Game: Samurai Showdown SEN
Publisher/Developer: X-Seed
Platform: XBOX 360
Price: $49.99
Pros: Really no redeeming qualities in a game that should have been good, if not great.
Cons: Bad Graphics, Horrible Controls, Long load times.
Verdict: Wait for a huge sale unless you are a die-hard fan.
Acquired: Review Copy Provided
With the recent revitalization of the fighting genre, more and more people are picking up the newest titles, ready to dive into the button mashing experience. After getting a fight stick for Christmas and a copy of SFIV, I was ready to dive into this title with abandon. Unfortunately, not even a fight stick could help this horrible entry in the Samurai Showdown series.
Once praised for it’s options and added weaponry, it’s now clouded by shoddy graphics and horrible controls. I have very faded memories of playing a Samurai title on Neo Geo but am still an absolute newcomer to the series and SEN provided no tutorial or even an inkling of assistance in learning how to play at all. I really can’t think of a worse idea as it’s a given most fans of the series will eventually pick up this title but the added people that are just now getting into fighting games that have no background on your series? You just left a lot of people and money in the dust.
While the character selection is vast it doesn’t make up for the fact that they aren’t exciting to play with. Not one stood out as better or worse than another, they are all pretty average when it comes to the fighting genre and all of the nuances seen in most other fighters are right here too. It’s just done so poorly that playing this game felt like pulling teeth.
The control scheme is closest to Soul Caliber with similar combos and inputs. It doesn’t feel even half as good as that title though because it’s turned into a button masher, with whoever hits them fast enough winning the fight. This series is known for it’s unique style of gameplay so venturing far from that is a risk I wouldn’t have taken. The game has stiff controls and the most awkward mechanics I’ve ever experienced. AI opponents that take days of patience not practice to overcome, make it all the more frustrating. It only takes two good hits to down an opponent so strategy doesn’t even come into play here. That’s a sad state of affairs when there are so many other options on the table and that the series used to stand on it’s own unique platform.
Gamers are becoming more and more resentful against the atrocious loading times we have in games as of late, and this title is just as guilty. It’s understandable in a story heavy game but with SEN, it’s load after tedious load. You can literally be killed in five seconds and have to wait forty more for the game to load back up. And to be perfectly honest, I’m not sure what we are waiting for. 3-D graphics that looked twenty times better on the PS2? I think I’ll pass.
Online mode was also a complete let down. I tried to use the multiplayer feature to fight a real person eight times. I waited for what seemed an eternity but not once did someone pop online to fight. This aspect is where I thought the game might be brought back to it’s roots a little bit, allowing me to fully use the controls like they were meant to be used. Unfortunately, the chance never presented itself.
I wish I could have found something redeeming within Samurai Showdown but I couldn’t. Everything reeks of being slopped together without regard to the fans or the series previous titles. What made the series special was overlooked so blatantly that it’s hard to believe it was allowed to be released. Old looking graphics, unplayable fighting styles, clunky controls, and long load times make this one of the worst games I’ve played since Superman 64.
With all of the other awesome fighting titles out, I’d leave this one alone. If you are a die-hard fan of the series, I’d still wait until it was on the clearance rack. I’m sure it won’t be a long wait.
Popularity: unranked [?]
