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Samurai Shodown Review


In the video game industry the beat-em-up is something you’ll find on any gaming console. But because there are so many games in this genre it is difficult to find which ones are the standout titles. Well I can assure you, if you are looking for a Mega Drive beat-em-up that isn’t Street Fighter 2 and still good then Samurai Shodown is probably one of the best buys you can go for.

Like most beat-em-ups the concept of Samurai Shodown is simple; you play as one of eleven fighters who have entered a tournament to discover who the best of the best is. You travel around the globe taking on the remaining ten fighters, all of different nationalities and fighting styles.

The first thing you notice about Samurai Shodown is how well the game sets a mood. Unlike most beat-em-ups, Samurai Shodown tries to retain an atmosphere which makes you feel as though you are playing a game in the late 1700s samurai era. The music suits this very well and the use of correct Japanese terminology such as ‘ippon’ and even a referee really gives Samurai Shodown a tone that no other beat-em-up before it has set.

Another point of interest with Samurai Shodown is the incredible graphics. All the stages are rendered in beautiful colour and each with its’ own theme relating to the country it is supposedly situated in. Like Street Fighter there are objects either ends of the stages which you can smash when you hurl an opponent into them which is always good for a laugh. The character sprites are brilliantly drawn and look like they’ve popped right out of Ninja Scroll or any other anime of that variety. The only complaint I have in this area is the lack of parallax which really could have given the stages a little more depth.

As for gameplay, Samurai Shodown has to be one of the most enjoyable and challenging beat-em-ups I’ve ever played. The action isn’t fast but it really doesn’t need to be. Unlike other weapon based beat-em-ups Samurai Shodown has a far more realistic approach to being diced by a katana. You take a lot of damage if you are hit by a character’s weapon and less if they just kick you which in reality are probably how it would span out. This concept does make the game a lot harder but generally allows you to enjoy a different mode of play. As with all beat-em-ups your character has 3 types of kick, or in this case slashes; weak, medium and heavy. Holding back allows you to block attacks and taking a lot of damage will make you more powerful so you still have room to turn the match around and win. Each character has a variety of special moves you can execute to give you the upper hand in a battle. The only problem I have with the engine is that like I said earlier, the game does play a little slow. At least with Street Fighter you can speed the action up.

But other than the lack of speed and parallax, Samurai Shodown is an absolute top notch fighter that will continuously have you and your mates chopping holes in each other for a very long time.



8/10


Written by Sonic Yoda on 6/4/06


Box Artwork

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