There are many hidden gems out there in the world of gaming from obscure XBL/PSN titles to games you just randomly pick up since it's 2 for £20.
One series that I think is stuck in the shadows would be the ninja stealth title Shinobido. Now usually a ninja in shadows is a good thing, but I feel that Shinobido hasn't been noticed for what it is; one of the best current gen ninja series, where you're not a super ninja i.e. Ninja Gaiden.
I think I may be one of the few people that own all three Shinobido games: that's one on the PS2, PSP and PSV. This is a shame, but could be down to various things, one being that the first title wasn't released in North America. Also not being from a large or big name studio doesn't help.
I am not going to say these are flawless games as they do suffer from limitations but what they offer is so enjoyable; from just choosing who to work for or what missions to take on, with what tools you take on the mission and then choosing how to do you those missions.
One thing I loved in the first was that if you failed a mission that was it you just failed, there was no try again or restarts it just carried on and adjusted; with your reputation being hurt because of it which just gave it that little extra sense of you are a real ninja. The other Shinobido favourite was building up & defending your hideout in case you were attacked was just great fun.
Shinobido 2: Revenge of Zen adds a few new things to the game such as gliding and special moves which just add to the depth of the series, sadly as there is no current gen console brother it doesn't have the link the PS2 and PSP versions got to have.
I will be the first to say it is not for everyone, some will state that the graphics are sub par or AI can be iffy, but overall I think it is an enjoyable and more importantly a unique game on the Playstation Vita, that feels right as a portable game, with missions that you can just pick up and do at you leisure varying in length but you can do it 5 minutes on average make it ideal for short or long play sessions.
I hope the sales are good enough we can see a console version again I would love to see what Acquire could do with more money, hopefully iron out kinks or add new features and mission types. But for any who miss Tenchu of old or just want to try something different I recommend checking out this series.
Have you played any Shinibido games? What did you think? Are their any games or series you think are not as well as they should be?
Let me know in the comments below.