TESTED GAMEShile not as polished as its
big-name rivals, SNK’s
re-imagined classic
Samurai Shodown (yep, without
the ‘w’) is a more measured and
thoughtful fighting game than its
peers – and one that’s surprisingly
easy to get into.
The most obvious difference is
weaponry. This is a fighting game
that wants players to feel just
how dangerous those shimmering
blades can actually be. Attacks
can do enormous damage if timed
correctly, so it doesn’t pay to jump
in with all buttons blazing – a cool
opponent will simply sidestep or
parry, then slash off half your life
in a single blow.
The game’s roots are still firmly
in the arcade tradition, complete
with quarter-circle special attacks,
projectiles and 15-foot jumps; but
while confident players can blast
through weak defences, most
bouts tend to be cautious.
And be warned – this isn’t a
fighting game for the kids. Every
blow sends showers of claret into
the air, and a heavy strike can
cleave your opponent in two orslice off a limb. It’s surprisingly
gruesome – more so than the
gore of Mortal Kombat 11.
Samurai Shodown is a pretty
slim package compared to most
modern fighting games, but it does
include an interesting mode: Dojo.
Here you battle ghosts of random
players from around the world, all
the while improving the ghost data
of your own fighter.
There’s no real purpose to
playing this mode, but it makes
for a nice change of pace and is
less intimidating than venturing
into online ranked play.
There’s also a story mode, but
don’t get excited about this – it’s
just a series of fights against the
rest of the roster, interspersed with
slow narrative text and brutally
long loading times.
All told, there’s not a lot of
gaming here for your money,
but the fighting is about as good
as it gets. Clean, interesting and
violent – it has a different feel and
pace to the rest, and just enough
absurd violence to keep the maniac
inside you smiling.
Jon DentonSTUFF SAYS A slim package, but with real-world opponents it’s close to essential ++++,
Samurai Shodown
After years in meditative hibernation, a once-lost Shogun warrior
has re-emerged to do battle with Street Fighter and Mortal KombatW
In the age of
feminism, how
come the male
fighters get to
have all the
best hair?Alternatively,
you could sit
down and
discuss your
differences
over a cuppa.All platforms / stuff.tv/shodown