A Samurai Shodown Retrospective
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- Опубликовано: 3 июл 2024
- big shmeaty hitboxes
FLASHING LIGHTS WARNING BTW
Samurai Shodown rips bro. Like throat-wise I mean. It's a game from another era that managed to return in 2019 with a modern entry, and rollback on the way THIS YEAR. So I wanted to properly appreciate the series history, its aesthetic elements, and its design, which work in harmony to produce one of the sharpest fighting game series ever made that any person can functionally play. We're getting weird, we're getting niche, we're getting slain in 4 swings.
For perspective, I'm not discussing the game from a competitive play perspective. I think there's a lot to appreciate in the smaller aspects of play. The video is appropriately chaptered if you're looking for topics of interest.
This was a community effort, so I'm extending special thanks to Yeetkunedo, who helped me better appreciate the games and got me practiced up, Ryan Mori Brooks for assisting with footage as well, and FGC creator + genuine talent @Stumblebee for dropping in to talk Samsho 2019! Also, special thanks to Fist Will Fly, at This Location for linking the collected Samsho backgrounds to me for use in-video! The channel is linked here:
/ @fistswillflyatthisloc...
If you'd like to help support the show, find me here: / kbash
Some clips sampled from these channels - and thank you to people who upload footage of Samsho 64. It's wildly inaccessible and its emulation is still incomplete.
/ janet-vc2
• Samurai Shodown 64 (Sh...
• Samurai Shodown V Spec...
0:00 The Pitch
3:09 A Tapestry Soaked in Blood (the brief history)
11:00 A Heritage in Frames (aesthetics/lineage)
33:37 The Pointy End (mechanics)
44:43 Samsho 2019 owns
#samsho #kbash #retrospective #fightinggames 
Игры
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I want to add that the huge inspiration behind Samurai Shodown are the novels of Fuutaro Yamada. The man was truly a father to the "Dark Japanese fantasy" genre that's still explored today with the titles like Sekiro. Actually, Amakusa Shiro was a villain in his legendary novel "Makai Tenshou", and Yagyuu Juubei was one of his most prominent heroes. His most well-known work in the west is probably Kouga Ninpouchou (Basilisk), adapted into manga by Segawa Masaki and then into anime (Not the trash season 2 though). The old prominent animated movie "Ninja Scroll" shared the same universe with Basilisk.
This is really unfortunate how few of his works got a decent adaptation and even though some were noticed in the west, the name of the progenitor remains largely unknown.
Capcom made a game called Onimusha 2 where the protagonist was a samurai named Jubei Yagyu from the Yagyu clan. That game was legendary.
😮😮
Damn i love samurai shodown and wached many history videos about the series,but didn't know that.thanks 🤝
@@SpectralSound. Yamada deserves to be much more popular worldwide considering how foundational was his work for the pop ninja lore and how massive is his contribution into formulating the aesthetic of fantasy feudal Japan. Only one of his books has been officially translated into English, what's a total travesty.
@@Miraihi It's probably best he's not that well known in the West, especially in the US. We love our anime but we love our Jesus as well and won't take too kindly to him vilifying a Christian like Amakusa. I love Ninja Scroll myself but when I saw Ninja Resurrection's anti-Chirstian propaganda, I turned it off.
The Stumblebee cameo caught me off guard lol and yeah air blocking in SamSho seems so wrong
Yeah. Air blocking in SamSho is an affront to God. The whole game is based around commitment, so each jump is a decision that you, the player, must *own*.
My man KBash got StumbleBee out of hiatus to talk about one of the fighting game series GOATs
Being among the twelve fans of niche microcelebrity fgc creators, I'm hooting and hollering rn
there’s a lot more than twelve of us chief
18:41 Because there's nothing more charismatic than a dead Alien in an unspeakable stew. Samsho is SRS BSNS.
This was great and super well-written. I can count on one hand the number of creators who can keep me engaged with an hour-plus video about a game I have never played, and you're one of them!
Stumblebee! I miss your stuff, dude. You made high quality content.
I remember those giant sprites in the Arcade. Mind Blown 🤯
Couple things I want to mention about 5 and 6. SS5 was actually a prequel, narratively, which is why it's called "Zero" in Japan. And SS6 was just a dream match, a term used to describe games that can only occur in a dream because it features a narrative that can't happen otherwise (re:KoF98:Dream Match Never Ends). It didn't even have a number associated with it in Japan -- that was a North American thing. It's also not bloody at all due to the game being focused around a festival, which is also why one of the new characters exclusive to this game is a fireworks specialist that fights with a fireworks cannon. By making it less bloody, they could also get a lower age rating and get it to more people, they theorized. It's also a festival in that it celebrates the whole series by featuring EVERY character and different modes/ISMs/grooves/variations to choose from based on each game in the series. And since SS2019 is a reboot, that means SS4 is the last game in the series narrative so far.
Oh shit, Stumblebee. Been wondering what he's been up to.
SS7 / 2019 is a prequel to SS5, which is a prequel to SS1. This is why you see the creation of Amakusa’s orb after the credits.
Finally, an accurate depiction of SamSho hitboxes
the charrollete laugh, so good.
And then Haohmaru came to Soul Calibur 6, where I got to enjoy my first and only taste of samshow.
Haoh in SC6 is wild. He doesn’t quite translate as well to SC as Baiken does from GGXrd to SS7, but he’s still capable of absolutely biblical proportions of damage.
I really wish the latest entry would have been more popular. People complain about fighting games were you get combod for 10+ secs but then they don’t support games like Samurai Shodown. Smh, will never understand the FGC.
I think it’s because most people love high speed rushdown. Games that require patience and prioritize mental fortitude over displays of dexterity aren’t usually popular, despite being satisfying as hell.
They probably aren't the same demographic. They would sooner turn to any ArcSys game not named FighterZ and have a good time with that since the defensive options are simple.
@@willdiesel8431 SamSho’s (for the sake of this reply, SS7’s) defense options are even simpler, and more generous. Press back to block. Press back within 10f of a move landing to just defend. 236A+B to reflect, or if unarmed, catch the blade.
@@yeetkunedo when I say defensive options (and I'm mainly referring to what ArcSys implemented) I'm referring to "faultless" options. If the above poster was getting combo'd to oblivion there are ways out of it that are relatively simple that can be a universal mechanic for that game or character specific that will burn a shared meter.
Oh and trust me the simplest blocking methods are enough for the NRS fanbase to bemoan simply because it's not a button press. I've seen all types of complaints.
One of these days I'd like to run some sets with you. You keep talking about and referencing fighters I love, man, IT'S INEVITABLE.
God, it's like all my braincells activated going back over this whole series. Definitely going back when the roll back rolls out.
SS7 / 2019 is playable online, you just need a wire. Wifi *will not* provide favorable play conditions. Steam also has lobby lockdown issues where PS4 / XB1 doesn’t.
The Rollback update has been reported to release this month (Sept. 2023) ⚔️⚡️⚔️
KBash has a green screen now.
He could be anywhere.
He could be behind you.
Fun fact: I am Yeetkunedo, and it was an absolute honor and privilege to be asked to assist on this one. Welcome back to FGs, KBash.
YEEETkunedo
The man
The myth
The extra generous patron
@@c2HitsButtons also, **technically** the current Vermont state champion in SamSho 2019, this game is like a dear friend
@@yeetkunedo who do you use? I roster hop in that game a fair bit, but I'm a Kyoshiro main for life lol
@@c2HitsButtons I play roughly half the cast with a decent level of competence, but my mains are Haohmaru, Ukyo, and especially Yoshitora. But I can play Darli, Hanzo, Kyoshiro, Sougetsu, Galford, Earthquake, Kazuki, Hibiki, Baiken, Basara, Wan-Fu, the list goes on.
Killer video, as always. SamSho 2019 was one of my favorite fighters to play with my old roommate, I have so many good memories associated with it. Excited for the rollback update, I want to make this my go to game so I'm really hoping it gets an influx of new players when the time comes.
game so gooooooooood
KBash just keeps slaying with his flowing hair! It’s his power growing larger
He's like Samson, his power will keep growing as long as he doesn't cut his hair
Some of the best memories playing this with my friends, nothing better then mom making waffles and playing this for hours with my buddies
Finally a fighting game retrospective ❤
My favourite fighting game franchise.
The series that got me into gaming at like 6 years old
You can currently obtain a rare collectible called Samurai Sword-Down through the PlayStation Stars program for the next 14 days. I don’t know what these collectibles do exactly, I guess some kind of achievement, but it’s cool that the series is getting some random attention
They're profile trophies that you can only see by viewing someone's profile on the PS app. So like game trophies, but even more specific and niche. Nothing really to them other than to show off to the few people that might go looking at your profile in a specific way. Each month has had a fighting arcade cab parody for just playing one of a few different games. They've been neat little throwbacks.
This was a wonderful celebration of one of the coolest fighting game series ever!
Also, I just want you to know that you dropping the serious voice and breaking into "OOOOOHH does X do Y? I DON'T THINK SO" is my favorite bit of yours
While I have not played Samsho a lot, I kinda bounced off of what I tried of Samsho 5, but I do really like Last Blade 2, which feels like a very similar philosophy but is a bit more restrained in its characters and presentation. Amazingly wonderful spritework in that one too.
Kbash I really appreciate you covering certain series in full. You’re doing great work, man
Tudududu tududududuudududu tududu
One of your masterpieces! Great stuff Mr. Bash
Shame we didn't get that RPG
I think that’s been / being translated as we speak.
just want to expand a bit about the nature of heavy punishing; i love how Samsho has hit stop. even as a spectator I always grunts every time the heavy button hits. it's satisfying to watch. the extra oomph is very vivid it's like saying 'look at that mistake' or 'reap your reward.'
i'm KoF fans and SFV casual spectators and i rarely got the oomph cathartic experience on that game. a single button hit from samsho delivers like-you-said a mystical experience. like the definition of battling a lifeline is very much real. not to mention the comeback mechanic in this game is so good. when one player decide to burst on samsho 2019, i hold my breath anticipating when Issen is coming. and since this game is read heavy, i never know who's going to win and mostly glue myself to chair watching how the players staking their life second by second. after winner proclaim the victory only then i elude from the grasp of heavy pressure.
this game is something and i really hope to see it flourish.
I call it “The Holy Redeeming Church of Counterhit Standing C” for a reason. Someone was saved, and someone else met God.
@@yeetkunedo this. No better word said.
You have no idea how I feel when I’m at work and I refresh my RUclips and see Kbash has a new video!!!
Samsho 2019 is so fun. There's no greater feeling in a fighting game then connecting with a heavy slash.
More like “Kslash” amirite?
Awesome retrospective! I've been meaning to try out SamSho 2019 for the longest time but after seeing this I might actually do so. Also nice to see Stumblebee again!
i needed this video , been dying for samsho love
Samurai Shodown is where I learned about happen switching the first and last names
Shout-out to that gag about "stop saying 'im not good at fighting games' and be honest for once".
Anybody who deeply loves fighting games has experienced a friend saying they're "not very good" at them and then bending over backwards to try to help them learn just to realize later they were never really interested in the first place. Saying "I'm not very good" implies that interest exists and you just don't know where to start learning. I don't know why people have such a hard time just saying "I'm not interested"
YEEEESSSSS FINALLYYYY
FIGHTING GAME VIDEO
AND ITS SAMSHO!!!
Samsho: the ultimate robbery game. . . so much salt, so much sweating, so much fun. This series honestly is a mess; but I love it for being crazy fun with friends in an arcade setting lol
I was there for the arcades. Thanks for making me feel old :P
I wish SNK would just team up with ArcSys and bring back the beautiful hand-drawn aesthetic that made them look so good
No wayyy u made a vid on this. Today is a good day.
Thanks for the soapbox, Kbash! May our swords cross again 🍆 🍆 🤺
it was wonderful to play you, btw
@@yeetkunedo absolutely. Let's all get together for some games again soon. I have a feeling I know your recommendation 🤖
@@Stumblebee don’t threaten me with a good time, the East is, in fact, burning red
One of the few fighter games where I enjoyed playing as most of the characters.
Great video!! I was sold and i immediately hopped on steam afterwards and its 90% off right now!! Until June 21st!
Wow, reminds me of that one time my favourite RUclipsr Kbash did a second video on Gow 🙂
Samurai Shodown inspired generations of iconic Asia manga, manhwa and MOBAs with its characters alone... Now that's a legacy ⚔️🌸😃
Man I loved this. Samsho is such a sick ass fighting game
Also my man's Kbash got Bumblebee to pop by. This must means he's moving up
Bushido Blade 2 and the original Bushido Blade need to be played. It makes all lifebar games look casual. Also, the bamboo thicket arena lets you cut down every. Single. Stalk. In full 3D movement like Tekken but with more freedom of movement. There are 2 factions of "assassin schools", you can choose from a selection of weapons before each match which changes the move-set, with some characters having unique combos for certain weapons. One of the arms could be crippled by a well-placed strike, which prevents dual wield or thrown attacks (every character has their own "sub-weapon" that can be thrown or, in certain set-ups, drawn to dual wield. You could also throw sand or water if standing on the right terrain in order to momentarily stun the target). In the original, you could also cripple one leg which forced the character to shuffle around nearly prone....fun for trolling, prevented jumping, but that was removed for BB2 which was for the best.
High melodrama of the 2 schools in their generations-long blood feud. Shinto v Narukagami. The opening cinematic is truly cinematic, with a Shinto ambush of the Narukagami shrine showcasing the starting roster of 3 per faction. I still remember the images and soundtrack.
This is a Playstation title. As in, PS1. I still remember basically all the roster if I think, some of them don't even need to try. Kaun, Gengoro, and Jo from Shinto vs Narukagami's line up...they I don't remember the names of as easily but Narukagami is presented as the heroic faction, with "main anime young boy", "woman of skill" and "gruff tough guy" Kanuki, mirrored by Shinto's Kaun, who is the white-haired, pale faced, mysterious and solemn but slight anti-hero, Jo the bubbly precocious never-give-up girl, and Gengoro, the traditionalist samurai bound by honor, ruthless in duty (and adopted father of Kaun). Each faction has a Light, Medium and Heavy style fighter to pick from out the gate, but the story mode quickly unlocks more of the roster. Each character you play story mode on has a unique version of the story events with periodic interactions with other characters that have relationships with the character or the enemies, weaving an epic tale of loss and revenge, in delightful melodrama. Gengoro, the Highwayman, Red Shadow and her pupil Nightstalker, Utsusemi, Musashi the ronin with a corncob pipe, Tony the disco dancer, and many more characters ranging from near-absurd to classic tropes, all made to feel grounded in this real-world setting about secret martial schools who care more about their shadow war than the modern world.
Also, there are 2 secret unlockable gun users. Shinto get Katze, a wannabe cowboy channeling Revolver Ocelot and Narukagami has a dominatrix-clad woman with an M-16 rifle. I didn't mention that it is set in modern day, which gives the anachronistic Bushido obsessed story an interesting layer....the story mode features a series of ninja minions between the level bosses: the Narukagami have blow dart gun subweapons. The Shinto ninjas are more dangerous; they draw and fire a semiauto pistol that can 1-shot kill. Little touches like this demonstrate that the Shinto are less beholden to tradition for the sake of victory. But, again, a good hit from the main weapon can 1-shot kill anyone, anytime.
The gun users are fun, they can kill from across the map with a good shot. Which they need, lacking any melee attacks. Instead of subweapons, they can reload their guns. Guns have limited ammo before being useless until reloaded. And if the arm gets crippled by an attack...no more reload. So Katze goes from an unfair terror to completely useless; fun asymetrical balance on display.
(May be worth noting that the gun wielders are only playable in Arcade and VS, not Story mode. In Story, each is a mid-point boss for the opposing faction that forces you to use mobility and positioning tactics to avoid being domed while trying to close in and get the kill.)
There's rumored 2 more secret characters, uniquely costumed Kabuki warriors for each faction that you unlock by beating Time Trial, in which you, wielding a Katana (no weapon select) must beat 100 enemies with Katanas in a row. I could never beat the challenge to kill all 100, without dying once, under the time limit to unlock the Kabuki. It haunts me to this day.
Go play Bushido Blade 2! I have longed for it to get an update for years upon years, and pulled it our for solo or group couch play so many times. It's a great crowd pleaser, with the chance to just get your sword edge into the opponents forehead as they go into a jump and end the fight 5 seconds in with a gout of low-polygon blood.
Just for fun, the weapon choices are:
Katana
Nodochi
Long sword (it's more just a sword)
Broadsword (it's a huge great sword)
Narukagami: naginata
Shinto: yari spear
And certain fighters get special combos with one or a variety of weapons.
Oh, there's also High, Medium and Low stances for each weapon, which changes the moveset of attacks. Certain characters get a special stance with certain weapons.
For instance, some replace Low stance Katana with Duel Wield using their subweapon which is a second sword. Highwayman's subweapon is a rapier (lethal thrown) but can dual wield it with a longsword.
Gengoro and Kaun get Iaijutsu as a stance with katana, sheathing the sword and only drawing to attack before resheathing; which is the ultimate stance for styling on people - or getting yourself killed if you whiff an attack and are locked in place resheathing the sword as that blade comes swinging down at you with no weapon to deflect with. True masters of Bushido Blade 2 use Iaijutsu (and I think only 3 characters can access the stance, the third being Tony, an African-American disco scoundrel with an afro and sunglasses in purple disco suit).
Fun visual variety between how different factions use the same stance; how different classes of characters wield the same weapons; different movesets for the same weapons, Throw animations, ultra-secret moves that are just pure anime like backflipping over the opponent to impale them with a backward stab are doing rapid "100 cut" combos, and that moment of knowing your enemy attacked with a medium stance light attack at just short of range to connect and are now helplessly open to a high stance overhead heavy, all done in less than 3 seconds.
It makes For Honor, Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat and Tekken all look like childrens' games with the healthbars. Training wheels. I say this enjoying all those fighting games. But nothing else I've seen in the industry approaches the high-speed, fast paced, tactical and visceral chess game of Bushido Blade.
Oh, and you can play in 1st person camera mode which just ratchets up the immersion, i think they give you a small wireframe model of yourself in the corner so you can keep track of what stance you are in but you really need to know the moveset to do well in 1st person since you don't get that full view of your character in motion.
Rant ended.
TLDR; Bushido Blade 2 is still my favorite console game. Bushido Blade 1 is worth playing afterward just to see where it came from, treat it as a prequal and not the starting point. I think you can emulate it now?
And wow this thumbnail is awesome! 😁
This guy gives me MAJOR DOUCHE CHILLS 🙄
that it calls K - Bash for
(Okay, I am about to bash this shit )
SS19 had The Knight from For Honor, how could I not think it was peak
Now this is going to be a treat
I am only now realizing it's Shodown, not showdown
My first step into this series was with SamSho 6. It’s…interesting. As far as I know, it’s the only one where you get to play as animal characters like Poppy
SamSho 5 has Poppy, but it requires cheat inputs in the character select screen
Excellent video
Finally! Sam Sho!
the OG Samurai Shodown on the SNES was the first fighting game I ever played and although I have played many other fighting games it is still my favourite.
If it weren't for my shitty internet i would have gone online in smasho 2019 again and again and again. I picked warden once and it fits like a glove, gotta love it with the move cancels
I absolutely loved the characters of this game. Very original. And i think if they make a more hand drawn, slightly more realistic look, it would still be good. While making this evolving.
I came from a wow video and you sound like a real one(samsho real one) so I'll sub lol
I love this series of fighting games. ^_^
Another kbash banger
I also want to point out the manga for the first game was one of the first works by the guy who made trigun
My favorite fighting game series
Very niche video to do sir I commend you
For many many years I never realized the name is Shodown not Showdown like I always called it.
*Sho*down is meant to be a play on words, particularly referencing the *Shogun*, a military rank akin to “commander-in-chief.”
The hitting murderous buttons bit was so funny
I wonder if 3 or 4 is the one I would see at my local arcade? I can't remember anymore.
my favorite all-time is SS4... my brother and i bought the game by combining our savings when we were kids and spent our weekends and holiday breaks with our friends in "challenge the winner" tournaments...
good, good times...
Hadn't heard of Blandia or Mount Fuji Busters (Shogun Warriors) before. Nice.
Yoooo FIGHTING GAME TIME!!!
HYPE
Why was Stumblebee just showing up so hype?
Another things about Fujiyama Buster; the characters didn’t have individual stories or even NAMES.
Oh the nostalgia
Let's gooooooo! Bro you really are my spirit animal lmao. I legit just picked up Samurai shodown VI a few days ago. I saw it on sale and thought back to when i was a kid and how fun it was to just find an arcade in the BX or commissary and lo and behold it had a samurai showdown. Id play for hours and loved it even though I had no idea what a combo was lol. Good times. Miss the early 90s.
my favorite characters grow up is Nakoruru,Rimaruru,Shiki and Cham Cham i miss cosplaying as Nakoruru with my sister
"Lets just settle down and play the funny Samurai game" LMAOOO!!!
I love this transition, its so passive aggressive
Really nice video to one of my favorite fighting game series that’s not based on pre-existing comic book characters (Marvel vs Capcom), Anime characters (DragonBall Z, Yu Yu Hakusho, Sailor Moon) or Nintendo characters (Smash Bros)…..DEFINITELY my favorite true fighting game series when compared to Street Fighter, Mortal Kombat, Tekken, all those…..
If you make a follow up, try to cover the portable games, the ones on the NeoGeoPocket Color are superb!! Well, technically there’s a release on the regular NGPocket, and the second was released on the NGPocket Color……the 2 GameBoy games are neat too, especially the Japan exclusive Samurai Shodown 3….Part 1 for the GameBoy was always noteworthy to me, it’s possibly the weakest of the early 2D entries, but it’s the ONLY game so far that lets you play as that Mail Courier haha…..The NGPocket games are really good and the GameBoy games are worth playing. I feel like all 4 mentioned games had more focus on special moves…it’s like I can play the arcade series and rarely use a special, but when I play any of the portable games I use special moves quite a bit…it’s weird how similar they are, yet how different they feel…it’s unfortunate those games aren’t as easily accessible to competitive play
Asura Zanmaden and 6. Only ones you need.
Watching this while trying to get my last trophy then I will try to get the collection plat . I love this game so much it deserves more love. Ps shiki is my main hbu
I love the name bit at the end. Does it cost more for him to read your name hilariously?
Yes.
The characters are so damn cool.
Awesome vid, but kinda sad it doesnt mention anything about Asura Zanmaden, cause that game must be the most solid samsho after VSP and 2.
Hyper Neogeo 64 games are finally playable on mame on the latest build, and I highly recommend playing samsho 64 2 to any fan of this series.
So the bar down the street from my house in PA still has a MVS with Samsho 2, Super Baseball and Metal Slug 2
Okay but to be fair the Irish invented Samhain. I think they're allowed to have Halloweentown
Oh cool, always heard of this series but never looked into it.
@EverydayLegend yeah I knew a new game for the series had came out because that Woolie guy was talking about it. I'll try it someday but I'm in no rush tbh.
ACTUALLY, this series is known as Shogun's Heroes, at least around my house.
Speaking of arcade cabinets, my local barcade has a SNK cabinet with SamSho V Perfect on it. You bet your ass I play it sober & drunk.
I had a bootleg copy of SamSho 4 for my modded PS1, one of the very first pirated games I got, and to this day its one of my favorite videogames ever.
The character Cham Cham in SS2 has to be visually based on Lum from Urusei Yatsura right? Girl with green hair and tiger print bikini?
Probably, inspiration can come from many places, Feral Kid from Mad Max 2 can considered to be one of Cham Cham's inspirations too.
Lets go Kbash
"Steven Spielberg Desu" will never not be funny.
Can't wait for Kbash to cover Bushido blade and how it'll never get a worthwhile sequel :(
WELL Well Well well well
Ukyo Tachibana uber alles!
Please play the Trail series.
Who's your favorite player in Samsho? Mine were Nakaruru & Charlotte..🤩
Iroha.
I play half the cast in SS7 / 2019, but my mains are Haohmaru, Ukyo, and especially Yoshitora.
Haohmaru and Galford
Galford, Ukyo and Genjuro 🎴
....yes
It's common misconception that SS6 is the first and only SamSho to feature a former US President when SS4 actually featured........OBAMA!
Andrew Jackson!!😮
Salute 🫡 🇺🇸