(幕末浪漫第二幕 月華の剣士 Final edition)

Maker - SNK   Catalogue No. - T-3107M

Type - 2D Fighting Action

Better known as Last Blade 2 in the west, this Samurai fighting action game from SNK really shows that they have the imagination that Capcom lack.  This isn't a bash against Capcom but you do have to admit that their fighting games never seem as deep as those by SNK.  Gekka No Kenshi - final edition takes place in the Edo period (as far as I know) pitting a total of 14 characters against each other in what can only be described as some of the best backgrounds ever seen in a SNK fighter.  The whole game just oozes traditional Japanese style in every respect.  Even more than what Samurai Spirits does !  There's a certain polished feel to this game that Samurai Spirits is lacking I feel.

As we've come to expect with SNK conversions to Sega platforms Gekka No Keshi final edition includes a gallery mode with some beautiful art work presented in high resolution, some of which can also be found used within the instruction manual.  Other little extras include the Hanafuda game which is a traditional Japanese card game that can sometimes still be seen played today.  Interestingly enough, Nintendo started out as a Hanafuda card manufacture before they were a games company.

Over all this is a very good 2D fighter that ever Dreamcast/SNK fan should own.  Unfortunately its also one of the more expensive 2D fighters out there.  There are in fact two different covers to this game as well.  The one above is the original full priced release while the one shown below is the re-released version under the SNK Best Buy label.  Personally I like the re-released cover much more than the original.  Both seem to fetch the same price these days however even though the re-release was only 2800 yen while the original release was 5800 yen.