The gameplay system had dramatically changed, so fans of Samurai Shodown 2 (and
the original) were forced to somewhat
"re-learn" the game... Disappointing the purists of the series, but some
gameplay elements were thankfully still intact. Even with the changes and darker setting, the series
definitely retains it's cool factor and a unique appeal. SS3 was a very cool
looking and fun game at
the time, but Samurai
Shodown 4 came out to be a lot better in the gameplay department. ~TFG
Webmaster
STORY: One man became
known as the "Oni" (demon). The man's name was Zankuro.
He would attack many villages and would leave none alive. But one night,
he left one child alive in a village. He couldn't kill that one child.
No one knew why. Ever since that night, Zankuro would only attack those
who challenge him. And many years later, twelve warriors set out to kill
Zankuro.
Out with the old... in
with the new.
REVIEW:
The third installment to SNK's trademark samurai
franchise was considerably darker than the first two games. To the dismay
of some fans, old favorites like Charlotte, Cham Cham, Earthquake, and Gen-an
were removed from the roster and replaced with newcomers like Shizumaru,
Rimururu, Basara, and Gaira. The character sprites have been completely redrawn
in a new style, and all of the backgrounds, animations, music, and voice-overs
are brand new as well!
Basara & Gaira... two
of the newcomers.
With this installment, Samurai Shodown's
gameplay
and "pace" has changed quite a bit from the first two games and
almost feels completely original. One of the most notable gameplay changes
is the ability to "charge up" your character's POW gauge (not unlike the super meter in
AOF). The other new addition to the gameplay is the fact that there are
now two "versions" of each fighter: Slash and Bust,
each mode offering a slightly different move set per character. Air blocking was
also added to the gameplay for the first time ever.
Samurai Shodown never
looked better.
Many priority attacks can now be
cancelled into special moves, unlike the prequel which only feature a few cancelable
moves. Most of SS2's movement options were removed, in favor of Dodge
Attacks which are done by pressing the A & B buttons simultaneously.
When close, a character whom performs a Dodge Attack will quickly move around
the opponent, allowing them to attack from behind. Like in the prequels, items
were thrown onto the battlefield but this time coming from off-screen instead of
from a character in the background.
