Samurai Shodown 64
Encyclopedia
Samurai Shodown 64, known simply as in Japan, is a 3D
fighting game produced by SNK
for its Hyper Neo-Geo 64 system. It was SNK's first attempt to bring one of their franchises into the 3D realm. After having released four Samurai Shodown
games on the Neo-Geo
, SNK announced that they would be producing a new arcade hardware platform, this one 64-bit and with extensive 3D capabilities. Although it was never ported to home consoles, it was followed by a second 3D installment titled Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage
.
. The storyline is described officially by SNK
as follows:
"It all began over two decades ago...and took several years to carry out.
'Yuga the Destroyer' seized unborn children throughout the land, provided them with various mysterious skills, and then returned them to their mothers.
The babies were later brought into the world as if nothing had happened.
These infants displayed unique abilities from infancy and were called child gods by some, child demons by others. Over the subsequent decades, they grew to become extremely gifted children, ending up as the true movers and shakers of their generation.
Then one day "Yuga the Destroyer" suddenly appeared before them.
He came to show these individuals who remembered nothing of him...a puppet show.
And those who saw this performance remembered:
the missions they were given before they came into this world..."
's Soul
series). It is also the first 3D fighting game to use multi-tiered stages (although Midway
's Mortal Kombat 3
, a 2D fighter, utilized this concept two years earlier), where it was possible to knock an opponent through a wall or floor into a different section of the same arena. This idea was later used in Tecmo's Dead or Alive series, which is frequently (and erroneously) credited for the innovation. It also makes use of the then-traditional setup of being able to knock an opponent out of the fighting area entirely, thus resulting in a victory by "ring out."
Each character also has a "stamina bar" which decreases with excessive movement and attacks, and it replenishes while inactive. There is also a "POW meter", which, once it reaches maximum, allows the player the ability to obtain unlimited stamina for a period of time, and the ability to execute a super move, with devastating results.
Compared to previous games in the series, the overall pace is slower and more methodical. The control scheme also took some growing accustomed to, as special moves tended to have only one version, rather than multiple strengths based on the buttons pressed. The hardware itself was also something of an underperformer, and the visuals were lacking in fine detail, with the textures looking particularly low-resolution and characters looking blocky with clearly visible polygonal edges. The game also introduced two new playable characters:
All in all, the game was not received as well as SNK had hoped, so they sought to remedy the game's problems in the sequel, Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage
.
speakers, the game is frequently referred to as "Samurai Tamashii" by American fans. This is because the two Kanji
that make up the title (侍魂) are pronounced, when written independently of one another, as "samurai" and "tamashii," respectively. This is incorrect in two important respects.
Due to a morphological convention in Japanese known as rendaku
, the second Kanji (which means "soul" or "spirit) is normally instead pronounced as "damashii" rather than "tamashii," when preceded by another Kanji. Another example of this is in the title of the game, Katamari Damashii
, which is written as 塊魂. The second character is identical.
Also, in written Japanese, it is fairly common practice for a given Kanji to have a non-standard pronunciation, specified by the writer. This is an extension of the phenomenon known as ateji
. In this case, SNK deliberately specified that 魂 should be pronounced as "スピリッツ," or "spirits." The two Kanji in question have been used as motifs in the series since its inception (such as the background of the title screen in the first game). Additionally, the title of the follow-up to this game is written exactly as follows, including the English text: SAMURAI SPIRITS 2 アスラ斬魔伝
.
Another contemporary example of this can be seen in the popular manga, Bleach
. The afterlife is referred to as 尸魂界, but it is pronounced Soul Society
, and has no Japanese pronunciation.
Bearing these facts in mind, any reference to the 3D
Samurai Shodown titles as "Samurai Tamashii" or "Samurai Damashii" is factually incorrect and should be changed to reflect the proper title.
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
fighting game produced by SNK
SNK Playmore
SNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
for its Hyper Neo-Geo 64 system. It was SNK's first attempt to bring one of their franchises into the 3D realm. After having released four Samurai Shodown
Samurai Shodown
Samurai Shodown, known as in Japan, is a competitive fighting game produced by SNK for their Neo Geo arcade and home platform. In contrast to other fighting games at the time which were set in modern times and focused primarily on hand-to-hand combat, Samurai Shodown is set in feudal-era Japan ...
games on the Neo-Geo
Neo Geo (console)
The is a cartridge-based arcade and home video game system released on July 1, 1991 by Japanese game company SNK. Being in the Fourth generation of Gaming, it was the first console in the former Neo Geo family, which only lived through the 1990s...
, SNK announced that they would be producing a new arcade hardware platform, this one 64-bit and with extensive 3D capabilities. Although it was never ported to home consoles, it was followed by a second 3D installment titled Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage
Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage
Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage, known as in Japan, is a 3D fighting game produced by SNK for its Hyper Neogeo 64 system. It is the followup to the original Samurai Shodown 64 on the same platform, and like its predecessor, it received relatively no distribution outside of Japan.-Story:The...
.
Storyline
Chronologically, Samurai Shodown 64 takes place one year after Samurai Shodown IISamurai Shodown II
, is the second game in SNK's popular Samurai Shodown series of versus fighting games. This game has been released on the Wii's Virtual Console in Europe on August 8, 2008 and in North America on August 25, 2008 at a cost of 900 Wii Points...
. The storyline is described officially by SNK
SNK
SNK is a former name of SNK Playmore, a Japanese video game company . This may also refer to:* SNK European Democrats* SNK Union of Independents* Southeast Airlines ICAO code...
as follows:
"It all began over two decades ago...and took several years to carry out.
'Yuga the Destroyer' seized unborn children throughout the land, provided them with various mysterious skills, and then returned them to their mothers.
The babies were later brought into the world as if nothing had happened.
These infants displayed unique abilities from infancy and were called child gods by some, child demons by others. Over the subsequent decades, they grew to become extremely gifted children, ending up as the true movers and shakers of their generation.
Then one day "Yuga the Destroyer" suddenly appeared before them.
He came to show these individuals who remembered nothing of him...a puppet show.
And those who saw this performance remembered:
the missions they were given before they came into this world..."
Gameplay
The gameplay takes full advantage of its 3D engine, with the ability to move in any direction (in a fashion that was later modified and used in NamcoNamco
is a Japanese corporation best known as a former video game developer and publisher. Following a merger with Bandai in September 2005, the two companies' game production assets were spun off into Namco Bandai Games on March 31, 2006. Namco Ltd. was re-established to continue domestic operation of...
's Soul
Soul (series)
The is a weapon-based historical fantasy fighting game series by Namco Bandai Games. The series revolves around a sword that, after years of bloodshed and hatred, gained a soul of its own, the Soul Edge, and the sword forged to counter it, Soul Calibur. The series is special in that each character...
series). It is also the first 3D fighting game to use multi-tiered stages (although Midway
Midway Games
Midway Games, Inc. is an American company that was formerly a major video game publisher. Following a bankruptcy filing in 2009, it is no longer active and is in the process of liquidating all of its assets. Midway's titles included Mortal Kombat, Ms.Pac-Man, Spy Hunter, Tron, Rampage, the...
's Mortal Kombat 3
Mortal Kombat 3
Mortal Kombat 3 is a fighting game developed by Midway and released in 1995, first as an arcade game. It is the third game in the Mortal Kombat series...
, a 2D fighter, utilized this concept two years earlier), where it was possible to knock an opponent through a wall or floor into a different section of the same arena. This idea was later used in Tecmo's Dead or Alive series, which is frequently (and erroneously) credited for the innovation. It also makes use of the then-traditional setup of being able to knock an opponent out of the fighting area entirely, thus resulting in a victory by "ring out."
Each character also has a "stamina bar" which decreases with excessive movement and attacks, and it replenishes while inactive. There is also a "POW meter", which, once it reaches maximum, allows the player the ability to obtain unlimited stamina for a period of time, and the ability to execute a super move, with devastating results.
Compared to previous games in the series, the overall pace is slower and more methodical. The control scheme also took some growing accustomed to, as special moves tended to have only one version, rather than multiple strengths based on the buttons pressed. The hardware itself was also something of an underperformer, and the visuals were lacking in fine detail, with the textures looking particularly low-resolution and characters looking blocky with clearly visible polygonal edges. The game also introduced two new playable characters:
- Yagyu Hanma, a muscular man with a metallic, gigantic arm
- Shiki, a swordswoman proficient in fighting with dual katanaKatanaA Japanese sword, or , is one of the traditional bladed weapons of Japan. There are several types of Japanese swords, according to size, field of application and method of manufacture.-Description:...
, who is later chosen as one of SNKSNKSNK is a former name of SNK Playmore, a Japanese video game company . This may also refer to:* SNK European Democrats* SNK Union of Independents* Southeast Airlines ICAO code...
's selectable representatives in the fighting game, SVC Chaos: SNK vs. CapcomSVC Chaos: SNK vs. Capcomis a competitive fighting game produced by Playmore for the Neo Geo arcade and home platform. The game is a crossover featuring characters from SNKs and Capcoms respective fighting game properties such as The King of Fighters, Samurai Shodown, Street Fighter, and Darkstalkers...
and Neo Geo Battle ColiseumNeo Geo Battle ColiseumNeoGeo Battle Coliseum is a 2 on 2 tag team fighting game for the Atomiswave arcade board. The game features characters from several SNK and ADK titles. The PlayStation 2 version of the game has been released in Japan, North America and Europe...
.
All in all, the game was not received as well as SNK had hoped, so they sought to remedy the game's problems in the sequel, Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage
Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage
Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage, known as in Japan, is a 3D fighting game produced by SNK for its Hyper Neogeo 64 system. It is the followup to the original Samurai Shodown 64 on the same platform, and like its predecessor, it received relatively no distribution outside of Japan.-Story:The...
.
Title Confusion
Due to an ongoing misperception by non-JapaneseJapanese language
is a language spoken by over 130 million people in Japan and in Japanese emigrant communities. It is a member of the Japonic language family, which has a number of proposed relationships with other languages, none of which has gained wide acceptance among historical linguists .Japanese is an...
speakers, the game is frequently referred to as "Samurai Tamashii" by American fans. This is because the two Kanji
Kanji
Kanji are the adopted logographic Chinese characters hanzi that are used in the modern Japanese writing system along with hiragana , katakana , Indo Arabic numerals, and the occasional use of the Latin alphabet...
that make up the title (侍魂) are pronounced, when written independently of one another, as "samurai" and "tamashii," respectively. This is incorrect in two important respects.
Due to a morphological convention in Japanese known as rendaku
Rendaku
is a phenomenon in Japanese morphophonology that governs the voicing of the initial consonant of the non-initial portion of a compound or prefixed word...
, the second Kanji (which means "soul" or "spirit) is normally instead pronounced as "damashii" rather than "tamashii," when preceded by another Kanji. Another example of this is in the title of the game, Katamari Damashii
Katamari Damacy
Katamari Damacy is a third-person puzzle-action video game that is published and developed by Namco for the PlayStation 2 video game console. It was first released in Japan, and then later in South Korea and North America...
, which is written as 塊魂. The second character is identical.
Also, in written Japanese, it is fairly common practice for a given Kanji to have a non-standard pronunciation, specified by the writer. This is an extension of the phenomenon known as ateji
Ateji
In modern Japanese, primarily refers to kanji used phonetically to represent native or borrowed words, without regard to the meaning of the underlying characters. This is analogous to man'yōgana in pre-modern Japanese...
. In this case, SNK deliberately specified that 魂 should be pronounced as "スピリッツ," or "spirits." The two Kanji in question have been used as motifs in the series since its inception (such as the background of the title screen in the first game). Additionally, the title of the follow-up to this game is written exactly as follows, including the English text: SAMURAI SPIRITS 2 アスラ斬魔伝
Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage
Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors Rage, known as in Japan, is a 3D fighting game produced by SNK for its Hyper Neogeo 64 system. It is the followup to the original Samurai Shodown 64 on the same platform, and like its predecessor, it received relatively no distribution outside of Japan.-Story:The...
.
Another contemporary example of this can be seen in the popular manga, Bleach
Bleach (manga)
is a Japanese shōnen manga series written and illustrated by Noriaki "Tite" Kubo. Bleach follows the adventures of Ichigo Kurosaki after he obtains the powers of a —a death personification similar to the Grim Reaper—from another Soul Reaper, Rukia Kuchiki...
. The afterlife is referred to as 尸魂界, but it is pronounced Soul Society
Soul Society
Soul Society may refer to:*Soul Society, a location in the Bleach anime and manga*Soul Society, a song in the album The Black Halo by metal band Kamelot*Society of Soul, a member of the group of bands Dungeon Family...
, and has no Japanese pronunciation.
Bearing these facts in mind, any reference to the 3D
3D computer graphics
3D computer graphics are graphics that use a three-dimensional representation of geometric data that is stored in the computer for the purposes of performing calculations and rendering 2D images...
Samurai Shodown titles as "Samurai Tamashii" or "Samurai Damashii" is factually incorrect and should be changed to reflect the proper title.
External links
- 侍魂 ~SAMURAI SPIRITS~ at NBC Museum of SNK PlaymoreSNK PlaymoreSNK Playmore Corporation is a Japanese video game hardware and software company. SNK is an acronym of , which was SNK's original name. The company's legal and trading name became SNK in 1986....
- Official Samurai Shodown Website
- Samurai Shodown Forever fan site