Next Thursday there is much to rejoice if you are looking to expand your virtual Switch arcade salon since there not one, but two, Sengoku games releasing on 29th March! But don't get confused: Both are not only from completely unrelated series, but they are are also top tier within their own distinct genres.
Still with us? First, there's the regular HAMSTER Neo Geo Arcade Archives weekly release: Sengoku 3 (Sengoku Denshõ 2001 in Japan). Not only does this 2001 game - developed by now defunct Noise Factory -close up the side-scrolling fighting trilogy, it's also one of the finest showcases of what could be achieved with what was, by industry standards, obsolete MVS hardware. Huge, detailed and lovingly-animated sprites plus revised gameplay not only made sure this was the best of the Sengoku games, but also one the best side-scrolling beat-'em-ups in the entire Neo Geo library. Yours to keep forever for the regular $7.99/€6.99/£6.29 price point.
Moving on to Zerodiv, the other Sengoku we are getting on the same day for the same price is none other than the sequel of Psikyo's Samurai Aces. This is, however, far from a by-the-books sequel, going as far as turning the original TATE gameplay into a horizontal side-scrolling shmup - and doing away with flying machines completely (yet it does keep the whole steam-punk Edo Japan period setting). Sengoku Blade: Sengoku Ace Episode II (or simply Tengai outside Japan) gives you a choice of five characters (plus a hidden one) with a radical redesign.
There you have it, another exciting week for Switch retro gamers looming on the horizon. Will you be picking up either one or both these games next Thursday?
[source japanesenintendo.com, via japanesenintendo.com]
Comments 57
I totally read the first couple words wrong and got my hopes up for a split second thinking double dose was double cross...MH deprivation is real. To those who like sengoku, enjoy 😁
Sengoku 3, yes please. That Sengoku Blade shooter looks kinda cool too.
Love the look of Sengoku Blade/Tengai! Reminds me of Magical Taruruto-kun on the Game Gear, which I played to death back in the day.
@Krull Wow! I was fairly certain I was the only one that knew of that game's existence!
Yes, it is sort of in the same vein, but with everything turned to 11.
@Shiryu Yep, that takes me back! The best level was the one against the sunset sky, with the parallax scrolling of pink clouds. Think I'm going to have to get Sengoku Blade just for the nostalgia.
@Krull Be prepared for Psikyo's finest hour. They just don't make them like this any more.
Just when I think I can put my wallet away, Hamster and ZeroDiv deliver this killer one-two punch. The Switch arcade gets ever stronger. Gaming bliss.
I got antsy for a second seeing next week on the 22nd. Then I looked at the calendar and got excited.
BOTH!
Love that Hamster have been bringing all these neogeo titles (probably pick up magical drop at some point) but they should state what versions they are on the eshop.
Arcade or console? Big difference.
(I'm assuming arcade)
Exvellent, the constant stream of shmup awesomeness on Switch just won't stop.
Steredenn 2 weeks ago, Danmaku Unlimited 3 and Aero Fighters 3 last week, Sol Divide this week, Sengoku Blade next!
About Sengoku 3, i already have it on the Wii's Neo Geo VC, but i'll buy it again on the Switch, it's definitely a highlight in the beat'em up genre.
This is one of the greatest gaming announcements EVER!!!
Sengoku 3: A technical feat - big, bold, detailed sprites, running nice too - but it's a bit of a chore and not nearly varied enough in it's game-play. Final Fight remains the benchmark of the genre.
@DABYX Always arcade. But at least they let you select between Japanese and USA versions of the game.
@Shiryu cool, nice to know. Cheers
I do like me a bit of Sengoku as well. Though wasn't keen on 3's character as much.
@DABYX +Two secret characters once you reach a certain stage.
Thank you Hamster! Meanwhile today Moon Patrol will be mine!! 😆
@DABYX Not entirely sure I understand your concern? The Neo Geo MVS arcade hardware and the Neo Geo AES console hardware are practically identical from a software stand point. The games play near identically in a substantial number of cases. What am I missing?
Is SENGOKU 3 the best side-scrolling best-em-up on Neo Geo? Must confess, I'm struggling to think of a better one: MUTATION NATION, ROBO ARMY, BURNING FIGHT, SENGOKU 1 and 2. Not bad games and I own most of 'em on Switch but SENGOKU 3 tops the lot. What other beat-em-ups does the Neo-Geo have? There's that NINJA one but I forget its name. Hopefully, that'll come to Switch one day.
Stunning games. You had me from "Sengoku"
@Lroy in my opinion: yes, without question. BMUP isn't where Neo Geo catalog shines the most; CPS1/2 is the clear winner with the likes of Final Fight, Cadillac & Dinosaurs, Knights of the Round, Dungeon & Dragons etc.
@Lroy from what little I know, options settings for console versions (difficulty, lives, sound test etc)
But dipswitches on the arcade versions probably do mostly the same tbf.
@RetroGamerAndrew Oh of course, if you are throwing Capcom and Konami into the mix then yes, the Neo Geo beat-em-up library cannot compete. What Capcom and Konami did in the early to mid nineties was amazing in terms of constantly '1-upping' the other with their respective beat-em-up games. It would be absolutely incredible if we could get these games onto the Switch. Please, please, please someone make this happen. I want Capcom and Konami arcade games on the Switch and soon!
Both of these look great.
Will definitely pick up Sengoku 3. The other game looks interesting too, although I can't stop my brain from thinking that the graphics for the player's weapon looks like some kind of emulator glitch, like the sprite for the weapon is missing and so a random white rectangle is showing instead.
Sengoku 3 is right up there for me among the best beat-em-up games, though it had the advantage of coming out later than others. I just find, when I do go back play it after time away, that it takes a little bit to reacclimate to the game and play it well. But after that, it's a great time and I enjoy it fully. The last boss is typical SNK.
@DABYX I believe Hamster is specifically putting out the arcade versions. I don't know if there's an easy option to switch it to console, but there are other options to limit credits and change difficulty.
@sdelfin cheers. shiryu also confirmed it for me Arcade versions are probably for the best just found it odd that it doesnt seem to be stated on the eshop.
@Lroy There's three games on the Neo Geo with the word "Ninja" in them. The first one, Ninja Combat, may not be the one you're thinking about, but check for yourself to make sure:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_RL3S6_FPM0
It's pretty clear to see that it's actually one of the very first Neo Geo games released, as the game clearly doesn't max out the hardware, either in performance or in graphics.
The other two are Ninja Commando and Ninja Masters, but the first one is a top down, vertical fighter/shooter (much like Shock Troopers), and the second is a normal, non-side scrolling fighting game, so could it be Ninja Combat after all?
Either way, Ninja Combat can hardly be labeled as a good (much less great) game, so I wouldn't really compare that to or mention it in the same sentence as the Sengoku games, which truly is the best side-scrolling beat em up series on the system, although a good (or perhaps even the best) runner up in my opinion is Robo Army, which also has great graphics and gameplay, but seeing as you already own that game, you will probably agree that it's good...
Here are the videos of those other two Ninja-related games:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=d14eRnkr5FM
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vm9ADZDMKcg
@DABYX despite going through the comments, I somehow missed that one post of Shiryu's. It wouldn't hurt for them to make it more clear.
@BionicDodo That character throws ofuda, rectangle paper tags with wards on them to dispell demons, as her main attack. The other characters have more conventional weapons, like throwing stars/knives.
Both of these are excellent titles, well worth the pick up (I'm going to get them for portablitiy).
Sengoku 3!! I can't wait!
Both!
@ThanosReXXX Yes, it was that early release NINJA COMBAT game I was referring too. Thanks for the response, I'm hoping NINJA COMMANDO comes to Switch too as I love me some SHOCK TROOPERS 👍
Sengoku 3 is fantastic, glad we didn't have to wait as long as we did for some other sequels to be released.
Is it too early to say the Switch is the best system for Shmups ever? I mean, the Wii (with some great VC) and Xbox 360 absolutely delivered, but holy smokes it’s only been a year and look at the catalog already!
Both 4 me! Don't they look gorgeous too!
So excited. Sengoku Blade is my one of my all-time favorite shmups.
I will be buying both. BTW does anybody proof read the descriptions for Psikyo games in the E Shop? It's like they just fed it into Google Translate. Makes for a funny read.
@Shiryu
@PhilKenSebben is right. The article says next Thursday but it also says 22nd and that is today. Please fix it.
Never played Sengoku 3 but it looks great and always heard a lot of praise. Got Sengoku 2 last week. Beat it in co op and havent touched it since.
@sinalefa I think Dom made that one when turning my American standard date format to British, I was sure I had March 28 up there. Thanks, fixed.
@Shiryu
Thanks but still wrong, it should be the 29th, lol.
@sinalefa Dang it!
Hamster does realize we've got MLB Baseball in 6 days. Baseball Stars Professional pleeeeeeeezzzze.
@Lroy You're welcome. And agreed on Shock Troopers, really enjoyable game. I might buy a couple of these Neo Geo offerings once I have my Switch, but for now, I can still play the entire Neo Geo catalog on my modded Wii...
Obviously not portable, but I'm mostly a home console gamer anyways...
@ThanosReXXX Yeah, I played these games the same way but it is great having them on Switch with leaderboards.
@Lroy that has never been an attraction for me. I couldn't care less about getting higher scores than other anonymous gamers somewhere in the world. I play for my own enjoyment, not for others. I won't hold it against you, because you're a fairly new member, but if you would have been a member on here for longer, then you might have known that I'm the guy that has always been fighting achievements and the like, because most of the time, they're just idiotic or backtracking mechanisms to keep people in games for longer, even if the main part of the game is already done and dusted, so me not being particularly interested in online leaderboards is also pretty much a given...
But fair enough if it IS your thing. We should each get out of games what we like the most, because (in general) that is the reason we buy and play them.
@Lroy the nice thing about Neo Geo was an all original set of IP games. One of the few system libraries that can be entirely republished. Unfortunately Capcom and konami’s work for hire puts too many games into the nightmare black hole of corporate license and permissions. Granted, old IP is getting second looks as part of a current consumer trend
@ThanosReXXX I agree with a lot of what you say. High scores aren't 'my thing' or anything like that. Achievements have never been a concern for me as I'm almost exclusively a Nintendo system owner. I just meant it has been fantastic to build a community on NL of likeminded arcade gaming fans around the Switch and these releases - there is a thread in the forum about it. The weekly challenges we have been doing on these games has seen me make some great gaming buddies. We play for fun chasing our own scores and improving as players by sharing expertise and tips. We also as a new group of friends play a lot of other games together. So it has really brought us together and enriched our enjoyment of the hobby rather than be some kind of abstract barrier or arbitrary badge of honour. The arcade games on Switch are probably my personal highlight of buying the system.
@Lroy I see... well, at least it's more clear to me now what the attraction could be, but it's still not for me. Good for others that DO enjoy it, though. It's like with choice of games: I don't moan and complain (like so many on here do) when games arrive on my system of choice that I don't like or want, because I understand that others definitely WILL like these games, and I'm not so egocentric that I'm of a mind that a system should only have games that I like...
But personally, I'm more of a "finding like-minded people for conversations about games" kinda guy, and luckily, I've found quite a few good people on here, to exchange thoughts and viewpoints with. Some of which, I might meet up with some day, to have a drink or two with as well...
@ThanosReXXX The weekly arcade high-score challenges have been but one way I've met like-minded gamers for conversations about all manner of games. It is just one aspect of my interaction on this site and of my gaming hobby. We seem to have become embroiled in a larger discussion about gaming that I never intended nor do I have any strong opinion to express or share about it. If you're cool, I'm cool. It's now past midnight and I'm off to bed. Have a good one 👍
@Lroy You too, and to be clear: no offense was meant, and my comment was only written with a positive view in mind, but it did remind me of some viewpoints on here, which is why I briefly mentioned them.
In general, I just wanted to let you know that I understood your points as well as you understood mine, so were good, far as I'm concerned.
@ThanosReXXX 👌
Sengoku 3. That was quick and... finally!
i'll wait for the Sengohan spin off
@Fake-E-Lee Agreed. The form factor and overall library (with a brilliant introduction on launch to state the obvious, oh what with BOTW and its over 100% attach rate 😋) delivered on the bold promise of a truly fresh/revitalized experience from the jump.
That seriously can’t be understated. After the Wii U Ninty had one second chance to make a new first impression and they knocked it out of the frickin’ park.
For me the Switch is an amazing blend of retro, indie, and first party. And literally every game seems to be more fun when played on it, which is quite the ringing endorsement.
So hype for Sengoku 3 now.
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