'Bushido Blade' slashes action game competitors

No fireballs. No time limits. No life gauges. Just you, your weapon and your opponent. One wrong move and it's all over. Squaresoft's Bushido Blade cuts to the heart of what fighting games should be about - pure combat.

Choosing to abandon the traditional fighting game elements, Bushido Blade offers an innovative and refreshing departure from dragon punches and fireballs. The game runs off of a 3-D polygonal system like many of today's fighters, but that is pretty much where the similarities end.

REVIEW
	Bushido Blade 4 stars By Squaresoft Sony Playstation

The typical life-gauge is no longer used as matches are won off of one critical hit. To many traditional fighter fans, this may be the most irritating thing about the game. The fact that the match could literally be over after the first hit really throws people for a loop. But hey folks, this is realism. Think about it - if you get chopped in the head with a big heavy sword in real life, you won't be getting back up.

For the record, let me diffuse the myth that you can dismember your opponent (I was looking forward to that, too). But the fighter will lose the use of a limb after enough punishment. Once that occurs, the fight for survival becomes highly difficult. A good slice to the legs can cripple attackers so that they cannot stand or run. At that point, they must either lunge, crawl or roll their way out of trouble. They are even allowed to submit honorably and will kneel, awaiting your final blow. Of course, as long as you can still swing your weapon, victory is possible, so don't expect to see too many submissions.

One thing that people find distressing about Bushido is the lack of a large cast of characters. There are only six, and with deep-cast games like MK4 and SF vs. X-Men out, the selection screen looks a bit naked. Bushido Blade's six characters are distinctly different (not just a bunch of clones a la Street Fighter's Ken and Ryu.) To make up for the lack of characters, Bushido offers an array of eight weapons from which to choose, each with its own set of moves. Each fighter is especially good with two of the weapons, but can use the rest as well.

The fighting environment is also vastly different than the majority of beat-em-ups. Instead of restricting the player to a small square of movement, Bushido's fighting boards are large and usually multi-tiered, with characters able to run in any direction (assuming they still have use of their legs.) In Bushido's Story Mode, you can actually run to a different fighting area altogether.

The 3-D settings are well done and capture the essence of the game, although you may find yourself swiping at an invisible wall due to the camera angles.

The gameplay is really fluid and adds to the intensity level of the game. The fighters perform graceful acts of violence at the touch of a few buttons. Bushido's moves, based on button sequences, have a feeling of fluid continuation.

The music in the game is very fitting and diverse, ranging from simple wolves howling in the dark to tracks worthy of action-movie climaxes.

The sound effects aren't exactly spectacular, but what can you expect from grunts and sword clangs? The characters actually speak in Japanese (those of us with no bilingual skills must rely on subtitles), which adds a movie-like flare to the game.

Admittedly, the game can become stale if you don't have any friends to share in the bloodfest. Of course there are some options for the solo gamer, but there can be no doubt that the game was meant to be played human vs. human.

This game is the perfect for trash talking or taking out your frustrations on a roommate. With a large group of people, the game becomes outrageously fun, because no one wants to lose and have to wait for a turn.

Kudos go to Squaresoft for going against the norm with Bushido Blade. If they continue to pump out hits like this and Final Fantasy VII, other companies will need to kneel and submit.

11-04-97