Samurai Shodown V
Encyclopedia
Samurai Shodown V, known as in Japan, is the eighth game in SNK
's Samurai Shodown/Samurai Spirits series of fighting games. It was one of the last ever games to be released on the Neo Geo
. The original Japanese version of the game also has a great deal of dialogue
in single-player mode, but all of those scenes are simply left out when the game's language is set to English
. The domestic Xbox
version of that release restores these scenes and translates them into English. The game was also ported to the PlayStation 2
, which was released in Japan
and Europe
.
Following the revitalization of SNK after its collapse in 2001, the company decided that it would be worthwhile to create another game in the largely defunct Samurai Shodown series. As part of their reorganization, development duties were given over to the relatively unknown Yuki Enterprise, which had mainly only created simulation and board games for the Simple 2000 series of PlayStation 2
games in Japan
, and had no experience in developing fighting games.
In spite of this, SNK managed to raise excitement by announcing that Nobuhiro Watsuki
, the creator and author of the Rurouni Kenshin
manga
and anime
series, was hired to design some of the new characters, and they were gradually revealed by way of silhouette
s on the official website, and slowly showing the official artwork. Word finally got out that the game was to be a true prequel
to the rest of the series, taking place two years before the first Samurai Shodown
game. This created its own issues with the series timeline.
The gameplay was sped up slightly from Samurai Shodown IV
, and the button layout was changed again.
The Slash/Bust system of the last few games was done away with, and each character now only had one version, though in several cases, the Bust mode was replaced by a new character of very similar setup.
The most significant addition to the fighting system, is the "defense" button. This button—depending on the position of the joystick—allows the player to duck, quickly jump back, quickly jump forward or roll. This gives more tactical possibilities and balances the player with more evasive moves, rather than loading the buttons with attacks. Clearly, Yuki's strategy game experience was shown in the new fighting system. Brought back from the original two SS games, is the combination of the A and B buttons to create a fierce slash attack rather than having its own button, like the last two SS games. The C button is once again a kick.
also noted that the new, alternate characters tended to be heavily watered-down versions of Bust characters in that game (Enja and Suija in particular). It is currently most commonly seen as a competent, if unexceptional, fighting game.
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....
's Samurai Shodown/Samurai Spirits series of fighting games. It was one of the last ever games to be released 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...
. The original Japanese version of the game also has a great deal of dialogue
Dialogue
Dialogue is a literary and theatrical form consisting of a written or spoken conversational exchange between two or more people....
in single-player mode, but all of those scenes are simply left out when the game's language is set to English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
. The domestic Xbox
Xbox
The Xbox is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Microsoft. It was released on November 15, 2001 in North America, February 22, 2002 in Japan, and March 14, 2002 in Australia and Europe and is the predecessor to the Xbox 360. It was Microsoft's first foray into the gaming console...
version of that release restores these scenes and translates them into English. The game was also ported to the PlayStation 2
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
, which was released in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
and Europe
Europe
Europe is, by convention, one of the world's seven continents. Comprising the westernmost peninsula of Eurasia, Europe is generally 'divided' from Asia to its east by the watershed divides of the Ural and Caucasus Mountains, the Ural River, the Caspian and Black Seas, and the waterways connecting...
.
Gameplay
PlayStation 2
The PlayStation 2 is a sixth-generation video game console manufactured by Sony as part of the PlayStation series. Its development was announced in March 1999 and it was first released on March 4, 2000, in Japan...
games in Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
, and had no experience in developing fighting games.
In spite of this, SNK managed to raise excitement by announcing that Nobuhiro Watsuki
Nobuhiro Watsuki
is a Japanese manga artist, best known for his samurai-themed series Rurouni Kenshin. He once worked as an assistant for his favorite author Takeshi Obata.-Biography:...
, the creator and author of the Rurouni Kenshin
Rurouni Kenshin
, also known as Rurouni Kenshin and Samurai X, is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Nobuhiro Watsuki. The fictional setting takes place during the early Meiji period in Japan. The story is about a fictional assassin named Himura Kenshin, from the Bakumatsu who becomes a wanderer to...
manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
and anime
Anime
is the Japanese abbreviated pronunciation of "animation". The definition sometimes changes depending on the context. In English-speaking countries, the term most commonly refers to Japanese animated cartoons....
series, was hired to design some of the new characters, and they were gradually revealed by way of silhouette
Silhouette
A silhouette is the image of a person, an object or scene consisting of the outline and a basically featureless interior, with the silhouetted object usually being black. Although the art form has been popular since the mid-18th century, the term “silhouette” was seldom used until the early decades...
s on the official website, and slowly showing the official artwork. Word finally got out that the game was to be a true prequel
Prequel
A prequel is a work that supplements a previously completed one, and has an earlier time setting.The widely recognized term was a 20th-century neologism, and a portmanteau from pre- and sequel...
to the rest of the series, taking place two years before the first 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 ...
game. This created its own issues with the series timeline.
The gameplay was sped up slightly from Samurai Shodown IV
Samurai Shodown IV
Samurai Shodown IV: Amakusa's Revenge, known as in Japan, is the fourth in SNK's flagship Samurai Shodown series of fighting games. Chronologically, is the second and final chapter of an interquel between Samurai Shodown and Samurai Shodown II, Samurai Shodown III being the first...
, and the button layout was changed again.
The Slash/Bust system of the last few games was done away with, and each character now only had one version, though in several cases, the Bust mode was replaced by a new character of very similar setup.
The most significant addition to the fighting system, is the "defense" button. This button—depending on the position of the joystick—allows the player to duck, quickly jump back, quickly jump forward or roll. This gives more tactical possibilities and balances the player with more evasive moves, rather than loading the buttons with attacks. Clearly, Yuki's strategy game experience was shown in the new fighting system. Brought back from the original two SS games, is the combination of the A and B buttons to create a fierce slash attack rather than having its own button, like the last two SS games. The C button is once again a kick.
Reception
SS5 was a modest success, though not a smash hit. Those who were familiar with Samurai Shodown 64: Warriors RageSamurai 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...
also noted that the new, alternate characters tended to be heavily watered-down versions of Bust characters in that game (Enja and Suija in particular). It is currently most commonly seen as a competent, if unexceptional, fighting game.
External links
- Japanese endings translated to English at VGMuseum
- Official Samurai Spirits Zero Website at 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....