Sunday, March 21st, 2021
	Samurai Shodown 64 Prototype Discovered Under a Tree

  

The Hyper Neo Geo 64 was originally released in September 1997 and was SNK's first and only hardware capable of rendering 3D graphics. The system was originally meant to be the successor of the Neo Geo MVS during the rise of 3D fighting games in the late 90's. The failed hardware was eventually pulled out of use in 1999. Only a small handful of games were created on the platform, Samurai Shodown 64 being one of them — a particularly rare SNK fighting game that only released in arcades. Originally reported by Eurogamer, a machine repair specialist named Craig Weiss recently discovered an early prototype of Samurai Shodown 64 in a field in California, under a fallen tree. (The setting couldn't be more perfect, as series protagonist Haohmaru is known for cutting down some trees in his day.)   Weiss was originally on the property to repair an old pinball machine when he discovered the prototype. He learned the landowner's husband purchased this rare SS64 prototype at an auction held by a former SNK employee. The hardware was literally sitting out in this field, on a pallet, under a tree for 20 years in California — and was apparently "one week away" from finding a permanent home in a landfill and being forgotten forever.   For 1997... these graphics actually weren't too bad.   After rescuing the prototype, Weiss gave it to video game historian and collector, Anthony Bacon — who was able to access the still-working components and create this YouTube video (below) detailing all of his findings! The early SS64 prototype has a several key differences from the final version released in arcades, including a slightly different camera angle on stages and many other visual differences.     Keep it here on Fighters Generation for SNK fighting game news & content. ~TFG Webmaster | @FIGHTERS_GEN
Sources:  Eurogamer,  Kotaku,  Video Game Esoterica       TFG Twitter Post: @Fighters_Gen Related News  |   March 2021 Terry Bogard Revealed for King of Fighters XV   Big surprise right? Tonight, SNK finally revealed iconic Fatal Fury protagonist Terry Bogard for The King of Fighters XV. Terry's 2-minute gameplay trailer demonstrates some of Terry's iconic special moves and even shows off a few combos and cancels. The trailer also confirms "Team Fatal Fury" — made up of the classic trio: Terry, Andy, and Joe. Finally, the end of the trailer shows some bonus gameplay featuring a Team Fatal Fury sparring session.   Related News:  (3-17-2021): Terry Bogard Revealed of KOF XV,    (3-17-2021): NEOGEO Pocket Selection Vol. 1 Now Available on Switch,    (3-17-2021): Samurai Shodown Xbox Series X | S, Cham Cham Now Live,    (3-10-2021): Yuri Sakazaki Revealed for KOF XV,    (3-9-2021): Samurai Shodown Ver. 2.10 March 2021 Patch Notes,    (3-3-2021): Andy Bogard Revealed for The King of Fighters XV   Related TFG Links:  Samurai Shodown 64,  Haohmaru | TFG NEWS
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