The First Fighting Game Designed For Online Play - Weaponlord

[@djamesgoddard2426]

Wow! I love this video, you have so many details and facts in here it is really fun to watch this! I for sure over designed the heck out of WL. I made sure after that all the games I worked on were way more friendly and mashable with skill being in the mastery! I do need to help with one thing at the end though- as lucky as I have been in my career, I have never worked on any Mortal Kombat games. That team is amazing, and I do not want any misunderstanding around this. I can see what happened- I think the quote would have been went on to work on 'many Combat' games! (Not mortal kombat). Like Buffy the Vampire Slayer Xbox, Ryse Son of Rome, etc. Killer Instinct and Towerborne is 100% correct! By the way, Dave Winstead also worked on Season 1 of Killer Instinct and did 4 of the 8 characters. Hope this helps and you can update the facts somehow?

[@sahabatgamerID]

Wow!! Thank you very much for making Weaponlord. It was one of the best 2D fighting game I've ever experienced.

[@bunnybreaker]

Pin this comment! Also thanks for your contribution to fighting games. 🙏🏽

[@babylonastronaut]

D JAAAAAAAAAAAAAMES

[@babylonastronaut]

Oh and while I'm here: even though the learning curve is a fucking cliff, I felt the combos felt really, really good in a way no other game has. The dance of motion inputs, pressing buttons, and releasing them made the combos flow without pausing or weird rhythm patterns. Other combo systems feel like typing, WL combos feel like something entirely unique. The closest comparison I think is SNK supers, except in WL the entire combo is a SNK super. Love your work.

[@tntreactions]

If you ever start a Kickstarter for a remake I'll back it

[@PandaVsGames]

Dayum the Devs had omega brain foresight and rly went for trying to make performance good online. If only modern fighting game companies all shared the same determination...

[@allforhim2009]

SF 6 is pretty superb online, meanwhile MK1 online has been broken for me since launch and have only gotten into one online match.

[@Bakanineinstein]

I can't speak from real experience since I opped out of the modern market several generations ago... Just have myself a mini PC and it does the job fine for even games like the newer Sonic titles, but my own personal disinterest in modern gaming is the Hollywood mindset that just because almost everyone is doing it makes it OK to do dirt cheap as opposed to the overworked few who where choosin to make games like this fighter in the past... The difference is night & day, even games like Zelda feel a bit rehashed despite all they did to Un-Marioafy it... Really Metroid Dread is the only winner I see for effort in being a great game... Haven't played a one of these games though so my opinion probably should just have stayed my own, but it's here if you wanted it or not regardless... 😅👍

[@ambiguous8661]

​@@Bakanineinstein peh human desire to spread heheha

[@SimoneBellomonte]

@@BakanineinsteinUn-Marioeaify it??? What in the bloody hell are you talking about???

[@goo3r]

I'm so glad Weaponlord is getting some love. A small correction on the XBand. It didn't plug into a router, it used a plain old telephone line. The cartridge had a modem in it and you'd dial up. Even more impressive!

[@joezar33]

Yeah I remember this "rental Blockbuster banger of a game" .. but I thought it was only on *SNES/Gen.. Wonder how that would've work ?

[@aesthetichistory9868]

​@@joezar33you could get an adapter that lets you connect. Xband modem, or Sega Genesis modem. My Sega Saturn also connects to xband, it uses a special cartridge that has a modem in it

[@kakolicht]

"Ahead of its time" is the very least to be said about Weapon Lord, I had so much fun with it. Maybe someday it receives the proper attention from Namco.

[@theskorpiqn3789]

Great video. Weaponlord is so often overlooked , it actually inspired Namcos Soul Edge/Calibur series. It's an exceptionally well thought out game with fantastic art style and dark barbarian themes. So needs a new iteration with a solid budget

[@TheBagManGamer]

Played a bit of this a while back. A Mortal Kombat 2011 or Killer Instinct 2013-type reboot of this game would be awesome!

[@Ramsey276one]

FUND IT

[@bwackbeedows3629]

​@@Ramsey276one Why is that pfp thumbnail so popular?

[@Ramsey276one]

@@bwackbeedows3629 no idea

[@bwackbeedows3629]

@@Ramsey276one Well, who is it?

[@forrealdoh4516]

This was my favorite fighting game back in the day. I put tons of hours into it but it was pretty difficult to master.Zorn is victorious! Thank you for covering this gem!

[@MyDiabolicoTwin]

I remember to read about this game before it's released and felt overwhelmed about technicals details about the gameplay, like if the game were impossible to play for anyone who wasn't an expert. But as soon as I started to play, I couldn't believe how intuitive and easy to play it was. Don't get me wrong, the game is very complex, but it doesn't have a narrow window in which if you fail you lose, it's the opposite; it gives you a lot of room to develop your own strategy and aproach. It's a true masterpiece everyone should play.

[@bottledwaterprod]

Wow. I know a massive amount of gaming trivia, but this game has somehow escaped my attention until now. Definitely gonna check it out.

[@shadowfoxblu179]

So good to see this game get some due recognition. Loved this game so much. Back then I was a diehard Street Fighter fan (still am). But the unique fighting system of this game, while difficult, felt so rewarding when you finally pull off a deflect, parry at the right moment, or combo into a fatality. After seeing a full-page(s) combo guide in Gamepro and the art design, I knew I had to try this and got the Genesis version. (Also: I know this game had a very small roster by today's standards, but I will say it is genuinely the only fighting game I've played where I loved EVERY single character, as they all have unique movesets that feel purposeful. No carbon copies here.)

[@DragovianLancer]

I had Weaponlord as a kid and while I never really got good at it (i'm not very good at fighting games in general) I always thought it was really cool. Glad to see someone acknowledge this hidden gem!

[@victorshacklettejr144]

FINALLY SOMEONE ELSE RECOGNIZED THIS UNDERGROUND GREAT. I loved playing this as a kid. Bane and Korr was my 2 mains

[@patriciomendoza19]

From the descriptions of the weapon clashes, kind of makes it sound like the game was a proto Soul Blade/Calibur, just set in a 2D space. Sounds cool I'm going to have to look the game up and try it out.

[@Stefinater]

"Legendary." is all I have to say about this story, truly ahead of it's time

[@beerasaurus]

I own this game. Not because I wanted it, my dad liked the add in one of my magazines so much he ordered it by phone.

[@SushiLid_]

This was literally my first video game my parents ever got me. Thanks for making this video

[@gjtrue]

I remember this game. Played it a fair bit as a kid but me and the family mostly played Mortal Kombat II, Ultimate/MK3, and Killer Instinct. Seeing it here, the characters in Weaponlord have more special moves than modern fighting games. . . 👀

[@mestreluk]

I'm super impressed by how ahead of its time this was. Now I feel kind of a shame for never having heard of it before.

[@tHeWasTeDYouTh]

I first heard of Weaponlord thanks to twobestfriends before they broke up loved that episode when Matt is showing everyone how deep the game was.

[@phredbookley183]

That is a crazy amount of depth. I'd love to play this game in a new version.

[@rubnchvz]

Just wow, this wasn't just a game, this was a love project created with the utmost care for details and for the player experience. Didn't know about it until now, thanks for the video and those developers were and are awesome for creating a game like this.

[@armorbearer9702]

I could see this game becoming a household name if Weaponlord was given with an Xband purchase in the 90s.

[@BBrecht]

It's refreshing to see someone give this game the deep-dive that it deserves - thank you! Most reviews I've seen (either modern or at the time) have basically taken the cheap route of calling it a "sword and sorcery Street Fighter clone", so seeing you break down the immense number of systems and mechanics (even if briefly) was fantastic. I bought this game when it was released and I was a fighting game obsessed teenager, then I revisited it and went deep after playing Tekken competitively in the early 2000s. I totally agree with your assessment that it's a bit overwrought and over-designed, but it's crafted so intentionally and so obviously with a competitive/tournament environment in mind that it's a shame it wasn't better received and never developed a fanbase back in the day. It's hard to justify really learning all the systems if no one else plays it (which was my curse both times I delved into the game). I feel like if it had had an arcade release then it would have developed a small but devoted following in every arcade with any sort of fighting game scene, who went all-in on the complex mechanics in the same way as there often was for VF and other less-accessible games.

[@Serralas]

I've never in my life heard of this game, but you've made me super interested into trying it out. Looks dope

[@OGEdger]

These dudes knew that online play was the future and with rollback being a thing nowadays, developers who don't design for it are either lazy or ignorant.

[@revimfadli4666]

Or too burdened by deadlines to try switching frameworks? Like with many other big company software performance issues

[@bunnybreaker]

​@@revimfadli4666Publishers are often ignorant though. Devs are rarely lazy. The point stands. Don't make a fighting game without solid online play unless you want it to flop.

[@SimoneBellomonte]

@@revimfadli4666Okay dont make it good, but dont expect it to sell either.

[@FaustY2K]

This game has the same energy as Nintendo trying to make a VR set with the Virtual Boy Amazing video

[@ejaeda1]

Me and my brother had this game and we loved it this was a awesome game the finishing moves was dope AF

[@GoblinSlayerZach]

Wow, this looked pretty incredible. Never heard of it before now.

[@orionassante3386]

I've been saying I want this series to come back for years. Remember during the SNES days when I used to rent this and Samurai Shodown for a weekend of intense weapon on weapon combat.

[@xaininpc5625]

Great to see someone with the insight to give such an amazing game its due. To this day Weaponlord is one of my favorite fighting games of all time because of all the mechanics and personality it offered for its era. It blazed such new ground, and really I think the one thing that held it back because of the execution needed, was not the difficulty of the moves, but the lack of controllers that could make those moves more comfortable and reactable. Playing it even emulated on modern day arcade sticks is such a blast and way less frustrating that it was back on even a 6 button Genesis controller (which wasn't bad for a gamepad). To a degree, you could kinda say the same about Primal Rage. I still had mixed feeling when I first heard about the incoming KI update because I was happy for KI, but it meant that there was no chance of a secret remake or Weaponlord 2 anywhere in the works if James was busy on KI+.

[@SquirtMcGirt]

It's about time somebody brought this game up! This game had so many features and was so unique, even down to how you input commands and it had like if I remember correctly a parry system and weapon breaks.

[@jesseperry9602]

I remember playing this game back in the day and my group of friends and I really liked it. It was so much deeper in it's systems than any other fighting game that wasn't made by Capcom, SNK, or Midway. But I had no idea the level of backstory that this video brings up. Amazing story, and now I really do wished it could be remade with today's console's power, both from a game stand point and online connectivity.

[@AaronLitz]

*Weaponlord* is _still_ one of the greatest games I've ever played. Every weekend when we gathered at my house to play D&D, we'd play some Weaponlord for a while first while waiting for everyone to show up. When we first tried the game out and discovered that you blocked attacks by _actually swinging your own weapon_ at the enemy to clash with theirs, we just about lost our shit! And the _feel_ of the weapons: every weapon had a _real weight_ that you could _actually feel_ somehow, with heft and momentum, and it gave each of the character's weapons a certain rhythm you had to learn. Korr's sword had a very different heft and rhythm than Zorn's axe, and you _had_to learn the rhythm in order to get the button presses correct to get the combos going. Push the buttons too fast or too slow, and you lost it. You would learn Korr's rhythms by watching him swing his sword around himself, _feeling_ the weight of it as it spun and swooshed in flashing arcs. I have _still_ never felt another game give me that feeling of a weapon's weight, and certainly not in another fighting game. As for the graphics, it was a big bonus that it still used 2D sprites rather than moving to the chunky, ugly, untextured polygons in the 1st Generation 3D fighters of the time, like your Virtua Fighters and such. Those games just looked awful, and the controls for moving the characters through a 3D environment were still unrefined and tended to be pretty lacking. And while those 3D fighters were stumbling around, Weaponlord came swaggering into the room showing us all just what could be done with a 2D fighting game refined to perfection; there's a damn good reason why so many fighters today have reverted to 2.5D, from the modern _Mortal Kombats_ to _Dragon Ball FighterZ._ If they made a modern update of Weaponlord, I _guarantee_ it would be amazing and beloved.

[@sisisisi1111]

I love you for leaving the whole Daigo clip play.. like for real. That was satisfaction.

[@StarFrost02]

Damn this channel never misses!

[@leifomusic]

Dude, I have been thinking about this game for years now and I haven't been able to remember it by name, but seeing the footage...WOw, really takes me back. I slept over a friends house for 2 days and we played this the whole time.. So gory. Loved that shit. Thanks for the video! - leifo

[@reversegoat3260]

My brother and I loved this game back in the day. We both enjoyed AD&D so the art direction resonated more with us than street fighter or mortal kombat.

[@Vizorfam]

Always love your content akshon ❤

[@seraphin01]

Oh wow thanks for this video.. I was young but playing a LOT of games back then and I've never heard of this one until today! Way ahead of its time it seems

[@tntreactions]

This was soo cool. Thank you for this. I knew there was a connection between killer Instinct , MK1 and Weaponlord. I could feel it while playing,

[@eon001]

Wow I have very vague memories of this. Seeing it in the video game magazines. Never got around to playing it, but the characters and logo stayed in me mind for years.

[@bensoliman19]

played and enjoyed the genesis version, didnt know what I was doing until I found a gamepro moves and combo guide. just couldnt find someone to play with on a mid to high level.

[@hoshi314]

way too ahead of its time, what a foresight

[@jeremygregorio7472]

I know this game had a lot of systems that were new but is there anyone who ever cited as an influence?

[@Faenwolf]

Still my thumbs hurt to this day when I remember Weaponlord… what a legendary masterpiece…

[@brandondouglas4216]

Loved this game. It was my home console answer to Time Killers. I never met anyone that remembers it!!

[@Guarrow]

Another banger from Akshon Esports ladies and gentlemen

[@mlvlnc]

YOOO this is the first time I have ever seen a video on this :') This (And MK3) were the first fighting games I ever played back on SEGA Genesis :')

[@TheModeRed]

I love this game and have be pining for it to be made as a 3D/remake/sequel game since it came out. I became a game designer, and this game was one of my favorites that I always wished got a major refresh.

[@rybackfrankie8679]

I love Weapon Lord badass concept and artistic direction. Played ot some years ago in an emulator. That game definitely needs a remake. I hope they will revive it and turn it into a successful franchise.

[@FerousFolly]

tiny little bit of feedback on rare pronunciation 2:00: redolant's first syllable should be stressed, not its second. think; petulant, insolent, impotent, virulent, consummate, exodus, or, heck, even Baphomet. all these words have the same stress rythm as redolant.

[@m0ssflower355]

all these mechanics seem sick we should get a remake or port or something

[@rosskwolfe]

I had completely forgotten this game existed. Thank you for reminding me.

[@Smoxie804]

thanks for existing Akshon

[@KingZR-OTv]

Love this game had a lot of fun back in the day. Good memories 😌

[@BzaafiedTheYatagarasu]

You had me at "Weaponlord".

[@KnightsDisillusion]

It had EVERYTHING before it EXISTED! D J A M E S

[@juanrodriguez9971]

It was the particle before the big bang

[@KnightsDisillusion]

​@@juanrodriguez9971D J A M E S

[@torlasd]

05:39 ^^ ... Btw used to play this gem as a kid...Gr8 retrospective

[@mofiyahkilla4778]

My brother and I spent a ridiculous number of hours battling on this game. There was nothing more satisfying than watching your opponent's head go flying at the end of a combo that you spent hours practicing. Would definitely love to see this game remade, especially now that every company is trying to make it easier and easier to pull off huge combos... this could be the one game out that's still not for scrubs.

[@Akshonesports]

What game would you like us to look into or revisit for future videos?

[@joezar33]

My first thought was 16bit SNES/Gen *Weapon Lord* a Online game 🤔 ......? Wonder how that would've been back in the 90s ..

[@Team99Hits]

MACE: The Dark Age, please, because is another hidden gem

[@ddga1800]

Another World

[@Chuloxraw]

Eternal Champions ☯

[@MSmith_93]

Oni. Bungie studios game before Halo. It had one of the best combat systems I've ever come across.

[@torrentthom4734]

This was a true weapon-to-weapon fighter. I know some players are vocal about not liking the control scheme, but the idea behind the over-the-top d-pad motions was that the devs wanted the players hands to feel like they were rly executing the moves on the screen. Forward/forward would do an elbow smash, while back/forward/down would perform a take down, and so on. You get the idea. Imo, a 32-meg cartridge would bolster the animation (it's very choppy on the 24-meg cart), along with the roaster, but sadly t'was not to be.

[@kujo4388]

“This is not a pick up and play game, this was made for hardcore, competitive players” Can this be said for any game made this past decade? Why don’t devs care about hardcore gamers?

[@c.glazercrush3994]

Also it should of had sequels imagine it with the sharpness and frame rate of today,and the more cgi versions in this agecwould of been lit too.

[@eldivorcio]

Best esports and games channel on youtube rn

[@PharoahsKingdom]

I owned this on Sega Genesis. Still my favorite fighting game of all time.

[@waverazor]

this game is on the namco collection for the evercade

[@AyyoNevNev]

Damn that was excellent. Thank you!

[@thefitgurutv]

Game was whey ahead of his time. I still have the GamePro somewhere where the game was featured on the cover.

[@Malacefire]

weaponlord used to be one of my favorite fighting games back in the day, but that being said it could of benefited of being released in the next gen console, mainly for more memory but the more powerful console would help it run a bit smoother .... it was still an amazing game none the less, id buy a remaster if they ever decided to relese one ^^

[@courtlaw1]

Basically these guys are programming geniuses.

[@khaimk4r4su]

Dr. Dave used to write occasionally on Gamepro i believe. From my teenage days reading the magazine i can see he was deep into fighting games, and i remember once that he shared a redizzying method to cheese out oponents in SSSFII, not sure if it was Fei Long or who else was involved. When Soul Edge came out it reminded me of Weaponlord but by then it was 'so long in the past' and found no use in quoting it or mentioning it since i was just some 'dumb 14 year old kid' and nobody remembered it or dismissed it because _it was not relevant_ .

[@brett6239]

I had a blast with the arcade/story mode but didn't play with other people much. It was too complicated to teach friends to play. I didn't even know it played online, didn't even notice the X-Band logo. Prolly because I didn't get online until 1997.

[@grimnir6169]

Bisley’s art is amazing.

[@Saferoom45]

I can see why MK1 wanted Conan to be in as a guest playable character. Even tho he is not in Weaponlord but I bet it would feel like it.

[@Hoarseplay]

Something else about James Goddard that you didn't mention is that he was the brainchild of Street Fighter II: Hyper Fighting. He enjoyed the speed and extra air options that SF2 romhacks provided and fought with the Japanese branch of Capcom to get Hyper Fighting released. Hyper Fighting changed the landscape of 2D fighting games; it created a domino effect that led to fighting games becoming faster and more combo friendly.

[@MH-lr6ue]

I remember this game from my childhood.. Had no idea the name of the game... Thanks for the video and nostalgia😊

[@chickrepelant]

that STAGE design!!

[@playamaine100]

I played it back then and it was light years ahead

[@allforhim2009]

What a forgotten gem this is, remember renting this multiple times growing up. Could definitely use a remastered release

[@Blas4ublasphemy]

What to put a ton of effort into a game nobody will play? Require negative edge on special move inputs, just look how it turned out for this game and Primal Rage.

[@leetorry]

Man, everytime I think about tbe game all I could think about is Super Best Friends Play, espexially the Fighterpedia episode where Matt and Woolie gush about this game.

[@level3xfactor]

I hope Matt McMuscles sees this

[@_Jay_Maker_]

If I remember Best Friends, the Zaibatsu, and Fighterpedia, it's for their video on this absolutely awesome game.

[@incoggnito1667]

Can we talk about how HARD that Weaponlord OST goes in??? Gimme a 2023 remake of THAT!!!

[@TheBlueSpaceAstronaut]

Thanks a lot for this video that was very interesting. I want to play this now !!! Legendary game he need more visibility

[@evillovekitty]

I remember only having the booklet that came with the game and always wanted to play the game.

[@RedGrobo]

If theyd had more characters and Streetfighter like inputs it would have stuck around like MK or KS. It was a really fun concept and had a lot of hype but the inputs felt so strange it gate kept the rest of the game from being realized by people. That kid from the review was wrong, but he was also right too WL felt awkward cus eveyrone had it ingrained to do moves like SF or MK and it wasnt the kids fault for not intuitively knowing how to play with some flow.

[@Ramsey276one]

Guilty Gear NEGATIVE EDGE We ready now

[@Blas4ublasphemy]

It would have been Samurai Shodown.

[@Ramsey276one]

@@Blas4ublasphemy a Metal version, and there's nothing wrong with that! ;)

[@aeopu]

Holy shit what a dope video. Thank you so much for this educational dive

[@ssgcheddar5785]

I was just talking about this game yesterday 😮 this is amazing

[@BerzerkDC]

This is cool, I wish I played it. For the parry section don't forget Dead or Alive, the system is built around them

[@knukkleszmobtana291]

NGL I played it as a kid, and have been looking for the last 15 yrs for the title

[@ptuinsights6487]

that game was ahead of its time the learning curve was just as brutal as the combat i def rem this nightmare lol!!!

[@AcencialAMV]

I never knew about this, that's so cool. Great content!

[@inorris609]

This is why Justin has PTSD from the diago parry . Even to this day it’s every where 😂😂

[@bechtholdillustrator9378]

Still has the best Artstyle and steel meets steel soundt to date.On top a stll fantastic soundtrack

[@julianocs87]

I remember renting it back in the day and being completely clueless about how to play. This definitely needs a second chance.

[@suoquainen]

I think the conecpt of the tournament mode from the game OMF 2097 is perfect for a mmo fighting game. It only would be needed to get polished.

[@DippedInInk]

Thanks for talking about this gem.

[@aut0mata]

Is there a discord or something for this game?

[@frumiousgaming]

They should put this on Nintendo Switch online

[@Ramsey276one]

*YES!*

[@Kaiesis]

This game was so good. I loved the controls.

[@Kaiesis]

IDK why but the genesis one was way better than snes.