Is Samurai Showdown II the best in the series?

SignOfGoob

Butthurt Enthusiast
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The only reason to buy US AES is for max power collectardation. In that scenario buying an incomplete copy makes no sense. Without the manual no other max power collectard will want it. You're buying something broken that they don't make parts for anymore. It can't be fixed ever.

Beyond that though, the fact that he's asking about price is even more nonsense. If he can't easily afford this game he has no business buying AES in the first place because its one of the cheap ones. Games are often four digits now.

If you're asking about the price of oil changes on a Ferrari you're at the wrong place. Just buy the WRX instead and not be nervous about every thing you do in the car until you eventually sell it. Make it easy on yourself. For the price of this game you could have an MVS and a couple of games. For the price of another AES game you could instead have a dozen MVS games. AES makes no sense at all unless you never play the stuff and even as a pure collectard you still have to have a plan.
 

CORY

a.k.a. Mother Teresa
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The only reason to buy US AES is for max power collectardation. In that scenario buying an incomplete copy makes no sense. Without the manual no other max power collectard will want it. You're buying something broken that they don't make parts for anymore. It can't be fixed ever.
Pretty sure Kenny Boy can sell you a manual for $49,999.97 + shipping.
 

Mr. Karate II

Edo Express Delivery Guy
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Is Samurai Showdown II the best in the series?
It depends on your taste.

First of all, 'SamSpi 2' has been a kind of very conservative remake of the first chapter, but despite this, it was one of the greatest games released during the first period of life of the NEOGEO, so graphically it has aged well and even today the colors and backdrops are beautiful and full of life.

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More Games About Buildings and Food — Dango & meat from Samurai Shodown II, by SNK

However, it's a game where hits inflict a lot of damage, so the game experience is based much on waitings.

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Samurai Shodown 2 - Haohmaru - Rice Wine Whack GIF

The original creators at that time have tried to update the game mechanics with the third and fourth chapters, however, the last refinements were made on the polygonal chapters released on Hyper Neo Geo 64, which on a collectible level I don't know if you'd be interested in.



Anyway, on NEOGEO the chapters of 'SamSpi' that in my opinion have best embraced modernity, were the fifth chapter and especially its special version.

The fifth chapter has an excellent story mode (cut in the American edition for the MVS and AES versions) and an interesting game technique, which is called as 'Concentraion One': however, has the defects of having the backgrounds recycled from previous chapters (but without any animation); the old characters have then the same sprites of the old chapters (but recolored) and there is absolutely no some music track that can be defined as memorable.

While with the 'V Special' have smoothed a little that feeling of poverty and have added also a level of violence even higher than that of the third chapter, which culminates completely with the assassination techniques of the characters, which in this chapter have been called as Zetsumei Ougi (in short are the techniques of the fatalities).

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Overkill | Samurai Shodown Wikia

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Samurai Shodown 5 Special - Specials and all Fatalities

If today you want a great hybrid between the excellent technical apparatus and the simplicity of the first chapters, but with the addition of a high level of violence, the latest chapter released in 2019 is a great middle ground.

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All Super Moves So Far (PAX East Build) GIF | Gfycat

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Samurai Spirits Showdown - Discover & Share GIFs - Tenor

Hey guys, I was looking to get a us version cart of Samurai Showdown II but they're kind of expensive on eBay and there are only a few. Is it way better than the first game or would the first game be a good place to start? Also what does a copy of Samurai Showdown II go for these days? There's one for 450 on eBay with box and cart, would 300 be too much for it?
As I said at the beginning, the second chapter was an update of the first, so, if you really don't want to take both, the second is the title with the most substance.

Then why isn't it the same price as the japanese one?
The market is based on the supply of the material and the demand of the public.

When 'Samurai Spirits' was released in Japan it was one of the most incredible successes that SNK has ever had: many Japanese went crazy and bought a NEOGEO just to have this game in their homes, while in the United States despite 'SSII' has been a very popular game, have not been produced the same number of copies of the Japanese archipelago.

 
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bulbousbeard

Iconic Romhacker Analinguist
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Samurai Shodown 2 is the best Neo Geo game. It's not even close. It's one of the best video games ever made. The presentation, music, style, artistic taste on display are pretty much at the top of the heap as far as video games go. It's one of the few video games I can think of that doesn't have any glaring flaw.

3 had good art but always played like ass. Samurai Shodown 4 was rushed, made cheaply, suffers from horrific art drift (different characters don't look like they belong in the same game), and has crappy music.

The thing about Samurai Shodown 2 is that its American release branded it as a sequel but it's really just a big patch and refinement of the first game. That's why it's so good. As opposed to having to start from scratch like they did with 3, they basically just iterated on Samurai Shodown 1.

Samurai Shodown 1 and Samurai Shodown 2 are analogous to Afterburner 1 and Afterburner 2 where "part 1" is basically just a beta of the game.
 

Mr. Karate II

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IntvCruise's question has been written in a vague way and I took advantage of it specifically to make disclosure to the hundreds of lurkers who follow this forum every day, but also to make IntvCruise understand that 1994 was 27 years ago and that 'Samurai Shodown II' is no longer the best chapter in the absolute sense: the series has evolved over time and each title has its strengths and weaknesses (especially when with the same price of that copy lame that he wants to buy, it is already possible to take a PS4 Pro with the whole series released on the NEOGEO and the new chapter of 2019).

If he then doesn't want to change his mind because he's a nostalgia fanatic, I've already answered in the TLDR format his real questions that he published after the title (you can find them a few inches above your profile).

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GamingCult

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Sep 17, 2018
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This probably won’t make a difference in the decision making process, but if you own a US based AES, the games will be in English. And, as previously mentioned, you can get a SamSho compilation, with all titles, on modern consoles.
 

zinho

Kula's Candy
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I prefer the fourth one, but it’s a close choice, II is beyond amazing
 

madmanjock

Bare AES Handler
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You should just get the first one on SNES…. No even I’m not that mean.
 
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DevilRedeemed

teh
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But 2 is not the whole story so who gives a fuck if it's the best. It communes with it's other iterations. Get them all. Or don't
Blah
Also Tam Tam>Cham Cham
 
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Niko

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May 15, 2014
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Why not take an hour and play the games yourself to form your own opinion?

If you want facts, They’re all fun, but IV is the best.
 

SNKJorge

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2 and 5 special for me. VI felt weird. I have a friend who plays III day and night.
 

Orpheus

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There’s a reason there is a dedicated SSII machine…


This.

.....and to the OP of this thread: 2 is the epitome of the Neo Geo as well as the era both in 90's 2D fighting games & arcade games in general. It is arguably one of the finest video games ever made & commands it's place as such.

SS3 is a stellar entry as well, although a bit of a divisive one due to it's darker tone. It's one of the prettiest games on the Neo & one of my personal favorites.

I think you should shun much of what you are being told by skipping the first installment. It is a great game in it's own right & I would say that is where you should start. A true Neo Geo fan will start with SS1 & then work their way up.

If you are interested in english home carts I would recommend that you shun that for now & go the route of Jap home carts, MVS carts or Neo CD's as the Sam sho series (well the first 3) on CD are tops (while SS3 CD is regarded as amazing).

SS4 was a botched mess, SS5/Special is kinda mugen like but liked by competitive players due to the maxed out roster.....and SS6 is best forgotten.
 
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