Rebooting A Fighting Game Classic - What Happened To Samurai Shodown?

Traditionally, while the FGC tends to move from one game to the next as sequels come out, there have always been some older games that are memorable to fans. From big titles like Street Fighter Third Strike to less popular titles like Darkstalkers, these games all had something special that kept fans coming back to it years down the road.
One such game is Samurai Shodown, a 2D fighter originally released on July 7, 1993. On release, the game brought a lot to the genre that these days have become the norm.
Visually, the game raised the bar on stage designs with some of the most detailed background scenes fighting game ever made up until that point. Many of the stages found in the game wouldn’t even look out of place in a modern-day fighting game and challenged other developers to match their attention to detail. Along with that, Samurai Shodown featured a rage meter, which was the first time any fighting game had another resource shown on screen other than the character’s health bar.
With everything the game had to show, Samurai Shodown was an instant success in arcades. In Japan, it was the sixth highest-grossing arcade game of the year, while in North America it went on to be in the top five highest-grossing arcade games in 1994. Apart from the games financial success, it was widely praised and won numerous awards with many calling it not only the best fighting game of that year, but the best game overall as well.
With all the praise the game received, it was clear that it would leave a lasting impact on the fighting game genre and become a mainstay along the likes of Street Fighter and Tekken as well.
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[@ArkThePieKing]

The reboot was legit insanely good. The only reason I don't play it is because of the netcode, otherwise its one of my favorite fighting games. I like focusing on fundamentals, footsies, and reads and most other fighting games just don't cater to my playstyle anymore. I don't want to spend 6 hours labbing 22 hit combos with a single character before I can go online without getting demolished. I can read and punish with the best of them and Samurai Shodown fits that playstyle nicely.

[@AlriikRidesAgain]

And the load times. X.x The two flaws that really hurt this game more than anything.

[@chloecabrera1507]

It’s tragic, it’s like my favourite game but the netcode is so baddddddd

[@ZarelidT]

Caaaap people played granblue AFTER this games release with quadruple the numbers with the same netcode. People didn’t play cause it wasn’t SF or Arcsys release. This is cap af.

[@meathir4921]

@@ZarelidT Yeah but netcode keeps games alive

[@ZarelidT]

@@meathir4921 dbfz is still alive. And this game wishes it was as alive as granblue. Both arcsys titles. This game also wishes it was as alive as SFV hell even SFIV. All cap, it’s cause of the title.

[@StockeTepes]

With SNK giving the rollback treatment to a lot of their backlog we can only hope this one is next. If this game were to get crossplay AND rollback similar to what they’re using for KOF 15 the reassurance in popularity would be HUGE. Just look at what happened to Blazeblue

[@BknMoonStudios]

Agreed. And SamSho fills a niche that no other modern fighting game does. I don't think it will ever rise to mainstream popularity, but I can see it having a dedicated fanbase.

[@kwizzeh]

@@BknMoonStudios There is a dedicated SS2019 community playing on parsec for pc vs netplay. The SamSho community itself has been going strong for nearly three decades for all their titles (except for SS64, SS64-2 and SS: Warrior's Rage for rather obvious reasons). Fact of the matter is SamSho won't ever reach it's past peak or be as big as KOF and I say this as someone who loves the series immensely since SS2.

[@djhero0071]

Haven’t they only done 2D, sprite based fighting games so far?

[@Stylez-13]

Walmart stared the rollback now everyone if following their footsies i mean footsteps 😂

[@lonewolf9325]

Embrace Rollback....

[@Toxxilicious]

This one hurts the most. Fucking loved this game but sadly died too quickly due to SNK being the incompetent fucks they are. At least they're not repeating the same mistakes with KOFXV. Hopefully they do another SamSho after and don't fuck that up.

[@chronology556]

I’d rather see Garou 2 or Last Blade 3. But Samsho 2 (reboot.) would be nice.

[@elmono6299]

Same here. Keep the same roster (minus the guests) from this game, add more original fighters from past games, bring back the fatalities, bring back Samsho V announcer, each stage gets its own original music, less load times, better online rollback netcode, and more importantly, absolutely crappy guest fighters from online multiplayer games such as For Honor, Call of Duty, Fortnite, Overwatch, League of Legends, or whatever the hell that Chinese LOL rip-off that dumb bunny girl is from.

[@whysosrs5534]

@@chronology556 last blade is a gem. I dont get why it didnt take off.

[@kunou4527]

Rollback Beta is available on Steam right now.

[@pokekingdomthehedgehog99]

​@@chronology556....😊 your wish has been granted

[@arekutheof555]

"The Rage meter, which is the first instance of any fighting game having another resource shown onscreen other than a character's health bar" No it's not, that honor goes to Art of Fighting which had the Spirit Gauge back in 1992. In fact, most of the stuff that are staples of fighting games these days started in Art of Fighting like taunts, super special moves and desperation moves to name a few.

[@dbzlucky7462]

I thought that sounded wrong when he said that

[@robsonlmfilho]

Art of Fightning is from the same team and developer as Samurao Shodown. Not a huge difference anyway. Specially because Art of Fightning don't even existed before KOF if you stop to think, while Samurai Shodown has even anime and movies.

[@dbzlucky7462]

@@robsonlmfilho you're trying to perform mental gymnastics here. Nobody likes a white knight. It being the same team doesn't change the fact the quote is flat out wrong Edit: Literally nothing you said, changes the fact the quote is wrong

[@arekutheof555]

1. Same publisher yes, but not the same team. In fact, they would eventually leave SNK to form Yuki Enterprise. 2. Art Of Fighting was released in 1992, the first KOF was released in 1994, so... 🤦‍♂️ 3. Art Of Fighting also happens to have an anime adaptation in 1993 (infamous for portraying Ryo as a brunette). While SamSho got an additional OVA after the anime, that's beside the point.

[@kodaiyoung]

@@robsonlmfilho Say what??? LOL

[@ff1077]

The one thing that really threw me off about SamSho is when it only released on the Epic Games Store. I only knew about it from an initial announcement, then radio silence until it suddenly appeared on steam with little to no fanfare. Found out it was a timed exclusive to EGS, which is the kind of stuff that I do not like.

[@handledis]

Id like to think of it as epic sharing their incoming 1bil Profit per day

[@meathir4921]

I don’t get this hate for EGS. I get it’s not the preferred store front. But it’s not like console exclusivity. It’s not at all difficult for PC players to have both storefronts. It literally doesn’t hurt.

[@zekkikun528]

@@meathir4921 It doesn't hurt in terms of file sizes and downloads, but it hurts in terms of the fact that the platform is very anti-consumer and lacking in a lot of features a platform should have in 2021. I wouldn't want to buy games often, let alone at all, on a platform that denies indie game sales for not accepting exclusivity contracts, gatekeeping people out of their free games (that are exclusive to their platform) for linking a Steam account, not having a shopping cart feature whilst being banned for "buying too many games," in-game client being a UPlay clone with less features, no client in-game invites, no controller customization, no mod support, no achievements, a friends list that only shows online status and nothing else, no access to a chat bar unless in-game, which looks like a customer support site at best, alongside the exclusivity deals, which gatekeeps people with a paywall forcing them to use this mediocre, barebones platform that's toxic to consumers and certain developers.

[@zekkikun528]

Having played Samurai Shodown's reboot on Epic, I speak out of experience of using this platform due to the fact that my friend needed a friend on Epic to play this game with him. The fact that I'm still considering getting the Steam version really says a lot about the state of Epic as a platform plus how much I want this game to succeed due to its potential.

[@ff1077]

@@meathir4921 @Meathir It is the worse store front due to not having a shopping cart around the time that they had planned on their schedule roadmap, buying up exclusives with the developer allowing them to put the game everywhere else except for Steam, and it has way less to offer for devs after publishing their game there. Compared to Steam and how it has the SteamWorks dev suite which comes with many great features like being able to make an infinite amount of game keys to sell on key sites, online services, and a whole bunch of other things to help out the devs after publishing. Not only that for devs, but players also get a lot of extra stuff with their game that Steam offers for free. It isn't free games like EGS, but enhancements to those games you already own. Literally they built themselves up to be the best because they are doing their best.

[@mdgiudice8797]

Is worth to notice that despite all of the problems with the netcode Samurai Shodown still has a very small but very loyal community in NA and other places too. The gameplay is just so unique and so hype that some people stick to the game through thick and thin.

[@JarlSwagDog]

Just a reminder everyone you can play samsho 2019 with rollback netcode via emulation mainly the switch version its not "legal" but it's probably the best thing we got atm

[@ColdWeatherr]

if the emulation has an active ranked mode/community i might be tempted to try this

[@thechugg4372]

ah yes the classic "we can't do rollback it's too hard" while a few passionate fans take a bit of their time everyday to make a better online.

[@thadex454]

I thought it was spelled Showdown this whole time

[@feartheolivebread]

@@thadex454 It's a play on the words Showdown and Shogun.

[@thundersquid5715]

The few FGs I still play to this day ❤️‍🔥 Samsho kicks ass

[@rakaigaming5830]

How is it online on playstation still alive or dead?

[@ireaperslegend7426]

Came back to say WE GOT ROLLBACK NOW BABY. I’ve never played the game online and I’m super excited too now

[@footyrazino]

"SamSho is such a great game. I'd totally be playing if it had that good ass rollback!" "How many hours do I have in V Special? Uhh..."

[@gyytgy3330]

I’d like to say that Samurai Shodown V SP has rollback and available on Fightcade for free

[@FriedHedgehogBalls]

I wish SamSho 7 had the same netcode as Fightcade SamSho

[@MustachioedBear]

ps4 version has rollback as well

[@elmono6299]

I actually like Samurai Shodown V Special over Samsho 2019.

[@isaacnilo3407]

Personally I think this was the biggest tragedy in FGs of the generation, amazing game, terrible netcode and all the mistakes with the platforms. My personal silver lining is that I'll never buy a FG without rollback netcode confirmed ever again

[@Regalman]

I agree

[@shinbakihanma2749]

No one should ever buy a fighting game without properly implemented rollback netcode, ever. Attack their bottomline. That's the only way to control these devs and force them to do the bidding of gamers

[@PlayRoomOfGames]

Why did you copy somebody else's comment?

[@isaacnilo3407]

@@PlayRoomOfGames I didn't, I even printed in the day that this happenned to show the time difference

[@TraumaCenter13]

Don't forget about extremely long load times.

[@genuwine21]

If the game got rollback I think it would be an oddly beginner friendly option with a deep wealth of learning if the player wanted to take it there. I am not sure how easy it would be for code mystics to implement the rollback but their team has done wonders for SNK in the past and clearly understands how to handle rollback netcode. But I don't know if there is anything monetarily to gain from adding rollback.I know I would buy a few copies for friends. A lot of players who would buy it already have and those who haven't might not be enticed by the rollback addition. I own it on PS4 and it is a lot of fun to play at parties given that there are only motion characters and none are that hard to use and the super is the same for every character which makes trying new characters easy.

[@srseki]

Snk doesn't need code mystics help for it, they already made great rollback netcode for kof xv beta, just need to migrate it to ss7

[@chronology556]

@@srseki retrofitting it would be very costly, and hard work. They are still a company after all.

[@srseki]

@@chronology556 SS7 and kof xv are both UE 4 games, I don't see how SS7 is considered retro

[@goranisacson2502]

@@srseki They don't mean "retro" as in old games. Retrofitting is when you go back to a game with completed code, and make big changes to it in order to alter the way it works. And while it might not seem like it, retrofitting new online code so it's rollback instead of delay-based for a 3D game is a LOT of work. It takes a lot of time and costs a lot of money- far, FAR more than a 2D sprite game. Old sprite-based games getting rollback is like... they're basically throwing a "rollback function" over it, kind of like they're trying to emulate it. Older games require WAY less power to emulate, and so require way less to give rollback. But for a modern game like SamSho reboot, they can't just bruteforce it. They HAVE to dig into the code and pay people to make sure it workd and doesn't cause bugs, and so on and so forth. For them, a game that's already on the way out and will cost them so much to fix, just isn't worth it. KoF 14, this SamSho game... if they didn't get it at the time of release, they probably won't get it until these games are as ood as KoF 2002 is to us now, when rollback can just be emulated and bruteforced. Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, but it's best to just not expect them to give this game rollback- though it'll probably be a thing if we get another game in the franchise.

[@gamrage]

5:38 - "After the corona virus is contained, we hope that we can work something out." This is the same as them saying, "this game is not worth the netcode investment."

[@kenhoable]

Samsho is my favourite fighting game. The reboot is very good and stay true to the original. This video really summarize the issues

[@WonderWolf13]

I'm honestly a fan of more footsie based games that focus on big hits rather than combos. I'd love to get into this game, but the price tag is really prohibitive, especially if you want every character.

[@JOfJaZ]

I highly recommend it if it’s on sale. It’s still a great game, even with the botches of its release.

[@dylanmcnab2980]

I can’t believe that Samsho has been delayed until 2023. Hopefully the wait is worth it

[@Gigantemanatee]

What delay?

[@svinbreaker]

@@Gigantemanatee the game is considered released only after rollback netcode is added there

[@TimothyLemon1237]

this is my all time favorite gaming channel on youtube you guys rock & thanks for your work

[@SadikiStGeorgeangemon44]

They just fixed the netcode I’m gonna get into samsho officially when I save up enough

[@ReikaHisui]

Samsho is the fighting game I've been wanting for so long. Its the best example of everything I love about fighting games in one game. Footsies being the big one for me. I wish so bad that this game had decent netcode. I guess I'll just have to learn 5 special instead.

[@mariocraft3067]

The spirit gauge from Art of Fighting from 1992 was the first, not the rage gauge. Still by SNK, though.

[@Busterman64]

Always wanted to get the game, but there was always something that prevented it. I didn't have my PS4 when it originally came out and when it came to PC I was hyped for it...until I found out it was on Epic games. By the time it hit Steam...not only was my mind on other games, but I also...was getting some Fighting game burnout around that time. I still wanna give this game a shot one day, but geez...its been rather rough trying to (and it having Delay Based netcode doesn't help either).

[@a.alphonso6193]

literally my exact situation.

[@CriticsConfession]

Man, I feel like if this game had a good rollout it could be huge; consistent platform launch and rollback would have made this huge. SNK did literally everything they possibly could to see to Samurai Shodown's demise.

[@SpookerDoom]

Always wondered why SamSho never blew up as much as other fighting games. Now can you tell us why SoulCal6 only blew up in France and absolutely nowhere else?

[@Arassar]

Maybe the French are willing to put up with bullcrap like Reversal Edge, but I'm not.

[@funi5153]

I love samurai shodown!! You can get the original games 1-5 on the e-shop for 8 dollars.

[@reversegoat3260]

A friend and I were hype about this game when SNK first released info about it. But we both had PCs. Then we found out about the net code and load times. Hell we didn't know it dropped on PC for other retailers until the steam announcement. By then the interest ship had long sailed.

[@kunou4527]

Interest returned with the Rollback netcode beta being available on Steam. They also did an 80% off sale for both SamSho and KOF XV.

[@akaiyui9300]

Yooooo Samsho (2019) is finally getting rollback netcode.

[@demonhanzohattori]

Samurai Shodown was the greatest fighter Ive ever played.

[@thaistomp]

Still is.

[@spartankittygames]

ss7 is one of my favorite fighting games, I hope the next one will improve on where ss7 failed (netcode, storymode) and be a truly fantastic game.

[@Icegaze88]

I’m really crossing my fingers for a Samurai Shodown 2 reboot (following the 2019 release) with the focus being on improving net code, screen loading time and an actual story mode (with more depth).

[@DevilJ432]

interesting that there was no mention of the Series X release of the game, which is the only one to run at 120 fps, which I haven't seen other fighting games do, but I suppose it is to be expected. Those of us who made the switch to the Xbox Series version have noticed that it is by far the best version to play online, being considerably more stable than the rest, enough to make online play between Japan, Mexico and the US actually playable, but we're still not a big part of the Samurai Shodown comunity, and most people dismissed this information whenever we tried to spread it

[@SoShiBias]

As a non-fighting gamer struggling with the pacing it demands from players, what SamSho offers on screen is very appealing to me. It helps more when it is fun game to spectate too.

[@nineballseraph6986]

Samurai Shodown 2019 was a big step in the right direction for unique fighting game that less flashy & less complicated long combo focus game. But SNK massively screwed up with the netcode, no cross play, epic store exclusivity then released Steam year later at egregious expensive full price for a 2 year old game. If only when they released Steam version with updated rollback netcode & more reasonable price, the ShamSho series would be booming. Speaking of fighting game, if you can please do Dead or Alive series someday.

[@djhero0071]

It still kinda ticks me off at just how expensive this game is. Two years later and I don’t think it’s ever gone lower than $30. That’s fucking insane for a fighting game.

[@BBoldGaming]

Not for dragon ball ones

[@djhero0071]

Dragon Ball FighterZ routinely gets discounts though.

[@gavingleemonex3898]

I used to be able to beat all my friends at Samurai Showdown. I often played as Earthquake to double their aggrivation. Jubei was my favorite samurai, though.

[@rakuda_6]

Didnt expect MBS to have anything to do with samurai showdown what a unexpected suprise

[@Mone7Hero77]

he's actually a big fan of SNK games in general.

[@mr101aaa]

I remember being SO excited for Samsho after playing an early build of it at Pax, I was crushed when I found out that it wasn't going to hit Steam for years after the initial release. When it finally came time for its release, the price of it completely killed the tiny, tiny embers of excitement that I had left for the game. As far as I'm concerned though, everything that SNK dropped with Samsho is done quite well with KOF XV, so I'm wildly excited for that game to release.

[@Arassar]

When they put Hibiki in, it really just made me want a modern Last Blade game.

[@neoncloud5494]

The slower pace and patience encouraged in the games design really appeals to me. But the high price and bad net code cancel that out completely unfortunately. Hope this is rectified in the future as I think I could really get into it!

[@PathForger_]

I caught myself thinking about what the in-game imagery told me about the characters portrayed. The Melty Blood video seems to have forever changed how I see fighting games. As for the future of this game under SNK with potential new ownership - I think it is fair to consider it an open question. On a somewhat different note - I am left wondering if rollback netcode is representative of peak performance, or if there is an even better technology/technique around the corner. I am fairly sure that even if the pandemic were to fizzle out - online gaming would remain dominant.

[@BknMoonStudios]

Skullgirls devs have developed something they call "Super Rollback Netcode" which is like Rollback but on steroids, and so far it has had great success. Also, Project L from Riot Games will be using Rollback combined with dedicated servers and an improved routing technique that they use for League of Legends. Sounds very promising, if you ask me.

[@PathForger_]

That is awesome to hear on both counts! I am fairly sure that as netcode prioritization improves, the standards for netcode will also improve. Thank you for sharing this info. ^_^

[@SirNilooo]

I remember playing this game back when it came out on the Super Nintendo. My favorite character was Galford. I never got to used that POW meter because I just didn’t know how to activate it! 😅 Good times good times. 👌🏽

[@Gigantemanatee]

Yeah, but, ROLLBACK NETCODE!! Oh wait… wrong gen 🤣

[@kingmula2]

This was legit my favorite fighting of this era

[@CozyCoffeeLofi]

Samurai shodown is truly underrated and definitely needs more love! Great gameplay btw!

[@exiaR2x78]

This was legit my favorite fighting game this generation. Honestly SNK fucked up big time with how they handled this game after starting so strong. The first season of DLC being free if you picked the game up on launch and having Shizumaru as a free character was a great ploy. SNK engaging with community with issues at launch was also a great look. However then it all started to go down hill the PC release got pushed back Stadia got it first then when it did launch a year later for PC it was on epic. The issues they promised to fix with menu's, lobby's, character select ect all never ended up happening. Then there was the horny post on the official twitter which rubbed people the wrong way. The covid and online was final nail in the coffin and the game died. I honestly doubt itll come back even with offlines coming back the damage has already been done and people have moved on to other games. Its actually such a wild ride to think about with how strong SNK started with this game and how far they fell with it. Hopeful they have learnt from this and will do better with KOF15

[@Sybir.]

I really enjoyed the remake, it’s really fun, has some amazing character diversity, and is fun to play with friends, but it really could use some more non-competitive and online game modes. Still, I love how it feels, how it looks, how it plays, and especially how it differs. The pacing really allows for expression of skills oft forgotten in other games and makes for really exciting fundamentally different gameplay. Also, it’s crazy to think it hit a PC streaming platform like Stadia before Switch, but I assume that’s probably due to development priorities and some money Google paid. Still, I really hope it does get more popular, even if revamping the online is likely not reasonable at this point…

[@Dukkha-Bhavana]

In Canada, this game had no advertisement. Nobody heard about it, and there were no copies to buy in stores. Dead from launch. Awesome game though!.

[@Nordanix]

I was actually very hyped for this game, but since it was exclusive for such a long time I just didn't care once it released on Steam, my interested had vanished completely. Even then it didn't have rollback netcode so it was destined to die regardless. What shame....

[@wargueta666]

I played this game when I was a kid and now as an adult still gives me that feeling of fighting with real swords amazing game!

[@THEmounster]

Thank you for highlighting the ridiculously long load times, it's insane to me that something like that hasn't been patched out.

[@mkryu]

Load times killed it for me. It brought back memories of when I had the NeoGeoCD and CDZ systems. Those systems had load times that surpassed the minute mark!

[@THEmounster]

@@mkryu SNK just can't optimize for shit

[@mkryu]

@@THEmounster the sad thing is, the NeoGeoCD games were better than the AES cartridge/arcade versions because they all had CD quality remixed soundtracks. Samurai Shodown series especially benefited from the enhanced soundtrack. But those load times 🥱😴

[@leifster7762]

I'm glad you made this the day I got Samsho again. I hope this game gets a brighter future

[@yeetkunedo]

This game had everything going for it, except netcode. This should be a parable to every developer and publisher from here on out - it doesn’t matter how good your game is if people can’t play it reliably.

[@rupokdude9304]

0:00 fgc is a community not a genre. Fighting games are a genre 2:23 * unlocks a special move after hitting opponent with all his other special moves, that is able to 1 shot / takes most of lifebar

[@sayonarakid]

I love this "new" samurai shodown. My favorites from the franchise were 3 and 4 and after that the game lost a lot of what made it special. This new one has the same feeling from my favorites. Really great game. To bad that was hit so hard with the pandemic. I hope this makes the japanese understand that is not because they have the best internet in the world that makes any crap netcode works that they shouldn't care about others and start using more rollback.

[@stevesteve0521]

I disagree, 5 special was pretty great and took elements from what made 4 really good. I definitely will say it was better than 3 which played at a very fast pace and had an average roster at best

[@spicyluvsyou]

I wished more people played this online. It's legitimately a pretty fun game. I want to play my ice loli.

[@worlds_greatest_detective6667]

It’s not people’s fault, everyone loved the game but their servers sucks so bad it’s embarrassing. If SNK had better net code, everybody would’ve played it.

[@SAPProd]

Definitely no reason not to have a game like SamSho. We can’t have every game be like the other, there has to be some significant differences to justify a game’s existence outside of being just another clone. Gamers who want SamSho’s unique gameplay should have it available. Also, on a personal note, I’d love for Darkstalkers’ Bishamon to be a future guest character in the game.

[@blyat8832]

Bishamon would make so much sense. But I think the problem is as much as I love the series Darkstalkers isn't that mainstream anymore, so they would probably add a character more well known as of this time, like Yoshimitsu or something like that

[@SAPProd]

@@blyat8832 yeah; in a perfect world, SamSho would throw a bone to a fellow 90s fighting game franchise that’s down on its luck, and Capcom would care more enough to let them.

[@blyat8832]

@@SAPProd I mean, it's more likely to happen now than 5 years ago, because you know who left and now it seems people who actually love their fighting games have taken over. Who knows, maybe it could become a thing in the future

[@IBonePokemon4Fun]

I vividly remember playing Showdown in the laundromat next to a Mexican restaurant playing every weekend, they had samurai Showdown, metal slug, and aero fighters

[@mdgeisto8953]

If SamSho reboot got a good and working rollback netcode update, I'd absolutely get back in

[@jorisdevos5916]

I love samsho and it's niche but I waited so long to pay full price and have nothing to do in the game that I'm feeling VERY burned by how SNK handled all the bussiness side of this release. It's actually so sad

[@fugax_vulpes1797]

Just watched the announcement at EVO and yup *We got rollback bois*

[@ColdWeatherr]

I loved this game since the moment i tried it on Arcade Cabinet. But the multi-console release was done horribly. I had to wait for switch release, only to realize that not only is it delay-based netcode but there isn't even crossplay. So I legit couldn't play with anyone, feel like the switch release sold like 5 copies. I've been playing it alot recently though since I found a friend with the game on switch. But i guess i have to wait for offline before i can actually play with more people.

[@RasenRendanX]

I look forward for this channel to make a video on dungeon fighter online when DNF duel is closer to release

[@thebloodedge284]

Samurai shodown is incredible I really hope SNK will bring back world heroes.

[@Kaijumancer]

1:25 was not ready for that picture lmao

[@dialectiks]

I'm glad that Haohmaru was adopted by SoulCalibur VI (btw, can you make a feature about SCVI?)

[@davidolivier1983]

That's a great episode! 👍

[@bonnolog]

Bought Samsho last week, rly good game. Hope they can finally fix the netcode. Tried searching for casual/ranked matches without luck.

[@angryskeleton5676]

It seems like exactly my kind of game, but I don't want to pay such a steep price for a game with no players. Hopefully it gets a revival of some kind or a continuation to the series.

[@stevencisneros9306]

This reboot could change everything for the future of other classic fighting games that deserve a reboot as well

[@Fikakillarna]

If this game just didn't release on Steam so late, I would have definitely bought it. Sad to see a great game being badly handled, it deserved better!

[@grinbrothers]

It was cool to receive a bit of a history lesson for the franchise (the first for a resource metre/bar is fascinating) and I was quite surprised to hear the discussion on SNK's ownership and funding. I was tempted by Samurai Shodown due to it's cool character and gameplay, however the lack of offline content is what ultimately turned me off a potential purchase.

[@julianmorgan79]

I love this game, but there's no chance without rollback.

[@thaistomp]

If you love it, you would be playing it.

[@julianmorgan79]

@@thaistomp life must be hard when you can't read.

[@iamsioth]

I had completely forgotten about this game lol. I used to play this way back in the day with an emulator on one of the schools PC's, in the computer lab, instead of doing my work lol.

[@RoyArkon]

Yes there should be more variety in terms of directions for fighting games, not just Rushdown-heavy games all the time. As for SamSho, another big issue was the balance, in the first 2 months of the game, Genjuro was so dominant that it lead to tons of mirror-matches in Top 8's, that was almost Tekken 7 Leory level of imbalance (keyword, ALMOST, though). Also the story mode is basically an Arcade/story hybrid mode, and the real problem with is wasn't that it was barebones, but it just that was very lacking, as it did had some stuff going for it, just not enough. Also the info about shareholders and Steam pricing is actually news to me personally, but judging from how Japanese fighting game companies act in recent years, I'm not really surprised.

[@ladjiel]

Might be out of topic (but it still regarding samsho developer "SNK"), its a story about KOF "king of fighter" which also developed by SNK (one of their title that probably very under-appreciated except in china, taiwan, south/latin america, korea, japan) = I will say kof have the same fate as anime fighter in the old day (before DBFZ launch), they viewed the game as "2nd class fighter" which at the time sf4 was ruling the whole fgc competitive scene, they also infamous as a game that hard to get in or too complex (typical anime fighter stereotype, which also happen to kof) But yeah, the fun on the game could only be realized when people play the game "the way it supposed to be" or when they delve into the mechanic, thats when they will enjoy and appreciate the game (anime fighter unique combo system, movement, and other specific thing which sometimes overwhelm the newcomer but also very intuitive to learn, its also happen in kof series which have its own unique combo and movement) Just like what happen to guilty gear and blazblue after arcsys booming due to dbfz and people give it a chance/try then fell in love with it, but yeah kof never got "that chance" as a company who almost bankrupt 2 times and have a big competitor like arcsys, capcom, bamco, etc As long as people keep intimidated and scared to play the game to experience how good it is (just like what people feel when 1st time enjoying guilty gear or blazblue mechanic), then kof will never shine to its full potential, kinda sad imo for a company who "kinda ahead of its time and always dare to take risk to please their fans" Which explain why they almost bankrupt 2 times (in 2000 and shortly after kof13 launch, but also explain why some of their game are among the best hidden gem, like kof 13 being the most beautiful 2d ever made), and now kof15 with very limited budget, they probably risk it again and go all in (while yes i could admit the graphic are not the very best to date, but with all their resource now, it definitely a do or die for them to survive in the fgc genre) Well the moral of the story is "give them a chance" and you will experience something so good that you never felt before (just like when you play guilty gear or blazblue or any anime fighter for the 1st time)

[@leithaziz2716]

I would argue SNK has made a lot more sales way before Arcsys started booming with their titles, so I don't know why you would be worried about SNK and by that extension KOF's audience. Im saying this as a die-hard Guilty Gear fan. If you reach over 1M sales, you're no longer "niche" in my eyes. Heck, Samsho and SNK Heroiness (I think?) have each made over 1M sales. Meanwhile, I hope Strive by now has reached that same quota. Tldr, don't worry : )

[@343ishill]

@@leithaziz2716 Ironically both the fanbase and SNK keep the games pretty niche. The fans act more like sideline cheerleaders who romanticize Kof (13 and 2002UM) without sales figures to back it up. I don't want to fault SNK for previous decisions leading to their bankruptcy twice. But... they have surely failed to capitalize on their success in the modern era. Samsho is so mishandled with a lack of rollback and an exclusive EGS release, felt like they lacked confidence in their own game and were looking for a short term cash out. Hopefully they seem to have been hitting all the right notes; so I hope Kof 15 is a huge success. And Samsho would benefit from a rerelease with rollback and a price cut.

[@saiko_oro]

The American/EU FGC seems to give more reasons to why they'll not play KOF rather than actually trying it out. The series has been going on since 94' without em so it doesn't matter anyways lol.

[@343ishill]

@@saiko_oro Lmao it's always funny for me, that the FGC will complain about "simplifying" games; then head back to playing SFV, MK and Injustice instead of the hard games. It's like how the Cod community says they hate campers and sbmm, yet the games tailored for that sell the most.

[@Vernafveik]

Speaking of Fighting Games Reboots, you guys should cover Killer Instinct! It has a really interesting history and there's been hope of it making a come back in the future

[@douglewis7946]

I think the answer is pretty simple: we should have a wide variety of fighting games. Complex, simple, neutral-heavy, rushdown-centric, platform...variety is the spice of life, after all.

[@AirLancer]

Samsho, the last SNK game before they realized "wait a second, people actually play this shit online?"

[@nunayadamnbusiness]

Samurai Showdown is amazingly perfect... that netcode though

[@thaistomp]

excuses...

[@gabbo13]

SNK must have a better marketing and community strategist for all the games in the esports scene, specially Latin America where most of the gamers played Samurai Showdown and The King of Fighters.

[@luozheng2489]

I played SS IV best childhood memories ever playing in local billiard cafe with 1 arcade and we played this for years.

[@theuzi8516]

An absolutely fantastic game held back by absolutely ridiculous exec decisions.

[@kingpacman_9118]

Still waiting and hoping for *Samurai Shodown × Last Blade*

[@fhjunior6183]

Thanks for the vid

[@davidalfonso3149]

This game needs rollback netcode, and also crossplay if it doesn't have it already, I really hope we get a season 4.

[@ihaveaplan.ijustneedmoney.9777]

SNK was THE giant during the pixel art era. Capcom may have the best character designs back then, but SNK had the best pixel art direction with KoF, Sam Sho, and Metal Slug (especially Metal Slug, holy sh*t)

[@sgindiegamer]

new sub here, good work.

[@sals6]

Loved the video but when are you going to talk about kof?

[@dx3385]

I fucking loved samurai shodown

[@BainesMkII]

What happened to SamSho 2019? Dubious net code, right before a pandemic shut down local play. Badly staggered launch, Stadia exclusive on PC, then Epic Store exclusive on PC, then finally released on Steam after no one cared anymore. No crossplatform play on a guaranteed niche title that needed to pool all its players together to sustain itself. (SS is niche because a lot of players want long fancy combos, and the advantage they get from spending hours learning them, and the safety cushion they offer.) There isn't even a need to get into stuff like how thin the story mode is and how few extras the game offered.

[@sladejosephwilson2300]

Cross play would be for certain platforms since Sony doesn't like it unless you pay them extra fees. But I agree it would have been better to see some cross play on some platforms then none.

[@glentaker]

I hope you talk about Killer Instinct, thanks!

[@hagahong3327]

"After the coronavirus is contained, we hope that we can work something out." That is both overly optimistic and arrogance over the appeal of the game and its survival. Instead of working out the netcode and move player activity online, they just decide to sit out a friggin global pandemic? Has it never occurred to then that before their game become an E-sport, it needs to be playable first? A game may come in and out of the E-sport scene, but it needs to stay around in the players' minds and inventories, and there's no use if it isn't viable to play online. I'm done with this.

[@rezafahlevi9659]

Why so mad?

[@pftmclub]

you're cared about a fucking video game more than corona virus? No wonder why Murica had a lot of dead people !

[@hagahong3327]

@@pftmclub What's even your logic? I care and accept that corona virus is going to stay around, that's why I would expect games to have good online to cope with the lack of offline scene. I'm not even 'murican.

[@sonogamirinne7172]

@@pftmclub he only care for him self, that your answer, these kind of guy never care about pandemic danger

[@ChanakyanStudent7971]

This game was yet another casualty of epic games store and bad network play. The gameplay of this reboot was so good, it dared to do something unique where all the fighting game are trying to be same. I'd recommend anyone who has got some buddies to play this game locally to get this game.

[@theMenace985]

Could you do a vid on Soul Calibur 6?

[@cursedex80]

What's more surprising of all this, is that people actually expected SNK to properly manage a game.

[@Mintcar923]

I like this franchise because it comes off as a spiritual successor to a game I really liked as a kid Yie Ar Kung Fu.. My only gripe is no save suspend and no long story mode like other modern fighters

[@IwatchTubiTrash]

I don't play Fighters online anymore, but I played the hell out of this since SS is my favorite series. But yeah... most other people already said it, the netcode/online ruined my enjoyment of this.

[@KreuzDrache]

On sale on steam, plus they're doing a rollback beta currently.

[@zachq9005]

Man I was so damn excited for this game. Samsho 3 and 4 are all timers for me. However hearing they didn't implement any rollback put one foot in the grave BEFORE covid, and since I was on PC, putting it on Stadia buried it six(teen) feet under. What a shit show

[@gamerbear84]

In terms of the future, I'd THINK that someone looking to acquire a company with such a clear identity would be interested in pushing HARDER for the competitive scene that the genre is so known for. But ya never know.

[@FIGHTGamingChannel]

Enjoying SamSho 2019 at the moment. Their iteration of Baiken is pretty faithful to GG, even the walk.