Before I start this review, I want to mention a few things. I am really surprise to see the low voting on this game. Yes, this game its really old and probably my commentary is way too late but this game is perhaps one of the best fighting game ever or even the best of all times. Today fighting games have lost ground thanks to the new generation of console games like Halo, Resident Evil, Grand Theft Auto, etc. But there was a time when playing at the arcades was cool and was part of socializing. Today kids don't even get out of their houses and play against people they will never know through the internet.
In 1993 the fighting game genre was dominating the arcade arenas and the games that dominated were Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat. Yes there were other fighting games like; Fatal Fury, Art of Fighting, Pit fighting etc. Capcom and Midway were at war to see who would dominate. They release that year Mortal Kombat 2 that was 10 time better than the first and Super Street Fighter 2 that in my opinion was not as good as MK2 but it still had following. SNK release Samurai Showdown and it was a bomb.
Samurai Showdown had the same formula that had made successful SF2 like; the 2D graphics, the colorful characters, and the anime graphic style but Samurai Showdown had something different and new. The characters had weapons. No other fighting game of its time had any of their characters use weapons. Samurai Showdown was fast, easy, and fun to play. It had very fluid controls and the sound was superb, not to mention the traditional Japanese music score. The graphics zoomed into the action like no other game. In other words the game was awesome, later that year, GamePro magazine awarder Samurai Showdown, as the best fighting game.
Samurai Showdown takes place in feudal Japan when Shiro Tokisada Amakusa, has acquire incredible dark powers and he is planning to destroy the world. Warriors from around the world with different interest and motives battle each other to make their way in all the chaos and finally defeat Amakusa. All the characters are memorable but the ones that stand out are Haohmaru- who fight to perfects his swordsmanship, Tachibana Ukyo- the sick samurai who is searching for the perfect flower for his lover, Galford- the true American Ninja who fight for justice, Hattori Hanzo- he fights to save his son, and Nakorur- who fights to protect nature.
I haven't play this game for more than 14 years but a few weeks ago a friend of mine invited me to his house and had the game in his computer. Yes, I have to admit that the game has grown tired and the graphics are not for today standards, but looking, hearing and felling the game after so long it brought nostalgia and good memories. Good Times.
So, you ever visit and old pizza place or an old arcade and you see in the distance the machine of Samurai Showdown, play it! because believe me you will be playing the best fighting game in history.
