"Good Fighting Game, but a Bad Sequel"

First let me say that I'm a long-time Samurai Spirits fan and veteran, so of course this review might be a little picky and biased, but not too much I hope.

Graphics:
To say this game isn't good in the graphics department would be doing it a disservice. Sure, the sprites are beginning to show their age, but with a huge collective of fighters at your disposal, you can't have anything better. This game features not only every single 2D character of each iteration of the Samurai Spirits games, but several characters have been updated as well. Classics like Gen-An, Caffiene, not to mention all the sub-bosses and bosses. Lots of improvements have been made to make this game worthwhile. Stages could've used a little more creativity, as the settings don't really feel like Feudal Japan like in previous games.

Sound:
As always, every slash and strike is on the mark, voices are rich, but the criticism here would be that not many character's original voice actors/actresses made any sort of return. Honestly I miss Kibagami Genjuro's old voice along with several others that have gone missing or changed entirely. It's an old fan's complaint, but if this is your first SS game, you get used to it.

Controls:
Control response is tight as always, either on D-Pad or Joystick, SNK was never one to pull their punches or kicks. Many moves also have shortcut keys for those of us who don't care for pressing so many buttons at once.

Gameplay/System
This game boasts quite a few number of classic and modern fighting styles depending on how you like to play it, each has its own use, depending on what other fighting games you might be used to. Some have minor advantages over others, although it's not completely balanced out. I still miss the Slash/Bust modes of yesteryear however. The difficulty of the game's A.I. ramps up fairly quick (usually from stage 3 onwards) so you're in for a challenge.

Other Comments:
While this game has a very solid fighting system and the graphics and sound are no slouch either, this game suffers from "old game in a new box" syndrome. While there are a lot of changes made to make it "new" Certain things would've been much better if left untouched. The announcer for instance sounds too much like a quiz show host instead of an overseer of two warriors trying to kill eachother, this, and some of the newer characters don't seem like Samurai at all, mostly crazy civilians rather than warriors.

The thing most gamers like about the Samurai Spirits series is the idea that you're in a feudal era duelling with swords to the death. This game excludes death and blood for that matter, and there's a lot more in terms of appearance and style that doesn't match the main themes of the game. Where's the bloodshed and gore? The fatalities? Why are you fighting in front of the U.S. White House? Isn't this supposed to be the middle to late 1600s? There are just too many things about this game that don't fit the series' tried and true formula of two swords clashing for supremacy. Even the new characters don't seem to share the same flair as many did when Samurai Spirits V came out a while ago. A guy with an exploding Fireworks Jar? An American with a Bayonette...and most shocking of all...a Bald Gaira??? I don't know about you, but I miss the traditional Samurai Spirits, both in music, style, and appearance, blood included. Iza Jin Jou ni, Ippon Ne, SHOUBU!

Final Comment:
Despite it's stylistic shortcomings, this game is pretty solid for a fighter, and definitely something worth checking out. However, with the coming of Samurai Spirits SEN and Samurai Spirits: Rokuban Shoubu on the horizon (a anthology of SS games that INCLUDES this one), you may want to waive it one in favor of the collection that features older Samurai Spirits games. Just a tip from an old SS Vet.

Reviewer's Score: 7/10, Originally Posted: 09/26/07

Game Release: Samurai Spirits: Tenkaichi Kenkakuden (SNK Best Collection) (JP, 01/25/07)