SNK Neo-Geo MVS cart. published 17 years ago:



Samurai Spirits Zero © 2003 SNK Playmore.



A 5th episode of the Samurai Shodown saga on Neo-Geo with 24 selectable characters plus Poppy (secret character) plus 3 bosses (Sankuro the mid-boss, Yumeji the sub-boss and the general Gaoh as final boss).



TECHNICAL

Runs on the SNK "Neo-Geo MVS" hardware.

Game ID: NGM-270



Players: 2

Control: 8-way Joystick

Buttons: 4

→ [A] Light attack, [B] Medium attack, [C] Kick/Break defence, [D] Lie down/Forward roll/Back roll/Small jump/Dodge



TRIVIA

Samurai Spirits Zero was released in October 2003 in Japan. Called ZERO because its story takes place before the first Samurai Spirits episode.



This game is known outside Japan as Samurai Shodown V.



Parts of Shiki's personality are homages to Rei Ayanami (a character from Evangelion) and Mugen no Jyuunin. As a matter of fact, one of her winquotes was taken word-for-word from a quote in Evangelion.



Rera first appeared in a Nakoruru OVA titled 'Nakoruru - Ano hito kara no okurimono'.



Sankuro's name and moves (which call out his henchmen), collectively, contain all the digits from one to nine.



Yumeji's attacks are all borrowed from other characters (for most of them, she morphs into the character she is borrowing the move from). Her Shin Musou Ittou-ryuu Kagerou and Shin Musou Ittou-ryuu Sasame Yuki - Sen are all borrowed from Ukyo's Bust moves in SS4 (Ukyo only has his Slash moves from SS4 in SS5). She also borrows: Charlotte's Bayonette Lunge, Genjuro's Sanren Satsu, Hanzo's Ninpou Mozu Otoshi, Haohmaru's Ougi - Kogetsu Zan, Jubei's Yagyu Shingan Tou - Souha, Kyoshiro's Choubi Jishi, Nakoruru's Annu Mutsube, Rimururu's Rupush Kamui Weison Pekoru, Ukyo's Hiken Tsubame Gaeshi, Yoshitora's Yon no Tachi - Tsubaki.



The creator of the manga 'Rurouni Kenshin', Nobuhiro Watsuki, helped to make 'Yoshitora Tokugawa'. Nobuhiro Watsuki has declared many times his love for the Samurai Spirits video-games. You can find some characters in his work strictly copied from these series.



Card game: In December 2006, Sabertooth Games released a Samurai Shodown V collectable card game set for it's Universal Fighting System (UFS) game.



UPDATES

If you put the game in 'Japan territory' via the MVS bios setting, the story mode will be completed by little scenes of dialogs between the different characters.



TIPS AND TRICKS

• Costume Color Select: everyone has four outfit colors chosen by A, B, C or D. The (D) button ones seem to be the oddest ones.


• Play as Poppy: on the character select screen highlight 'Kazuki' and then move Left, Right, Left(x2), Right(x2), Left(x2), Right and then button A to select (use buttons B to D instead for different colors).


• I'm Not Afraid Of You!: think you are really good? Tap Start 3 times quickly to make your character drop his/her sword. Now show your opponents that the most fearsome weapons are the ones you were born with!


• Secret Win Pose: if you get a Perfect win in the second round with Galford, one of Poppy's puppies will show up and run forward, only to stumble and land on it's stomach.


• Pursuit Reset: pick Jubei and perform a Big Pursuit when unarmed (press Up+B+C when your opponent is down). The game will reset.

SERIES

• Samurai Spirits [Model NGM-045] (1993)


• Shin Samurai Spirits - Haohmaru Jigoku Hen [Model NGM-063] (1994)


• Samurai Spirits - Zankurou Musouken [Model NGM-087] (1995)


• Samurai Spirits - Amakusa Kourin [Model NGM-222] (1996)


• Samurai Shodown 64 (1997)


• Samurai Shodown 64 - Warrior's Rage (1998)


• Kenkaku Ibunroku Yomigaerishi Soukou no Ha - Samurai Spirits Shinshou (1999, PSX)


• Samurai Spirits Zero [Model NGM-270] (2003)


• Samurai Spirits Zero Special [Model NGM-272] (2004)


• Samurai Spirits - Tenkaichi Kenkakuden (2005)


• Samurai Shodown - Edge of Destiny (2008)

STAFF

Illustrators: Dorio Takaya, Takkun, Sakuraitohru, Murasaki, Yukikage, Takahashi

Character designers: Nobuhiro Watsuki, Takuro Fuse, Ponkichi, Kentaro Maruta, Gunpom, C. Takahashi, Qon, Yuichi Nakatani, Shinosuke, Kusarehada, Takayanagi K', Takaomi, Shuhei Hayashi, Kano Toyo, Tomisu, Toshirou Hara, Taisuke Satoh, Yasuhiro Nightow

[Marehen Breaker]: Kazuhiro Mikuma, Kengo Tanaka

[Tachyon]: Miyazaki-Atu

[Mechanic Arms]: Manabu Sakai, Yoshiki Oyabu, Toshiharu Tagami

???: Daisuke Shimada

???: Morita Kazuro, Ken, Hide. H, M. Kawamura, Nakamura Yoshihiro

Music Compose: Suemura Kennosuke, Kuroiwa Haruhiko

Arrange & Sound Design: Suemura Kennosuke

Sound Effect: Miyazaki Seiji

Sound Director: Matsuo Atsuya, Hide. H

Producer: Yasuo Tanaka

 

• Voice actors:

Announcer/Narrator: Satoshi Taki

Haohmaru: Masaki Usui

Nakoruru: Harumi Ikoma

Yoshitora Tokugawa: Hiro Yuki

Mina Majikina: Satsuki Yukino

Ukyo Tachibana: Eiji Yano

Rimururu: Hitomi Nabatame

Yunfei: Satoshi Taki

Kusaregedo the demon: Go Shinomiya

Genjuro Kibagami: Kong Kuwata

Rera: Kyoko Hikami

Kyoshiro Senryo: Monster Maetsuka

Rasetsumaru: Tsuguo Nakajima (formerly Mogami)

Kazuki Kazama: Atsushi Yamanishi

Sogetsu Kazama: Naoki Oikawa

Enja: Shintarou Ohata

Suija: Ikouji Nose

Hanzo Hattori: Toshimitsu Arai

Galford: Mantaro Koichi

Shizumaru Hisame: Miho Kaneda

Jubei Yagyu: Kiyoshi Kobayashi

Basara: Masahiro Nonaka

Gaira Caffeine: Takeshi Watanabe

Charlotte: Harumi Ikoma

Tam Tam: Toshikazu Nishimura

Sankuro Yorozu: Tomoyuki Shimura

Yumeji Kurokouchi: Mitsuki Saiga

Gaoh Kyougoku Hinowanokami: Kenji Utsumi



PORTS

• CONSOLES:

[JP] SNK Neo-Geo AES (Dec. 11, 2003; "Samurai Spirits Zero [Model NGH-270]")

[JP] Sony PS2 (jul.29, 2004; "Samurai Spirits Zero [Model SLPS-25346]")

[JP] Sony PS2 (???? ??, 2005; "Samurai Spirits Zero [SNK Best Collection] [Model ????-?????]")

[JP] Sony PS2 (jul.24, 2008 "Samurai Spirits - Rokuban Shobu [NeoGeo Online Collection Vol.12] [Model SLPS-25839]")

[JP] Nintendo Wii (jul.24, 2008 "Samurai Spirits - Rokuban Shobu [Model RVL-RSSJ-JPN]")

[JP] Sony PS2 (june.18, 2009 "Samurai Spirits - Rokuban Shobu [NeoGeo Online Collection The Best] [Model SLPS-25934]")