Samurai Shodown III

SNK brings their 2D arcade brawler home to the PlayStation

Publisher:Sony
Developer:SNK
Genre:Fighting

Extensive 3D, texture mapped, polygonal fighters, such as Soul Edge and the Tekken series, moving at blinding speeds once unheard of, seem to be the current rulers of the fighting game kingdom. A present day two-dimensional fighter better kick some real butt in order to receive any recognition, let alone status. Well, add another weapon to the sprite-based arsenal helping keep 2D fighters alive. That weapon is Samurai Showdown III.

There were great ideas in Samurai Shodown I and II, but the third covers all the bases. The amount of options are staggering. Mind you, these are not options merely for the sake of options, but options for the sake of function. One seemingly unique feature is the ability to choose the personality of your selected character. Specific lists of techniques are linked to each opposing personality. Select Bust to reflect a treacherous nature, or Slash to reflect a chivalrous one.

By far, the most impressive aspect of this game is each characters unique abilities, not to mention their awe inspiring special moves. Whoever you select to humiliate your trash talking buddies is up to you, as you really can t go wrong with any of the twelve selectable warriors.

Occasionally, though, the amount of options and moves can be a drawback. A few of the special controls, such as the Crouch Block Breaker and the Off Balance Bounce, combined with the fast gameplay, tends to lead to sloppy playing. This will most likely be characterized by frantic button pounding in the heat of the match.

Given that it is the third version of a series that is, at its root, the same as the first, it still manages to come up with new, visually exciting ways to defend your honor. Top to bottom, this game is tight. From the beautiful, intricate, well designed (not to mention interactive) backgrounds, to the deadly weaponry and exciting fighting styles of all the characters, Samurai Shodown gets the job done.