics, sound, and innovations. A few scattered bonus rounds don't cut it- it's boring and offers nothing new for the player.

A bland color palette, lame-o scrolling, and stiff animation sum up the visual presentation. "Do you hear something?" covers the audio, and "What the hell did I rent this for?" will most likely describe your overall feeling after dragging yourself through five minutes of this. Hang up the ninja suit- this sucks.

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