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[SiegfriedFM]

I know there's Samurai Shodown which in many ways is an unofficial Musashi game, and there's Brave Fencer. But I can't see why one of Japan's most popular books hasn't spawned a fighting game.

It has everything you could ask for. There is the rough hero (Musashi), a fierce pretty-boy rival (Kojiro), his lazy bum friend (Matahachi), a few girls that could be given fans or something to fight with a la Dynasty Warriors (Otsu and Akemi), a big brawny guy with a kusarigama (Baiken), the loyal friend who also happens to use a style never used in fighting games before (Gonnosuke with jodo), the old vicious lady (Usugi), a monk (Takuan), three younger student types (Jotaro, Iori and Ushinosuke), various other fighters (Seijuro, Toji, Denshichiro, Hyogo, Shinzo...), and pretty much all of them have detailed backstories and enough exposure in the book to build a serious story mode for each one.

So why isn't this happening?

 

[XS+]

The fighting game genre is in such a bland recyclefest phase right now, I wouldn't hold my breath for any new fighting series featuring new characters (unless an unknown developer makes one).

Wasn't Musashi a hidden character in one of the Last Blade games?

 

[dorikyasu]

http://www.gamespot.com/ps2/action/kengo3/news_6094135.html

TOKYO--Genki has announced that it will be releasing a third installment in its Kengo series. Like previous installments, Kengo 3 lets you play as a medieval samurai. Your objective in the game is to travel around Japan to fight against other samurai to become the strongest warrior in the country. More than 30 historical warriors will be in the game, such as the legendary swordsman Miyamoto Musashi, his rival Sasaki Kojirou, and some lesser-known fighters, such as Shishido Baiken, legendary master of the chain and sickle.


No idea if the game came out, but previous 2 Kengo games weren't that good...

 

[Musashi Wins!]

GOOD GODDAMN QUESTION!!!

He's an unlockable character in Onimusha Blade Warriors.

 

[Shin Johnpv]

But I can't see why one of Japan's most popular books hasn't spawned a fighting game.

Musashi was a real man who lived and died not just a popular book and if your referring to the Book of 5 rings written by musashi it's just a book about fighting strategies for warriors of his age, and kinda of about how they need to actually think their mental focus and place of mind

 

[Musashi Wins!]

Musashi was a real man who lived and died not just a popular book and if your referring to the Book of 5 rings written by musashi it's just a book about fighting strategies for warriors of his age, and kinda of about how they need to actually think their mental focus and place of mind

Right....but he's referring to this

<--------------

a fantastic novel by Eiji Yoshikawa.

 

[Shin Johnpv]

Right....but he's referring to this

<--------------

a fantastic novel by Eiji Yoshikawa.

that picture looks familar

I take it thats not the biography on his life but a fictional work about him?

 

[Anyanka]

Wasn't Musashi a hidden character in one of the Last Blade games?

He's the sub-boss in the first and hidden in 2.

 

[Pedigree Chum]

I thought about this right after I finished the book. If a good JP dev house handled it (an action RPG would be best), it could be fucking awesome.

 

[belgurdo]

I thought about this right after I finished the book. If a good JP dev house handled it (an action RPG would be best), it could be fucking awesome.

As long as it's not one of those cruddy "stylish" action DMC/Onimusha ripoffs, or hyper-cutesy anime, then I'm cool with this

 

[Pedigree Chum]

As long as it's not one of those cruddy "stylish" action DMC/Onimusha ripoffs, or hyper-cutesy anime, then I'm cool with this

Yeah, I want something that stays true to the atmoshpere and storyline (well as much of it as possible for a game) of the the book.

 

[SiegfriedFM]

I'm re-reading Yoshikawa's book right now, thus my question. I know it's fiction, but it's based on real events and most of those characters really existed.

Too bad all of the Kengo games suck.

 

[Musashi Wins!]

that picture looks familar

I take it thats not the biography on his life but a fictional work about him?

Yes. Though I guess many of the facts and timelines are similar. There's also a new T. Cleary (sp?) translation of his work out (Musashi's) that has the Five Rings along with some other material including some biography. It looks beautiful, I need to pick it up.

 

[Shin Johnpv]

Yes. Though I guess many of the facts and timelines are similar. There's also a new T. Cleary (sp?) translation of his work out (Musashi's) that has the Five Rings along with some other material including some biography. It looks beautiful, I need to pick it up.

really i need to find out more about this

 

[Crazymoogle]

or hyper-cutesy anime, then I'm cool with this

Presumably anybody smart enough to make a Musashi game would do so based upon the also amazing manga work "Vagabond", by Takehiko Inoue, which surprise surprise is based on Eiji's book.

Unless Todd Mcfarlane got ahold of it. Then all bets would be off.

 

[firex]

I can see the Todd Mcfarlane version right now.

"Well, Musashi was a samurai so he'd probably be gritting his teeth while fighting stuff because samurais are badass! So let's give him a few buckets of drool coming out of his mouth with his teeth clenched and make them look sharp and pointy because he's a badass and even his teeth are deadly weapons. And since samurais are so cool he needs a cape, but not a wussy cape, this one has to be like 50 feet long and looking torn up. This is going to be so sweet! Awesome!"

 

[Crazymoogle]

I can see the Todd Mcfarlane version right now.

"Well, Musashi was a samurai so he'd probably be gritting his teeth while fighting stuff because samurais are badass! So let's give him a few buckets of drool coming out of his mouth with his teeth clenched and make them look sharp and pointy because he's a badass and even his teeth are deadly weapons. And since samurais are so cool he needs a cape, but not a wussy cape, this one has to be like 50 feet long and looking torn up. This is going to be so sweet! Awesome!"

If I didn't know better, I'd say you were sitting in on another Namco acquisition meeting, firex! :lol

 

[belgurdo]

Don't forget that Otsu would have to have facial tattoos, a six-pack, has to be seven feet tall with a 40 inch chest, a sword/axe/whatever that's twice as long as she is, and a "kimono" that is little more than a floral print bikini with a belt.

And she has to have "fierce sexual tension" with Musashi

 

[SiegfriedFM]

What if Midway reused their MKD engine and made a Musashi game...


;,(

(not enough sad smilies here)