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:''This article is specifically about the original Samurai Shodown game. For information on the series as a whole, see [[Samurai Shodown (series)]].'' {{GameInfobox | image = Samurai Shodown cover.jpg | caption = Cover art of the Neo Geo version of ''Samurai Shodown'' by [[Shinkiro]]. | developer = SNK Playmore | publisher = SNK Playmore | designer = Galapagos Team | jp_rel = {{Release|2007|May|30|JP|PlayStation Network}} | genre = 2D Fighting | series = Samurai Shodown | features = Single-player, Multi-player | players = 1-2 | cabinet = Upright | arcade system = [[Neo Geo (console)|Neo Geo]] | media = (118 Mbit [[cartridge (electronics)|cartridge]]) | display = [[Raster graphics|Raster]], 304 x 224 pixels (Horizontal), 4096 colors | input = 8-way [[Joystick]], 4 [[Button (control)|Buttons]] | platforms = Arcade, 3DO Interactive Multiplayer, Game Gear, Game Boy, Master System, Mega Drive, Neo Geo, Neo Geo CD, Sega Mega-CD, Super Nintendo Entertainment System, Xbox 360, PlayStation 2, Wii, PlayStation Portable, PlayStation | dplatforms = PlayStation Network, Virtual Console, Xbox Live Arcade }} '''''Samurai Shodown''''', known as {{nihongo|'''''Samurai Spirits'''''|サムライスピリッツ|Samurai Supirittsu|'''Samu Supi''' in short}} in Japan, is a {{vgy|1993}} competitive [[fighting game]] produced by [[SNK Playmore|SNK]] for their [[Neo Geo (console)|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 and was one of the first fighting games to focus primarily on weapon-based combat. ==Gameplay== The game is set in the late 18th century and all the characters wield weapons. The game uses comparatively authentic [[music]] from the time period, rife with sounds of traditional Japanese instruments, such as the [[shakuhachi]] and [[shamisen]], and a refined version of the camera zoom first found in ''[[Art of Fighting]]''. True to its use of bladed weapons, the game also included copious amounts of blood. The game quickly became renowned for its fast pace, focused more on quick, powerful strikes than the combos. As to emphasize the distinction of this gameplay system, slow motion was added to intensify damage dealt from hard hits. Also during a match, a referee held flags representing each player (player 1 was white; player 2 red). When a player landed a successful hit, the referee would lift the corresponding flag, letting everyone watching know who dealt the blow. To lessen the repetition of fights, a delivery man running in the background threw items such as chicken (that healed) or bombs, which could significantly change the outcome of a play. ==Characters== <!-- Image with unknown copyright status removed: [[File:Samuraishodown.png|rightt|300px|thumb|Haohmaru (left) vs. Ukyo (right) in a demo game screenshot.]] -->The cast of characters, like many other fighting games of its time, spanned from fighters across the globe, allowing a wide range of weaponry open for the players' preference. Playable characters include: *[[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Haohmaru|Haohmaru]] - the main hero; a ronin who travels to sharpen his swordsmanship and his sense of [[bushido]]. *[[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Nakoruru|Nakoruru]] - an [[Ainu people|Ainu]] [[miko]] who fights to protect [[Mother Nature]]. *[[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Ukyo Tachibana|Ukyo Tachibana]] - an ailing swordsman who searches for the perfect flower for his loved one, Kei. *[[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Wan-fu|Wan-fu]] - a power [[general]] from the [[Qing dynasty]] seeking to recruit powerful warriors for the unification of [[China]]. *[[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Tam Tam|Tam Tam]] - renowned Maya hero from Mexico (referred to as "Green Hell" in the game); he fights to retrieve the sacred artifact, the Palenke Stone. *[[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Charlotte Christine de Colde|Charlotte Christine Colde]] - a [[noblewoman]] [[fencer]] from [[Versailles]] who fights to save her country from [[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Shiro Tokisada Amakusa|Amakusa]]. *[[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Galford D. Weller|Galford D. Weller]] - [[United States|American]] [[sailor]] turned [[ninja]] who fights in the name of justice. *[[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Kyoshiro Senryo|Kyoshiro Senryo]] - famed [[kabuki]] performer who wishes to strengthen his [[dance]]s through swordplay. *[[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Earthquake|Earthquake]] - American ninja and [[Flunky]]-turned [[bandit]], he wants to steal all the world's [[treasure]]. *[[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Hanzo Hattori|Hanzo Hattori]] - ninja serving [[Tokugawa Ieyasu|Ieyasu Tokugawa]]. In this fictional account, he fights to save his son, Shinzo. *[[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Jubei Yagyu|Jubei Yagyu]] - similar to other fictional accounts, he is a [[ronin]] hired by the [[Shogunate]] to execute a [[demon]]. *[[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Genan Shiranui|Genan Shiranui]] - an eccentric member of the Shiranui clan, he strives to make himself more evil. *[[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Shiro Tokisada Amakusa|Shiro Tokisada Amakusa]] - last boss and villain of the game; in this fictional account, he is resurrected years after his death by the demon, [[Ambrosia]]. Due to a pact made with the demon, he wants to revive Ambrosia thus destroying the world. * [[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Kuroko|Kuroko]] - exclusive playable character in the [[Game Boy]] port. He is the background [[referee]] who acknowledges the winner of the match, in the GB game he wields two flag blades as his weapon. He did not get a console debut until [[Samurai Shodown II]], in which he imitates moves of all the other fighters. The Game Boy port is the only game where he had his own original moves and weapons unlike his console counterpart. * Hikyaku - exclusive playable character in the Game Boy port. He is the delivery man running in the background of stages who is forced to disrupt fights by Amakusa.<ref name="SSProfiles">{{cite web |author=SNK Playmore |title=Samurai Shodown Character Profiles |url=http://samuraianiv.snkplaymore.co.jp/english/title/samurai-shodown1/character.php | work=[http://samuraianiv.snkplaymore.co.jp/english/index.html ''Samurai Shodown'' Official Website] |accessdate= February 18, 2008 }}</ref> ==Ports== When SNK released the game for the home console version of the Neo Geo system, the AES, the fans bought it up in droves, and it still stands as the most successful run of home Neo cartridges ever produced. The game was ported to multiple other platforms, including the [[Super Nintendo Entertainment System]], [[Nintendo Game Boy]], [[Sega Mega Drive]], [[Sega Game Gear]], [[Sega CD]], [[Sega Saturn]], [[3DO Interactive Multiplayer|3DO]], [[FM Towns]], [[PlayStation (console)|PlayStation]], [[PlayStation 2]], and [[Xbox]]. All of the cartridge versions were handled by [[Takara]], while [[Crystal Dynamics]] ported the 3DO version, and [[JVC]] handled the Sega CD port. All the ports vary in quality, given the individual capabilities of the systems on which the game appeared. All the [[16-bit]] Sega versions of the game (including the Sega CD version) omitted [[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Earthquake|Earthquake]]. Both versions lack the camera zoom, and as a result the camera is zoomed-in, which gives better detail to the characters, but the fighting area is smaller. Of note is the Sega CD version, which contained a bug which caused the game to crash when the final boss was reached.<ref name="shodownglitch">{{cite web | last=Matozzo | first=Christian | title=Samurai Shodown | url=http://www.sega-16.com/review_page.php?id=1182&title=Samurai Shodown | work=[http://www.sega-16.com/ Sega-16]| accessdate= July 21, 2010 }}</ref> Publisher JVC offered to replace glitched discs with copies of Fatal Fury Special (which they also published for the system). No "fixed" version was released.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}} The Super NES version, by contrast, has the character line-up intact, but has the game zoomed-out, which makes the characters look tiny and harder to time attacks. The stages, on the other hand, are less restricted. This version also supports [[Dolby Surround]]. The Neo Geo AES version of the game was released for the [[Wii]] [[Virtual Console]] on October 16, 2007 in Japan; May 30, 2008 in Europe; and June 16, 2008 in North America.<ref>{{cite news|title=Two WiiWare Games and One Virtual Console Game Added to Wii Shop Channel|url=http://www.nintendo.com/whatsnew/detail/ilTtfbOhclAfaIhaLjZxZH-kd2vydunF|publisher=Nintendo of America|date=2008-06-16|accessdate=2008-06-17}}</ref> However, before the Virtual Console version was released in the North America, the game was released as part of [[SNK Arcade Classics Vol. 1]]. The game was edited when it was first released for the AES as it featured blood and graphic fatal attacks that kills opponents by slicing them in half. This was mostly due to the negative publicity that sparked involving the use of violence in video games of the time, a most prominent example being ''[[Mortal Kombat]]''.<ref name="censor2">{{cite web | last=Provo | first=Frank | title=The History of SNK~Banking on NeoGeo | url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/6089278/p-9.html | work=[http://www.gamespot.com/ GameSpot]| accessdate= March 1, 2008 }}</ref> As a result, it was decided to [[censorship|censor]] the game for most platforms, by changing the blood from red to white and disabling all of the fatal attack animations. These censorship issues were also carried over to the win quotes, and references to death or blood were altered. This release incited controversy in the [[United States]], as many fans who bought the game were angry that the game they had paid for was not 100% true to the arcade experience, a notion which ran contrary to the professed point of the AES in the first place.<ref name="censor3">{{cite web | last=Provo | first=Frank | title=The History of SNK~Banking on NeoGeo | url=http://www.gamespot.com/features/6089278/p-12.html | work=[[GameSpot]]| accessdate= March 1, 2008 }}</ref> The Sega 16-bit ports frequently had the violence toned down. While the blood is featured, it is used sparsely and one of the fatalities is cut for each version. In the Super NES version the blood was recolored orange and the half slicing is removed.<ref name="censor1">{{cite web | author=PJ | title=Samurai Shodown (SNES) | url=http://www.neo-geo.com/reviews/snes-reviews/ss-snes/ss-snes.html | work=[http://www.neo-geo.com/ Neo-Geo.com]| accessdate= March 1, 2008 }}</ref> The 3DO version, however, was ported almost a year later{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}}, and managed to reach the console with all blood and fatality graphics intact. As a result, some retailers didn't even carry this edition of the game.{{Citation needed|date=April 2009}} ''Samurai Shodown'' is justifiably considered the starting point for the wave of Neo Geo console [[modchip|modifications]], which would enable users to set the system's region to Japan, or play in arcade mode, which would in turn allow the game to be played with all of the blood and death animations intact, even on a North American/PAL console.<ref name="censor2"/> It also marked the beginning of SNK's nebulous and much-discussed policy of censoring their games for release outside of Japan, which still persists (albeit sporadically) to this day. ==Reception== In the February 1994 issue of ''Gamest'' magazine in Japan, ''Samurai Spirits'' was awarded Best Game of 1993 in the Seventh Annual Gamest Grand Prize, being the first to win in the category of Best Fighting Game as well (''Street Fighter II Dash'', the previous Game of the Year, won as Best Action Game). ''Samurai Spirits'' placed first place in Best VGM, Best Album and Best Direction, and second place in Best Graphics. In the Best Characters list, [[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Nakoruru|Nakoruru]] placed No. 1, [[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Haohmaru|Haohmaru]] at No. 6, [[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Jubei Yagyu|Jubei Yagyu]] at No. 8, a tie between [[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Ukyo Tachibana|Ukyo Tachibana]], [[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Galford D. Weller|Galford]], and Poppy at No. 11, [[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Charlotte Christine de Colde|Charlotte]] at No. 16 (tied with [[List of characters in the Fatal Fury series#Duck King|Duck King]] from ''[[Fatal Fury Special]]''), Kuroko at No. 18, [[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Tam Tam|Tam Tam]] and [[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Hanzo Hattori|Hanzo Hattori]] tied for No. 22, [[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Genan Shiranui|Gen-an Shiranui]] at No. 29, and [[List of Samurai Shodown characters#Wan-fu|Wan-Fu]] tied at No. 45 with five other characters.<ref name=gamest107>{{cite journal|unused_data==year=1994|journal=GAMEST|language=Japanese|issue=107|month=February|title=第7回 ゲーメスト大賞|page=20}}</ref> ''Samurai Shodown'' won multiple awards from [[Electronic Gaming Monthly]] in their 1993 video game awards, including Best Neo-Geo Game, Best Fighting Game, and Game of the Year.<ref name="egmbuyersguide1994">{{cite journal |last= |first= |authorlink= |coauthors= |year=1994 |month= |title=Electronic Gaming Monthly's Buyer's Guide |journal= |volume= |issue= |pages= |id= |url= |accessdate=2009-01-09 |quote= }}</ref> ==References== {{Reflist}} ==External links== * [http://www.neo-geo.com/reviews/neo-reviews/samurai_shodown/samurai_shodown.html Review of ''Samurai Shodown'' at Neo-Geo.com] * [http://samuraianiv.snkplaymore.co.jp/ Samurai Shodown official website] * [http://heavenlyspirits.net/ Samurai Shodown fan website] {{Samurai Shodown series}} [[de:Samurai Shodown]] [[fr:Samurai Shodown]] [[ko:사무라이 스피리츠]] [[it:Samurai Shodown]] [[nl:Samurai Shodown]] [[ja:サムライスピリッツ]] [[pl:Samurai Shodown]] [[sv:Samurai Shodown]] [[th:ซามูไร สปีริท]] [[zh:侍魂]]
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