Samurai Shodown has magnificent origin
The legendary fighting game series has impressive start with SNES adaptation
Fighting games were built a little differently back in the day. They were expected to be an exact copy of the arcade version they were borne from, they needed to play just as well as their arcade parents, and they needed to set up the next arcade version. The Samurai Shodown series was no stranger to these expectations. And it could reasonably meet them with the Neo Geo arcade system. But the debut 16-bit version of the beloved Sam Sho is a different tale of the tape.
Samurai Shodown tells the story of revenge wrought by the resurrected Amakusa in 1787 and 1788 as he sought to avenge his execution by the Shogunate in 1638. Amakusa made a deal with the demon lord Ambrosia and drew other fighters to him. Now-familiar faces dot the cast: Naokoruru and Haohmaru (from Capcom vs. SNK fame), Galford, Charlotte, Earthquake, and Jubei. It’s a fighting game with an interesting cast and story based on a few real figures in history, so it’s bound to draw interest.
However, what should really send you is the presentation. Samurai Shodown — as noted in our review of the 2019 remake (Editor’s note: See Issue 39 for the review) — is one of the most beautiful fighting game series ever created. And while we initially heaped that praise on the modern version, it also extends to the retro version as well. Beginning with the introductory screen, Samurai Shodown does not disappoint in the visuals. The lush, beautiful graphics go a long way in setting the scene of the violence and beauty of the Edo period of Japanese history. Similarly, the soundtrack doesn’t disappoint, either. Everything about the presentation is inviting if you’re into this sort of thing; spoiler alert, I am, which should be obvious by now within the context of Gaming Insurrection. It’s just that there is so much gorgeous to go around, and it should be praised because this is game graphics at its best, even in the 16-bit era.
Slightly less praiseworthy are the controls. Retro Samurai Shodown is notoriously hard to navigate, and that’s on full display here. Sometimes I could get moves off cleanly; sometimes I struggled just to get a common projectile motion to work. It’s easy to pick up, but there is struggle, and it’s worth considering if you can tolerate that enough to 
continue through the game. Also, realize now that in Arcade Mode, you’re going to fight everyone in the cast. There is no “let’s select six to eight opponents from this very full cast;” no, you’re fighting everyone before you even sniff Amakusa so you will get lots of practice with those hard movesets. However, it is broken up with progressively harder mini games, so this isn’t unfamiliar territory. The Countdown Mode, a sort of early survival mode, is a decent challenge that also gets progressively harder. There is replay value there, so that adds to the charm of an otherwise barebones game.
If you can move past the so hard it’s a good hurt mentality of the original Samurai Shodown, there is a crown jewel waiting to be played and dissected. The death poem that is the difficulty and controls in concert may be a detraction but know that it remains beautiful later down the fighting game road with improvements. It must start somewhere, and this is a good start.
Turbo, with the North American or Japanese versions available for play. In all cases, these are arcade rom versions gathered together in one spot and you can freely switch between them on free play. Collection-wise, this is a top-tier package for those who love fighting games made by Capcom. Mainstream money maker that’s still around today? That’s Hyper Street Fighter 
create. Rival Schools and Project Justice are especially egregious because while they’ve been ported to PlayStation Network, we haven’t gotten a full, unaltered port of either game. A modern translation of the board game and simulation mode in both games is not that hard, but I digress again because we know we are never getting it. It’s a shame because this collection as pulled together in 2022 could have used some better curation.
combined elements from Star Wars with elements of anime and fighting games. Years later, having played games like Soulcalibur, I wanted to play a fighting game with weapons. I’m glad I got my hands on the first game in the series, Star Gladiator — Episode 1: Final Crusade.
base was attacked by disciples of Bilstein known as the Fourth Empire. With the Fourth Empire’s attacks toward Earth continuing, the Federation’s hopes rely on a project allowing plasma-powered users to activate their gifts on a whim. That project’s name is Star Gladiator.
period. The other, Plasma Revenge, allows you to counter an opponent’s fast attack while you unleash your own lighting attack. Star Gladiator also introduces the Plasma Combo System, which allows you to setup rapid attacks that, with the right timing, can result in a technique called Plasma Final that inflicts major damage. Finally, another standout feature in Star Gladiator is the plasma strike ability that lets you deliver heavy damage, if timed perfectly on the opponent. 
roster, even the lower-tier characters.
Also adding value is the soundtrack, one of Capcom’s masterpieces. The game is set in the mid-to-late 1980s and it sounds appropriate to that era. Beyond the bangers for multiple characters — Sagat, Balrog and Juli/Juni instantly come to mind — even the narration deserves praise. It’s over the top but it fits perfectly. The soundtrack also works well with the graphics. The sprites are big and colorful as are the detailed and stunning stages. It’s one of Capcom’s better-looking games and is a massive improvement from the rest of the Alpha series. It almost looks like it belongs in an entirely different game series.
for its time, is good. The backgrounds are gorgeous in some stages, and the polygons are super blocky and polygonal. However, this was 1997, so it’s acceptable given what everything else polygon-based looked like at the time. Again, as Rival Schools was around at the same time, it’s comparable to that game but it doesn’t look quite as good. The soundtrack is passable, much like the graphics. It wasn’t impressive but it wasn’t terrible, either. It’s reminiscent of other Capcom fighters at the time, despite this not being developed by Capcom.
characters in the Ratio System is questionable and their movesets being pressed between 
need no introduction and you’re allowed to have repeat praise heaped on your shoulders.
item from Guile, which would help him defeat M. Bison. Third Strike boss Gill drives the plot overall, tying up the loose ends between