Customer Reviews

Samurai Shodown Anthology

5 star:		(5)
4 star:		(7)
3 star:		(2)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This compilation of the classic Samurai Shodown series delivers, it was definitely worth the wait. The game starts off with a decent intro showcasing clips of all games included, I-VI. The main menu has the option for arcade mode and training mode for I-V and there is a separate icon for VI...and you will see why as soon as you play it. You will want to use either a classic controller or an arcade stick to enjoy this, the controls are fully customizable for every game. The original samurai shodown is a true classic, the gameplay still holds up today and the graphics are still pleasing. Samurai Shodown II adds a few more characters and takes away others, the ability to break your opponent's weapon is a nice addition...and the animal suits. Shodown III-V are all great, the graphics improve as the series goes on and new characters are introduced throughout. All of the games look excellent and display in 480p, the traditional Japanese music adds to the mystical samurai appeal of the games. Fans of the series and newcomer's alike will no doubt enjoy playing I-V...but VI is on a completely different level in my opinion. VI is absolutely loaded with characters, everyone from the series is represented. The sprites are a higher resolution and the 3D backgrounds are gorgeous. There are many different customizable fighting styles, this is one of the deepest fighting games I have ever come across. It's a simple as you want it to be or as complicated as you could handle with varying levels in between, replay value out the whazoo. Practice mode, a complicated goal oriented survival mode, color and spirit edit modes and a gallery mode full of unlockable content. All in all I don't think I could ask for a better compilation than this, it's worth it for VI alone and the rest of the games are excellent. You can adjust the difficulty as well, these games are fairly difficult so you might need to ease into it if you aren't familiar with the series. Any hardcore 2D fighting fan will love this collection...and no, the games are not censored. These collections tend to have a limited release so grab a copy while you can, you won't regret it.

It's as good as I remember it from the arcades. Samurai Shodown from 1 to 6.
It would be nicer if it had some sort of achievement system, also you can't use the game cube controller and the wiimote lacks of buttons, but you can use the classic controller and to custom the in-game characters it's really nice.

After a looong wait we finally get all 5 classic Samurai Shodowns + Samurai Shodown 6 (which was only released in JP) on 1 disc from SNK Playmore.

Overall it's a *nearly Arcade perfect translation which includes an arranged / original BGM's, character color editor & Classic controller support all for a budget price.

*Finishing moves in Samurai Showdown II were removed.

Let's get this out of the way first: Samurai Shodown Anthology isn't going to win any awards for ambition. Like most SNK compilations, it's a disappointingly bare-bones package, featuring Showdowns 1 through 6, move lists, a practice mode, a sound test (with, admittedly, interesting arranged versions of the soundtracks), a color edit mode that lets you change the characters' palettes, and an utterly uninteresting minigame where you tilt the Wii Remote in order to catch falling objects. A series like Samurai Shodown really deserves a compilation that honors its rich history, but the anthology lacks information about the games, developer interviews, strategy videos, or anything else that suggests the people who assembled this collection truly understood how momentous the series was.

They were sensible enough, however, to put in all six of the 2D Samurai Shodown games -- i.e., the ones someone might actually want to play -- and Samurai Shodown Anthology is a fantastic purchase based on this fact alone. The games play smoothly with barely an emulation hiccup, and while it's irritating that the games aren't automatically resized for widescreen TVs, I understand that this is a deliberate move in order to keep the pixel art nice and crisp. Even Samurai Shodown VI, the most complex and technologically advanced of the 2D games, looks and plays great.

Although Samurai Shodown Anthology could have offered a more complete package for fans of the series, anyone who's interested in SNK's library of fighting games will want to add this to his or her collection.

Title says it all. Six classic fighters for less than twenty bux can't be beat! I gave it 4-stars because it's not my cup of tea. You really need patience since the gameplay's S-L-O-W-! If you appreciate that type of fighting game then you'll love this anthology!

An excellent collection from the first Samurai Shodown all the way to the fifth and the new Samurai Shodown VI.

Recommended for Samurai Shodown Fans and/or Fighting game fans.

It's one of the best old school fighters for the Wii. Also one of the only decent fighters for the Wii ;)

Great controls
Very accurate gameplay

Just great fun.

I remember when the first release came to the arcade... sweet times... and now I can play this at home that is awesome! All games are exactly as the arcade versions, so great!

With SNK's recent compilation releases of their various franchises, I've been anxiously waiting one featuring the Samurai Shodown games. Well, here we are finally. Samurai Shodown Anthology features Samurai Shodown's I-VI, with Samurai Shodown VI making its first appearance in America. The games have been emulated wonderfully, and all play just as well as I remember them being. For me personally, Samurai Shodown VI is worth the price of admission alone, featuring a huge roster of fighters and some deep and varied fighting mechanics as well. While it isn't without its flaws and not such a favorite of other fans of the franchise, it's the best of the bunch, and it's good to finally see it make it to our shores on a console. The only real flaw of Samurai Shodown Anthology is that Samurai Shodown V Special isn't included here, which is a crying shame. That aside though, Samurai Shodown Anthology is another great SNK compilation that's been released on the Wii, although I really don't understand why the Wii versions of SNK's compilations don't get the same budget price tag that the PS2 versions get. Oh well, regardless of that, Samurai Shodown Anthology is still worth picking up.

...you'll love this game. All the games together, plus #6 which was never released in America. #6 was sort of a greatest hits having a full selection of all characters from the previous games, including the bosses.

I couldn't get the color editor to work and if your not a fan of the series, there really isn't a lot of replay value.