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The Word 15 (Disk 2 of 2).adf
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05-BBlade.TxT
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05-BBlade.TxT
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1997-06-30
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5KB
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115 lines
$050
BUSHIDO BLADE
=============
$fff By No.6
$531
Okay, first the bad news, EVERYTHING is in Japanese. All the menu
entries, options screens, character names, EVERYTHING. That's due to
the fact it's only out in Japan at the moment.
The next problem, You can't play character VS same character. You also
can't seem to use the STORY costumes in VS mode, you're stuck with the
"classic" costumes, and vice versa.
Now the good news, this is the most innovative fighting game I've ever
seen. The control system, combat engine and interplay between
characters and the environment is completely unique. You can't take any
skills you've learned elsewhere and bring them to Bushido Blade, they
don't apply.
It seems basic enough, the joypad moves you around in 3D. The main
difference is in the fighting style. As with some other fighting games
you have a High, Medium and Low attack as well as a parray button. On
top of that you also have three stances, High, Medium and Low.
Depending on which stance you choose will change all of your basic
attacks, your defense options, your combos and what special moves you
can activate.
Each character has two special moves, their own unique attributes
(speed, strength, etc) and a signature missile weapon (with it's own
attributes).Each character can choose one of the eight basic weapons.
Each weapon has it's own special moves, combos, attributes and different
basic attacks depending on the posture it's being used in (basically,
the weapon dictates your basic moves).
Additional moves you can execute during combat include jumps, jumping
attacks, throwing your missile weapon (or your opponents, if you pick it
up after they throw it), throwing a fistful of dirt into your opponents
eyes (if available), climb a wall, execute running attacks, pounce on
downed opponents, drop prone to lessen damage from an attack, attack
while retreating, retrieve missile weapons or surrender to your opponent
if you are crippled from the fight.
You have no life meter, and there is no set amount of hits that will
kill you. So far I've had fights that lasted up to fifteen minutes, and
fights that were over in less than two seconds.
In the story mode, you don't really have boundries to the combat area,
you can simply run away from your opponent, up hills, across bridges,
through bamboo forests, etc. When playing by yourself, this is
sometimes enough to end the match, if you get enough distance between
yourself and the computer opponent.
As you fight, the damage you take will affect your performance. Your
character will slow down, they may lose the use of their left arm (no
missile weapons) or be driven to their knees because of leg injuries
(difficult, but not impossible to win when this happens). If you're not
careful, your character might simply die from a single hit (being
stabbed in the skull with a broadsword is slighly fatal, even if the
match just began).
In story mode, damage you take is healed by the next match, but you have
bandages over the wounds. When two players are going at it for a few
rounds, you can get pretty battered looking.)
Combat revolves heavily around parrying, either actively or passively.
When you are attacked, you will automatically deflect most incoming
attacks (depending on your weapon), but be briefly stunned while you do
so. If you use the parry button, you can actively bat any incoming
attack away, allowing you to immediately attack your opponent.
Parrying is easier to do than in any game I can remember, leading to
great sequences of batting each others weapons trying to find an
opening. Get used to parrying, it's often the only way to avoid fatal
blows.
The arena in this game are amazing. There are bridges, canyons, rivers,
a waterfall, waist-deep pools of water, bamboo forests (you can even cut
the bamboo and it'll fall!) and more. I recommend playing story mode
with another human player and simply taking the grand tour.
In versus mode, you can only fight in small sections of the overall map,
but some of these areas don't seem accessible in story mode, so that
makes up for it somewhat.
Overall, this is a remarkably unique game with a lot of interesting
features. I have been waiting for so long to have a fighting game that
is based more on reallity than on fantasy.
I happen to love it so far, but I don't know how most fighting game fans
will react. It takes a lot of getting used to, especially the "dying
with one blow" bit. Personally, I'm delighted with Bushido Blade. All
I can say now is go buy it.
Reviewed by
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