Samurai Shodown[a] is a competitive fighting game developed and published by SNK for their Neo Geo arcade and home platform.[2] Released in 1993, it is the first installment in the Samurai Shodown series. In contrast to other fighting games at the time, which were set in modern times and focused primarily on hand-to-hand combat, Samurai Shodown is set in feudal-era Japan (similar to Kaneko's Shogun Warriors which was released the year prior) and was SNK's first arcade fighting game to focus primarily on weapon-based combat.
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Gameplay[edit]
Still the Best Samurai Shodown Game. A year after the semi-colossal launch of Samurai Shodown on the Neo Geo, SNK decided to follow it up with a direct sequel. In 1994 Samurai Shodown II was released and it was superior to the first game in almost every way. Instead of focusing on combos, Samurai Shodown is all about landing well-timed attacks to deal the most damage. It is a methodical game that rewards patience. It is a methodical game that rewards. Aug 17, 2019- Explore jace7493's board 'Samurai Shodown' on Pinterest. See more ideas about Samurai, Fighting games and Game art.
Gameplay screenshot showcasing a match between Haohmaru and Galford D. Weller in San Francisco.
Samurai Shodown Release Date
The game is set in the late 18th century, and all the characters wield weapons. The game uses comparatively authentic music from the time period, rife with sounds of traditional Japanese instruments, such as the shakuhachi and shamisen. A refined version of the camera zoom first found in Art of Fighting is used in Samurai Shodown https://renewunited563.weebly.com/download-vcom-driver.html. ; true to its use of bladed weapons, the game also includes copious amounts of blood.
The game quickly became renowned for its fast pace. Focusing more on quick, powerful strikes than combos, slow motion was added to intensify damage dealt from hard hits. During a match, a referee holds flags representing each player (Player 1 is white; Player 2 is red). When a player lands a successful hit, the referee lifts the corresponding flag, indicating who dealt the blow.
A delivery man occasionally appears in the background and throws items such as bombs or health-restoring chicken, which can significantly change the outcome.[3]
Plot[edit]
Shiro Tokisada Amakusa, slain in Japan of 1638 by the forces of the non-fictional shogun dictator Tokugawa Shogunate for his part in the Shimabara tax revolt, is an actual person and Japan's most famous Japanese Roman Catholic martyr. In 1788, Amakusa is resurrected as an akuma from making a deal with the dark god Ambrosia by bringing the evil entity into the world by using the Palenke stone and its energy. Driven by hatred for the Shogunate and having a nihilistic streak towards the world, he unleashes his dark powers to bring chaos to all of existence. An assortment of warriorsâsome historic, some fictionalâconverge upon the source of the chaos, each driven by their own reasons and those warriors are: Haohmaru - the main hero; a ronin who travels to sharpen his swordsmanship and his sense of bushido.Nakoruru - an Ainu miko who fights to protect Mother Nature.Ukyo Tachibana - an ailing swordsman who searches for the perfect flower for his loved one, Kei.Wan-fu - a power general from the Qing dynasty seeking to recruit powerful warriors for the unification of China.Tam Tam - renowned hero from the fictional city Greenhell; he fights to retrieve the sacred artifact, the Palenke Stone.Charlotte Christine Colde - a noblewoman fencer from Versailles who fights to save her country from Amakusa.Galford D. Weiler - American surfer turned ninja who fights in the name of justice.Kyoshiro Senryo - famed kabuki performer who wishes to strengthen his dances through swordplay.Earthquake - American ninja flunkie turned bandit, he wants to steal all the world's treasure.Hanzo Hattori - ninja serving Ieyasu Tokugawa. In this fictional account, he fights to save his son, Shinzo.Jubei Yagyu - similar to other fictional accounts, he is a ronin hired by the Shogonate to execute a demon.Gen-an Shiranui - an eccentric member of the Shiranui clan, he strives to make himself more evil.
Development[edit]
The programming team for Samurai Shodown consisted of a combination of veteran SNK programmers and former Capcom employees.[4]
Version differences[edit]
In addition to the Neo Geo system, the AES, Samurai Shodown was ported to multiple other platforms, including the Super NES, Game Boy, Genesis, Game Gear, Sega CD, Sega Saturn, 3DO, FM Towns, PlayStation and PlayStation 2. All of the cartridge versions were handled by Takara, while Crystal Dynamics ported the 3DO version, and Funcom handled the Sega CD port.
The Genesis and Sega CD versions omit the character Earthquake and his stage.[5] Both versions lack the camera zoom, and the camera is locked in a close zoom. This gives better detail to the characters, but the fighting area is smaller. In addition, some attacks were altered or removed entirely from the Mega Drive/Genesis version of the game. The final boss is playable in two-player mode without the use of a code.[5] The Mega Drive/Genesis version lacks the arcade introduction, instead displaying the arcade version's text with no background graphics or speech. Also, the character artwork shown after beating an opponent is missing, and portions of some characters' endings are missing. The announcer no longer says the names of the characters before a fight or after winning a fight. The Sega CD version retains the arcade introduction and is only missing portions of some characters' endings.[5] The Sega CD version also includes the attacks that were removed or altered in the Mega Drive/Genesis version, and the music is the same as the arcade version.
The SNES version has the character line-up intact, but has the game zoomed-out, which makes the character sprites smaller compared to the other ports.[5] This version has all of the stages from the arcade version, and they are less restricted compared to the Mega Drive/Genesis and Sega CD ports. This version also supports Dolby Surround sound. The SNES version includes the arcade intro sequence, although the voice accompanying the text is missing, the character artwork shown after beating an opponent is present, as are the arcade endings. The announcer, like the Sega CD version, says the names of the characters before a fight and after winning a fight. An exclusive mode, count down, is included in this port. Players can also use the final boss in two-player mode with a secret code.
The Game Boy version includes all the characters, stages, and most of the special moves, but has no combos, fatalities, or voices.[5] All the music tracks are included, albeit in scaled-down form.[5]
The Game Gear port offered only 9 fighting characters to choose from (Gen-An, Galford, Haohmaru, Ukyo, Charlotte, Nakoruru, Jubei, Hanzo and Kyoshiro), whilst the original (SNK arcades) version offered 12.[6]
Unlike most early home versions of the game, the 3DO version includes the camera zoom, as well as all the characters, special moves, and fatalities.[5]
Release[edit]
The Neo Geo AES version of the game was released for the WiiVirtual Console on October 16, 2007, in Japan; May 30, 2008, in Europe; and June 16, 2008, in North America.[7] However, before the Virtual Console version was released in the North America, the game was released as part of SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1.
Mostly due to the negative publicity surrounding the use of violence in video games, the game was edited when it was first released for the AES as it featured blood and graphic fatal attacks that kill opponents by slicing them in half.[8] As a result, it was decided to censor the game for most platforms by changing the blood from red to white and disabling the fatal attack animations.[9] The win quotes were also censored, and references to death or blood were altered.
In the Super NES version, the blood was recolored orange and the fatal attacks were removed.[10]
The 3DO version was released in 1994[citation needed] with all blood and fatality graphics intact. As a result, some retailers didn't carry this edition of the game.[citation needed]
The censoring of the Neo Geo console version was unusual in that it was tied to the specific system. For instance, a North American cartridge running on a North American Neo Geo would display white sweat, but the same cartridge, when plugged into a Japanese Neo Geo, would run the uncensored game with blood.[11] Neo Geo console modifications would enable users to set the system's region to Japan, or play in arcade mode, either of which would cause the game to be played with all of the blood and death animations intact, even on a North American/PAL console.[8]
Anime[edit]
Three anime adaptations based on the game have been made:
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Reception[edit]
In the February 1994 issue of Gamest magazine in Japan, Samurai Shodown was awarded Best Game of 1993 in the Seventh Annual Gamest Grand Prize, as well as being the first to win in the category of Best Fighting Game (Street Fighter II Dash, the previous Game of the Year, won as Best Action Game). Samurai Shodown placed first in Best VGM, Best Album and Best Direction, and second place in Best Graphics. In the Best Characters list, Nakoruru placed No. 1, Haohmaru at No. 6, Jubei Yagyu at No. 8, a tie between Ukyo Tachibana, Galford, and Poppy at No. 11, Charlotte at No. 16 (tied with Duck King from Fatal Fury Special), Kuroko at No. 18, Tam Tam and Hanzo Hattori tied for No. 22, Gen-an Shiranui at No. 29, and Wan-Fu tied at No. 45 with five other characters.[12]
Samurai Shodown won multiple awards from Electronic Gaming Monthly in their 1993 video game awards, including Best Neo-Geo Game, Best Fighting Game, and Game of the Year.[13] It was awarded 'Game of the Year' at the April 1994 European Computer Trade Show.[14]
On release, Famicom Tsūshin scored the Neo Geo version of the game a 25 out of 40,[15] giving the Super Famicom version an 8 out of 10 in their Reader Cross Review.[16]Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the Super NES version a 7.4 out of 10, commenting that despite the lack of scaling, it is still a very good port.[17]
GamePro opined that the game is a rare case where the Genesis version is superior to the Super NES version, citing the Genesis version's better scale (zoomed-in versus the zoomed-out graphics of the Super NES version) and the awkward control configuration on the Super NES version. They held the Game Boy version to be surprisingly good given the hardware, but ultimately unsatisfying, and concluded that hardcore fans should pass on even the Genesis version in favor of the upcoming 3DO and Sega CD versions.[5]Next Generation reviewed the Genesis version of the game, rating it three stars out of five, and stated that 'fans of the arcade game won't be disappointed with this solid translation, complete with blood and all the varied endings of the original.'[18]
Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the 3DO version a 7.6/10, calling it 'A very faithful home version of the arcade fighter'.[19] A reviewer for Next Generation remarked that 'The 3DO conversion is nearly identical to the arcade version, much more faithful than the previous SNES, Genesis, and Sega CD versions. The load time between rounds is noticeable, but acceptable.' He gave it three out of five stars.[20]GamePro complained that the scaling is not as smooth as the arcade version's, the animations are slower, the load times are interminably long, and the gameplay is crippled by a poor control configuration, which the player is not given the option to change.[21]
GamePro named the Sega CD port the best Sega CD game at the 1994 Consumer Electronics Show.[22] Their eventual review, however, was largely negative. They criticized the slowdown, lack of scaling, frequent load times, and low-quality reproduction of the arcade version's sounds, and added that the fact that Samurai Shodown was by then a three-year-old game makes the Sega CD version's faults stand out more.[23]Electronic Gaming Monthly scored it a 7.25 out of 10 and declared it 'the best conversion of the game that made the Neo Geo the system of choice for fighting games.' They particularly praised the accurate graphics, short load times, and ease of pulling off special moves.[24]
Notes[edit]
References[edit]
External links[edit]
Retrieved from 'https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Samurai_Shodown_(1993_video_game)&oldid=919523381'
Stay on target
Weâve seen a huge resurgence of fighting games this generation. Franchises like Mortal Kombat, Dragon Ball Z, Tekken, Super Smash Bros., and Street Fighter have brought the once dominant genre back into the spotlight. With the return of many classic franchises, itâs fitting we now have a new Samurai Shodown. Like the latest iteration of Soul Calibur, Samurai Shodown utilizes a back-to-basics approach that returns the series to its roots. Nintendo ds game cards. Though not exactly new-user friendly, Samurai Shodown delivers a deep experience for dedicated players.
Best Samurai Showdown Game
Samurai Shodown is a weapons-based fighter. Instead of fists and feet, characters duel with various types of bladed weapons. It features a colorful cast of samurai, ninja, ronin, nobility, and even a kabuki dancer. The late 1700s Japanese setting makes the game feel unique and more epic in scope. Instead of focusing on combos, Samurai Shodown is all about landing well-timed attacks to deal the most damage. It is a methodical game that rewards patience. This is another aspect that helps set it apart from its peers. This is a thinking personâs fighter.
If youâre used to titles like Street Fighter, Tekken, or even Soul Calibur, Samurai Shodown may feel alien. As mentioned above, the game isnât about stringing together large combos. Rather, it is about taking advantage of openings. If a foe misses an attack, you have an opportunity to potentially end the match in a single blow. This is something some players may find off-putting, or even unfair. More so than other fighters, one needs to truly learn the intricacies of Samurai Shodown in order to fully appreciate it. But even if you donât wish to master it, youâll have fun wacking opponents with your sword.
As befitting a modern fighting game, Samurai Shodown contains a plethora of different online and offline modes.
In Story mode, players select one of 16 available characters and go through the campaign taking on various opponents. There is a central story about an ancient evil threatening Japan (and potentially the world). While each character has their own individual prologue and epilogue, they all go through the same narrative and confront the same final boss. The way story mode plays out is very much in line with fighting games of the past. With that said, it would have been great to see a tighter plot like the ones seen in recent Mortal Kombat games.
Samurai Shodown 2019 Video Game
Battle mode is an offline mode with many subdivisions. In Versus, you can play against another human player or a CPU opponent. Gauntlet lets you fight against every character in the game, while Survival tasks you with fighting an endless stream of foes until your health depletes. Time Trial is similar to Survival, only you must defeat as many foes as possible before time runs out. All of these modes are fairly standard for fighters so itâs no surprise to see them in Samurai Shodown. None of these offer any twists, but thatâs not exactly a detriment.
Practice mode is where you hone your skills. In the tutorial, players learn basic mechanics such as attacking, defending, parrying, and special moves. If youâre new to the series or havenât played in years, Tutorial is a must. Training lets you train against a CPU opponent and gives you a wide range of options to toy with. This is the perfect place to practice a characterâs special and super moves. My only complaint with this mode is that it doesnât preview the moves. All you get is a command list. Considering how other fighters preview moves before you try them, I felt disappointed. Besides that, itâs a fairly decent training mode most will find useful.
The majority of players will spend their time playing online. There are two online modes. One is standard while the other is fairly unique. Online contains both Ranked and Casual matches. Ranked is for players who want to make it on the leaderboards and test themselves against the very best opponents. I found matchmaking fair, as I was never put in a room with players beyond my skill level. I also found matches extremely stable. Never once did I experience a laggy match. It felt as if I was playing against someone in the same room. Samurai Shodown has a bare bones but efficient Online mode which works as intended.
Things get more interesting with Dojo mode. Instead of fighting online opponents directly, youâll instead fight their âghosts.â As you play, the game collects data on the characters you choose. The more you play as a character, the more data it collects. This data creates characters that behave like real-world players. Dojo has two sub-modes: Ghost Match and Ironman Challenge. The former has you fighting someone elseâs ghost, while the latter has you facing up to 100 ghosts back-to-back. The concept of dueling another playerâs âghostâ is bizarre, but is cool regardless.
Samurai Shodownâs presentation is top notch. The characters and backgrounds come to life via calligraphy-inspired graphics. You can practically take a screenshot from any moment in the game and frame it. Then thereâs the music. For the most part, the soundtrack uses traditional Japanese instruments. Thereâs the odd electric guitar riff here or there, but for the most part, the music is authentic to the time period. Overall, the presentation is fantastic and helps draw you into the world.
Samurai Shodown Wiki
As an old-school Samurai Shodown fan, Iâm happy to see the franchise make such a glorious return. It has everything that makes the series special: An awesome feudal Japanese setting, unique characters, tactical weapons-based combat, and a slick presentation. While it isnât for casual players, the game should do well among hardcore fighting game fanatics. I can see it being enormous among the EVO crowd specifically. Hopefully, the game will blow up and become a mainstay in the FGC (Fighting Game Community). It certainly deserves the recognition. Samurai Shodown is easily one of the best fighters of the year.
Samurai Shodown Move List 2019
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