Tuesday, March 02, 2010

Let's Me and You Fight! (Old School)

For whatever reason, my favorite fighting game of all time has faded into obscurity. Likely the reasons I liked it so much are the reasons for its lack of enduring success.

Bushido Blade


Most people don't remember this game from the prime Playstation 1 years, but back in 1997, when fighting games were absolutely the dominant form of game, it stood apart.

Unlike nearly every game before or since, Bushido Blade didn't bother with life bars. Your attacks could have two effects. Wound or Kill. Some battles lasted a second or less. Because blocking was so very important, everyone who played the game got really good at it, and the results were amazing. Dodging, parrying, thrusting, and ultimately positioning yourself for that final blow. The battlefields were large and fairly plain (even for the time) but included a lot of cool touches. For example, in the bamboo forest, attacking too close to a tree would cut it down. Some battles would be put on hold for a bit of forestry, before the death-dealing could commence.

It included a fairly interesting solo adventure mode, but, like most fighting games, one-on-one duels where the highlight of the game. Ultimately, I think the lack of the expected life bar and the potential for really short games turned off too many players. Combine that with a sub-par sequel and a publisher that was more interested in making vast piles of money with Final Fantasy games and the book closed on this amazing and unique fighter. Bushido Blade never made the jump to the next generation.

Such is life...and violent, brutal, death.

Adam!!!
http://www.gameguts.blogspot.com/

6 comments:

xWolfofSorrow said...

May I recommend an old Playstation 1 game? Castlevania: Symphony of the Night had out of these world graphics, effects, and gameplay, especially for a 2D platformer made in 1999! Did you ever play that game, Adam?

I recommend finding a ROM for it and play it on an Emulator if you haven't!

AdamC said...

I have never heard of it. I'll check it out if I get the chance (no promises) Right now I'm playing Endless Ocean: Blue World on on my Wii. I'm a huge fan of the EO, despite the fact that I spent 2 hours trying (and failing) to get a photo of an Orange Sea Slug. I kid you not...the mission is find a slug.

xWolfofSorrow said...

How much is it, I might be interested in buying it (my birthday is coming up soon).

And slugs are tiny, so don't fret! I'm pretty sure you will find it!

AdamC said...

Endless Ocean: Blue World is a budget title, a mere $29.99. Be warned, not everyone likes it.

xWolfofSorrow said...

Haha, I've seen some trailer videos on YouTube, it looks decent.

Anonymous said...

sir, May i ask u a question like: What is the price for PLAY STATION 3 in American Dollars cause i only have $$299 American Dollars?

Will that be enought for me to Buy it or do i need more?