I'm not too heavy on most fighting games. I can appreciate them from afar, but the common juggling style and epileptic inducing visuals I just can't get into with any seriousness. The closest I usually get would be MK, but aside from that, I tend to stick to franchises like Fight Night and UFC. Def Jam: BFNY was awesome, too. Still, one of my favorites is Bushido Blade.

For those of you who never had the chance, it was a more or less realistic approach to melee combat of the feudal Japan flavor. There are no health bars, only crippling moves and death blows. Parrying and evasion are the only ways to survive a duel. The stages you fought in were expansive and free roaming. A fight in the main courtyard may end up in the bamboo thicket surrounding the castle. There were various stances (low/middle/high) that would change the move set dramatically, and each had their own advantages and disadvantages. When you had two players fighting against each other that knew what they were doing, the duels could last for a very long time, and every minute was extremely tense. Drop your guard for a moment and that one hit may be the last. And as the name suggests (which might be surprising) a code of honor actually figures into the fighting. Attacking your opponent while they are talking, hitting them from behind, or while they are on the ground would end the single-player story mode sooner than it would if you had kept the Bushido code, preventing you from getting the true ending.

That's not to say that it was without flaws. But on the whole it was a ton o' fun, and unlike anything else that was around, which it still is today for the most part. The second one was... eh, in my opinion. They started to deviate away from some of the original formula that made the first one so unique (like adding selectable firearms, wtf), and subsequently suffered in gameplay.

Anyway, as the topic thread suggests, I'd love to see a reboot of the franchise.

What about you? Any fighting games that didn't get the attention you felt it deserved, and would like to see revived?

Fuck nobody used the guns in Bushido Blade 2 because their startup frames sucked fucking bad. I liked the depth in that.

Oh yeah shoutouts to Jojo's Bizzare Adventure, an awesome looking game that's fucking hard to play because of its system. Week one of Jojo HD, lame it out with Hol Horse.

@ThePhantomnaut said:

Fuck nobody used the guns in Bushido Blade 2 because their startup frames sucked fucking bad. I liked the depth in that.

lol I know, but the fact that they were there was just like "Huh?" to me. I also don't remember the stages being as big in the second one and were more of the traditional size for a VF game or so, but I haven't played that one in a really long time. Dunno, just felt like they were trying to make it more like most other fighting games instead of sticking to their guns, as it were. (Wah wah)

I loved this game back in the day. It was one of the very few games I purchased for PS1(Saturn4Life). Im not sure if I could go back too it though, I think it wont have aged well and Dark Souls kind of fills the same void for me as far as combat is concerned.

EDIT: BB2 felt much more streamlined. I think they wanted to make it more multiplayer friendly but ended up ruining the single player in the process.

It's a shame that the Deadliest Warrior games failed at recapturing the Bushido Blade style. They were silly fun, but way too broken for any sort of competitive play.

I'm sure there's still a market for "one hit kill" fighting games, and I'd be first in line for a Bush-three-do Blade.

@ShaggE said:

Bush-three-do Blade.

Hehe... not bad lol

I'm actually perusing through videos of Way of the Samurai 3, which I wanted to check out and totally forgot about. Looks kind of cool.

My friends and I played Bushido Blade 2 non stop when we were in grade school/middle school. That was always a blast. I'd love the option to throw your extra sword/axe/dagger.

Hell yes, the original Bushido Blade was fantastic. I would love to see a passionate team revive its mechanics using the hyper-realistic graphics of the next generation of consoles and PC. Fighting games are big enough again, that there can be an audience for this special sub-genre.

True, pure samurai duels in quiet cherry blossom groves. Every time the sword makes contact with your body, a limb is crippled, or you fucking die!

@Grimhild said:

@ShaggE said:

Bush-three-do Blade.

Hehe... not bad lol

I'm actually perusing through videos of Way of the Samurai 3, which I wanted to check out and totally forgot about. Looks kind of cool.

Way of the Samurai 3 is actually pretty awesome. And the fights are actually surprisingly complex, particularly when you're in a bad situation like facing more than one guy in a narrow street. But man, fuck that samurai killer that pops up randomly in the night. Fuck that guy to pieces.

@Hailinel:

Sweet. I might try to track down a copy tomorrow...er... today... whatever.

@Grimhild: Nice! I remember playing bushido blade and loving it back then. It really was like a samurai movie in a video game - especially those drop dead silent moments where you're waiting for your perfect moment to strike - the background noises like waterfalls and such were a nice touch to add to the atmosphere.

I wish Strider would come back with a decent remake of sorts.

I've never played Bushido Blade, but ever since I heard about it I really wanted to. Are those games on the PSOne Classics page on PSN?

man ive been wishing they would release another bushido blade or something with similar mechanics since the second one came out. it was so visceral and cut off all the fat associated with fighting games. lots of style too.

but the game is such an obscure footnote by now that i highly doubt that anyone cares to resurrect the franchise.

@Landon:

The game was also added to the PSOne Classics roster on the Japanese PlayStation Store in 2008.

I guess? I'm not sure if that applies to the US/UK/EU. Wasn't even aware there were different ones since I was under the impression that the PS3 wasn't region locked. But I hardly ever play my PS3 so I'm not sure.

@JCTango:

I remember the graphics for the first Strider on Genesis literally made my jaw drop when I saw it.

"It'll NEVER get better than this!"

Oh, Bushido Blade. Best "fighting" game ever. There was so many epic duels in my childhood. The war hammer is so OP though.

@Grimhild said:

@Landon:

The game was also added to the PSOne Classics roster on the Japanese PlayStation Store in 2008.

I guess? I'm not sure if that applies to the US/UK/EU. Wasn't even aware there were different ones since I was under the impression that the PS3 wasn't region locked. But I hardly ever play my PS3 so I'm not sure.

Just went and checked, totally not on the US store.

@Hailinel said:

@Grimhild said:

@ShaggE said:

Bush-three-do Blade.

Hehe... not bad lol

I'm actually perusing through videos of Way of the Samurai 3, which I wanted to check out and totally forgot about. Looks kind of cool.

Way of the Samurai 3 is actually pretty awesome. And the fights are actually surprisingly complex, particularly when you're in a bad situation like facing more than one guy in a narrow street. But man, fuck that samurai killer that pops up randomly in the night. Fuck that guy to pieces.

I'll make no excuses for the quality of the WotS franchise as a whole, but that's part of the charm. So little is explained in those games! The odd branches of freedom they offer are awesome though. Go in with patience and an affection for unique experiences and you'll enjoy it--those games are unlike anything else released today.

@Zaccheus:

That damn 360 swing that made the kid fall over was hilarious though. Totally worth fighting against him for it.

@Trav:

I'm totally fine with that. I actually prefer to figure games out on my own instead of sitting through 20 minutes of tutorial screens and such.

@Trav:

I'm totally fine with that. I actually prefer to figure games out on my own instead of sitting through 20 minutes of tutorial screens and such.

I mean, integral systems to that game aren't explained, like at all! It's great, and there's loads to discover, but don't be afraid to approach a guide. It sounds like you'd be up for the game though, so I'd definitely suggest checking it out.

@Trav:

No, seriously. It's cool. I'm one of those weird people that actually loved Tenchu Z lol

@Grimhild said:

@Trav:

No, seriously. It's cool. I'm one of those weird people that actually loved Tenchu Z lol

Then by all means, pick it up! It's cheap now too.

I really enjoyed the first Bushido Blade (never played the second)

I haven't liked many fighting games over the last few years, but a new Bushido Blade with good online play would definitely get my attention.

It's sitting on my shelf and it gets some minutes every odd year. Always had fun with that game. And I think that's why I did enjoy the Deadliest Warrior games, aside from them being a lot less open. Every strike was an offensive move but risky at the same time because if you didn't hit your mark you left yourself open to the opponent. The risk/reward is a lot less emphasized in most other "duel" games of late.

I never had a PS1, but Bushido Blade always seemed like an awesome game. It sounds like something that would be really awesome on Kinect if Kinect didn't suck, allowed props, and a Move/Wii like analog stick add-on.

As far as fighting games I want brought back: Project Justice/Rival Schools. I enjoy games that prioritize fun over anything resembling realism. Project Justice seems like some Capcom employees got drunk/high and were like, "wouldn't it be cool if there was a fighting game based around school clubs?"

"LOL, like the soccer team fights you with soccer balls and soccer move?"

"Yes, and the orchestra member fights you with a conductor stick and violin!"

"So, stuff like the baseball team throws baseballs at you?"

"Yes, and to top it all off, the school nurse gives you a physical and breaks all your bones as a super move!"

And somehow the alcohol and drug fueled fever dream got greenlit, not once, but twice.

I had the first 1. It was different then alot of fighting games. I remember trying to figure out how to get to the secrets levels.