Title - "Shin Samurai Spirits: Hamaru Jigokuhen"/Shin Samurai Spirits: Haoumaru Jigokuhen"/"Shin Samurai Spirits: Haohmaru Jigokuhen"
Alternative title(s) - "The New Samurai Spirits: Hamaru's Picture of Hell"/The New Samurai Spirits: Haoumaru's Picture of Hell"/"The New Samurai Spirits: Haohmaru's Picture of Hell"/"Samurai Shodown II"
Genre(s) - Fighting - 2D
Platform(s) - Arcade, Neo-Geo home systems, Mega Drive and Super Famicom

Ah, yes, I remember "Shin SS" as I will call it from now on in this review so that I don't throw you people off and so that I don't have to type up the name over and over again. This is the game that gave Nakoruru, a more kawaii outfit. Hee! To be serious, this is the game that is a fan favorite. It introduced POW special attacks. It had an interesting cast. It brought forth a lot of new and spiffy stuff.

"Shin SS" first came out in 1994. Tam Tam and Amakusa are gone. In are Neinhalt Seiger - the Prussian soldier (whose name is also a German pun, meaning "No halt towards victory"), Cham Cham - the young sister of Tam Tam who is in a cat outfit and the answer to Felicia of "Vampire" fame, Kibagami Genjur - the cold-hearted rival of Hamaru, Kaufin Nikochin (or Nicotine as you see in the game) - the old sensei of Hamaru and Genjur and Rashjin Mizuki - the creepy Shint priestess and the first ever boss to not only be female, but to also carry a pet as a guide.

Well, there's not much to say in terms of story. Amakusa supposedly is dead and Mizuki takes over. I guess that's it. On with the scores!

Fun - 10

Yes! SNK fixed one of the main flaws from the previous game, which I will get to in a bit. The roster is spiffy. You finally got to see a female final boss, which is rare in the video game world. The same touch is still there. You get to fight against Kuroko, the referee. What's not to like?

One would be that the A.I. of some characters shouldn't be as cheap as I wanted them to be. Wan Fu is still Wan Fu. Earthquake, that ugly, fat, smelly, petty hooligan (pardon my attitude) may be beatable, but he carries cheap teleporting moves. Every time I play Cham Cham, I would always end up being frustrated in my mind, regardless if I won or not. Now I know why Japan dubbed her "the second least popular character of the series". Thankfully, this is the last game you get to play against the A.I. version of her, unless you have the Play Station version of "IV".

I won't get into the weapon flaw yet. As for Mizuki, well, she makes a statement for being the first female final boss. She's cheap, which was expected, though I still hate her for being so evil.

Um, is that it here? Yeah, I suppose so. Let's move on.

Life - 10

Aside from the flaws, it is the funnest game of the series. None of them can be any better. None.

Control - 9

There are two flaws that stopped me from giving this category a perfect score, but let's start with the good points. The same button layout is here. The POW problem has be remedied. Instead of your power increasing by half, your power has been increased by a fourth. You can also get down to the floor dodge certain attacks like projectiles. The most spiffy element are the POW attacks, in which you can make your opponent lose his/her weapon, should it connect.

As for the flaws, one of them still has been kept: the move commands. The other one deals with the most spiffy new element. Like I said, it's a wonderful addition, but personally, I thought it was executed horribly in the end. If it connects, not only does the receiver lose his/her weapon, but the weapon breaks as well. This is great if you're at the giving end, but if you're at the receving end, you have to wait for ten seconds before you can get a new spare weapon of your own, which is not fun. Thank goodness, this problem was fixed in "III".

Audio - 10

Add another entry to characters played by Ikoma Harumi-san: Mizuki. As usual, the bunch is very good and Hamaru's voice actor has improved. Some people have new samples, which is impressive. This is the only game in which Galford speaks Japanese. The sword sounds have left me in shock in a good way over the years.

As for the music, it's more of the same. Nakoruru's theme is good, but it's not as good as "Shizen no Utage". Galford's theme is still here.

Story - 9

Again, other than a few silly stories, this category is swell.

Art - 10

SNK brings out spiffy art and more changes in sprites. As I said in the beginning, Nakoruru has a new kawaii outfit that looks more of like a dress. Oh yeah. If you pick Nakoruru's alternate color, she will have a different roster picture.

In terms of the art overall, it's more or less the same, which is good. Nakoruru's stage is the same, but the snow has melted and you are able to see her sister. I won't mention give out her name yet, but for those that know this series, you already know who I am talking about. There should be no reason to change a classic look. Don't you agree?

Overall - 10

This is hands down the funnest game of the series. So, what are you waiting for? If you have not played this yet, don't make me drag you out of your scenario to have you play this classic yourself.

+

New elements are introduced and most of the elements here made this the funnest game of the series.

-

Again, aside from some inconsistency issues, that's it.

Date of creation - 12/30/03

Last update - 8/11/04

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