Missus Raroo Says: Falling in Love with Samurai Shodown II For All the Right Reasons
[In honor of the Neo Geo console's recent 20 year birthday, the GSW column regulars The Raroos dug back into the archives of their print zine to present us with Missus Raroo's classic article from 2005 about why she loves SNK's peerless Samurai Shodown II. Not only does her write-up give love to a great fighter, but it also sheds light on the artistry and details that help make it such a timeless game. Plus, her illustrations are really cute!]
A Disclaimer From a Non-Gamer
I am, self-admittedly, every fighting-enthusiast’s worst nightmare. I am a button-masher. I know enough to realize that various direction and button combinations are supposed to result in special attacks, but I never manage to get the combinations quite right when I attempt them on purpose. I either don’t have enough fine motor coordination, or I just have really bad timing. Whatever the case may be, when I try to fight with some intentional strategy, I always die the fastest. Thus, it’s not like I button-mash out of stubbornness, it’s a matter of survival.
Given this background knowledge of my fighting-game skills, or lack thereof, you may be wondering what I could possibly add to a discussion about fighters. Your concerns are definitely valid, because I have not played very many fighters and even the ones I’ve played, I’ve barely clocked in more than a few rounds. I have, however, seen my fair share of fighters come and go, thanks to my time spent with Mister Raroo.
And, after years of exposure to myriad fighting games, there is one fighting game that stood out from them all. I couldn’t remember the name of the game, but I did remember how there were a bunch of cute barnyard animals in the background in one fighting scene. I was also able to recall there being characters with animal tagalongs, including one with a bird and one with a dog. This was enough information for the Raroo to identify the game immediately as: Samurai Shodown II, known in Japan as Shin Samurai Spirits.
If you want a “real” review that comments on attack combos and the like, then don’t bother reading any farther. If you want to know the place that Samurai Shodown II holds in relation to the other titles in the Samurai Shodown series, I couldn’t tell you. There are plenty of fan sites out there that can provide you that information in lengthy FAQs—I found quite a few when doing a little background research for this article.
What I didn’t really find, though, were write-ups that mentioned all of the reasons why I happen to love Samurai Shodown II, and so at least I don’t feel like I’m replicating what’s been written a million times before. So, without further ado I present…Falling in Love with Samurai Shodown II For All the Right Reasons.
[And you thought the Games of the Year lists were over! Surprise! 
My gaming habits have definitely changed as a result of being so busy, and I'm sure they'll probably evolve again after the baby arrives. No longer do I have the freedom to spend hours at a time on any given game. Rather, the bulk of my gameplaying has come in bits and pieces, and the games that I enjoyed the most are simply those that I was able to find the time to play. But, in some ways this has been a good thing, as it has prompted me to investigate many "casual" games that I would've probably not given a second thought to in the past.
[Last month we 
It’s uncommon for Raroo Games to let a second party developer handle one of its top franchises, but that appears to be the case with Angry Walter, the direct sequel to this past year’s smash hit Hungry Walter. Unknown developer Midodok is credited with production, though at this point nobody seems to know anything of the company beyond their name. OK! Game! Score! describes Angry Walter as follows:
P.F. Studio’s latest title is certainly going to help fill a noticeable void of traditional platformers on the Raroo Fun System. Though introducing a new intellectual property can be risky in the current economic climate, OK! Game! Score! had a hands-on session with the game and complimented its creative level design and gameplay mechanics. The magazine’s description:
[We're reposting this up top, since the deadline is tomorrow. Mister Raroo is looking for the best ideas of new games for the (fictional game console) Raroo Fun System. Channel your inner game designer and come up with something nifty! Up for grabs are "tokens" for free downloads of Arkedo Series - 01 JUMP! and Arkedo Series - 02 SWAP! for XBox 360! Just remember to put fun above all else and be creative.]
[Continuing his 
[GameSetWatch has sent 
On the walk from our car to the Convention Center, we stopped off for a bite to eat. Kaz and I polished off an especially decadent hot fudge sundae. I couldn’t believe how much ice cream my little son ate, not to mention the fact that he let us know he still wanted more by chanting “Ice Cream! Ice Cream!” when the bowl was empty. But we figured he had more than enough sugar and made our way to the Convention Center.
I was about to give up hope on even trying out any games at all when I spotted Bayonetta at the Sega booth and made my way through the crowd to give it a look. I don’t know if I’m too enthralled with the character design, but it seems like a nice, snappy action game. However, it was another game tucked away in the corner of the Sega booth that really got me excited: Sonic & Sega All-Stars Racing.
[GameSetWatch is proud to unveil Mister Raroo’s Hauntastic Voyage to Ghosty Ghost’s Island, the first release on our new video game publishing label, GameSetWatchGames. Designed by Mister Raroo, Hauntastic Voyage to Ghosty Ghost’s Island will soon be released for the Raroo Fun System game console. Note: Mister Raroo’s Hauntastic Voyage to Ghosty Ghost’s Island, GameSetWatchGames, and the Raroo Fun System exist solely in the mind of Mister Raroo!]
[In a GameSetWatch-exclusive article, Mister Raroo catches up with one of his first gaming loves, Hudson Soft. Hudson have had an interesting presence in the game industry over the years, and Mister Raroo explores not only Hudson Soft's history, but how his personal experiences and feelings have intertwined with the company's software.]
Fresh off its cameo in the Tom Hanks flick Big, FAO Schwartz was a destination that excited many of us eighth graders, if only because we wanted to visit the store we had seen in the movie. Thankfully, we were not disappointed, and our senses were almost overwhelmed with the many dazzling sights and sounds that surrounded us. But for me, my attention was focused on a wall of television screens working in unison to display an incredible sight: Alien Crush for the Turbografx-16.
[In a change of pace from his usual articles, Mister Raroo reports on an unhealthy gaming trend that has recently plagued Japan. With reckless abandon for personal health, a subculture of users exploited a medical product as a way to engage in intense competition for top spot upon an online leaderboard. Thanks goes to GameSetWatch’s Japanese correspondent Shiichi Okuma for assistance in interview translation.]
Using state of the art medical technology, the Happy Health Toilet Seat examines users’ bowel movements and, by calculating numerous factors such as toxin levels, provides corresponding health data. Instead of a complicated medical readout, however, information is presented on a small LCD screen featuring a charming, customizable character that looks like something from the Dragon Quest series, not unlike Takara Tomy’s 
[Mister Raroo's latest 
Is there really anything to debate here? It’s obvious that Mister Raroo loves digital downloads! Look at all the games he’s purchased from the Wii Shopping Channel, Playstation Store, and Xbox Live Arcade. In fact, he probably plays those games more than any of his disc-based games. 
Oh come now! Mister Raroo’s got some hang-ups about digital distribution. Remember all those digital duds he bought? Does Heavy Weapon ring a bell? Or how about RoboBlitz? They’re just sitting neglected and taking up valuable space on Mister Raroo’s Xbox 360’s hard drive. In an ideal situation, those games would be eBay fodder. But, oh wait! Mister Raroo can’t resell games that he’s downloaded, can he?
Let’s not forget, Devil Raroo, that digitally downloaded games are usually significantly cheaper than disc-based games. Together, the two “duds” you mentioned cost $25, which is less than half the price of most new Xbox 360 discs. Sure, it’s unfortunate that Mister Raroo wasted $25 on games he doesn’t play (knucklehead!), but that’s his fault. 
I’ll agree that Mister Raroo is sometimes an idiot when it comes to buying games he shouldn’t waste his money on, but there are times when the demos can make games seem more tantalizing than they actually are. You buy the game and—poof!—you’re stuck with a disappointment. 
“Deceptively unclear?” I assume you’re referring to the use of “points” instead of actual monetary units for games downloaded from the Xbox 360 and the Wii. I’m surprised you’re not fond of that, since it is indeed devilish of Microsoft and Nintendo to substitute real money with points. Get it? “Devilish”? Haha! Ahem. Getting back on point, I'll admit that purchasing games via digital distribution can sometimes make it feel like you're not spending actual money. After all, there is no physical transaction taking place and you’re often spending pre-purchased points instead of dollars. 
As a parent, 2008 was a particularly amazing year because I was able to watch Kaz grow from being just a cute little guy we took care of to a bona fide member of the family. It’s pretty incredible to think that at the beginning of the year he didn’t know how to walk or say any real words. These days, he’s running all over the place, helps pick up his toys, uses actual words to talk, and even takes on the chore of feeding our dog Howie his dinner. It sounds funny, but Missus Raroo and I often comment that Kaz has finally become a “real person.”
[Mister Raroo continues 
Of course, ironically, we have been known to become addicted to certain television series and end up watching multiple episodes in a single sitting. We’ll get to the credit music, hit “next” on our DVD remote, and anxiously hope that there’s still another episode on the disc. While this means the sum of our watching time sometimes ends up being way more than the time it would’ve taken to watch a movie, the initial commitment is something that is always much easier to make.
I quickly discovered the optimal times to visit Straw Hat during which I could steer clear of the shadier patrons. Still, there were those few unavoidable times when I’d end up playing shoulder to shoulder with some pretty questionable fellows. 
[Happy Halloween, GameSetWatch readers! After a short hiatus, Mister Raroo returns to discuss some of the games he’s been playing this Halloween season. As is par for the course in Raroo’s articles, other topics manage to find their way into the mix, including embarrassing Halloween costumes, scurrying cats, The Puberty Fairy, and more!
Halloween was the first major holiday Missus Raroo and I celebrated together, and the memory was so special that we decided to make it our wedding date. Having our anniversary on Halloween makes it feel like the world is celebrating right along with us. Instead of a cheesy romantic dinner over candlelight, Missus Raroo and I will be carving pumpkins, eating candy, and watching Kaz take in the wonder of his second Halloween.
In my opinion, the Dreamcast was the last system that truly wowed me. I’ve had a blast with just about all of the game consoles that have been released since the Dreamcast’s U.S. launch of 9/9/99 (And for the record… Yes, I know, it was released in Japan almost a year before that!), but no other system has struck me as being such a massive step forward. As great as Xbox Live is, for instance, my favorite online gaming memories come from the 56k-enabled Dreamcast.
[Get ready for more non-game exploration as our very own 
Being that it’s both over-the-top and thoroughly corny, being compared to "magic music" is hardly a compliment for any album. But here’s the sad thing: Missus Raroo was right. A lot of the music I was listening to at the time had more than a passing resemblance to the audio atrocity that is “magic music.” I couldn’t listen to some of those albums ever again without picturing some clown like David Copperfield waving his arms and raising his eyebrows as he turned a woman into a tiger.
Dressed in a full suit, Maurice escorted us past the massive lines of hopeful attendees. Along the way, security guards and other Comic-Con staffed greeted him, calling him “sir.” At the front of the line Maurice introduced us as his personal guests and the staff treated us like we were royalty. It was rather surreal.
I often make assumptions about library patrons, too, usually based upon their looks, the materials they check out, and the habits they display. One of my favorite patrons is a man I like to call The Killer. He lacks any type of computer literacy, so he’ll ask me to “do a Google” and “download everything” about particular homicides. 
Prior to our son Kazuo's birth, my image of motherhood did not involve me strapped down to our little loveseat of a couch with a Wii-mote in hand. I had seen too many black and white photos of that woman with a newborn nestled in her arms, dreamily staring out at the world through a window. 
[Kicking off a more regular column from Mr. Raroo with an offkilter starter - the following text is an excerpt from a longer paper he wrote for the course “Information and Society” in the Masters in Information and Library Science program at San José State University.]
