When you think Samurai Shodown, you
don't think 3D fighting game... and you definitely don't think Soul Caliburrip-off either (until now), especially when Samurai Shodown series actually came first. Why
they've insisted on remaking this series into a 3D game yet again, I have no
clue.
As a pretty hardcore Samurai Shodown fan since the beginning, I'm disappointed in this
installment... and I'm pretty sure that 98% of Samurai Shodown fans would rather play
any of the classic 2D titles. I for one have no desire to learn the game, and
that's unfortunate since I do love a lot of the characters.
It's
definitely cool seeing our favorite characters re-done in 3D and given a
"realistic" makeover, but
unfortunately the clunky gameplay & choppy animation is all that Samurai
Shodown Sen will be remembered by. Well, at least the artwork turned out
good... but sadly, the artwork is the best part of the game. ~TFG
Webmaster
REVIEW:
Samurai Shodown Sen is a 3D incarnation of
SNK's famed Samurai
Shodown series, featuring 11 brand new fighters & 13 returning veterans.
Sen
takes the series away from it's 2D roots as SNK
tries it's hand at the 3D fighting game once again... *sigh* ...why SNK?
The
first time the Samurai Shodown series went 3D (with SS64
& SS64: Warriors Rage) it received mixed reviews (mostly bad),
and Sen has indeed brought a similar
result.
Nice artwork... decent character selection... bad everything else.
To state the obvious, the new 3D
gameplay system is vastly different from what players of the classic Samurai
Shodown games would expect. Air combos & sidestepping have been
introduced, along with horizontal & vertical slashing techniques... sound
familiar?
Indeed, Sen seems to want to play more like Soul
Calibur or Tekken than the likes of Samurai Shodown. Even from
a design standpoint, the new characters introduced in Sen seem to fill in
the missing archetypes of the Samurai Shodown series... making it seem eerily
familiar to Soul Calibur. On the subject of new characters, a few are
pretty cool, but most are sickeningly generic and certainly don't have the
appeal & flash of the original cast.
The control scheme remains a 4 button layout,
with the ability perform
special commands by pressing two or three buttons at once, like in the
prequels. The Rage Explosion & Fatal Flash techniques have also returned but don't
seem to mesh all that well with the new gameplay engine. A new
"deflect" system is also in place which similar to parrying to Soul
Calibur and offers a good defensive mechanic to the gameplay, but it's a very
far cry from that of Soul Calibur's. The POW Meter also returns and builds up after your character takes damage, as usual. The
24-character-strong roster is fairly impressive-looking but most
character move-sets lack depth. The way the move-sets are laid out also demands
a lot of experimenting on the player's part, and there's no tutorial or mission
mode of any sort to help players through.
No Poppie? No buy.
Disappointments? There are many.
Firstly, Samurai Shodown Sen suffers from some horribly stiff animations
and rather unresponsive/slow controls.
Moving along, there are no fireballs in the game and moves that used to travel
across the whole screen are now short ranged attacks. Characters that were
always very well known for their animal sidekicks like Galford & Nakoruru,
now fight alone....
WTF? Really?
Sen's graphics are also slacking and to make
matters worse, they're over 2 years old. Character models are averagely
detailed and there are a handful of "dark, dim, and/or hazy" stages,
which seem to intentionally mask the insufficiently
rendered characters, poor character anatomy and polygonal clipping. In a
nutshell, Sen can't hold a candle to the classic 2D games as far as looks
go... not even close.
Sidestep... should work
better in this game.
Fatalities have returned in Sen
and are the most graphic & gruesome the series has ever seen, warranting an "M" rating. Heads and limbs will fly off at the
end of the battle if a perfect is scored, leaving your character a bloody mess and/or groveling in
pain. Personally,
I feel the new style of deaths are done in poor taste... SNK, the fans of the
series don't want to see their beloved Samurai Shodown characters in such
pain & agony.
The shock value is definitely there at least. Taking a page out of the ole' Mortal
Kombat book, SNK?
The home version includes Arcade, Versus, Survival, Practice, and Online
battle... but overall it's a bit short on features and modes. The Story Mode is
short on depth and production value, for one. Online play is fairly smooth and
also allows for replay saves... but I wonder, with all the great 2D & 3D
games out right now, who's really playing this game?
Indeed, the inactive online community speaks for itself.
), Ignition Entertainment
(
)
Arcade)
The
first time the Samurai Shodown series went 3D (with SS64
& SS64: Warriors Rage) it received mixed reviews (mostly bad),
and Sen has indeed brought a similar
result.
Indeed, Sen seems to want to play more like Soul
Calibur or Tekken than the likes of Samurai Shodown. Even from
a design standpoint, the new characters introduced in Sen seem to fill in
the missing archetypes of the Samurai Shodown series... making it seem eerily
familiar to Soul Calibur. On the subject of new characters, a few are
pretty cool, but most are sickeningly generic and certainly don't have the
appeal & flash of the original cast.
WTF? Really? 
Indeed, the inactive online community speaks for itself. 
