It’s 2D and it’s got Swords!!!
Pure retro 2D fighting
Since the days of karate and way of the exploding fist, I have been a fan of one on one fighters. For me it all peaked with the original arcade release of street fighter 2, the most famous of them. Over the years there have been many similar games released, all trying to capture the glory and gameplay of the Capcom classic. But where dew succeeded, one company ,managed to carve their way into the fighting worlds consciousness. SNK.
With several major series to their name, art of fighting, King of Fighters, in 1993 one captured my imagination far more than the others, samurai showdown. Why? samurai showdown introduced weapons! Over through years, like all good franchises, there were several updates released. Each adding more fighters, more moves and more complexity.
Fast forward to 2009 and we have the release of the samurai showdown anthology on the PSP. SNK have bundled 6 samurai showdown games onto the UMD, as well as bonus features like concept art etc.
When you load up the game, the first thing you will notice is that this actually has a fairly polished interface.
Once you have chosen which game to play you are taken to a very good recreation of the original arcade game. On the PSP screen each game looks clear and really well presented.
The controls are good on as well, Moves are all pulled off in the usual ways, with combos and stunning specials just a few thumb movements away, although the D-Pad can make some moves a little hard to pull off. I think this is more a problem with the PSP than the game though. Each game adds unique elements, such as new fighters or attack types, and each is a new challenge in its own right.
As is the way with this type of game, the later versions from about samurai showdown 3 onwards, it becomes much more tactical. Button mashing alone will not get you far. Disarm moves and parries become far more important.
Multiplayer is also there, available over local wireless connections, sadly no internet play here, but I will be honest and say that this is not a strong feature!
Samurai Showdown is not perfect, it has got some playability issues and will not be for everyone, but it is pure retro 2D fighting and for me it presses most of the right buttons. It is no street fighter iv, nor does it try to be. And you are getting 6 games for the price of one!
The Bad: Not to all tastes these days. Multiplayer is a let down. Some playability issues.
Bronze Y Award