Shinobi — one of the all-time arcade classics, and one of the defining platforming experiences of SEGA history — is now available on Virtual Console!

A rabid quarter-eating arcade bastion of ninja-fueled awesomeness, the original Shinobi was a signature SEGA title, first released in 1987. It’s hard to sing the praises of this game enough; it’s one of those titles that’s both steeped in nostalgia and is still incredibly fun to revisit.

The levels are meticulously designed, with a difficulty to match. Arcade games are, by their very nature, supposed to be difficult — would Slot Machines be worth it for Casinos if they didn’t take in more than they gave out? — but only the best games were able to combine that difficulty with a fun addictiveness that made them worthwhile.

Of course the big draw of Shinobi is playing as a ninja, complete with shuriken and crazy ninja leaps. With all kinds of mad ninja skills — just take a look at the screenshot of Shinobi taking on a helicopter — the character became one of SEGA’s most iconic, and was even name-dropped by the Wu Tang clan — “swinging swords like Shinobi”. Upgradable weapons and a variety of malevolent full-screen bosses highlight the ninja skills required to master this game, and if you played this game back in the day then, like me, the “Mandara” boss pictured here is a recurring nightmare:

Some fun quick facts, well we’re at it: “Shinobi” is actually the Japanese pronunciation for “ninja”, and the character’s name, “Joe Musashi”, is from the great, renowned Samauri, Miyamoto Musashi.

Whether you never played this game, or it’s a nostalgic favorite, it’s worth picking up again: incredibly challenging levels & unique bosses draw you in, and the reward of learning a difficult part and then pulling off some true ninja moves to get out of it are well worth the time spent.

So I’m just sitting at my desk, typing away, when one of our HR reps appears over the wall of my cube. She says there’s a new Sonic in the lobby, and I should bring my camera. I dash off to find a major project in the works — the assembly of a new Sonic statue.

In case you’ve never been to our offices (as I assume most of you have not), we have a Sonic in our lobby. It’s the older ’99-ish Sonic. He comes up to my mid-torso — tall enough for me to rest my elbow on.

Old Sonic

When I arrived, the base was already unpacked and people were busy working on unpacking the rest of the pieces.

Sonic’s head

Sonic’s shoes, with is body laying next to them

Sonic’s body

Sonic’s arm

Once all the pieces were unpacked, we started putting him together. First on were the shoes. Then the body.

Ben (middle) and Julie (right) put Sonic in his shoes while Joe (left) supervises.

Julie puts in the support rod for Sonic’s head.

Ben puts Sonic’s right arm on.

Joe adjusts Sonic’s left arm.

Carl and Julie lift Sonic’s head on while Ben guides from the back.

Sonic’s head is lowered down.

Julie puts Sonic’s nose on.

Voila! New Sonic is up!

As you can see, the new Sonic statue is quite a bit taller than the old one.

When I posted this on Twitter earlier, I had tons of people asking me what was going to happen to the old one. A big giveaway? A Free Stuff Friday prize? Would I have sympathy in my heart to give the old statue to the person who begged the most? Sadly, the answer is none of the above. The old Sonic will go into storage our HR conference room. (I’m bolding for emphasis because I expect that to be asked a lot.) The ladies in HR seem very attached to him — in fact, one said “neener neener neener” to all the people who want him. But rest assured, if he is ever in danger of meeting the inside of a dumpster, the community team will rescue him and give him a good home.

Hope you enjoyed a peek into our offices and the new Sonic that will greet us every day. There are more photos on our Flickr set, so if you can’t get enough Sonic construction, you can go there.

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