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Sega tapped into the cultural zeitgeist with Shinobi, an action-packed title that launched one of its longest-running and beloved franchises. Joe Mushashi’s initial adventure set arcades on fire and gave players all the ninja action they could ask for, and it still holds up damn well. With varied stages, huge bosses, and great sword-slashing action, the game remains as tough to conquer today as it was in 1987. It’s still as much fun, too, and a game every action fan needs to play.
While Zillion was based on a toy and anime series, it’s often compared to Nintendo’s Metroid. It doesn’t quite reach the levels of greatness of that classic, but it is still a great game with great visuals, interchangeable playable characters, and tons of action. The lack of a password or save feature hurts it, but there’s still lots of fun lurking in the Norsa Empire’s lair.
Woody Pop came bundled with Sega’s paddle controller, but it’s not necessarily the best game to use with it. Poor presentation and problematic gameplay keep it from reaching the heights of other classic paddle games like Arkanoid or Kaboom!, and it even falls short compared to similar Master System games. Unless you’re looking to complete your Master System collection, this one shouldn’t be a priority.
Poor Alex Kidd can’t catch a break. After losing his job as Sega’s mascot to Sonic, he’s been in the video game wilderness for years. With games like BMX Trial, it’s no wonder. A Paddle Control title, this racer is about as much fun as rubbing against one of the numerous cacti Alex has to avoid. There are better paddle games out there, so save your money.
Sega attempted to bring Enduro Racer’s thrilling action to the Master System but sacrificed too much of what made the game such great fun. The result is a port that’s competent but not much more – and that’s just the Japanese version that didn’t have half the game removed.