Samurai Showdown V is one of gaming’s great injustices.

The arcade version, released in 2003, was regarded by many in the West as being outdated; earning poor review scores from a variety of gaming magazines at the time due to its traditional hand-drawn, 2D artstyle which gave the game an antiquated look during an era that was on the cusp of the HD revolution. A revised version – Samurai Showdown V: Special, was released a year later in arcades, however, concerns about the depiction of violence in games at the time led to the Japanese home version being heavily censored.

But time has a way of changing perceptions, and now the arcade version of Samurai Showdown V: Special is regarded as a true SNK classic, however, it’s a classic that has never had the justice of a proper home release – until now.

SNK announced Thursday that the full, uncensored arcade version of Samurai Showdown V: Special will be making its way to the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita this summer!

Samurai Showdown V: Special features a number of special moves and systems that help set it apart from other fighters in the genre. Concentration moves provide a Matrix-like slowdown of time for your opponents, setting them up for devastating unblockable attacks, while the Overkill moves act as the ultimate fatality.

For those who have been lucky enough to check out the arcade version of Samurai Showdown V: Special by downloading the M.A.M.E files, you’ll already be well aware of what a treasure this game really was.

There is a great post on the official U.S. PlayStation Blog by Joshua Weatherford from SNK’s Game Division Studio 1 that details some of the history behind Samurai Showdown V: Special, so be sure to check it out for the full details.

Samurai Showdown V: Special will be launching sometime this summer for the PlayStation 4 and PS Vita. A beta version of the game will be available for attendees at EVO 2017 in Las Vegas, Nevada, so be sure to stay tuned to NerdBacon for full coverage!

Are you excited to check out one of the greatest hidden gems in gaming, when Samurai Showdown V: Special launches this summer? Write a haiku about your inner-most joy in the comments section below.

Written by The Watchman

The Watchman is a journeyman gamer who has seen and played a good chunk of gaming history.
He’s also an actor, a reporter, a pro wrestling connoisseur, and some say he’s a cat whisperer.
If you have any questions or just want to drop me a line, hit me up at thewatchman@nerdbacon.com
Or follow me on Twitter @DavetheWatchman
You can also game with me!
Look me up on Xbox Live @ DJKhadoken
Or on PlayStation Network @ Eaglevision_dl