A prototype of SNK's 3D fighter Samurai Shodown 64 has been discovered underneath a collapsed tree in California, Eurogamer reports. Now there's a headline we didn't think we'd be writing today.
The amazing find was made pinball machine repair specialist Craig Weiss, after he had visited a client to repair a pinball table. Weiss asked about where the machine had originated and was pointed in the direction of a woman whose husband had owned his own repair business in the '90s.
Upon paying the woman visit, Weiss came upon six pallets of unknown parts underneath a collapsed tree on her property – auction lots purchased from a former SNK staffer in China which contained warehouse materials SNK had shipped back following the closure of its North American offices around the turn of the new millennium.
The woman stated that she was thinking about having the pallets removed and junked, and said Weiss was welcome to sift through for anything worth salvaging – and that's when he made his amazing discovery. Inside one of the pallets, Weiss unearthed the Hyper Neo Geo 64 Samurai Shodown 64 prototype, a pre-production version of the 1997 arcade title.
Weiss got in touch with Anthony Bacon, a person with a penchant for documenting unknown prototypes. You can read the full interview with Bacon over at Eurogamer, but it's fair to say that this is quite a remarkable find. This version of Samurai Shodown 64 has never been seen before, and is quite different from the final release which made it into arcades.
In case you weren't aware, the Hyper Neo Geo 64 was SNK's attempt to take the concept behind its Neo Geo hardware – which was a little long in the tooth by this point – and give it a next-gen, 3D boost. However, with only seven games released, it didn't exactly set the world of coin-op gaming alight. Samurai Shodown 64 would spawn a PlayStation spin-off title by the name of Samurai Shodown: Warriors Rage.
Samurai Shodown is one of SNK's most popular franchises, and Switch owners can play the entire range of Neo Geo entries in the Samurai Shodown Neo Geo Collection. Samurai Shodown – a modern-day reboot of the series – is also available on Nintendo's console.
[source eurogamer.net]
Comments 16
Looks like Hatori Hanzo found a great hiding spot.
NINJA APPROVED
If anyone found what's under the collapsed tree in my backyard, I'd be facing 25 to life.
As JRPGs and point and click adventures have taught us, it's that key items are often found in suspicious spots.
That, or it's another Korok.
Nice find, the fact that SNK never ported this version of Samurai Shodown to any home console of that time even the N64 which was known to get these type of title is just such a miss opportunity. The Samurai Shodown 64 games were the titles that introduced us to characters like Shiki, Hanma Yagyu, Taizan Morozumi, Asura, and Yuga and was the second to last chapter of the SS series before Oboro's takeover in Warrior's Rage 2 which like Street Fighter III and Garou: Mark of the Wolves, all the legacy characters like Galford, Tam Tam, Amakusa, Shizumaru, Charlotte, Jubei, etc., are gone except for Haohmaru, Hanzo (which is basically just Hanzo's son), Nakoruru, and Rimururu (both which are unplayable).
It was Jesus who caused this to happen
Yeeeah, sure, I believe it...
@KillerBOB hot damn!!! Now I'm curious! Whats under the collapsed tree in your backyard???
Wait what?! Ok snk. Ask for it back so you can release it on modern systems.
That's just amazing.
In other news A man lost 24-Year-Old Samurai Shodown Prototype Under A Tree In California ooops
In high scool, I had a substitute teacher who'd tell people not to sit on desks because his brother fell out of a tree. Therefore, wood is not sturdy. Anyway, I don't think his brother found an old copy of a video game on his way down.
@KillerBOB Pathetic, if they found out what's under my tree, I'd get the death penalty. Twice.
@IronMan30 I wouldn’t sit on desks, because a tree fell on me, once. Tree was never the same.
NINJA APPROVED
Pretty interesting, a forgotten prototype of a mostly forgotten Samurai Shodown game. I actually didn't even know how that existed, was expecting it to be a N64 game but it's just an obscure arcade-only game. Looks a lot like Soul Blade in action.
@KillerBOB I just started watching Twin Peaks for the first time in my life. Im early into season 2 and your avatar spooked me lol.
Until recently, I hadn’t known SNK actually finished Samurai Showdown 64 (let alone a sequel) nor actually released the Hyper 64. Now I know of the three different machines and the awful rail shooter and driving games. Woof.
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