Samurai
Shodown 64

STORY:
Twenty years ago... a certain process was done over the years.
Yuga
would take out babies from a mothers stomach for a few days. She would put a
certain spell on them and return them to the mother's stomach. The baby would be
born as if nothing happened. The child would show incredible talent in different
fields. These children were called "Shindou" or "Kidou".
Twenty years later, the children would become incredible adults who have a high
status or are well known. Yuga would appear before these people and would show
them a mysterious puppet show. This causes them to remember why they were born
in this world and would follow orders given by Yuga...
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A rare title that very few ever got to play... SS64 had style!
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ABOUT:
Joining the ranks of most other well
known 2D fighting game franchises, SNK's trademark weapon-based 2D fighting game series made the jump to 3D graphics for the first time ever with Samurai Shodown 64. Showing off a vibrant 2D art style, SS64 reintroduces many veteran characters from the series history and introduces a few newcomers, such as: Shiki, Yagyu Hanma, Deku, Dekuina,
and Yuga.
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For 1997... these graphics weren't too bad.
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The characters are presented in halfway decent 3D animation &
graphics (for the time), though textures are fairly low quality and character models are plagued with noticeable pointy polygons. The overall gameplay is somewhat "slow" but retained most of the series' staple gameplay mechanics. The Rage Explosion returns from Samurai Shodown 4, and every
character now has a powerful super move called a Fatal Flash.
Unfortunately, special moves didn't vary in strength depending on the
button the was used anymore, which might've put a damper on the gameplay dedicated players have come to expect.
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On the second thought... lol.
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Samurai Shodown 64's gameplay takes full advantage of its 3D engine... with the
ability to move in any direction (in a fashion that was later refined
in Namco's Soul
Calibur series). SS64 is also the first 3D fighting game to use
multi-tiered stages - where it's possible to knock an opponent through a wall or floor into a different
section of the stage. This idea was later used in the Dead
or Alive series, which is frequently (and erroneously) credited for the
innovation. SS64 also lets characters knock each other out of the arena entirely, resulting with a "ring out" victory.
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Page Updated: |
December 5th, 2021
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Developer(s): |
SNK |
Publisher(s): |
SNK |
Platform(s): |
Arcade (Hyper
Neo Geo 64)
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Artwork By: |
Senri Kita
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Release Date(s): |
December 19th, 1997 |
Characters: |
Haohmaru,
Genjuro,
Ukyo,
Galford,
Hanzo,
Shiki,
Yagyu
Hanma, Sogetsu,
Kazuki,
Nakoruru,
Rimururu, Gandara,
Deku & Dekuina, Yuga
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Featured Video:
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Related Games: |
Samurai Shodown 64:
Warrior's Rage, Samurai Shodown Warrior's Rage (PS1), Samurai Shodown Sen,
Samurai Shodown (2019), Samurai
Shodown, Samurai Shodown 2, Samurai
Shodown 3, Samurai Shodown 4, Samurai
Shodown 5, Samurai Shodown 5 Special,
Samurai
Shodown 6, Samurai
Shodown Pocket, Samurai Shodown
2 Pocket, Samurai
Shodown Anthology, Soul
Blade, Bushido Blade, Mortal
Kombat 3, Mortal Kombat 4, Dead
or Alive, Fatal Fury: Wild Ambition, KOF: Maximum Impact,
Final Fight: Revenge,
Street Fighter EX,
SFEX2,
SFEX3 |
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Gameplay Engine
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Story / Theme
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Overall Graphics
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Animation
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Music / Sound Effects
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Innovation
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Art Direction
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Customization
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Options / Extras
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Intro / Presentation
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Replayability / Fun
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"Ouch" Factor
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Characters
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BOTTOM LINE
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Final
Words: |
Like most people outside of Asia... I've never had the opportunity to play this rare 3D incarnation of
the Samurai Shodown series. Even though I know it was overall a disappointing "game" due to the unrefined 3D engine, I won't give it an official rating until the day that I actually play it... if that day ever comes. In retrospect, the 3D stylized graphics actually don't look that bad compared to other 1997 games.
What Samurai Shodown 64 lacks in gameplay and in-game visuals it makes up for with an amazing art style. In fact, SS64 actually has some of the BEST and most amazing artwork in the series history (which is saying a lot!). On that note, check out some of TFG's Art Galleries below. The in-game "fatality sequences" utilizing some
of the artwork is one of the prettiest aspects of the game for sure.
Thanks to YouTube, we can at least watch some SS64 gameplay from those who have emulated the game. I hope to try it out someday and maybe even review this game eventually.
~TFG
Webmaster | @Fighters_Gen
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