Final Fantasy VII Rebirth is the 12-page cover story of Game Informer Issue 362, the publication announced.
Samurai Shodown RPG is like Final Fantasy with fighting game inputs
30.11.2023 - 22:05 / polygon.com / Fighting Game
Over two decades after its debut, a unique, turn-based RPG based on the Samurai Shodown fighting game series (known as Samurai Spirits in Japan) is finally playable in English thanks to a group of dedicated translators and hackers.
The late 1990s were truly a magical time for fighting games. Not only were some of the most historically beloved genre entries being released, but they were also so popular at the time that developers started to experiment with established franchises outside the head-to-head competitive format. Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidō Retsuden, initially released by SNK for the Neo Geo CD in 1997, was one such exercise, and now even fans who don’t speak Japanese can play the game in full.
“My white whale has finally been slain,” said project lead and self-styled SNK historian Jeff “MoriyaMug” Nussbaum on classic game mod repository ROMhacking.net.
Nussbaum’s journey to this moment, at least according to the README bundled with the translation, began all the way back in 2007 when an unnamed benefactor provided him with the tools to dump the Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits script.
“In essence, I was told, ‘Have fun figuring the rest out,’” Nussbaum said. “And since I’m more than a little Samurai Shodown-obsessed, I immediately set to work.”
After several setbacks and negative experiences — including, Nussbaum said, “being accosted online by people who felt like the mere existence of my work meant that they were personally entitled to it” — Nussbaum paused development on the project before being inspired to pick it up again in 2022.
Samurai Shodown: Tales of the Bushido, as the translation renames the game for English-speaking audiences, adheres to RPG tropes of the era while also introducing several wrinkles inspired by its roots.
The player is given the choice of six classic Samurai Shodown characters — Haohmaru, Genjuro Kibagami, Nakoruru, Cham Cham, Ukyo Tachibana, and Galford D. Weller — with which to start the game, each with their own openings as well as unique dialogue and cutscenes (the basic narrative remains the same no matter who you choose at the outset).
Additionally, powerful skills analogous to magic spells in other RPGs have instead been modeled after party members’ special moves from the fighting games, and these moves can even be performed using traditional fighting game inputs like quarter-circles. This mechanic can be changed with simple menu selections, but come on, that’d be like turning off timed hits in Super Mario RPG. Samurai up and learn your Shoryuken motions.
Shinsetsu Samurai Spirits: Bushidō Retsuden was eventually ported to more popular platforms like the Sega Saturn and PlayStation, but it’s widely accepted that the Neo Geo CD version is the best thanks
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gameranx.com
19.12.2023 / 17:33
Final Fantasy VII Rebirth Fans Showing Love To Square Enix Devs
Video game developers are constantly under pressure to make the best titles they can. That goes double for when they’re working in an established franchise or have made a hit game and are asked to follow it up. With Final Fantasy VII Rebirth, the pressure increases exponentially because of various factors. First, the previous entry in the “remake saga” was a smash hit and “rewrote” the world and characters that fans loved in certain places. That means the sequel could be just as “shifting,” and that has caused some problems amongst “some fans.” By that, we mean people have been bombarding the Square Enix team with messages and demanding that certain things don’t happen in the sequel.
droidgamers.com
18.12.2023 / 17:32
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destructoid.com
17.12.2023 / 21:21
Super Mario RPG made the genre click for me when Final Fantasy couldn’t
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gamesradar.com
14.12.2023 / 17:17
Finally, a shopkeeping sim where I can live out my dreams as a goblin merchant in an RPG like Baldur's Gate 3
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blog.playstation.com
14.12.2023 / 14:35
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wccftech.com
12.12.2023 / 07:17
Final Fantasy XVI: Echoes of the Fallen – Is There Any Missable Content?
While it initially seemed like Final Fantasy XVI wouldn’t get any DLC, this week at The Game Awards it was announced the game will be getting a pair of story expansions, with the first, entitled “Echoes of the Fallen,” being available right now!
wccftech.com
12.12.2023 / 05:29
Final Fantasy XVI: Echoes of the Fallen – How to Find All 6 Fallen Bit Accessories
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gameranx.com
11.12.2023 / 13:01
Final Fantasy XVI’s Dev Team Has Broken Up And Is Moving On
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wccftech.com
11.12.2023 / 07:31
Final Fantasy XVI: Echoes of the Fallen – How to Start the DLC and What Level You Should Be
While it initially seemed like Final Fantasy XVI wouldn’t get any DLC, this week at The Game Awards it was announced the game will be getting a pair of story expansions, with the first, entitled “Echoes of the Fallen,” being available right now!
wccftech.com
08.12.2023 / 13:13
Final Fantasy XVI PC Version Is Likely Going to Require an SSD; All DLC May Be Included
The PC version of Final Fantasy XVI may require an SSD, producer Naoki Yoshida suggested in a new interview.
pushsquare.com
06.12.2023 / 22:59
Another Final Fantasy 16 Update Is on the Way, But Don't Get Your Hopes Up | Push Square
A new Final Fantasy XVI patch will be deployed at the end of next week, but you shouldn't be hoping it includes anything even remotely substantial: it's just going to make an adjustment to the way scores are calculated in Arcade Mode. The PS5 update will be available for download on 8th December 2023, adding a new leaderboard for all your performance scores and retiring the old one.