Revenge of the Ninja

Now that I have some of the less reputable systems, I have played my share of FMV games. Most of the titles in this genre are hardly game at all, but rather grainy cartoon or live-action footage that you, of your own volition, allow to continue by pressing the correct button or direction at precisely the right moment. Revenge of the Ninja is still of the same ilk, but is slightly more forgiving in the amount of time allotted to press the correct button, and has a more enjoyable story than many of these alleged "fun, interactive experiences".

Revenge of the Ninja is truly a tale as old as time. Rogue youngster embarks on a quest through the enemy's stronghold to find and defeat the one who murdered his father. While the story may have been told a thousand times before, if the execution is solid it can be made into an enjoyable game. Albeit the footage in this interactive cartoon is predictably grainy, it still appears to have had a decent enough budget to produce fluid animations, and the sequences are strung together very well. The sound effects are also very fitting, as is the Eastern-inspired music. It really feels as though you are traversing a grainy, cartoon dojo drawn in the eighties! (A brief side note; This game was originally created in 1984, and appeared on various CD-ROM based systems, as well as a brief stint in the arcades of yesteryear)

The meat and potatoes in this game are the many occasions you interact with the action. Between the fifteen stages you will guide your vengeful ninja through all the pitfalls and perils you could imagine; and maybe some you...no, you'll probably be able to see most of them coming. That being said, the action isn't of such a predictable nature that you'll grow tired of it. You may grow tired of the steadily more challenging levels; as is the case with most FMV games, and aside from their largely stale gameplay, may have been their downfall. However, if you've never played an FMV title before, and you own a Sega CD, you could do far worse than Revenge of the Ninja. Believe me!