SAMURAI SHOWDOWN WARRIOR'S RAGE

Written by wagesofsyn

screenshots courtesy of SUPERNAUT

Why is this game called "Samurai Shodown Warrior's Rage 2" in Japan? Turns out this is a conversion of the second Samurai Shodown game on the Neo Geo Hyper 64 board, as the first never made it to any other system. The cast we all knew and loved from Samurai Shodown 4 is gone almost entirely, replaced by a host of newcomers. This allows new fans to jump on board with a new set of characters and gameplay (or alienate all the old players...). 

Graphics 

A bit more refined the Fatal Fury Wild Ambition. The characters are still a little rough, and their specials look rougher in this game than they did in Wild Ambition. The special moves are impressive, however, and suit each character's fighting style well. The 2D backdrops are much better this time around, both a bit less detectable and animated, giving it a much more vibrant look. The animation is about on par with Wild Ambition's, in part because Wild Ambition did a good job keeping the FPS rate up. This game is certainly no slouch in this department either. 

Gameplay 

It doesn't feel like Samurai Shodown 4. Maybe it's because of the 3D, or maybe it's because they just changed the control setup to deal with the different environment. At any rte the controls are a little looser than I'd care for them to be. While the animation is fast and missing few frames, it's hard to gauge the timing of attacks, because controls don't respond as quickly as they should. The setup of battles is different, with no rounds, but a life bar that goes down by a third when you take too much damage. One thing I hated were the rounds when you had to fight 3+ ninjas. It had little value to the story, and very often, I found myself struggling to keep my health up on the 5th ninja or so. Why were rounds like this included? 

Sound 

Music tracks are clear and fit the mood well. It's probably the best music in the Samurai Shodown series. The sound effects, however, need work. They have the same washed out quality Wild Ambition had, though they aren't as bad as Wild Ambition's. SNK TRIED to give this game better sound, but to little avail. Once again, turn the music up, or listen to a CD to drown the crappy sound effects out. 

Final Thoughts 

The conversion is definitely a step up from Fatal Fury Wild Ambition, but there's still plenty to be desired. The extra modes are fun, but the game itself needs some more tweaking. It's a good game, and entertaining, but the old 2D Samurai Shodown 4 is better, and more worthy of your time. 

- John Gillerlain 

Overall: 7.0 / 10

by SUPERNAUT

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