Samurai Shodown | |
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European Arcade flyer by Shinkiro | |
Developer(s) |
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Publisher(s) | SNK
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Producer(s) | Eikichi Kawasaki |
Artist(s) | Erina Makino Keisen Yamaguchi Kenji Shintani |
Composer(s) | Masahiko Hataya Yasuo Yamate |
Series | Samurai Shodown |
Platform(s) | |
Release | |
Genre(s) | Fighting |
Mode(s) | |
Cabinet | Upright |
Arcade system | Neo Geo MVS |
CPU | M68000 (@ 12 MHz), Z80A (@ 4 MHz) |
Sound | YM2610 (@ 8 MHz) [1] |
Display | Raster, 320 × 224 pixels (Horizontal), 4096 colors |
Samurai Shodown [lower-alpha 1] is a competitive fighting game developed and published by SNK for their Neo Geo arcade and home platform. 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 ) and was one of the first fighting games to focus primarily on weapon-based combat after the success of Capcom's Street Fighter II .
A fighting game is a video game genre in which the player controls an on-screen character and engages in close combat with an opponent, which can be either an AI or controlled by another player. The fight matches typically consist of several rounds and take place in an arena, while each character has differing abilities but each is relatively viable to choose. Players must master techniques such as blocking, counter-attacking, and chaining attacks together into "combos". Starting in the early 1990s, most fighting games allowed the player to execute special attacks by performing specific input combinations. The fighting game genre is related to but distinct from beat 'em ups, which involve large numbers of enemies against the human player.
SNK Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company, successor to the Shin Nihon Kikaku and current owner of the SNK video game brand and Neo Geo video game platform. The Shin Nihon Kikaku Corporation was founded on July 22, 1978 by Eikichi Kawasaki. Initially called Shin Nihon Kikaku, the name was informally shortened to SNK Corporation in 1981 before becoming the company's official name in April 1986.
Samurai Shodown is a fighting game series by SNK. In Japan, the name of the series is officially in katakana, but is often written in kanji, with the second character pronounced supirittsu, "spirits", to better reflect the game's setting.
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; true to its use of bladed weapons, the game also includes copious amounts of blood.
Music is an art form and cultural activity whose medium is sound organized in time. General definitions of music include common elements such as pitch, rhythm, dynamics, and the sonic qualities of timbre and texture. Different styles or types of music may emphasize, de-emphasize or omit some of these elements. Music is performed with a vast range of instruments and vocal techniques ranging from singing to rapping; there are solely instrumental pieces, solely vocal pieces and pieces that combine singing and instruments. The word derives from Greek μουσική . See glossary of musical terminology.
The shakuhachi is a Japanese longitudinal, end-blown bamboo-flute.
The shamisen or samisen (三味線), also sangen, is a three-stringed traditional Japanese musical instrument derived from the Chinese instrument sanxian. It is played with a plectrum called a bachi.
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.
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Shiro Tokisada Amakusa, slain in 1638 by the forces of the Tokugawa Shogunate for his part in the Shimabara tax revolt, is an actual person and Japan's most famous Christian martyr. He is revived as a satanic demon. Driven by hatred for the Shogunate, he unleashes his dark powers to bring chaos to the world. An assortment of warriors—some historic, some fictional—converge upon the source of the chaos, each driven by their own reasons.
The programming team for Samurai Shodown consisted of a combination of veteran SNK programmers and former Capcom employees. [2]
Capcom Co., Ltd. is a Japanese video game developer and publisher known for creating numerous multi-million selling game franchises, including Street Fighter, Mega Man, Resident Evil, Devil May Cry, Monster Hunter, Sengoku BASARA, Ace Attorney, Onimusha, Breath of Fire, Ōkami, as well as games based on the Disney animated properties. Established in 1979, it has become an international enterprise with subsidiaries in North America, Europe, and Japan.
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 Super Nintendo Entertainment System (SNES), also known as the Super NES or Super Nintendo, is a 16-bit home video game console developed by Nintendo that was released in 1990 in Japan and South Korea, 1991 in North America, 1992 in Europe and Australasia (Oceania), and 1993 in South America. In Japan, the system is called the Super Famicom (SFC). In South Korea, it is known as the Super Comboy and was distributed by Hyundai Electronics. The system was released in Brazil on August 30, 1993, by Playtronic. Although each version is essentially the same, several forms of regional lockout prevent the different versions from being compatible with one another.
The Game Boy is an 8-bit handheld game console developed and manufactured by Nintendo. The first handheld in the Game Boy line, it was first released on April 21, 1989 in Japan, followed by North America three months later, and in Europe nearly a year after. Designed by the same team that developed the Game & Watch and several Nintendo Entertainment System games, it was created and published by Satoru Okada, Gunpei Yokoi, and Nintendo Research & Development 1.
The Sega Genesis, known as the Mega Drive in regions outside of North America, is a 16-bit home video game console developed and sold by Sega. The Genesis was Sega's third console and the successor to the Master System. Sega released it as the Mega Drive in Japan in 1988, followed by North America as the Genesis in 1989. In 1990, it was distributed as the Mega Drive by Virgin Mastertronic in Europe, Ozisoft in Australasia, and Tec Toy in Brazil. In South Korea, it was distributed by Samsung as the Super Gam*Boy and later the Super Aladdin Boy.
The Genesis and Sega CD versions omit the character Earthquake and his stage. [3] 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. [3] 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. [3] 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. [3] 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. [3] All the music tracks are included, albeit in scaled-down form. [3]
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. [4]
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. [3]
The Neo Geo AES version of the game was released for the Wii Virtual Console on October 16, 2007, in Japan; May 30, 2008, in Europe; and June 16, 2008, in North America. [5] 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. [6] 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. [7] 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. [8]
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. [9] 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. [6]
Three anime adaptations based on the game have been made:
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. [10]
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. [11] It was awarded "Game of the Year" at the April 1994 European Computer Trade Show. [12]
On release, Famicom Tsūshin scored the Neo Geo version of the game a 25 out of 40, [13] giving the Super Famicom version an 8 out of 10 in their Reader Cross Review. [14] 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. [15]
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. [3] 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." [16]
Electronic Gaming Monthly gave the 3DO version a 7.6/10, calling it "A very faithful home version of the arcade fighter". [17] 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. [18] 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. [19]
GamePro named the Sega CD port the best Sega CD game at the 1994 Consumer Electronics Show. [20] 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. [21] 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. [22]
The Neo Geo, stylised as NEO・GEO, also written as NEOGEO, is a cartridge-based arcade system board and fourth-generation home video game console released on April 26, 1990, by Japanese game company SNK Corporation. It was the first system in SNK's Neo Geo family. The Neo Geo was marketed as 24-bit; its CPU is technically a 16/32-bit 68000-based system with an 8/16-bit Z80 coprocessor, while its GPU chipset has a 24-bit graphics data bus.
Neo Geo CD is the second home video game console of SNK Corporation's Neo Geo family, released in September 9, 1994, four years after its cartridge-based equivalent. This is the same platform, converted to the cheaper CD format retailing at $49 to $79 per title, compared to the $300 cartridges. The system was originally priced at US$399, or £399 in the UK. The unit's 1X CD-ROM drive is slow, with very long loading times of up to 56 Mbit of data per load. The system can also play Audio CDs. All three versions of the system have no region-lock. The Neo Geo CD was launched bundled with a control pad instead of a joystick like the AES version. However, the original AES joystick can be used with all three Neo Geo CD models.
Nakoruru is a character in the Samurai Shodown series of fighting games by SNK. She is one of the series' best known and most popular characters alongside its main protagonist Haohmaru, and has been introduced in the original Samurai Shodown in 1993. Nakoruru is a good-hearted, young Ainu shrine maiden who loves nature and fights evil with the help of her hawk sidekick Mamahaha. She has a younger sister named Rimururu and an aggressive darker side alter-ego known as Rera. As one of SNK's popular mascot characters, Nakoruru has also appeared in many other games and other media.
Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa's Revenge, also known as Samurai Spirits: Amakusa's Descent in Japan, is the fourth in SNK's flagship Samurai Shodown series of fighting games. Chronologically, it is the second and final chapter of a story between Samurai Shodown and Samurai Shodown II, with Samurai Shodown III being the first chapter.
Sengoku is a beat 'em up arcade game. It is the first game of the Sengoku series by SNK. It was ported to numerous home consoles including the Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, Mega-CD and Super Famicom. The arcade version was part of SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1, released in 2008. The Neo Geo version was re-released on the Japanese Virtual Console in 2011, with the sequels for the North American Virtual Console on November 8, 2012 and June 6, 2013 and for the PAL region on February 7, 2013 and September 5, 2013. In 2009 the series was compiled on a CD titled Sengoku Anthology for PlayStation 2 and Windows.
Galaxy Fight: Universal Warriors is a 1995 arcade fighting game originally developed and published by Sunsoft for the Neo-Geo MVS arcades. It was Sunsoft's second fighting game after their 1994 Super Famicom spin-off of their Hebereke series, Sugoi Hebereke, as well as their first side-viewed 2D fighting game.
The King of Fighters '95 is a fighting game produced by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home consoles in 1995. It is the sequel to The King of Fighters '94 and the second game in The King of Fighters series. It is also the first game in the series to be ported to other home consoles besides the Neo Geo AES and Neo-Geo CD thus making SNK a second-party developer, with versions released for the PlayStation, Sega Saturn and Game Boy. It was also rereleased in The King of Fighters Collection: The Orochi Saga in 2008 for the PlayStation 2, PlayStation Portable and Wii.
Fatal Fury 2 is a 1992 fighting video game released by SNK for the Neo Geo arcade and home platforms, and later ported to several other home systems. It is a sequel to Fatal Fury: King of Fighters and the second game in the Fatal Fury franchise. Its updated version, Fatal Fury Special, was released in 1993.
Samurai Shodown RPG, known as Samurai Spirits, a True Story: Bushido Biographies in Japan, is a role-playing video game for SNK's Neo Geo CD system, and was also ported to the Sega Saturn and Sony PlayStation. It was never released outside Japan.
Samurai Shodown II, is a 1994 fighting game released as the second entry in SNK's Samurai Shodown series.
Samurai Shodown III: Blades of Blood, known as Samurai Spirits: Zankuro Musouken in Japan and Fighters Swords in Korea, was released in the arcades on November 15, 1995. It is the third game in SNK's Samurai Shodown series of fighting games. While it is the third game in the main series, it is the first part of a two-chapter story that is chronologically set between the events of Samurai Shodown and Samurai Shodown II.
World Heroes 2 is a 1993 fighting arcade game developed and published by ADK with the assistance of SNK. It was originally released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade cabinet on April 26, 1993. It is the sequel to the 1992 fighting arcade game World Heroes, as well as the second title of the World Heroes series. It was even the first game with the "ADK" logo labeled within the game after the developer changed from its previous name "Alpha Denshi"; however, the "Alpha" logo was last used on one of the arcade flyers of World Heroes 2.
World Heroes Perfect is a 1995 fighting arcade game developed and published by ADK with the assistance of SNK. It was originally released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade cabinet on May 25, 1995. It is the sequel to the 1994 fighting arcade game World Heroes 2 Jet, and is the fourth title of the World Heroes series.
Samurai Shodown VI, known as Samurai Spirits: Tale of the World's Greatest Swordsman in Japan, is the tenth iteration in the Samurai Shodown series.
Samurai Shodown V Special, also known as Samurai Spirits Zero Special in Japan, is the ninth in SNK's Samurai Shodown/Samurai Spirits series of fighting games. It is an upgraded version of the game Samurai Shodown V and is the last official game for the Neo Geo platform. A further upgraded version of Samurai Shodown V Special: Final Edition was location tested, but never officially released.
Viewpoint is an arcade isometric shooter developed by Aicom and originally released in 1992 by Sammy and SNK for the Neo-Geo arcade and console platform.
Karnov's Revenge, also titled Fighter's History: Dynamite in Japan, is a 1994 fighting game developed by Data East, released for the Neo Geo. It's the second game in the Fighter's History series. The game was later ported to the Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD and Sega Saturn home consoles.
Neo Geo is a family of video game hardware developed by SNK. On the market from 1990 to 2004, the brand originated with the release of an arcade system, the Neo Geo MVS and its home console counterpart, the Neo Geo AES. Both the arcade system and console were powerful for the time and the AES allows for perfect compatibility of games released for the MVS. However, the high price point for both the AES console and its games prevented it from directly competing with its contemporaries, the Sega Genesis, Super NES, and TurboGrafx-16. However, the MVS arcade became very successful in stores in Japan and North America.
King of the Monsters is a fighting/wrestling game. It was released by SNK on July 1, 1991 in Japan, with later ports for the Super NES and Sega Genesis by Takara. The game uses giant monsters that are reminiscent of kaiju and tokusatsu characters. King of the Monsters was included as part of SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1 which was released for the Wii, PlayStation 2 and PSP in 2008. A sequel called King of the Monsters 2 was released a year later.
World Heroes is a 1992 fighting arcade game developed and published by Alpha Denshi with the assistance of SNK. It was originally released for the Neo Geo MVS arcade cabinet on July 28, 1992. It is ADK's first game in the fighting game genre, as well as their earliest attempt in the fighting game trend of the '90s that was popularized by Capcom's 1991 arcade-hit Street Fighter II. It was even the last game with the "Alpha" logo labeled within the game before the developer became "ADK"; however, the "Alpha" logo was last used on one of the arcade flyers of its sequel.
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