First, the uncomfortable d-pad makes pulling off complex maneuvers a chore, and you should expect sore thumbs. For the most part, gameplay works reasonably well in these games, although there are two things worth noting. Grapple moves are also available, including our personal favorite, Gen-An's power drill technique. A power bar fills over time, giving you limited access to even more devastating moves. While fighting, you have your quick slashes, strong slashes and kick attacks. Most of the games are still good, although Samurai Shodown III is the weakest of the bunch because of the unbalanced gameplay. You can choose from such characters as the spiky-haired sword slasher Haohmaru, the bird-summoning Nakoruru, American swordsman Galford and his faithful canine, the green-colored claw-wielding Gen-An and fart-happy Earthquake (yep, he grabs your head and lets loose with a brown cloud), among others. Six are available, from the original SNK Neo-Geo game that started it all to the seldom-seen Samurai Shodown VI.

If you haven't had a chance to play these games, there's no better time to get acquainted than with Samurai Shodown Anthology.ДЄlmost all of the Samurai Shodown games are here and accounted for, save for the extremely rare (and hard to translate) role-playing game for Sega Saturn. Most of SNK's franchises have already gotten their due with compilations (World Heroes, Art of Fighting, Fatal Fury), so it's about time that the company's finest one to date, Samurai Shodown, appeared in the spotlight.

Samurai shodown anthology wii