Samurai Shodown V | 
| From: SNK
List Price: $29.99
Buy Used: $10.80
You Save: $19.19 (64%)
New (8) Used (15) from $10.80
Rating:  9 reviews
Sales Rank: 8062
Platform: Xbox
Genre: Adventure Games
ESRB: Teen
Media: Video Game
Autographed: No
Memorabilia: No
Number Of Items: 1
Age: 12 - 20 years
Shipping Weight (lbs): 1
Dimensions (in): 7.5 x 5.4 x 0.6
MPN: 50008
Model: 828862500083
UPC: 828862500083
EAN: 0828862500083
ASIN: B000809OOU
Release Date: January 18, 2006
Availability: Usually ships in 1-2 business days
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| Features:
| • | Choose from 20 classic Samurai SHodown characters, as well as some all-new ones | | • | Wild new moves and combo - new 3-bladed slash attacks and kick maneuvers you can combine into killer chain attacks | | • | Sword Spirit Gauge drains as you perform powerful attack combos and fills as you meditate or stand idle | | • | Slow down time for more effective attacks, and even drop your sword and go at it hand-to-hand! |
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Product Description
Samurai Shodown V brings back the classic side-scrolling action with a completelynew storyline, new characters and new moves. A samurai's quest to prove himself against the Shogun leads to a gathering of the world's greatest warriors to compete for the right to be named the greatest.
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| Customer Reviews: Read 4 more reviews...
 VICTOLY! July 31, 2006
A.N. Roman (Hillsboro, OR)
10 out of 10 found this review helpful
Despite having a long history playing fighting games (since 1991 when I was but 6 years old), I was never that into the Samurai Shodown series. Be it because I didn't own a NeoGeo system which they were primarily released for, or because the arcades here that had NeoGeo cabinets didn't feature any Samurai Shodown games, I didn't get many chances to play any. But I always wanted to. The character designs were incredible- you can't deny that Haohmaru's design has had influence on many modern samurai, including Mitsurugi from the Soul Calibur games. On top of great artwork, the fact that the weapon damage was fairly realistic for an early fighting game: heavy slash was in fact, a heavy slash- not just some slightly stronger than a regular slash attack. Over the years, a few Samurai Shodown games have finally been hitting more mainstream consoles, now including the Xbox. Unfortunately, having played some of the earlier SS games at arcades that now carry them, I can tell you that SSV is probably the one you'd least be satisfied with, even with the online play feature. And that's unfortunate, given that the online gameplay has practically no lag to be seen- something rare in 2D online fighters these days. It's funny though- SSV here seems fairly rushed overall, but has outstanding online gameplay. While other games like Guilty Gear X2 #Reload, a stunning 2D fighter of the highest quality in every gameplay, visual and sound aspect, has some of the worst lag you'll ever experience online. What's going on?
With this basic edition of Samurai Shodown V, there isn't much to the plot. In fact, the Japanese Samurai Showdown V Special has the plot, and since we got this one instead, don't expect to get the other version here any time soon (assuming sales for SSV are as low as I'm guessing they are). But, the main plot premise is that you play as one of many fighters, out to either attain glory, complete a personal goal of their own, or just search for someone as powerful as they are. There's a lot of variety in the characters here, though there are more clones than I'm comfortable with. Haohmaru has an evil clone who isn't explained, there are practically two Ukyos and two Genjuros when you count a semi-boss character in Yumeji, and then there are the obligatory twin element characters: one for fire and one for water. When you look carefully over every character here, you'll see that probably only half are original, real characters rather than variants of already existing ones. Selecting one of the many characters, you go through Arcade mode, making what you can of the scraps of plot thrown at you for whoever you're playing as, while praying to God that you can actually beat the semi-boss characters and the final boss as well. Trust me when I say that these fights are damn near impossible. The first semi-boss you'll fight is basically an ogre version of the "comedian" Gallagher, sledgehammer and all. He has 3 buddies that can attack you or hold you in place whenever he sees fit, and can heal almost all of his health while you're being held down. Don't expect to beat this guy on your first 10 tries. Simply put, pick a character with a cheap move (like the big monk's earthquake stomps), and spam the heck out of that move until he dies. Better yet, set the match count option to one round per fight. That way, if you beat him one round, you can move on to the next fighter, and not worry about lucking out and trying to win again. The other two bosses are Yumeji and Gaoh. Yumeji can use Ukyo and Genjuro's moves, which are in fact, better than Ukyo and Genjuro's versions, which is a slap in the face to both characters. Again, spam the same move over and over and pray you'll win. Gaoh however, is a beast, and I'm a bit ashamed to say that I've still yet to beat him. Even if you set the match count to one, you'll have to beat him twice. Good luck attempting that.
Like most fighting games, the replay isn't in the arcade mode (especially here), but in the versus and online options. Versus is self-explanatory in that you can face off against another opponent like in any other fighting game. Going on Xbox Live to face other SS players though, is the coolest part. No matter how much of a strong following SS has, the truth is that there probably aren't many other fans of the game where you live, so going online is a blessing for becoming a better player. The best part though, is that there's no lag to be found, at least, in the dozens of matches I've played on there. Everything ran smooth as silk, something I didn't expect after the GGX2#R incident. I also liked how there was a Tournament feature where you can create your own tournaments with tons of other players included. The only problem might be that there aren't -that- many people that play this game online. Your best bet is to go on SS message boards and ask around if anyone has this game and Xbox Live. Go from there. Just be careful- there are some pretty damn good SS players that will completely waste you if you don't put a bit of effort into mastering at least one character.
Here's where the game's rating drops a bit more than just the poor story mode and cheap bosses: the graphics are fairly ugly. Sprites have jagged lines, there's some slowdown once in a while, and some background textures could've used a few more people helping out on them. Compared to the likes of SS3 and 4, 5 doesn't look like a step up like it was supposed to be. When the sprites get zoomed in on for the short story portions, their flaws really begin to show. Playing as Ukyo and seeing his awkward side-pose win animation makes you wonder if someone completely different did the animations there. Fortunately, the audio's more balanced. There are some voice samples, as with any other fighting game, while some tend to be cool and others sound silly. Hearing "VICTOLY!" when you win a fight still makes me laugh. I absolutely love some of the tracks here too- Yoshitora's in particular. Classic Oriental instruments start it out, then it gets right into rocking. Sound effects, the chime that plays whenever you move the cursor over to select an option or character especially, needed some more work though. My girlfriend made sure to point out, "that's getting annoying" when I'd go into Training mode, and keep moving the cursor over to pick the stage I wanted to play in. Hearing it constantly for even 3 seconds does get old right away.
It's not so much that SSV isn't worth your money, it's just that myself and many other fighting game fans would've rather had the SSV: Special, or even better- a SS compilation put out instead of this basic version with hardly anything special to make it stand out. But, it is another online fighter for the Xbox, a system that doesn't have much in that department. If you're a fan of SNK, then you shouldn't be reading reviews to make the decision on buying this. But if you're more into Capcom or the Guilty Gear games, you may want to borrow or rent this one before putting down any money on it. Just remember- this is NOT the best one in the series, and doesn't make for a great first impression.
Well, at least it has Charlotte in it. February 17, 2006
DeRosset Myers (St Louis, MO)
4 out of 4 found this review helpful
Anyone who has played Samusrai Showdown III will know what my review title means. You can't have a real Samurai Showdown video game without the French Femme Fatale.
Anyway, some people may be a little angry that the controls in this game no not match that of the first game. Personally, I like the new set-up. Three slashes and one kick may not make sense, but it's effective. What I don't like is that when you change the button settings in the game, the moves list in the pause-screen menu becomes less helpful: for example, when I changed fierce slahs from trigger L to button A, the list still told me that to execute Charlotte's projectile attack (it had a name, but I can't remember) I still had to end the button combination with either X, Y, or L. This isn't very bothersome if you know all the moves by heart ... I can almost see you Samurai Showdown enthusiasts shaking your heads! Not everyone has played thist series inside out!!
Anyway, the online play would be much better if there were others who played the game. Unfortunately, you'll usually find yourself waiting a long time for an opponent if you create a match or you'll just get the game's error message if you go into quickmatch or optimatch. This is a problem: there are a lot of Samurai Showdown fans and there are a lot of XBox owners, but there are apparently not a lot of Samurai Showdown fans who own XBoxes and have XBox Live. If you want to know if this game is compatible with 360, you'll have to look at another review or ask Microsoft because I don't know. I'm sorry if this review is not helpful. Please vote accordingly so I'll know for sure. If this review is unhelpful, I need not take up valuable space on this website and will delete this review.
Good old fun! March 9, 2006
Jamel Matias
2 out of 2 found this review helpful
I remember playing this game for hours in the arcade of a bowling alley in high school. We used to play against each other for quarters, and eventually see if we can win the game using one man. The characters, sound effects, game-play, colors, and storyline are outstanding. I know this game is not like todays new games, but this brings back traditional combat games we have grown to love. I definitely recommend this to everyone who loves martial arts, fighting games, and those who would like to challenge all their friends online or perfect their own fighting style with their favorite character.
It's finally out! January 19, 2006
Va- Bank (New Jersey)
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Those who played this (or any other SS game) more than once in arcades will love it. New(er) generation of gamers may not.
This is a direct port from the NEOGEO platform. Graphics prove it. They are easily the worst thing in the game. Controls are very smooth and responsive (I gave up playing SF Aniv. Ed. because of its horrible controls). Gameplay is much more advanced then I remember from SS and SS2. Most of the original characters are present, plus a whole bunch of new ones, some good some bad. Sound is a marginal improvement over the previous titles and some character noises are downright annoying. The Arcade mode starts out pretty easy, but gets more difficult after first three challenges.
For those nostalgic for "the way games used to be" this should be a lot of fun. With XBOX Live (Which I don't have) it should be a blast.
Neo Geo 2D Goodness... ONLINE January 26, 2006
outsider
1 out of 1 found this review helpful
Plain and simple this game is made for those 2d fighter fans out there who waited years and years to be able to play the 2D games they loved online. This is an excellent port of the Neo Geo original which adds online play as a part of the package.
The graphics are dated and can't compare in sharpness or quality to those in SF3 or any of the GG games, but then again, if you're a Neo fan you already know what to expect. The game runs fast and fluidly both in single player and online. The new characters are ok, but I still tend to play with most of the SS1/SS2 cast. The online ranking system is flawed IMO, as the way it counts wins/losses wasn't very well thought out IMO.
Overall, a solid 2d title with LIVE support and a great price tag. If you're a 2D fighter fan waiting for something new to play on LIVE this is it. Stay tuned for KOF94 Rebout and more from SNK this year!
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