2D fighting games have been a dying breed for awhile, but a loyal following of diehard fans have kept companies such as Capcom and SNK delivering them to both arcades and consoles. It’s rather amazing that in today’s market of high-powered consoles and successful 3D fighting game series that overly simplistic in appearance 2D fighters have remained so popular. Samurai Shodown V, the fifth entry in SNK’s ever popular Samurai Shodown series was just released this week, but before reading our upcoming review, check out this preview to get an idea of what is in store for you.

Features

• 4 modes of play


• 11 new fighters bringing the roster to 26


• Fight 1-on-1 online over Xbox Live


• Enter multiplayer tournaments on Xbox Live


• 8 new exclusive Xbox fighting moves

Kick butt around the world from the comfort of your own home!
Even though Samurai Shodown V was released in arcades over two years ago, Xbox fans will be treated to an excellent fighting package for their big black box, complete with upgrades not found in the arcade. Upon starting the game players will be able to choose from one of four different modes including; Arcade, Versus, Xbox Live, and Practice. The heart of the game revolves around the Arcade mode in which you will be able to choose from one of 26 fighters and fight through battle after battle all connected together by a storyline. The storylines will change depending on which character you choose and keeping with the 2D look of the game, all dialogue is conveyed through dialogue boxes. The storylines seem basic but will help to create a better overall experience for the arcade mode.

Samurai Shodwown’s gameplay appears to stay true to what fans of the series expect: very fast play that allows for series butt kicking of your opponent. For those not familiar with the series, the name of the game is speed and strategy. Simply mashing buttons will not help you succeed against a seasoned fighter. You must learn to master the different skills and abilities of your fighter in order to deliver fast and devastating combo attacks. To help you devastate the competition SNK has provided players with Rage Gauges and Sword Spirit. The Sword Spirit gauge, once filled by standing still, will allow you to perform significantly more powerful attacks against your opponent. However, if you miss your opponent your Sword Spirit gauge will slowly drain. This system requires players to use strategy in their attacks instead of mindlessly mashing buttons in order to succeed. The Rage Gauge will also allow you to perform more powerful attacks. This gauge will fill as you take damage from your opponent. Once the gauge is full your fighter will be able to perform a special attack. To simply allow a player to take damage over and over again and repeatedly go into Rage mode would make the game too easy. Fortunately SNK realizes this and once the player uses his Rage he will no longer be able to use it for the remainder of the match. By handling the Rage Gauge and Sword Spirit this way, it looks as though SNK will be providing players with a fighter that will require a lot more strategy and skill then your average fighting game.

Controls seem to be simple enough for anyone to pick up and play. Character directional movements are handled with the either the left analogue stick or the directional pad. The fighting moves are handled with the face buttons and include controls for both strong and weak slashing, kicks, and special moves.

Graphically, Samurai Shodown V keeps the pixilated 2D look we have come to expect from the series and most 2D fighters in general. Like it or leave it, the artful graphic style works for the game and always maintains a fluid movement will providing decent effects for special moves.

All and all, SNK looks to be providing an impressive 2D fighter with Samurai Shodown V. Check back with Xbox Advanced next week for our in depth review covering all aspects of the game.