Year: 1994
Genre: Fighting
Players: 1
Our Rating: 7/10
Mini Review
Samurai Shodown for the Sega Mega Drive/Genesis is one of a great number of successful SNK arcade hits to make it to the home consoles. The premise is a very simple fighting affair. What sets Samurai Shodown apart from some of its rival games is the quality of the gameplay. The game encourages the use of combos and there is also a bonus reward at the end of each round for a higher percentage of hits landed on your opponent. The game is beautifully Japanese in that the animation is fluid and that the characters are varied, colorful and vibrant. The closest games that Samurai Shodown could be compared to at the time would be the Fatal Fury game that preceded it and then the King of Fighters games which succeeded it.
However, neither of these other SNK titles focused on the weaponry aspect of the gameplay. One of the most satisfying elements of Samurai Shodown is the sound of metal on metal as you block and parry your opponent’s weapon. Almost all of the home ports of Samurai Shodown are criticized for the technical limitations of the home machines. The arcade version is still king with its zooming in on the action feature as well as subtle other changes made to cope with the 16-bit consoles. The closest version to the arcade is obviously the Neo Geo home system although the cost of the machine would have put most off from playing this title at the time. Overall Samurai Shodown is a solid scoring title. If you enjoy an element of button bashing but with the option to refine your skills in to becoming a tactical fighting master this could very well be the perfect game for you.
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