Samurai Shodown: Sen screens, video are surprisingly gory

In spite of the ads plastering our site this week, it's possible you may have completely missedTuesday's release of Samurai Shodown: Sen, whichis something like the ninth installmentin the increasingly bizarre fighter series. It's also the fourth to be completely 3D, something that's sure to irritate its hardcore cabal of fans. What's even more likely to annoy them, however, is that Sen completely does away withthe series'Street Fighter-inspired gameplay and special moves, and trades them for something that's much closer to Soulcalibur, but with more washed-out colors.

Above: What do you mean, I can't hurl little tornadoes anymore?

The game does have one big selling point, however: it's the most gruesome Samurai Shodown yet.

To be fair, gruesome deaths have always been part of Samurai Shodown, but Sen ramps up the carnage to ridiculous (and repetitive) levels. If you end a fight with a strong slash, odds are you're going to turn your opponent into a bloody mess.So far, we've discovered five waysto destroy and humiliate Shodown's roster of beloved characters,beginning with standard decapitation:

Above: Notice how her hair stays meticulously intact. Now that's precision

You can also see more of Genjuro than you ever wanted to...

... just before he flops to the ground in two undignified heaps.

It's also possible to gruesomely maim your opponent, leaving them to writhe around clutching at where their right hand used to be:

Or to cut a hand off in a far more dramatic fashion:

Above: Hey, where'd it go?

Above: Oh, THERE it is!

And, finally, there's the classic Samurai bleed-out, which is actually less dramatic than it was in the very first game:

If that left you hungry for more, then we'vepulled togethervideo footage of the game's 24 main characters (not including its bosses) being dispatched horrifically. Watch it below... if you've got the stomach to see 24 slightly differentvariations of the same five death animations.

Apr 2, 2010