2018/10/11: Genesis: Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, Incredible Crash Test Dummies, The

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VideoGameCritic
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2018/10/11: Genesis: Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, Incredible Crash Test Dummies, The

Postby VideoGameCritic » October 11th, 2018, 6:20 pm

Here's an enjoyable pair of platformers for the Genesis. Shadow Dancer is a rereview (same grade) but Crash Test Dummies is brand new. Comments?

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Retro STrife
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Re: 2018/10/11: Genesis: Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, Incredible Crash Test Dummies, The

Postby Retro STrife » October 11th, 2018, 7:35 pm

Nice reviews. Never played either. I'm surprised that "Shinobi" is buried in such small print on the Shadow Dancer box... I'd figure it would be more prominent in the game's title for name recognition purposes to help with sales and marketing (especially back then, when a lot of game purchases were made while just browsing in stores). I bought Crash Test Dummies years back based on the odd premise.. just collecting dust since then, but sounds like it's worth popping in sometime.

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Gentlegamer
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Re: 2018/10/11: Genesis: Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, Incredible Crash Test Dummies, The

Postby Gentlegamer » October 11th, 2018, 8:53 pm

Shadow Dancer is a port of the coin-op, though the levels are different. The Master System version is more faithful in that respect.

Why did you add the Euro Mega Drive (aka Slow-Mo Drive) box art rather than the Genesis cover?

mbd36
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Re: 2018/10/11: Genesis: Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, Incredible Crash Test Dummies, The

Postby mbd36 » October 11th, 2018, 8:55 pm

I love Shadow Dancer. I'm a fan of the other two Shinobi games on the system, but Shadow Dancer is the closest to a Genesis port of the original arcade game. It's a good time if you're just looking for some arcade action.

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Stalvern
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Re: 2018/10/11: Genesis: Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, Incredible Crash Test Dummies, The

Postby Stalvern » October 11th, 2018, 9:25 pm

"The cover art is amusing, showing our ninja hero harassing some old couple in an alleyway. Shinobi hates old people!"

He's pretty clearly saving a woman from a mugger. To be fair, this is ridiculous in its own right.

I think the funniest thing about the cover is how horribly drawn Joe Musashi himself is. Look at his enormous head and thigh! And is that a breast on his shadow...?

ThePixelatedGenocide
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Re: 2018/10/11: Genesis: Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, Incredible Crash Test Dummies, The

Postby ThePixelatedGenocide » October 11th, 2018, 10:24 pm

Shadow Dancer is as much a port of the coin op, as Super Ghouls N' Ghosts was.

goldenband
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Re: 2018/10/11: Genesis: Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, Incredible Crash Test Dummies, The

Postby goldenband » October 12th, 2018, 9:37 pm

Nice surprise to see a review of The Incredible Crash Dummies! I've played and beaten the Genesis and SNES versions, and I think B- is very fair -- it's a flawed but fun little game. Did you know it uses the same engine as B.O.B. and Wayne's World?

Also note that "Test" isn't part of the name -- you might be thinking of the "Mmm mmm mmm mmm" band? -- and you'll want to remove that word from the title, review, and review list.

Shadow Dancer is the only Shinobi game into which I've invested any real time. Got close to being able to pull off Hard mode without shurikens, but didn't quite see it through. It's good, but the one-hit kill thing can get frustrating, and I find myself really, really wishing it had a slide move à la Mega Man 3 to get away from descending/falling aerial attacks. Really satisfying when you get the rhythm down to get 100% on the bonus stages.

djc
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Re: 2018/10/11: Genesis: Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, Incredible Crash Test Dummies, The

Postby djc » October 13th, 2018, 12:41 am

I've always wondered why Shadow Dancer on the Genesis was different than all other ports. While the play mechanics are similar, the levels are completely different. I do prefer the Genesis version though so perhaps it's a 'fun factor' thing.

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JustLikeHeaven
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Re: 2018/10/11: Genesis: Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, Incredible Crash Test Dummies, The

Postby JustLikeHeaven » October 13th, 2018, 3:04 pm

Am I the only one who thinks the Shinobi games are the best trilogy on the Sega Genesis? All three have aged like the finest of wines with their arcade sensibilities, outlandish ninja antics, tight controls, and slice n dice gameplay. Plus, each game feels like it belongs in the series while offering up it's own unique spin. They're superb, and a beacon of 16-bit goodness in the Genesis library.

I've never played the Crash Test Dummies game, but Dave makes it sound enjoyable enough. Though, I still think it's puffing the wacky tobaccy giving this a higher rating than Rocket Knight Adventures. I'm confident in not even playing Crash Test Dummies that it doesn't compare to Konami's Opossum Centric Classic!

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Rev
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Re: 2018/10/11: Genesis: Shadow Dancer: The Secret of Shinobi, Incredible Crash Test Dummies, The

Postby Rev » October 14th, 2018, 1:39 pm

Glad you reviewed this. I really like Shadow Dancer. It's often a game Genesis owners forget to mention but has aged pretty well. Plus, I love the dog... lol. Good review.


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