Home versions[edit]
Sega Master System[edit]
Sega converted Shinobi to its Master System game console. It was released in Japan on June 19, 1988, and in North America and Europe. Some of the play mechanics were altered. Instead of one-hit kills, the player now has a health gauge before losing a life. Hostage rescue is now an optional task but provides upgrades to the close and long-range weapons, and restores or expands the health gauge. Rescuing certain hostages is a requirement to access the game's bonus stages, which now occur after the regular stages instead of each boss fight. Bonus rounds provide the ninjutsu skills.
Home computers[edit]
In 1989, conversions of Shinobi were released for the Amiga, Atari ST, Commodore 64, Amstrad CPC, and ZX Spectrum. All five were developed by The Sales Curve and published by Virgin Mastertronic in Europe and by Sega in North America except the Amstrad and Spectrum versions. An IBM PC version was developed by Micromosaics Inc. and released in North America by Sega.
PC Engine[edit]
A PC Engine version was released exclusively in Japan by Asmik on December 8, 1989. The graphics and play mechanics of the PC Engine version are similar to the arcade version's, but the close-range attacks and power-ups are missing and there are extra lives for points instead of bonus rounds. There is no life gauge, time limit, or Mission 2.
Nintendo Entertainment System[edit]
The Nintendo Entertainment System version of Shinobi was released by Tengen exclusively in North America as an unlicensed release in 1989. The play mechanics are based on the Master System's version, but without close-range weapons and grenades. All the vertical-scrolling stages (such as Mission 2-2 and Mission 3-2) were redesigned into horizontal-scrolling stages.
Wii and Xbox 360[edit]
The arcade version was published on the Wii's Virtual Console and Xbox 360's Live Arcade services, with slight graphical modifications due to licensing issues over one character's resemblance to Spider-Man. (See below.)
Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection[edit]
Shinobi is unlockable in Sonic's Ultimate Genesis Collection for the PlayStation 3 and Xbox 360 after the first round of Shinobi III: Return of the Ninja Master without using a continue.
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Sega Mark III box art
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Sega Master System box art
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PC Engine box art
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North American computer box art
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European computer box art
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NES box art
Edited and alternate versions[edit]
Shinobi is notable for two licensing issues that were rectified in later years with minor legal consult.
Around the time that Shinobi was created, Sega had acquired licensing rights to produce games based on Marvel Comics iconic character Spider-Man, the first of which appeared on the Sega Genesis in 1990. Oddly enough, Sega took this as an opportunity to use the Spider-Man likeness in other games that they were producing at the time, most notably Shinobi. Spider-Man would later appear in Revenge of Shinobi as a boss, this time complete with web-slinging.
No longer in possession of the Spider-Man license, which was infringed in the first place by including the likeness of Spider-Man in a different game that was not approved by Marvel, Sega was forced to make changes to any and all subsequent re-releases of the game in years to come. That said, the version of Shinobi released for download on Xbox Live Arcade and the Wii network have recolored Spider-Man to a green and yellow color scheme. Otherwise, the sprite is exactly the same. However, this was enough to satisfy any possible legal ramification that may occur, as the color clearly denotes that the sprite is not Spider-Man.
Also in Mission 1-2 were posters of Marilyn Monroe. They were a common image frequently used and seen during the 1980s. However, without consent from the Monroe estate, these images had to be removed and are no longer included in the version available for download from Xbox Live and Wii.