Samurai Shodown, originally a SNK Neo-Geo system game, was made for the specific purpose of besting Capcom's mammoth Street Fighter 2 in the arcades. At the time, the Super Street Fighter 2 upgrades hadn't even been announced yet. So, Sam Shodown was competing with the original, along with the then new SF2 Champion and SF2 Turbo upgrades. In Samurai Shodown, SNK added blood to the cartoony graphic scheme and, more importantly, weapons. They gave their game atmosphere by placing it in a feudal Japanese setting and made the animation so smooth it was like watching a cartoon. If any game came to the level of Street Fighter 2, it was Samurai Shodown. Which wasn't that surprising, since SNK supposedly wooed over some of the Street Fighter 2's original designers for the project.
Of course, as I said, that was before Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo came out- long before. So now that the two fighting games have arrived to the 3DO, how does Samurai Shodown stack up? Very nicely, indeed.
First off, Samurai Shodown is graphically superior to SSF2Turbo. The graphics are more defined, move more smoothly and just look better then SF2's aging graphics. Samurai Shodown was the game that really started the idea of zooming in and out of the battle field and still does it the best. And, of course, it has weapons, which makes it very different from all past fighters. Two of the characters even have pets that help them during the fray.
There are twelve characters to choose from, along with one mean boss. The backgrounds look incredible, putting most of Street Fighter 2's to shame. Unfortunately, 3DO Sam Shodown's audio quality can't compare to Super SF2 Turbo on the 3DO. The atmospheric sounds and the music are both very good, but the voices are awful. The various voices in the game sound like the speakers have a mouth full of oatmeal.
Obviously, however, the most important aspect of any fighting game is not looks or sound effects, but playability. While Samurai Shodown
isn't quite as good as Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo in this area, it still plays very well- better then most fighters available. Adding to playability is an option to turn the weapons off, which is almost like having two different games in one. In a manner similar to SF2, there are three different Slash( or punch) buttons and three separate kicks. On the original Neo-Geo coin-op machine, there were four buttons to use and you had to press the two slash buttons at the same time to use the most powerful slash( and the same for kicking). Crystal Dynamics didn't choose to use that system. Unfortunately, they didn't choose to go the way that Capcom/ Panasonic went with SF2 by using a three and three button system( using the "P" as a punch on the stock control pad.).
Instead, the programmers decided to use the ABC buttons as the slashes, which is good. Then, they made it so that in order to kick, you have to press the right shift key and one of the ABC buttons simultaneously- which is downright goofy. It also shows an incredible lack of foresight on Crystal Dynamics part. Especially since it was common knowledge that many different controllers( including the 6 button pad) were on the way. Also, there is no option to reconfigure the control layout, which is turning into an unfortunate habit with Crystal Dynamics' titles.
Even with this rather awkward kicking setup, the game still plays well, though it does make certain special moves more difficult. There should have been more options all around for Samurai Shodown- more difficulty levels, the option for unlimited continues( the game gives only 3 continues.) and a more configurable 2 player mode. The game saves your character position- whether you want it to or not. It also notes whether you had to continue or not when it saves. Run out of continues and Shodown erases that saved game- all without asking the player whether they want to or not.
Even with these flaws, Samurai Shodown is a great fighting game and a great addition to the 3DO library. It looks better then Super Street Fighter 2 Turbo and the atmosphere, wildly varied characters and weapons give it a feel and playability all it's own. The button configuration is unfortunate, but not detrimental. The game is still very playable- just below the level of Super SF2 Turbo. If you like fighting games, then you'll definitely want Samurai Shodown- It's one of the best and is sure to keep you in stitches for some time to come. So, how about 3DO versions of Fatal Fury Special, King of the Fighters '94 and Samurai Shodown 2? Please?
