Samurai Shodown V

Walking into SNK’s E3 booth is a bit like walking into a ‘90s arcade. Almost every game is a port of an arcade game that originally ran on SNK’s MVS arcade hardware from the early ‘90s. But SNK’s focus is firmly on the future of gaming , as evidenced by their games’ almost 100 percent utilization of Microsoft’s Live online service for tournament play.



SNK’s classic fighter franchises are where the real action is. The King of Fighters ’94: Re-Bout , Samurai Showdown V and KOF: Maximum Impact - Maniax all will feature Live-supported multiplayer tournament play.



Released in Japan in 2004 on the PS2, The King of Fighters ’94 : Re-Bout is a remake of the arcade original that appeared in – guess when – 1994. Players can expect all the over-the-top combos that has made The King of Fighters such a hit over the years.

Last year’s KOF: Maximum Impact took the King of Fighters franchise into the 3D realm for the first time and KOF: Maximum Impact - Maniax further refines the 3D gameplay while keeping all the fan-loved features intact. The team-based three-on-three fighting returns with Xbox Live implementation that will allow players to test their skill around the world.

KOF 2002/2003

Though numbered higher, Samurai Shodown V is actually a prequel to the first Samurai Shodown games and is an arcade perfect translation. A 2D fighter of the old-school SNK variety, Samurai Shodown V first appeared on the MVS arcade hardware and AES home system only recently. Like the other SNK fighters, Samurai Shodown V is slated to have full Live support for multiplayer tournament play.

Finally abandoning the venerable MVS hardware, SNK developed The King of Fighters Neowave for use on the more advanced Atomiswave arcade platform. The rise in performance should be immediately apparent to gamers. As the game comes home on Xbox, it should remain true to its arcade roots and enjoy the added benefit of online multiplayer action.

Metal Slug 4 / 5

If you’re an SNK fans who is not also a fighting-game fan, that can only mean one thing … you’re a Metal Slug fan. And SNK is bringing this arcade favorite home intact on Xbox and PS2.



First up will be the Metal Slug 4 and 5 combo pack for the PS2. Launching just at the end of May, it marks the first time a Metal Slug game has come to the PS2. Metal Slug 3’s great Xbox success paved the way, and now PS2 will actually get this great double pack of Metal Slug goodness three months before Xbox owners get their hands on it. Sadly there is no Live-supported online cooperative play (coop in a Metal Slug game is one of the true arcade nirvana moments), but at least there is a leaderboard online function.

For the gamer on the go with the patience to wait until December, your waiting will be rewarded with a Game Boy Advance version of the very first Metal Slug game. The pickup and play nature of the game should make it a perfect fit on the handheld platform.



Looking to an unspecified next-generation platform, SNK is developing a new Metal Slug game that will take the franchise into a 3D world. Shown only in a short trailer form, it remains to be seen whether fans of the franchise will embrace the jump to 3D or consider it too much of a blasphemy to bear. Only time will tell the tale.