Random Game O' the Day: Samurai Shodown II

[digitalpress]

The DP Random Game Generator of Asian Duality (tm) has chosen the SNK classic Samurai Shodown II for us today.

I LOVE this game. I'd even go so far as to say that it's my favorite Neo-Geo game. The characters are all so much fun to play, the game retains the original's atmosphere and improves a bit on the graphics and number of characters selectable (up to 15 now, though where's Tam Tam?). Two more sequels were in order and the game system was changed much more significantly in III though to everyone not necessarily for the better.

What did you think of the game? Write your mini-review here!

DP Guide sez:

Samurai Shodown II (Neo Geo, by SNK) $25/R3 +
a.k.a. Samurai Spirits II
Features the artwork from the team who penned the anime "Ninja Scroll". A 202 meg game. EASTER EGGS: Come on, we want blood. So go to the options menu and change the country to Japan, then exit. Then go BACK to the options menu, change the country to USA and exit again. Now when you play the game, you've got blood. PERIODICALS: EGM gave this game an average of 9.0 (out of 10). GameFan gave this game a 9.7. SANTULLI SLANT: This game reminds me of why I'm not such a great Street Fighter II player. It's because while most everyone was getting good at that series, I was playing the Samurai Shodown series. This sequel and the game before it concentrate less on combinations and fancy controller tricks and more on timing your attacks and defense. Add the terrific graphics and sound to a game that you can truly call easy to learn and difficult to master, and you have what we like to call a "classic" around here. [Gr: 9, So: 8, Ga: 10, Ov: 9] Released 12/02/94. c1994 SNK.

http://www.digitpress.com/dpsightz/arcade/samsho2.png

[Gamereviewgod]

Simply put: One of the greatest fighters of all time. It's so flawlessly executed that you can't help be drawn in immediately. It's a damn shame this one was never ported to a console which has a larger user base so more people could experience it. Then again, it probably wouldn't have been the same....

[Tempest]

I love the little old dude in the huge hat (Nicotine I think). I don't think he ever made it into any of the sequels though. I actually beat the game once using him, and trust me it wasn't easy.

Tempest

[Ascending Wordsmith]

While others were standing in line to plunk their quarters into Capcom cabinets, I was heartily enjoying Samurai Showdown II, uninterrupted. Yeah, yeah, the Street Fighter II series was more popular, but Samurai Showdown II was perfectly put together and offered more to the genre IMO. The graphics, fluidity, and gameplay are top notch.

http://home8.swipnet.se/~w-85694/images/ss23.jpg

Jubei's stage with a small thatch house amidst a snowy bamboo thicket remains as my favorite 2D fighter stage design ever.

[jaydubnb]

Awesome, awesome game. In fact, coincidentally, I dusted it off last night and play for a good hour or two. What I love about SSII is that it doesnt feel like any other fighter relying on stringing combos together, like previously mentioned, its about timing and defense. I love the fact that when using your hardest attacks (say, A+B slash) you really PAY if you dont connect by leaving yourself massively open for retaliation. The graphics still hold up strongly today and the music and sound are EXCELLENT. GREAT character designs...i love the fact that Galford and Hanzo look to be yet another Ken/Ryu combo, yet play differently! One of SNK's finest moments.

[buttasuperb]

Simply put: One of the greatest fighters of all time.

I would consider it to be one of the best GAMES of all time.

Badass fighter, very stylish, with there not being a weak character on the roster. That's very tough to find in a fighting game, imo.

I like this game so much, I have both the Euro and JPN versions of the homecart. I'll probably get the US version sometime as well. @_@

If I could only keep one game, this would be it. Maybe when I die, I can have it buried with me. LOL

[Captain Wrong]

Yep, one of the games where everything comes together beautifully. I think this was more popular than Street Fighter out here. At least I know more people who played it back in the day.

[ARCZero]

This is my favorite fighter of all time. I used to play this a lot in the arcades back in the day with my friends. For me SSII was better than any other incarnation in the series.

The 3DO version was excellent. This game and Bubble Bobble were the two main reasons why I got a 3DO Blaster. I think there was a Genesis version which must have sucked.

- ARCZero

[Kid Fenris]

This is my favorite fighter of all time. I used to play this a lot in the arcades back in the day with my friends. For me SSII was better than any other incarnation in the series.

The 3DO version was excellent. This game and Bubble Bobble were the two main reasons why I got a 3DO Blaster. I think there was a Genesis version which must have sucked.

- ARCZero

There were Genesis and 3DO versions of Samurai Sho(w)down 2? I always thought that only the original SS appeared on those systems. In fact, I was under the impression that the sole non-Neo version of SS2 was in the import-only Samurai Spirits Kenkaku Yubinan Pack for the PlayStation and Saturn. Someone please correct me if I'm wrong.

[Raedon]

:hail:

[ARCZero]

Oops.. you're right - I meant Samurai Showdown I for the 3DO / Genesis

Doah! :embarrassed:

[Ed Oscuro]

SS 2 strategy and style > Street Fighter 2 combos and whatever the heck they do.

There is no contest. Street Fighter 2 is essentially a glorified button-masher, whereas the Samurai Spirit (er, Shodown) games are all about the strategy.

IPPON!

[buttasuperb]

Street Fighter 2 is essentially a glorified button-masher,

That's a joke right?

@Fenris, I believe the Fencing Pack (SS1 & 2) was only released for PSX. The Saturn compilation contains SS3 & 4.

VICTOLY

[Ed Oscuro]

To be fair, Mortal Kombat is REALLY the glorified button masher.

But enough of that.

Let me get swept away in the feeling of the moment, eh???

[buttasuperb]

hehe, that's a bit better, but even MK isn't really a button masher. Just a simpler game.

Tekken games, DOA games, and Soul Calibur are button mashers.

and SS2 = :rocker:

[Kid Ice]

The thing I love about this game is you can pick it up anytime. No looking through hint books or running to Game FAQs. No weeks of practice to get going, like in Last Blade 2 or SFA3. But not too easy...no blasting through the whole game like in Fatal Fury 3 or Mortal Kombat either. It's probably my favorite fighter to play against the CPU (whereas SF2 or Tekken would have the edge against human opponents).

ICE

[ubersaurus]

This game rocks. One of the my favorite Neo geo games, even though I suck alot of ass at it (I played 3 more then 2).

Sf2 is far from a button masher. SF2 is the game that all other fighters since have their basics built on. Sf2 isn't really about combos either-its about spacing and timing, and to a lesser extent, traps.

but anyhow, SS2. I fel pretty bad being as crummy at this game as I am, because there's still a number of good SS2 players around here...my boy Hungry Howie(Haohmaru) just can't compete very well. But its alot of fun. I'll go so far to say that anyone who owns a neo geo should seek out a copy of this game.

[Ed Oscuro]

hehe, that's a bit better, but even MK isn't really a button masher. Just a simpler game.

Tekken games, DOA games, and Soul Calibur are button mashers.

and SS2 = :rocker:

Ah, NOW you're talking.

Though I'll take XBOX DOA and even (!) Soul Calibur over Mortal Kombat.

Tekk...what? Aiieee...Tekktites and LEEVERS!</zeldapromo>

[Kid Fenris]

I forgot to mention earlier that I also love Samurai Shodown 2. It's among the half-dozen Neo games that I actually want to own.

My favorite part of the game would have to be Galford's ending, in which he gets over you-know-who's death awfully fast.

http://www.vgmuseum.com/end/neogeo/a/samur2galf.htm

[ManekiNeko]

Yeah, SamSho 2 was pretty cool. It was what the first game should have been... in fact, it was more of an enhanced remake of Samurai Shodown than a legitimate sequel. I think it was called Shin (True) Samurai Spirits in Japan.
For the record, Joe, Tam Tam actually WAS in Samurai Shodown 2. He's the chimp that travels around with Cham Cham, and he gets transformed back into a human at the end of the game.
SamSho 2 may have been great, but subsequent Samurai Shodown games were kind of disappointing. SamSho 3 was a complete redesign with crappy new characters and play mechanics. The next game in the series, Amakusa's Revenge, was an improvement over the previous one, but it too had problems. The game encouraged players to be more aggressive than before, adding a combo system, a boss timer, and character-specific fatalities. As a result, it became less of a graceful sword duel and more of a standard beat 'em up.

JR

P.S. By the way, the Genesis version of Samurai Shodown doesn't suck. It's not perfect, but it plays well enough and the characters are gigantic, a sharp contrast to the Super NES version where everyone was shrunken down. The sound is also fairly impressive... the voices are lousy (surprise, surprise) but the ringing of swords striking one another is surprisingly clear and realistic. The only things that bothered me about the game was that most of the cinemas were removed and that it felt a little slow in comparison to the Neo-Geo version.

[hamburgler]

awesome game and fun to play too. :D :D :D :D

[Six Switch]

I have it for CD,that final boss is a bitch! >:(

[buttasuperb]

SamSho 3 was a complete redesign with crappy new characters and play mechanics. The next game in the series, Amakusa's Revenge, was an improvement over the previous one, but it too had problems. The game encouraged players to be more aggressive than before, adding a combo system, a boss timer, and character-specific fatalities. As a result, it became less of a graceful sword duel and more of a standard beat 'em up.

I'm gonna have to disagree on this one. Crappy new characters? Where? Maybe Shizumaru, but that's about it. My only problem with it is the insanely high damage. The game is a work of art, fantastic game.

And SS4, I think is almost as good as SS2. Standard beat em up? I don't think so. What's wrong with a combo system, especially one that's different from any other game? I don't think it encouraged anyone to be more aggressive, an overly attacking person will get countered to death by a good player. The fatalities are cool, an added bonus, not critical to the game, and doesn't happen all the time. The timer does suck, though.

[Gamereviewgod]

Ok, new rule...don't screw with Butta's fighting games....

[ubersaurus]

SamSho 3 was a complete redesign with crappy new characters and play mechanics. The next game in the series, Amakusa's Revenge, was an improvement over the previous one, but it too had problems. The game encouraged players to be more aggressive than before, adding a combo system, a boss timer, and character-specific fatalities. As a result, it became less of a graceful sword duel and more of a standard beat 'em up.

I'm gonna have to disagree on this one. Crappy new characters? Where? Maybe Shizumaru, but that's about it. My only problem with it is the insanely high damage. The game is a work of art, fantastic game.

And SS4, I think is almost as good as SS2. Standard beat em up? I don't think so. What's wrong with a combo system, especially one that's different from any other game? I don't think it encouraged anyone to be more aggressive, an overly attacking person will get countered to death by a good player. The fatalities are cool, an added bonus, not critical to the game, and doesn't happen all the time. The timer does suck, though.

The weakness of SamSho4, and the reason alot of players weren't fans of it, is the combo system was too loose...there were insane amounts of infinites in the game. Most people I've met that liked 2 and 3 hated 4, and the cheesy and easy combos were a good reason why.

3's problem was just in the damage amount, which was actually pretty neat-the high damage would be more realistic for a swordfight, and it makes the problems with infinites seem less obvious due to said damage levels. Plus the game had sweet characters, like the kid with the umbrella, or the big guy with the beads.

[Arqueologia_Digital]

I think that SS2 is the best of all...cool new characters (Genjuro, Caffeine), excellent backgrounds (Jubei, Gairyu isle at night) and good music.