Shane Haven

Honest Review Of Samurai Shodown Psp

As has been the case with the former SNK compilations have Samurai Shodown Anthology suffered from a very limited distribution and got very little attention when it officially shipped. The game lets players explore their affinity for 2D sprites by offering the original Samurai Shodown all the way up to Samurai Shodown VI. Although there were other games in the Samurai Shodown franchise, are the six classic warriors all present and will surely evoke memories of fighting game fans. It is unfortunate that Samurai Shodown Anthology slipping by so many people unnoticed, as it represents a significant chunk of the classic 2D fighting arena. It is even more unfortunate that the PSP version is far inferior to its PS2 counterpart, despite cleaner menus and better localization.

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Samurai Shodown series was started in Japan decades ago thanks to the efforts of what is now SNK Play More. A 2D fighter on the Neo Geo platform was Samurai Shodown special in that it offered the matches in a much different variety than its peers – struggles that were far slower pace and at times felt more like a traditional battle of old samurai flicks. You gently move around the screen and you can often finish the match with just a few precisely executed attack. It was a different experience.

A classic samurai battle.
A classic samurai battle.
Samurai Shodown Anthology gives you easy access to Samurai Shodown I, Samurai Shodown II Samurai Shodown III Samurai Shodown IV, Samurai Shodown V and Samurai Shodown VI. The interface for the PSP version is far more streamlined than the PS2 version, with a simple rotating menu, but fewer characters color palette editors. Despite the less tweaking options, I still prefer the PSP interface, just because it was more straight-forward and had a clear Samurai Shodown taste in contrast to the somewhat generic gray background found in the other SNK collections.

The real problem with the PSP version of Samurai Shodown Anthology is slowing, making the whole experience nervous. Fighting fans will not be happy when UMD keeps spinning and the offense stutters on the screen. Players should know by know that these kinds of games require precise button inputs and who just can not happen when the game is sputtering along, trying to keep up with itself. These questions are made even worse when they try some ad hoc multiplayer, which I thought was simply unplayable. 2D fighters are all about making precision choices and it’s just not possible on the PSP version.

With that said, the most fascinating thing for me as a gamer was playing through each of the Samurai Shodown on the anthology, and watch the series grew during the year. It is perhaps the greatest value in a collection, and I think the historical perspective alone is worth the price of admission. But my concern is that the Samurai Shodown series is not easy. Balancing your Rage gauge is just one of numerous sub-systems, players have to learn over time, and it’s really not easy to pick up and play. It is also stiffer and more stubborn than the other fighters, I’ve struggled with, making it even less appealing to beginners. Then of course there is the beast known as Samurai Shodown VI.

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The sixth member of the collection is so complicated I could hardly wrap my head around it initially. There is no point in me explaining extinguishing system contained in VI (and its predecessors), but to put the issue simply Samurai Shodown is a traditional one-on-one fighter with special moves, counters, rolls and all sorts of goodies fighting game fans have come to expect. But Samurai Shodown VI actually lets you choose between six different Spirits, or fighting styles for each character. Yikes. This brings me back to my original point: this game will put newbies in a pinch and frustrate casual gamers. It also has some funny translations, but I imagine this game will only appeal to hardcore Samurai Shodown fans anyway.

Has anyone Samurai Shodown goodness on a UMD is nice, but unfortunately the PSP version just running terrible, which puts a huge damper on the game, especially with an almost unplayable multiplayer mode. If you only have a PSP, the single-player modes run just well enough to appreciate the old school charm, but there is really no reason to get this over the PS2 version. Make the right choice: to leave the laptop behind.
IGN Ratings for Samurai Shodown Anthology (PSP)

Samurai Shodown Anthology $14.99 Samurai Shodown Anthology, a compilation of games from the weapon-based fighting series. The complete collection of the Samurai Shodown series includes seven games: Samurai Shodown, I, II, III, IV, V, V Special and VI….

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Samurai Shodown Anthology $14.99 Samurai Shodown Anthology, a compilation of games from the weapon-based fighting series. The complete collection of the Samurai Shodown series includes seven games: Samurai Shodown, I, II, III, IV, V, V Special and VI….