Samurai Ghost
What Is It?
You might think that a game about a ghost who just so happens to be a samurai would be cool, but you would be wrong. Samurai Ghost feels like a experiment to see who could take the worst video game design decisions and put them together in the most annoying way possible. Basically, the game consists of one ghost samurai (that's you), traveling through several different areas of some land, slicing up monsters and bosses along the way. A horizontally scrolling jump-and-slasher, you might venture to say. Unfortunately that's where the fun stops. The entire game focuses on you mashing the attack button hoping that you can hit the enemies. But you can't, the enemies are just too hard to hit. Worse yet, it's extremely easy to die in the game, so expect to replay the same boring levels time and time again. It doesn't matter that the game features unlimited continues, after you've died three or four times you'll just want to turn the system off and forget that you endured playing such a horrible action game. Perhaps the best thing I can say about this game is that it's not the worst game in the series, the prequel, Genji and Heike Clans, is actually a far worse action game. So I guess the moral of the story is that you should be happy with what you have, because we could be getting an even worse 2D action game. I shudder to think.
Does It Still Hold Up?
Not even a little bit. The biggest problem with Samurai Ghost is the crummy control scheme, which isn't effective for the type of enemies you're forced to fight. Unfortunately the terrible control is the least of the problems; you also have to put up with terrible level designs and repetitive enemies that never give you a moment to breath. You might think that there's a lot of potential in a game called Samurai Ghost, but I'm afraid it's all for naught.
Is It Worth The Money?
This is the kind of game that gives all TurboDuo games a bad name. Samurai Ghost is a complete waste of time, it's the kind of action game that is not only hard to look at but also hard to play. Worse yet, at no point is the game actually fun. With so many amazing TurboDuo games yet to be uploaded to the Virtual Console it makes me wonder why Nintendo chose this of all games. Avoid this game at all cost, no matter how much you like ghosts and samurais.
This Week in GameTap
Cannon Fodder (Genesis) - Think Cannon Fodder and Manhunt 2 have nothing in common? Believe it or not, when Cannon Fodder was first released (on the Commodore Amiga) it was regarded as one of the most violent games of all time. Flash forward 13 years and we get Manhunt 2, one of the most violent games of all time. Both on the same week. Is this a coincidence? Yeah, it probably is, but that shouldn't keep you from enjoying one of the greatest war games of all time. This is Cannon Fodder, a crazy action game where you control a squad of bloodthirsty warriors who are ready to turn their enemies into nothing more than bloody bodies. After going back and playing through this game again I was surprised at how well the game has held up, especially considering the age. The graphics may be small, but there's a lot of big action to be found in Cannon Fodder. My only complaint would be that GameTap is emulating the Genesis version; I would have preferred one of the computer-based versions of the game. But that's just a minor problem, nothing you can't overcome with some senseless ultra-violence.
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