The first time I played Shinobi on my 3DS, it took me five continues to make it through the first level.

Not to mention the first level took me over 25 minutes to complete.

And I had to go back and reread the tutorial screens twice, because I needed a refresher on how to properly use magic jutsus and the chain.

Shinobi is a very demanding game. It wouldn’t be unrealistic to even call the difficulty crushing. And it isn’t like you get some incredibly awesome unlockables or a fantastic ending scene for completing it. Yet somehow, it still manages to be quite satisfying. Especially when the player reaches a point where it’s possible to effortlessly fly through a level, taking out enemies without being hit….

When the 3DS was announced, Sega seemed all for it. We heard game announcements of all kinds that made us happy to know we’d have something to actually play on our systems. Then came the delays. First it was for Crush3d, but a Shinobi delay wasn’t far behind. We wondered if we’d ever see any of them, even though Shinobi appeared at a number of Nintendo-run booths at conventions. Now, we have confirmation that four Sega 3DS games will be released between now and February 2012…

I hope you weren’t looking forward to enjoying some Sega 3DS games come September 2011. Because you’re going to be really disappointed. Sega decided that it isn’t ready to release both Crush3D and Shinobi then, even though both were supposed to be ready to purchase and play by then. No new puzzles or ninja adventures for us.

While Sega and Gryptonite Games didn’t offer any comment on why Shinobi won’t be out in September 2011 as originally planned, the developer of Crush3D had an explanation for its delay…

I’ll say this about SEGA—they sure do like to dip into their catalog to give us new versions of classic games. They’ve been hit or miss with this, but if the demo I received at E3 this week is any indication, Shinobi for Nintendo 3DS will definitely be a hit. Check out Gamertell’s exclusive gameplay footage and discussion about Shinobi 3DS shot at the E3 show floor.

Yesterday at Nintendo’s Game Developers Conference 2011 press event, we learned that the 3DS Virtual Console would be home to old Game Boy games, but also Game Gear and TurboGrafx-16 games. A day later, Sega has spoken up to let people know that when the 3DS eShop launches in May 2011, there will be five GameGear Classics for people to rediscover and enjoy…

Do you ever get the urge to delve into the past and whip out your original copies of Sonic & Knuckles, Golden Axe, or Ecco the Dolphin, only to discover that the hassle of locating and setting up a 17-year-old Sega Mega Drive (Genesis) is more trouble than its worth?

Perhaps you’ve also had the urge to play said games on a handheld system but didn’t think doing so would be possible without breaking various laws in the process. Well, videogame peripheral producer Blaze has a solution for you: A handheld MegaDrive complete with 20 built-in titles.

Currently available in the…