Samurai Shodown! review Adrian Tepes

First of all, I'm a big Samurai Spirits fan, and I wanted to buy the Neo Geo Pocket: the special box that came with the game was perfect. So without further ado:

Graphics:

A super-deformed style of SS4 is what the graphics look like. The animations are clean, and the attacks have survived, it'll be very easy to tell what's happening due to the detail of the NGP. The backgrounds are pretty much straight out of SS4, but still (no animations). This doesn't bother me in the least, since they're well done. Animated movement is very smooth for a portable. A few moves tend to get a little blurry, but overall, it's by no means bad. All in all, the graphics do justice to their Neo Geo counterparts.

Sound

Sound is OK... but I don't know what to say about a portable's sound capabilities. The sound effects are ok, as long as you don't try to compare them to any SS game on CD, same with music. The music is something which I'd have to say is a minus: the tracks aren't spectacular once you remove the authentic instruments that made them sound cool in the first place. It's not so bad you shouldn't buy the game, just don't expect clear cut sound effects like Ukyo's sword sliding back into the scabbard, or wonderfully scored BGM's like Nakoruru's.

Gameplay:

Pretty much the same as always. I was overjoyed when I saw combos in this game. The SS4 gameplay once again comes back. The type of button push determines light/medium/hard attacks; the harder you push the button, the stronger the attack. Lots of other moves, too: Rage explosion, the dodge, forward/backward dashing, etc. The flow of the battles is just like any other SS game. Strategy, and utilizing the attacks at your disposal are key to winning. Timing is very important, which serves to make this a better game, too.

In conclusion, Samurai Spirits is a good game. Buy it if you're a fan of the series, or if you've already got KOF. The graphics are very well done, the sound is so-so, and the gameplay is great.

Side note: plenty of Nakoruru fan service in this one. In the title picture, she's the character that's biggest, and there's a picture of her on the carrying strap. Just thought you Nakky fans out there would like to know ^_~