PS5 must have this available for download so their amazing new hardware will actually have an opportunity to process something thats had life breathed into it.
One of my all time favorite fighting game series. Been a fan since I stumbled across SS1 way back in ‘94 at a grocery store of all places. Love the character designs, music, gameplay, etc. SamSho was truly unique when it came out.
He was right about the sword attack; taking half your opponent's life from one good swipe was not only more realistic, it was extremely satisfying. It's what made it stand apart all the more.
Galford is also a resident of Mexico at the time as well, although who knows where his background is ultimately from since he was a sailor prior to becoming a ninja. There's technically no character from the US proper until SamSho VI as far as I recall, when they decided to add the US president analogue in Andrew as a playable character.
@@LuisOrtiz-xo5kcSpain's territories in America were provinces, not colonies. Their inhabitants were considered full spanish citizens, so yes, both Galford and Earthquake were spanish. It is very likely that the developers were not aware of that.
Yes! Thank you so much! Your channel has provided so much quality content for me and my new born! He breaks out in a huge smile when I go "yeeeeeaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!' Can't wait to play these games with him when he's older!!!
A lot of samurai shodown characters are analogs to real historical figures for example tachinaba ukyo is based on sazaki kojiro (swallow swipe) and haomaro is based miyamoto musashi
This game is punishing for someone that comes from KOF or other faster paced games, Samsho is a lot closer to SFII than it is to other games, here ground control is vital, mindless attacks get punished horribly, parrying and evasion manouvers are great for people who can read their opponent's moves. I love it.
Yeah, this game is all about the COMEBACK. You think you're doing well, then suddenly, say Haohmaru tags you with a Heavy Slash whist Enraged, and you're in the red. It's a game for duelists.
What about the new Switch version?? It's garbage. Here's what i posted, i thought someone might chime in but didn't get a response yet- I bought Samurai Showdown for the Switch and it's utter garbage.... I was around for all of the early NEO GEO games in the arcade but never really got into them like i did the SF2 series and the MK series, so thought i would give the SS reboot a try.... i made it to the final boss on my second try without even learning any special moves, other than minor experimentation IN GAME. Complete waste of money.
Here’s one factoid that you forgot to mention: Samurai Shodown was developed in less than 6 month’s time, which was unheard of back then. The average development cycle for a game (even on the mighty Neo-Geo) would take at least a year or better to complete.
The first weapons based fighter and first to use items and parries! And its sequel is the only SNK game that managed to beat SFII in popularity at one point.
Agreed! The last blade 1 & 2 are my favourite weapon-based fighters, while Garou is there for fisticufs... absolute top from SNK. In KOF etc, the huge character rosters usually put me off.
Garou is my favorite SNK fighting game. Everything about it is beautiful. I have yet to get into the Last Blade series but remember the glowing reviews that both the original and its sequel received. I have them in MAME and just need to sit down and get into them.
SamSho2 was my most played MVS cart, and by far the very best among fighters and in general. Has aged very well. Too bad EVO doesn't have the taste to feature it.
Samurai Showdown( Samurai Spirits) is that perfect in between of MK and SF with its powered rage meter and finishing off your opponent by slicing them in half!!!With this amazing weapons based fighter, you not only have cinematic battles, but finishers as epic too!
When Sam Sho came out, I was blown away. The fact you could fight with the weapons or barehanded blew my mind. Such a terrific game (and thus) and series.
Samurai Shodown is a sweet surprise. Back then, and now. It's wild to imagine the combat, variety, and challenging gameplay would influence others too. But still it was one of a kind on its platform. A marvel, a work of art. But damn it can get tough, but it's worth it
back in the 1990s you know you were covered if you walked into an arcade, and found that red cabinet with a samurai showdown on it, tbf just about any mvs had one or many ace games.
This game is an early masterpiece in sound design. The clanging of blades adds so much tension to the battles. And the strategic element of landing strong blows yet remaining exposed while doing so makes the fights more exciting and methodical.
Samurai Showdown was such a refreshing entry into the fighting game genre. The visuals were stunning. The control was solid. Most of all the music was superb. >_
This game had so many draws when it hit the arcades in 1993: weapons, blood, finishers, huge characters like Earthquake and Tam Tam, pets(!), a rage gauge, and GREAT style. Even when surrounded by the likes of Mortal Kombat 2, SF2 Hyper Fighting, Primal Rage, etc. it still stood out as a great game. I owned the 3DO version in 1995 and loved every minute of it. And Samurai Shodown 2 is even better! BTW the SNES port didn't have sweat instead of blood, it just had orange blood. That said, the SNES port had the chance to be something special, but it had two fatal flaws: #1 is, of course, the tiny sprites. #2 the sound had WAY to much reverb. Other than that, the SNES port was excellent.
i think even the japanese Super Famicom ver. had orange blood for some odd reason, japan usually didn't censor their games back then. Takara was going for some kind of 'simulated SRS & Dolby Surround' effect and it just ended up sounding weird...
@@lilrogersthetaskmaster201 i bought a US Neo-Geo from funcoLand just because of this game, i even knew about the US console censorship before i bought it, if i remember correctly
Dont forget the "just defended" style parry introduced here. People seem to forget this detail. There's a reason the K groove is associated the rage gauge.
One day I hope to see my favourite The Last Blade 1 & 2 covered, seeing as they were overshadowed by this very SamSho series for most part. Subbed for all the good content and the tophat too ofc ;)
I only remember playing this game cause as a kid I loved that it had a character that looked like blanka...which had green skin, but instead of orange hair, had orange clothes....and basically had a Freddy Krueger glove
Whenever I see Samurai Showdown, I can still subconsciously smell a 90's Pizza Hut. Every single Pizza hut I went to for years across two different towns all had a Samurai Showdown and Final Fight cabinet.
I remember reading a review of this in a games mag, while at school. A teacher looked in to see what I was reading, and said the name was Shod down, not Showdown as there was no W.
I remember seeing it for the first time in the arcade in the early 90’s. That was quite a shock. It was the most impressive game on many aspect at the time ( graphics, animation, music, innovation)
Other then Street Fighter II, Samurai Shodown was one of my favorite arcade games at that time. 3DO version was a perfect port. From the stages, to the characters, to the awesome music that pulled you in. Loved this game.
I love samshow it’s one of the top 3 most influential fighting games ever. The high damage feature is what literally sets samshow apart from other games yatsushi was a Genius for keeping to his guns
I regret to admit that I haven't played to much of Samurai Shodown. So far, I've only played Samurai Shodown 1, Samurai Shodown 2, and Samurai Shodown 2019. I don't know why, I guess I've been to busy playing Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters? Those two games made up most of my SNK experience when I got into their games. I'm gonna making up for it now thanks to this quarantine. I've been playing a lot of Samsho 2019 and Samsho 2. I'll move on to Samurai Shodown 3 once I beat Samurai Shodown 2 with all the characters (I don't know why, I just like doing that). I'm looking forward to trying out that bust mode Samsho 3 introduced. Particularly, I want to try the evil Nakoruru with her wolf.
My biggest love of this original Sam Sho was cutting your opponent in half for the money drop. Which only can happen when jump in the air for the last round upon their defeat.
i remember the first time i played this was at a supermarket. i thought about the game for days and looked to egm and gamepro magazine for more info. i used to stare at the photos and recite the roster in my head. charlotte really stood out to me because she was a fencer amongst a largely samurai/ninja cast. samsho was such a unique offering and the only snk fighter i ever messed with to this day. but ima jump in on kof 15 if i survive covid-19 and the game ever releases.
To get the context of being a kid here in America during the 80's and 90's, sure you had things like The Karate Kid, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a few low budget VHS Ninja movies but a lot of that stuff was watered down or in many cases family friendly. SNK's Samurai Shodown was one of the first mediums where they threw off the kid gloves and completely BROUGHT IT ON as far as Japanese culture in a major unapologetic way. Nothing against Street Fighter 2 but there wasn't no, "Round 1," or, "Round 2," out of the Announcer. Rather it was strongly belted, "Ipponme," or "Nihonme!" This was one of the first games other than Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden that intrigued me enough to want to learn more about the language and culture.
@@brandname6 Thanks and yes how could I forget to mention the music! The unbelievable blend of bamboo flutes, aggressive shamisen licks, taiko drums, prayer chants, the flapping wings and caws from flocks of crows, rolling waves crashing into rocks, orchestral strings, metal guitar riffs, and I could go on forever lol.
In Toronto where I grew up. There was a sizeable arcade presence. We had a large HongKong/south Asian population so a lot of the arcades would cater to Capcom games and SNKs King of fighters series. We had a lot of Dance Dance Revolution and other quirky Japanese cabinets coming in. Samurai Shodown didn’t make an impact. So going through the early “internet days” and seeing how people said there were line ups for Samurai Shodown 2 was different. I figured it was more of a west coast thing.
Good stuff now do the crown jewel of the series... SAMURAI SHODOWN 2... also you forgot to mention the Edo Express delivery man who drops turkeys and bombs! but great work as always Top Hat!
Funny thing about the locking swords mechanic. It was revealed by one of the developers that the outcome is entirely random. Rapidly mashing the buttons did nothing, effectively the programmers were just trolling the players lol
Me and my buddies would hit the arcade to play Showdown! One of my favorite games of all time. I’d hate to know how many quarters I dropped in this machine. Good times!
Oh yeah! This game blew everything away on its release IMO. The scaling gimmick from Art of Fighting with much better characters and animation, an amazing fighting system with the best risk/reward mechanic at the time, loveable characters with personality up the wazoo, I could go on. I still love this game and its 2D sequels, though I always skip V! That's the one I can't stomach.
Another great video and another favorite fighting game of mine! Well done! I'd love to see more SNK fighters like King of Fighters, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, and The Last Blade! Keep up the great work!
I've been playing the crap out of this on my neogeo mini arcade thing. The screens awesome and the emulation isnt near as bad as people say on TV. I LOVE it!
Don't know why I'm just subscribing, but I am now. Love your videos on fighting game history. Getting to learn more about a passion I've had since childhood. When I got my genesis I got sonic and street fighter 2. Guess which one I played most, and still to this day.
Anyone who was around the 90s arcade scene remembers this groundbreaking game. It took all the innovations of Art Of Fighting and put them in a much more polished package with weapons. It truly stood out at a time when EVERY game developer tried to peddle a fighting game in hopes of capitalizing on the success enjoyed by Capcom and Midway with Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat respectively. Until now I was unaware that there was a Panasonic 3DO port of Samurai Shodown. I understood back then that the SNES and Genesis ports would be sub par due to hardware limitations. SNK's Neo Geo hardware was ahead of its time.
I own the Genesis version. At the time I did, i had never seen or knew much about the game, other than all my classmates praising it years prior. I never played it on any other system
I never understood why they decided to make the SNES version with the zoom out with the smaller sprites while the Megadrive version had the better looking zoom in. In the SNES version of Art Fighting they managed to include the zoom (smaller than Neo Geo's), they could have tried to do the same with this game.
About half the characters of Samsho are based on historical figures, which is probably what the designers intended. While we probably won't see any American Ninjas (thus no Earthquake and Galford exists?) and Aztec warriors (thus no Tam Tam), Haohmaru is one of the first fighting game representations of Miyamoto Musashi, who did exist, with the only difference being that Haohmaru wasn't a dual wielder. Other historical figures who were interpreted include - Hattori Hanzo (i.e THE Ninja), - Ukyo Tachibana (was Sasaki Kojiro, Musashi's rival, thus he was Haohmaru's rival in this game before Genjuro came along and took his spot), - Amakusa Shiro (the video already said he did exist), - Yagyu Jubei. (complete with him having the infamous eyepatch) These would continue into the modern age, where we had Andrew (who is Andrew Jackson, complete with fighting in front of a recently completed White House), and Gaoh, an obvious Nobunaga analogue. If you want any better historical references, you probably have to go play a Koei-Tecmo game or World Heroes.
I’ve always been a big fan of both the Neo-Geo and SNK’s fighting games. I thought I knew everything about the system and its games, but I will admit it - I never knew Galford was a surfer turned samurai. Does anyone know if people surfed in America during the 1700s? I always thought surfing was invented during the early 20th Century.
Loads of bits historically don't make sense for example the wrestler who is from the Texas in the United States, would have been in Mexico in the time frame the game is set.
Samurai Showdown I remember playing the original one in the arcade so I definitely have great memories of this awesome game and latest one is phenomenal I just wish they had more characters but I truly love SNK Samurai Showdown game series.
Amakusa was a bit of a pawn of Francisco Xavier, also it was no secret that Spain and Portugal were using the catholic missionaries to expand their respective empires. Also also even though Galford is an American according to the game California would have either been part of Mexico at the time or spain i actually dont remember. XD but it certainly would not be part of the USA
Had a old games masters magazine, actually i think it might have been the first or second, gave Samurai showdown a really high score and really gushed over it
While I did enjoy Samurai Showdown, I actually liked WeaponLord better. Yes, it was slower and had odd controls, but I felt the controls fit the weapon mechanics quite well. I also liked the setting, style, and weapons better in WeaponLord. For the same setting as Samurai Showdown. the first Dynasty Warriors did a great job as a fighting game. I actually think they should've kept that as a series.
The arcade near me cranked up the difficulty to the highes setting. It was infuriating having to dump so many quarters in the machine. I loved that game and it was more visually stunning compared to anything else at that time.
AS FAR AS SOUNDS, MUSIC & GAMEPLAY... THIS IS MY BABY 🥰
I was there in 93' ✌🏾
Me too, 10 y/o...
Me too. I never missed any fighting game on the arcades.
Tam Tam stage music played through a proper stereo with a subwoofer....EPIC.
@@glennbuchanan29 Kyoshiro too
PS5 must have this available for download so their amazing new hardware will actually have an opportunity to process something thats had life breathed into it.
This game´s visual style has aged so well. Can´t wait for your take on Samurai Shodown II.
One of my all time favorite fighting game series. Been a fan since I stumbled across SS1 way back in ‘94 at a grocery store of all places. Love the character designs, music, gameplay, etc. SamSho was truly unique when it came out.
That was back when kids would play at the arcade (in the store, e.g. Fiesta) while their moms shopped.
same here. I played SS4 at a grocery store in Louisiana LOL
He was right about the sword attack; taking half your opponent's life from one good swipe was not only more realistic, it was extremely satisfying. It's what made it stand apart all the more.
Actually Earthquake is Mexican, he is from Texas but in the period of time where the game takes place Texas was still part of Mexico
Galford is also a resident of Mexico at the time as well, although who knows where his background is ultimately from since he was a sailor prior to becoming a ninja. There's technically no character from the US proper until SamSho VI as far as I recall, when they decided to add the US president analogue in Andrew as a playable character.
You mean New Spain. In the XVIIIth century, Mexico was still a Spanish colony.
Galford is technically a spaniard and in some old Manga he's the son of a missionary and a japanese woman.
@@LuisOrtiz-xo5kcSpain's territories in America were provinces, not colonies. Their inhabitants were considered full spanish citizens, so yes, both Galford and Earthquake were spanish. It is very likely that the developers were not aware of that.
@@Hektols As far as I remember, people who were born in New Spain, weren't seen as spaniards, even if both parents were. They were called "criollos".
Yes! Thank you so much! Your channel has provided so much quality content for me and my new born! He breaks out in a huge smile when I go "yeeeeeaaaaahhhhhh!!!!!!' Can't wait to play these games with him when he's older!!!
I did research on the real Hattori Hanzo because of this game, It wasn't even for school or anything... IT'S JUST THAT DAMN AMAZING
A lot of samurai shodown characters are analogs to real historical figures for example tachinaba ukyo is based on sazaki kojiro (swallow swipe) and haomaro is based miyamoto musashi
@@artemismeow interesting
Top Hat Gaming Man, you are fast becoming one of my all-time favorite channels.
Yeeeeeeaaaaaaaa
Same here
Some people hear Samurai Showdown doesn't have big combos or ultra-cpmplex techniques and think it's easy to get into.
And then they actually play it.
This game is punishing for someone that comes from KOF or other faster paced games, Samsho is a lot closer to SFII than it is to other games, here ground control is vital, mindless attacks get punished horribly, parrying and evasion manouvers are great for people who can read their opponent's moves. I love it.
@@javierortiz82 I really wanted to play the new one. Shame the PC release had to be so late.
Yeah, this game is all about the COMEBACK. You think you're doing well, then suddenly, say Haohmaru tags you with a Heavy Slash whist Enraged, and you're in the red. It's a game for duelists.
What about the new Switch version?? It's garbage. Here's what i posted, i thought someone might chime in but didn't get a response yet-
I bought Samurai Showdown for the Switch and it's utter garbage....
I was around for all of the early NEO GEO games in the arcade but never really got into them like i did the SF2 series and the MK series, so thought i would give the SS reboot a try.... i made it to the final boss on my second try without even learning any special moves, other than minor experimentation IN GAME.
Complete waste of money.
@@DrWeird-zw5dc except it's not garbage according to the vast majority of reviews...
I love Samurai Shodown! It’s what GOT me into the glorious Neo-Geo!
Here’s one factoid that you forgot to mention: Samurai Shodown was developed in less than 6 month’s time, which was unheard of back then. The average development cycle for a game (even on the mighty Neo-Geo) would take at least a year or better to complete.
Samurai Showdown has the most personality out of SNK's fighting game series.
You could also consider the Last Blade for that too 😀
Glenn Buchanan I suppose Yie Ar Kung Fu was a strong influence for these series
Easily their best game
The first weapons based fighter and first to use items and parries! And its sequel is the only SNK game that managed to beat SFII in popularity at one point.
This game was & still is one of the most iconic for me...so many great memories while watching this video
Excellent, glad you found some enjoyment!
That announcer and the one from Killer Instinct are my absolute favorites☝🏾
Love your channel! Brings me back to being a teenager in the 90’s!
can't wait for his GAROU review.....or LAST BLADE....those games are tops.
Agreed! The last blade 1 & 2 are my favourite weapon-based fighters, while Garou is there for fisticufs... absolute top from SNK. In KOF etc, the huge character rosters usually put me off.
@@ErikDvorak you probably have the attention span of a goldfish
Garou is my favorite SNK fighting game. Everything about it is beautiful. I have yet to get into the Last Blade series but remember the glowing reviews that both the original and its sequel received. I have them in MAME and just need to sit down and get into them.
Last Blade 2 is criminally underrated. What a gorgeous game.
SamSho2 was my most played MVS cart, and by far the very best among fighters and in general. Has aged very well.
Too bad EVO doesn't have the taste to feature it.
yeah, I think it's the best fighting game sequel ever released, it has tons of content and hidden stuff, no game topped it afterwards.
it's not a matter of taste. it's a matter of player base and attendees.
Samurai Showdown( Samurai Spirits) is that perfect in between of MK and SF with its powered rage meter and finishing off your opponent by slicing them in half!!!With this amazing weapons based fighter, you not only have cinematic battles, but finishers as epic too!
When Sam Sho came out, I was blown away. The fact you could fight with the weapons or barehanded blew my mind. Such a terrific game (and thus) and series.
Man your thursday videos make me addicted to this channel.
Samurai Shodown is a sweet surprise. Back then, and now. It's wild to imagine the combat, variety, and challenging gameplay would influence others too. But still it was one of a kind on its platform. A marvel, a work of art. But damn it can get tough, but it's worth it
back in the 1990s you know you were covered if you walked into an arcade, and found that red cabinet with a samurai showdown on it, tbf just about any mvs had one or many ace games.
I played this to death on my Genesis, and had it on 3do. Now I have the samsho neogeo mini..
This game is an early masterpiece in sound design. The clanging of blades adds so much tension to the battles. And the strategic element of landing strong blows yet remaining exposed while doing so makes the fights more exciting and methodical.
Samurai Showdown was such a refreshing entry into the fighting game genre. The visuals were stunning. The control was solid. Most of all the music was superb. >_
This game had so many draws when it hit the arcades in 1993: weapons, blood, finishers, huge characters like Earthquake and Tam Tam, pets(!), a rage gauge, and GREAT style. Even when surrounded by the likes of Mortal Kombat 2, SF2 Hyper Fighting, Primal Rage, etc. it still stood out as a great game. I owned the 3DO version in 1995 and loved every minute of it. And Samurai Shodown 2 is even better! BTW the SNES port didn't have sweat instead of blood, it just had orange blood. That said, the SNES port had the chance to be something special, but it had two fatal flaws: #1 is, of course, the tiny sprites. #2 the sound had WAY to much reverb. Other than that, the SNES port was excellent.
I had the 3do version too but the Neo Geo version is the way to go of course.
i think even the japanese Super Famicom ver. had orange blood for some odd reason, japan usually didn't censor their games back then. Takara was going for some kind of 'simulated SRS & Dolby Surround' effect and it just ended up sounding weird...
The Sega version was better the SNES version
@@lilrogersthetaskmaster201 i bought a US Neo-Geo from funcoLand just because of this game, i even knew about the US console censorship before i bought it, if i remember correctly
Dont forget the "just defended" style parry introduced here. People seem to forget this detail. There's a reason the K groove is associated the rage gauge.
One day I hope to see my favourite The Last Blade 1 & 2 covered, seeing as they were overshadowed by this very SamSho series for most part. Subbed for all the good content and the tophat too ofc ;)
At least it got some recognition via Hibiki being a playable character in SamSho 2019.
I wish for a Last Blade 3 though.
I only remember playing this game cause as a kid I loved that it had a character that looked like blanka...which had green skin, but instead of orange hair, had orange clothes....and basically had a Freddy Krueger glove
They also had "bounce back" animation when you try to slash opponent but they block it, and that sound effect when 2 katanas clashing, nicee
This franchise got me into Kendo.
Whenever I see Samurai Showdown, I can still subconsciously smell a 90's Pizza Hut. Every single Pizza hut I went to for years across two different towns all had a Samurai Showdown and Final Fight cabinet.
I remember reading a review of this in a games mag, while at school. A teacher looked in to see what I was reading, and said the name was Shod down, not Showdown as there was no W.
Samurai Shodown/Samurai Spirits was also ported on to the Neo-Geo CD/Neo-Geo CDZ.
Loved playing this game at my local pizza joint as a kid. This game just like SF2 will always take me back.
Snk makes good kick ass fighting games.
But hard games. Seriously try playing AOF2 it’s harder than both MK2 and SSF2T combined.
I remember seeing it for the first time in the arcade in the early 90’s. That was quite a shock. It was the most impressive game on many aspect at the time ( graphics, animation, music, innovation)
Other then Street Fighter II, Samurai Shodown was one of my favorite arcade games at that time. 3DO version was a perfect port. From the stages, to the characters, to the awesome music that pulled you in. Loved this game.
I love samshow it’s one of the top 3 most influential fighting games ever. The high damage feature is what literally sets samshow apart from other games yatsushi was a Genius for keeping to his guns
This is probably my favorite fighting game franchise wait not probably it is my favorite
Will you be covering the sequels ?
Let's see how this video fairs :)
@@TopHatGamingManChannel well I hope. It's a fun game, and I think there is an RPG based on it. In Japanese.
@@TopHatGamingManChannel Will you do the history of mortal kombat as well?
@@TopHatGamingManChannel SamSho 2 is amazing!
Such a gorgeous game, even today.
I regret to admit that I haven't played to much of Samurai Shodown. So far, I've only played Samurai Shodown 1, Samurai Shodown 2, and Samurai Shodown 2019. I don't know why, I guess I've been to busy playing Fatal Fury and The King of Fighters? Those two games made up most of my SNK experience when I got into their games. I'm gonna making up for it now thanks to this quarantine. I've been playing a lot of Samsho 2019 and Samsho 2. I'll move on to Samurai Shodown 3 once I beat Samurai Shodown 2 with all the characters (I don't know why, I just like doing that).
I'm looking forward to trying out that bust mode Samsho 3 introduced. Particularly, I want to try the evil Nakoruru with her wolf.
My biggest love of this original Sam Sho was cutting your opponent in half for the money drop. Which only can happen when jump in the air for the last round upon their defeat.
THGM you have been KILLING it with the SNK videos lately
Great video and a great series! I love your videos TopHat, so comprehensive and entertaining.
i remember the first time i played this was at a supermarket. i thought about the game for days and looked to egm and gamepro magazine for more info. i used to stare at the photos and recite the roster in my head. charlotte really stood out to me because she was a fencer amongst a largely samurai/ninja cast. samsho was such a unique offering and the only snk fighter i ever messed with to this day. but ima jump in on kof 15 if i survive covid-19 and the game ever releases.
I'm not sure how I missed out on Samurai showdown back in the day.
I first played this back in the early 90's at a pizza shop somewhere in Tampa, Florida.
To get the context of being a kid here in America during the 80's and 90's, sure you had things like The Karate Kid, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, and a few low budget VHS Ninja movies but a lot of that stuff was watered down or in many cases family friendly. SNK's Samurai Shodown was one of the first mediums where they threw off the kid gloves and completely BROUGHT IT ON as far as Japanese culture in a major unapologetic way. Nothing against Street Fighter 2 but there wasn't no, "Round 1," or, "Round 2," out of the Announcer. Rather it was strongly belted, "Ipponme," or "Nihonme!" This was one of the first games other than Shinobi and Ninja Gaiden that intrigued me enough to want to learn more about the language and culture.
you are 100% accurate the music was also so well suited to the theme of the game
@@brandname6 Thanks and yes how could I forget to mention the music! The unbelievable blend of bamboo flutes, aggressive shamisen licks, taiko drums, prayer chants, the flapping wings and caws from flocks of crows, rolling waves crashing into rocks, orchestral strings, metal guitar riffs, and I could go on forever lol.
I applaud your effort with the names. These were definitely more challenging to pronounce but you did it right.
Hat's off to you sir
In Toronto where I grew up. There was a sizeable arcade presence. We had a large HongKong/south Asian population so a lot of the arcades would cater to Capcom games and SNKs King of fighters series. We had a lot of Dance Dance Revolution and other quirky Japanese cabinets coming in.
Samurai Shodown didn’t make an impact. So going through the early “internet days” and seeing how people said there were line ups for Samurai Shodown 2 was different. I figured it was more of a west coast thing.
Man, I was mesmerized by this game when it first came out! Such a cool concept at that time. Great vid!
Good stuff now do the crown jewel of the series... SAMURAI SHODOWN 2... also you forgot to mention the Edo Express delivery man who drops turkeys and bombs! but great work as always Top Hat!
Funny thing about the locking swords mechanic. It was revealed by one of the developers that the outcome is entirely random. Rapidly mashing the buttons did nothing, effectively the programmers were just trolling the players lol
Me and my buddies would hit the arcade to play Showdown! One of my favorite games of all time. I’d hate to know how many quarters I dropped in this machine. Good times!
Oh yeah! This game blew everything away on its release IMO. The scaling gimmick from Art of Fighting with much better characters and animation, an amazing fighting system with the best risk/reward mechanic at the time, loveable characters with personality up the wazoo, I could go on.
I still love this game and its 2D sequels, though I always skip V! That's the one I can't stomach.
The guy was named Tokugawa Ieyasu. Shogunate is a word basically similar to the word Kingdom.
Another great video and another favorite fighting game of mine! Well done! I'd love to see more SNK fighters like King of Fighters, Garou: Mark of the Wolves, and The Last Blade! Keep up the great work!
I've been playing the crap out of this on my neogeo mini arcade thing. The screens awesome and the emulation isnt near as bad as people say on TV. I LOVE it!
What neo geo mate?
Amazing. Every pronunciation you just made...was wrong.
At this point though that's a feature of this series. Carry on.
Don't know why I'm just subscribing, but I am now. Love your videos on fighting game history. Getting to learn more about a passion I've had since childhood. When I got my genesis I got sonic and street fighter 2. Guess which one I played most, and still to this day.
Anyone who was around the 90s arcade scene remembers this groundbreaking game. It took all the innovations of Art Of Fighting and put them in a much more polished package with weapons. It truly stood out at a time when EVERY game developer tried to peddle a fighting game in hopes of capitalizing on the success enjoyed by Capcom and Midway with Street Fighter 2 and Mortal Kombat respectively.
Until now I was unaware that there was a Panasonic 3DO port of Samurai Shodown. I understood back then that the SNES and Genesis ports would be sub par due to hardware limitations. SNK's Neo Geo hardware was ahead of its time.
Fantastic video!! I really enjoyed the historical context for the final boss, I never knew about that!!! A+++👍👍👍👍
I own the Genesis version. At the time I did, i had never seen or knew much about the game, other than all my classmates praising it years prior. I never played it on any other system
Everytime, I say it along with Top Hat: "YEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH"
I never understood why they decided to make the SNES version with the zoom out with the smaller sprites while the Megadrive version had the better looking zoom in. In the SNES version of Art Fighting they managed to include the zoom (smaller than Neo Geo's), they could have tried to do the same with this game.
About half the characters of Samsho are based on historical figures, which is probably what the designers intended. While we probably won't see any American Ninjas (thus no Earthquake and Galford exists?) and Aztec warriors (thus no Tam Tam), Haohmaru is one of the first fighting game representations of Miyamoto Musashi, who did exist, with the only difference being that Haohmaru wasn't a dual wielder.
Other historical figures who were interpreted include
- Hattori Hanzo (i.e THE Ninja),
- Ukyo Tachibana (was Sasaki Kojiro, Musashi's rival, thus he was Haohmaru's rival in this game before Genjuro came along and took his spot),
- Amakusa Shiro (the video already said he did exist),
- Yagyu Jubei. (complete with him having the infamous eyepatch)
These would continue into the modern age, where we had Andrew (who is Andrew Jackson, complete with fighting in front of a recently completed White House), and Gaoh, an obvious Nobunaga analogue. If you want any better historical references, you probably have to go play a Koei-Tecmo game or World Heroes.
Wasn't Hanzo Hatori in Nioh? Shared universe, anyone? Actually, I think he was an historical figure.
This game had the best music of any 1v1 fighter.
I’ve always been a big fan of both the Neo-Geo and SNK’s fighting games. I thought I knew everything about the system and its games, but I will admit it - I never knew Galford was a surfer turned samurai. Does anyone know if people surfed in America during the 1700s? I always thought surfing was invented during the early 20th Century.
Loads of bits historically don't make sense for example the wrestler who is from the Texas in the United States, would have been in Mexico in the time frame the game is set.
Galford was a serf, not a surfer. Japanese typo
Before Battle Arena Toshinden, before the Soul series, there was Samurai Shodown.
Great video!
I would also like a part 2 talking about SSIII, SSIV, SSV, SSVI and the new one which is out now.
Keep up quality content
This series is the best fighting game series EVER
Was waiting on this one thanks for the great video
All it's left are KOF, World Heroes, Savage Reign and The Last Blade. 👍👍👍👍👍
TOPHAT YOU THAT MAN. LOVE THE VIDEOS BRO KEEP EM GOING. 👌
I have the collection on Switch and I play it all the time.
Thumbnail idea: Samurai Shodown 2: Did it Kogetsuzan the competition?
Can't wait for your video of Shin Samurai Spirits! "I have forseen it", in emperor Palatine's voice. 😁
Samurai Showdown I remember playing the original one in the arcade so I definitely have great memories of this awesome game and latest one is phenomenal I just wish they had more characters but I truly love SNK Samurai Showdown game series.
Amakusa was a bit of a pawn of Francisco Xavier, also it was no secret that Spain and Portugal were using the catholic missionaries to expand their respective empires.
Also also even though Galford is an American according to the game California would have either been part of Mexico at the time or spain i actually dont remember. XD but it certainly would not be part of the USA
Had a old games masters magazine, actually i think it might have been the first or second, gave Samurai showdown a really high score and really gushed over it
Samurai showdown 2 & 4; awesome games. Art style, voice acting, visuals, characters, moves, backgrounds, etc. Far beyond sf2
This was one of my favorite games as a kid. I remember I beat a guy with a perfect and the red challenged me to a fight!
Top Hat Gaming Man, you should do a video on Samurai Shodown II, the sequel to the original.
Great video man. I loved it.
All my friends love SS2 but SS3 was my all time fav.
Another awesome Top Hat Gaming fighting video?!?😎..Yeeeeeaaaaahhhhh!!👌
What I remember best when this game came-out was that it was the first fighting game that looked and felt "finished," if that makes any sense.
So samsho is basically Soul Caliber with Virtua fighter pacing
I wish I knew how much money I dropped into the MVS version. LOVED this game! Usually played as Hanzo or Earthquake.
While I did enjoy Samurai Showdown, I actually liked WeaponLord better. Yes, it was slower and had odd controls, but I felt the controls fit the weapon mechanics quite well. I also liked the setting, style, and weapons better in WeaponLord.
For the same setting as Samurai Showdown. the first Dynasty Warriors did a great job as a fighting game. I actually think they should've kept that as a series.
Amakusa was playable only on the 2 player vs on the Genesis version.
NIPPON! Top Hat Gaming Man has finally covered Samurai Spirits (Sho'down)!!! #Arigato
I remember back in the day ADVision, the company that dubbed the samurai showdown anime pulled a Zoecite and dubbed Amakusa as a woman LOL
The arcade near me cranked up the difficulty to the highes setting. It was infuriating having to dump so many quarters in the machine. I loved that game and it was more visually stunning compared to anything else at that time.
You should do a video or a series on the Muscle Bomber series! Pretty please?
My Favorite fighting serie's. I got Neo Geo SS 1-5.