"Shinobi has a high difficulty rating but you shouldn't find yourself frustrated by this because Shinobi encourages skillful and tactful play due to all Hotsuma's moves and the properties of his soul slurping sword." Overall score [8/10].

"Shinobi makes a huge splash on the PlayStation 2 with an innovative play engine. The challenge may be too steep for some, but it's ultimately rewarding for determined gamers." Review by Major Mike with scores and screen shots.

"This isn't a game that everyone will like, and you can tell it would have been even better if it had spent more time in development, but those looking for a game with lots of challenge and a distinct sense of style would do well to check out Shinobi." Review by Greg Kasavin with score [7.6] and screen shots.

Review by Benjamin Turner, with screen shots. Score: 74 out of 100.

"Shinobi is an extremely difficult, linear, yet well-polished game. While it has its flaws, the game design is excellent, and the graphics are nice." Review by Steven Hopper with overall score [8.0] and screen shots.

"You can unlock various extras, but really, nothing that merits trying to go through this game, picking up all the little insignia things." Reviewed by Alkaiser with overall score [7.1] and screen shots.

"It's a rude awakening to how soft and cuddled the masses have become toward games that demand as much from them as they do from the game-makers. Shinobi is Sega's second-best, non-sports title for PS2 (after Virtua Fighter 4), and guaranteed to make quite a few GameCube/XBox owners jealous of its exclusivity." Review by J.M. Vargas with score [8/10] and screen shots.

Review by Michael Telford. Score: 7.3 out of 10.

"Its levels might look plain, but anyone who plays Shinobi after an hour or two will learn to ask: who cares?" Review by Miguel Concepcion with overall rating [5/5].

"There is a lot to be said for slashing and dashing. I don't think even the greatest purist will care for the save system though." Reviewed by Jason MacIsaac with screen shots and score [6.5/10].