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| | Title:
Samurai Shodown V
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System:
Xbox
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Genre:
Fighting
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Publisher:
Sony Pictures
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Developer:
SNK PLAYMORE
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Release:
10/15/2005
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Online:
No
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ESRB:
Rating Pending
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Anyone who has played Samurai Showdown V on the Neo Geo or at the arcades might have a couple of things to say about that game, one of which might either be: 1) I loved this game, definitely a fan of SNK. [or] 2) I hated this game, it was ugly and ill-developed. Sadly, I was a fan of the series who fell somewhere in between the latter half of the first category and mostly into the first-half of the second category. This game on the Neo Geo didn’t quite follow through on its legacy as the third and fourth titles did. I never actually found out on my own how to do decapitations or fatalities; and the violence was far less convincing and dramatic as it had been in the prior titles. The boss seemed, no, he was cheap. Some of the new characters (or old characters with new personalities) seemed a bit more like backdrop objects than actual personalities, and the sword-fighting in general lacked the quality back-and-forth action that was so enjoyable in Samurai Showdown III and IV. This, though, was more than a year ago. For what changes that have taken place since then, only SNK could enlighten us with --and now, they have.
This time Samurai Showdown V (Or Samurai Spirits: Zero) is making it’s way onto the Xbox, and has been given a series of make-over attributes such as enhanced sprites and backgrounds. Whether or not the soundtrack will be re-done as an orchestrated version or if it will stay in the format as it was on the Neo Geo, time will only tell. But a huge plus on the Big Black Box rendition would have to be the Live multiplayer feature. SNK has also totaled the character count to 26, not including the final boss and a hidden character. It also appears that death combos are clear and present and there are now eight new moves for players to learn and master. Not including a special spirit strength addition that can actually slow down your opponent.
Offerings of the ancient Samurai
For those who wonder what Samurai Showdown (Or Samurai Spirits in Japan) is all about, then a quick rundown would simply have to be, that SS Five is an apodictic precursor to the original Samurai Showdown. It follows through with each character having elements of a story that revolves around the war-torn era of Japan, and the struggles of power and change that are taking effect. I played the original Japanese version which had appeared to have more dialogue and story than the US version, at arcades and on the home console of the Neo Geo. It seems, though, that SNK has been fine-tuning this game for a release on the Xbox with enhanced features and sprites from the original Samurai Showdown V.
All these swords belong to us
The core gameplay is centered around generic 2D sword fighting. The drawback on the original Samurai Showdown V was that it featured more characters and less gameplay. The graphics were even less enthused and drab in comparison to Samurai Showdown IV. Originally it is because they took sprites from an older Samurai Showdown (I know SS V takes place before the other SS games, but taking older sprites to convey the point seems a little moot in comparison to the effects of it’s quality.) But it looks as if SNK is changing this around for the console rendition, to give players a bit more solidarity in the effect of overall gameplay, which is something that Samurai Showdown III and IV had almost mastered to no fault. Despite featuring less story elements and characters, it was more so because the fighting helped tell a story of the warriors who were doing battle, the rivalry between the two main characters; the disturbed psychopath out for redemption from the loss of his love; a master swordsman battling with his own demons, etc. The gameplay echoed the character’s personal quest with their fighting style, and the confrontations they had before each battle, consisting of short dialogues. With the fighting enhanced in SS V and more detail and depth provided within the game, it seems that SNK is looking to over-haul the perception of the Samurai Showdown series for a much better reception.
The year distance between its arcade debut and its console presentation should be well worth the wait, as SNK/Playmore are giving players more profound gameplay in the more than ten year old series. With the features SNK is promising to redeem and the added Live multiplayer feature, with rematch and tournament modes, it looks as if Samurai Showdown V is showcasing the quality of a decade that is the Samurai Showdown legacy.
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