Samurai Showdown Sen here in spring

By Robert Purchese Published 22 January, 2010

SNK's weapon-based fighter for 360.

Rising Star Games has plucked the European rights to Samurai Shodown Sen and plans to release the Xbox 360 fighting game over here in spring.

You'll be transported to historical Japan (1608 - 1868), where people stupidly fought with swords and not GLOCKS YO. [Bertie's breakdancing lessons have gone to his head I think - Ed.]

Familiar faces will include Takechiyo, Suzu, Haohmaru, Galford, Hanzo Hattori, Nakoruru and Ukyo Tachibana.

There are over 20 in total and their styles span sword-fighting, axe-wielding, spears and many more. Moves like Power Slash return, and they'll be complemented by Rage Explosion and Guard Shatter.

The Samurai Showdown series, made by SNK, began millions of years ago on the NeoGeo. Samurai Showdown Sen, will be eleventh game so far. We've got some pictures if you want a look.

Picture of Robert.

About Robert Purchese

Bertie is Eurogamer's Senior Staff Writer. When he's not hunting down news stories he's often found playing with his kids or gabbling about fantasy games and strange online worlds.

Read more articles from Robert by visiting the Robert Purchese archive page.

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Comments (19) Latest comment 2 years ago

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  • JHuxley #1 2 years ago

    It also looks absolutely awful. I'm more of a Last Blade fan myself, but I still hate to see Samurai Showdown dragged through the mud like this.

  • retr0gamer #2 2 years ago

    No Mai, no sale.

    This really doesn't look good or anything like the original games that I loved.

  • Quint2020 #3 2 years ago

    Awwww man, I was expecting some beautiful HD 2D art KOF XII stylee! This is not a nice looking game at all, visuals remind me of Tenchu Z....

  • Bertie Verified Senior Staff Writer, Eurogamer.net #4 2 years ago

    That cowboy's representing. BRAP

  • TRUTH #5 2 years ago

    It's 3D, looks crap...whay can't they do some beautiful 2D in hi-def with smooth animation - look at SF III; still looks great,plays great and still better the SF IV. The charm seems to be lost in 3D fighting games. Bluebaze still shows why fighting games ib 2D always plays and looks better in 2D rather then 3D.

    SNK do it 2D!

  • neonemesis #6 2 years ago

    I'm sure I read somewhere that the US release wasn't on for this game. I do love Rising Star and their insane dedication (beats Ignition anyway) but it makes me wonder how they make ANY money by publishing a constant slew of obscure/hard to find games. Not complaining, just a genuine wondering.

  • Ryze #7 2 years ago

    Shodown.

  • Loghorn #8 2 years ago

    No Mai, no sale.

    This really doesn't look good or anything like the original games that I loved.

    LOL. This is Samurai Spirits (Shodown), not KOF. Mai was never in that series.

  • Pirotic #9 2 years ago

    Poor Samurai Showdown, I remember back when it was a rather good game with great 2D sprites and buckets of Japanese charm. The amount of 20p's I spent on it must amount to at least Ģ100.

    This just looks like a really sub-standard 3D fighter using what looks to resemble some characters from the Samurai Showdown series.

  • RobotRocker #10 2 years ago

    SNK do it 2D!

    Dear god no. Have you played KOF XII? It's pretty much a half cocked abortion. If SNK Playmore had sense, they would sell the licences to their properties to Capcom and concentrate on their pachinko games. Though in fairness, this one is developed by K2, former Tenchu developers.

    Also SF3 is really starting to Age now. As good as it is, tournament play is dominated by Chun-Buns, Ol' Red and Makoto and the difference in sprite work between characters is glaring. It plays nice but it lacks the style and flash of SFIV which is why most people are moving on. Plus the whole "lol Mugen" factor starting to creep into 2D games in general.

    Mai was never in that series

    Gen-An's ending in the first game. I'm a fountain of knowledge me (Read: I played far too much fighting games in the 90's/Early 2000's)

  • Loghorn #11 2 years ago

    What I meant to say was, is that Mai was never playable in the SS series.

  • JHuxley #12 2 years ago

    "Dear god no. Have you played KOF XII? It's pretty much a half cocked abortion."

    Huh? I'm pretty sure he's talking about the graphics. If you think this looks better than KOF XII...I honestly don't know what to say.

    Unfortunately SNK forgot to include a game along with XII's pretty visuals :(

  • gomezgomita #13 2 years ago

    Quint2020
    Go play Samurai Shodown Warriorīs Rage, you donīt know what your gonna miss if you keep complaining about minor issues like the crappy 3D, KOF12 may be beautiful but playing KOF12 is like playing kof 96 all over again, it has 4 backgrounds, no endings, I mean, the game looks like a fucking beta or a demo.

  • gomezgomita #14 2 years ago

    RobotRocker

    "It plays nice but it lacks the style and flash of SFIV which is why most people are moving on."

    If thereīs something that SF4 lacks is style.

    SF3 aging!?, are you serious?, Itīs not about "moving on", like an evolution, SF4 is just different, not better nor worse, people are still playing Tekken tag, Tekken 3, KOF 98, SF2 champion edition, SSF2turbo, Samurai shodown 2, so stop this stupid rivalry between 2D and 3D.

  • JHuxley #15 2 years ago

    @gomezgomita

    I'd rather have 4 beautiful looking backgrounds than this vomit-inducing mess.

  • RobotRocker #16 2 years ago

    SF3 aging!?

    Believe it or not, fighting games have an upper limit as well. There was a resurgence in Makato, Q and Hugo in the last 2 years but even Japanese players are moving on from SF3: 3S since there is a wall you can hit before players figure out only one or two characters are truly viable in tourney play. In this case, only Ken, Ryu and Chun-Li were winning and it was becoming a war of attrition for many players. 3S will probably be dropped from Evo next year as well along with Marvel (Current rumor says the main games this year will be SSF4, SSF2HDR, Tekken 6 and BlazBlue: CS) and it will probably phaze out from a lot of tournaments unless Capcom remix it.

    SF4 is already proving more dynamic than 3S as well since players are finding a lot more viable options too. Fuerte is rocketing from bottom to top tier already and Gen looks like he will do the same soon while there is a lot more variety in the viable picks than 3S. Plus, it looks better and fights are more exciting to spectate and play than 3S's "parry, fuck it shoryuken, repeat" play. While the whole constant revisions near killed the genre back in the day. Fighters have to move on or else its just hammering against a a wall

    I'd rather have 4 beautiful looking backgrounds than this vomit-inducing mess.

    KOF XII's backgrounds were vomit inducing and distracting from the actual gameplay. What game were you actually playing. KOF XII sucked spectacularly in every single way possible.

    People are still playing Tekken tag

    Nope, dead and broken

    Tekken 3

    See Above

    KOF 98

    OK, got me here, but only since 98 Ultimate Match is the only viable KOF unless UM 2002 does a miracle and doesnt have a XBLA/PSN port that does not suck out loud.

    SF2 champion edition, SSF2turbo

    HDR yes. Everything else, no.

    Samurai shodown 2

    Genjuro is so broken its a goddamn joke.

    so stop this stupid rivalry between 2D and 3D.

    Its not about 2D and 3D. Its about when the players break the game so badly that everyone has to move on for a next game or else tactics become a war of attrition. Ever play Killer Instinct when that scene was dying? All Orchid, all the bloody time since she was the only viable character. 3S is pretty much finished since its been 10 years and we have seen everything from it. Unless theres a last gasp Twelve or Remy resurgence (loooooool). Its time to move on.

  • JHuxley #17 2 years ago

    KOF XII's backgrounds were vomit inducing and distracting from the actual gameplay.

    If you say so...personally I think it looks a lot nicer than Samurai Showdown Sen here.

  • MisterFahrenheit #18 2 years ago

    Nice work devs, it looks like a dog and reeks of Time Fighters or whatever that shitty old scrapper with comedy stereotypes was called. Time Killers, that was it. Bloody Time Killers.

    I'd be happy to pay for more glorious, atmospheric 2D Samurai Shodown (new or remade) on XBLA, but I'm not condoning this malarkey with my cold hard cash.

  • gomezgomita #19 2 years ago

    RobotRocker

    Great points you got there, I do agree that fighting games have an upper limit, but there are just a few players who can reach that limit, Daigo, Wong,Kelly, Killian,etc, and even when these guys reached the roof, there will be always another guy tougher than them, I think itīs not a matter of characters itīs a matter of play styles, there isnīt such a thing as cheap characters either, you are focused on tournament-mainstream-players, guys who donīt go to tournaments for a good time, (the whole tournament concept is hilarious), you are talking about sick players, narcissist players, you forgot den - dive - hole - joint-underground players.

    SSF2T HD remix itīs only a big thing in the U.S, in Japan they play SSF2 turbo ( tournament edition I assume) and SF2 dash-champion edition.

    last time I checked Tekken tag was still the king!

    S.S.2, S.S.5 and S.S warriorīs rage are still big on retro and little tournaments.
    P.D: poor Genjuro hahahahaha


    "Unless theres a last gasp Twelve or Remy resurgence (loooooool)"

    HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAA!

    Cheers!
    Edited by 1 at 25/01/10 @ 16:51