The original Samurai Shodown (which was released over 16 years ago) was always something of a source of envy for this particular writer. While many of us were enjoying perfectly serviceable versions of Street Fighter II at home on our SNESs and Megadrives, Samurai Shodown and its host platform (the insanely expensive NeoGeo) were always beyond reach; the game was a strange fruit from a far off and exotic land that we would never be able to possess. Obviously, things have changed greatly since that time, with the golden era of arcade gaming long over and with the current crop of consoles more than capable of delivering near photorealistic visuals.

Samurai Shodown: Sen (to be published by Rising Star Games) marks the series’ first 3D foray on the Xbox 360, and the title has much to prove – the world of the one on one fighter has seen something of a sea-change of late, with former 3D heavy-weights such as Soul Calibur and the Tekken series struggling to get noticed after the return of (arguably) the king of fighters; namely Street Fighter IV. 3D visuals are also no longer the novelty they once were, so the success of any such fighter is reliant on stylish design and (most importantly) robust mechanics.

The time we have spent with Sen has been fairly encouraging. For starters, the package as a whole is very slick, leaning heavily on Japanese history and videogame culture. Menus and character art are presented in rather gorgeous 2D pen and ink reminiscent of Capcom’s Okami and the game itself, while a touch pallid, nevertheless looks attractive and robust, with lushly rendered environments and an interesting cast of characters.

The game is set to offer a full roster of 26 characters, each with their own unique fighting style. Players weaned on Street Fighter may find the game takes some getting used to, as the combat mechanics are fairly different to the Capcom classic, though Soul Calibre veterans will likely feel right at home. Based around four main buttons (horizontal and vertical slashes, kicks and grabs), the system seems relatively flexible and while we’re still learning the ropes, the robust AI controlled fighters we’ve fought have manage to pull off all kinds of tricks, juggles and combos, hinting that there is a deep and challenging combo system to master.

As is now compulsory for any modern day fighter, Samurai Shodown: Sen will offer an online mode with full worldwide rankings as well as single player stories for each of the characters.

There is much talk at the moment of Japanese developers changing their style in an attempt to woo Western audiences, so it’s refreshing to see a game like Samurai Shodown: Sen, that so clearly celebrates and relishes its Japanese origins, on the release schedule . It also seems highly likely that Sen will pluck the heartstrings of anyone with fond memories of crowding around the arcade original in smoke-filled arcades. Make sure you read our full review in the coming weeks.

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