Samurai Shodown Neogeo Collection
A CUTTING-EDGE COMPILATION
INFORMATION
» FORMAT REVIEWED PC
» ALSO ON: PS4, XBOX ONE, SWITCH
» RELEASED: OUT NOW (PC), 28 JULY (CONSOLES)
» PRICE: £31.99
» PUBLISHER: SNK
» DEVELOPER: DIGITAL ECLIPSE
» PLAYERS: 1-2
When we learned that Digital Eclipse would be working with SNK to deliver a Samurai Shodown compilation, we were quite excited – the previous partnership between the two companies, 2018’s SNK 40th Anniversary Collection, was a retro compilation that stood as a great example for any game developer to follow. The good news is that while Samurai Shodown Neogeo Collection might not offer the same level of variety as that package, it does offer the same level of care and attention for the original games.
As you’ve probably guessed from the name, Samurai Shodown Neogeo Collection contains all of the Neo Geo MVS games in the series. For the uninitiated, these one-on-one fighters are set in the Edo period of Japanese history and feature fighters loosely based on historical figures as well as wholly original designs. The style of combat in all of the games is based on high-damage strikes, which emphasise careful judgment of range and well-timed blows over speed and combo mastery. This was unique in the Nineties, and remains very unusual today. As you’d expect, the seven games here are fairly similar, with mechanical additions and character roster changes providing the major distinctions between each.
The most exciting game in the package is easily Samurai Shodown V Perfect. This third version of the series’ fifth game has never seen an official release, having been pulled from its location test within hours, but is presented here in its finished form. The main draw of the game is a new story, which has been translated into English by Digital Eclipse, as well as some bug fixes that are more likely to be noticed by hardcore fans of Samurai Shodown V Special. While the changes are mostly subtle, it’s definitely one of the coolest pieces of history we’ve seen in a compilation so far.
>> There’s lots of retro goodness this month as we’ve got the latest compilation from Digital Eclipse, a couple of Sega Ages games courtesy of M2 and a remaster of Burnout Paradise on Switch. Enjoy
Games are presented with exhaustive options. The standard things you’d hope for are present and correct, such as button configuration, difficulty selection and save states for arcade mode play. You can also choose between Japanese and American regional releases, which is always appreciated. Local and online multiplayer options have been included for all seven games in the package. Online play in the period immediately following launch was rough, but the 1.03 patch greatly improved the situation and we were able to enjoy fast, stable matches.
A lot of attention has been paid to the appearance of the games, too. Attractive TV and arcade monitor filters are available, or you can choose to play with no filter at all. Screen ratio options are present, and a selection of borders are available to fill up your display. However, the greatest graphical trick that this release has to show off is the HD Scaling option. The sprites in the original games were designed to show their full detail up close, and lose detail as the camera zoomed out. With the increased resolution of modern HD displays, it’s possible to zoom out while retaining the full detail of the sprites – and that’s what HD Scaling does. It’s a subtle effect, but one that does greatly improve the look of the games when enabled.
The front-end is very similar to that of the SNK 40th Anniversary Collection menu system, so it’s simple but attractive, and easy to navigate. We also appreciate that Digital Eclipse has once again gone the extra mile in curating a museum mode that truly helps the player to appreciate the source material. As well as text summaries of the main games that cover both the in-game story and real-world development stories, artwork is present for even the most tangentially related spin-offs. There are also video interviews, pro match replays with helpful explanations of the action, and character profiles to view.
The only technical hitch we encountered was bizarre slowdown when the graphical filters were switched off. We discovered that our automatic settings had assigned the game to run on the integrated GPU rather than the Geforce one, and switching that fixed the issue – but it’s worth bearing in mind if you’re running on a low-end system. Beyond that, we can find little fault with the compilation. It might have been nice to allow players access to the AES modes of the games, or include the Neo Geo Pocket games, but frankly such complaints seem churlish in the face of such a focused, polished collection of games.
If you have any interest in the Samurai Shodown series, or the boom era of 2D fighting games in general, Samurai Shodown
Neogeo Collection comes highly recommended. The games are still very distinctive and enjoyable, and they’ve been presented with an exemplary level of care. The museum ensures that Samurai Shodown novices can get up to speed with the series and understand what makes it special, and the new features ensure that even veterans will have something to draw them in. Hats off to Digital Eclipse – this is the kind of release that every developer of retro releases should pay attention to, and maybe borrow a few ideas from.
In a nutshell
Samurai Shodown Neogeo Collection takes its brief and absolutely nails it. More than just a collection of classic fighting games, this is a loving tribute to one of SNK’S most recognisable series – a playable history lesson of the highest quality.
>> Score 92%