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Is Bushido Blade the most realistic fighting game?

Noroi_Kisaragi

Noroi_Kisaragi

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
2,711
I've recently been netplaying Bushido Blade 2 and fighting other people online, and the amount of depth this game has is truly surprising



It's a fighting game with a simple premise: Realism. You have no health bar. You can die in one hit, you can have your bodyparts disabled and have to fight with only 1 hand, you can choose multiple weapons and every character uses every weapon differently. And yes, you can even bring a gun to a swordfight!

The game has 6 weapons, and 20 characters, but every character has an entirely different moveset with each weapon, so you really have close to 120 different playstyles to choose from. One character might go crazy with a katana while a different character might go Vergil focus mode. In addition, each weapon has 3 stances you can switch with on the fly, so you're never in a lack of options.

To this day, I haven't found any game that matches the options and realism of Bushido Blade 2, and i'm really curious as to why this hasn't been a thing. No matter how many years pass, the depth and mechanics of this game being unmatched by other modern day games keeps this game relevant, unique, and fresh, and keeps it from becoming dated. In the meantime, I will say, netplaying this on an emulator with a friend is an absolute blast!

Any other games like this out there?
 

Deleted member 19218

User requested account closure
Banned
Oct 27, 2017
4,323
It has a lot of depth but I remember being really impressed with Zelda: Skyward Sword. It didn't really focus on realism (Nor is it a fighting game) but having your sword movements replicated in real life just overall felt really realistic to me even if it was very basic combat.
 
signal

signal

Member
Oct 28, 2017
40,196
Noroi_Kisaragi said:
To this day, I haven't found any game that matches the options and realism of Bushido Blade 2, and i'm really curious as to why this hasn't been a thing.
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Because realism in video games is often not the best idea. Anyway :

13hqUYE.jpg


ptysKMW.gif
 
VaporSnake

VaporSnake

Member
Oct 28, 2017
4,603
I'm pretty sure I'm the only one who played it, but the XBLA Deadliest Warrior game was like this, each character was capable of killing instantly, it was surprisingly fun for the time despite being a budget game. The pirate was the most busted character I think I've ever seen in a fighting game, he had pistols of course, but more devastatingly he could just toss bombs that would dismember the opponent in one shot, great fun.
 
Border

Border

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
14,859
I wish somebody would make a Star Wars lightsaber dueling game with the same mechanics and ruleset as Bushido Blade.
 

HockeyBird

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,587
Do we consider the Fight Night games as fighting games? Because if so, I'd say those were pretty realistic.
 
Okinau

Okinau

Member
Oct 27, 2017
532
I literally just found my copy of Bushido Blade 2 yesterday. Plan on popping it in and seeing how much I remember.
 
RM8

RM8

Member
Oct 28, 2017
7,902
JP
Unrelated, but I wonder why people never question this game's status as a fighting game despite not playing anything like a traditional fighting game. Personally I'd like to see more unique takes on the genre, like this.
 
Hero of Time

Hero of Time

Member
Oct 25, 2017
446
I have a lot of nostalgia for Bushido Blade, I think it might have been my first PS1 game. I used to play it a lot with my brother. I remember thinking even back then how unique it was. Pretty crazy that, as far as I know, there still isn't anything quite like it.
 
DaciaJC

DaciaJC

Banned
Oct 29, 2017
6,685
I suppose it depends on how you define realism. If you're just referencing lethality, yeah, I guess Bushido Blade would fit the bill. Never played the games myself, but I watch some gameplay from time to time.

If one means authentic swordfighting techniques, though, it's a lot tougher to come up with examples. A melee combat system incorporating stances, feints, parries, grappling, footwork, and all the other minutiae of historical or contemporary practice would be quite hard to pull off in a game, although perhaps the rise of VR will allow for precisely this sort of experience to become feasible. I yearn for the day when games are able to capture the spirit of the sort of unarmored combat you can see in the video below:

 

HockeyBird

Member
Oct 27, 2017
12,587
Crayon said:
I thought about those but they're out of the box for fighting games, for me. Depends how you look at it.
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I would say Bushido Blade has more in common with Fight Night than your typical fighting game. There's of course a greater emphasis on realism and making precise, methodical moves.
 
Crayon

Crayon

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,580
HockeyBird said:
I would say Bushido Blade has more in common with Fight Night than your typical fighting game. There's of course a greater emphasis on realism and making precise, methodical moves.
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Now that I think about it, maybe Bushido Blade is at least halfway between an archetypical fighting game and a sports-fighting game. The taekwondo game I posted is kind of like that, too.
 
Miscend

Miscend

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
265
The EA Fight night games on GameCube were pretty realistic weren't they?

I've never played the UFC games but I'm guessing they are also a pretty realistic simulation of hand to hand combat.
 
Vadara

Vadara

Banned
Oct 25, 2017
3,565
The only game even remotely similar I know is...Blade Symphony I guess. But that's far more of a traditional fighter with healthbars. It's also pretty awesome...and dead.
 
Maximum Spider

Maximum Spider

â–˛ Legend â–˛
Member
Oct 25, 2017
14,993
Cleveland, OH
Crayon said:
This one!

35987-Taekwon-Do_(Japan)_(Ja,Ko)-1450236968.jpg

2746733-taekwondo001.png



It's really good you should try it if you like Bushido Blade. One hit is not a kill, but a point.
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Human Entertainment Psikyo created Battle K-Road with a pretty similar approach. Despite the fact that had cyborgs(design-wise they just look like humans) and a bear(boss character), the gameplay is one of the most grounded fighters i've ever played.

btlkroad.png


btlkroad.png


I'd say Psikyo's The Fallen Angels also has a similar grounded approach but there's a character who shoots rockets from his arm.
 
Artdayne

Artdayne

Banned
Nov 7, 2017
5,015
Mordhau is pretty realistic. For Honor does get a bit too flashy at times to be realistic but the great thing about it is it feels like a weapon based fighting game should feel, you can win or lose within a few well placed strikes. I did love Bushido Blade though, I played that a lot when it came out.
 
Kinketsu

Kinketsu

Member
Nov 17, 2017
1,976
The Kengo series is very close and I believe was worked on by some of the same people. Not the same variety in weapons etc, although that does come in to a certain extent with Kengo 3 although not interchangeable with characters, but a similar fighting style and damage model.
 
Alric

Alric

Member
Oct 27, 2017
1,947
Nidhogg comes to mind for the one hit kills.

ss_3c3598c94dd14500a757358ba53267371c82b859.1920x1080.jpg




Nothing other than that and some deadliest warriors which was mentioned. That said, For Honor has been my go to weapon fighting game since bushido blade which I still play from time to time. Iai stance being my favorite in bushido blade by the way.
 
HotHamBoy

HotHamBoy

Banned
Oct 27, 2017
16,423
bounchfx said:
do you think a modern BB2 could be a viable esport? how was it to watch, any fun?
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I loved it.

I realllly want a modern Bushido Blade or clone.

The ultimate footsies fighter.

In a way, Nidhogg does the same thing on a 2D plane, complete with stance mind games, but it's much faster, simpler and mistakes don't cost you nearly as dearly.

Bushido's intensity is immediate. I purchased Bushido Blade 2 a few years ago and played with roomies and we had a blast. Incredibly fun. It cuts out a lot of the flashy stuff in fighting games and focuses on deliberate movement, positioning and all-or-nothing gambits.

That said, it was a niche PS1 game that showed its age. Without a personal nostlagia factor it didn't make the rotation.

I think a modern game could be very exciting to watch just based on watching my friends play each other. It certainly could be exciting to play but to work online it would need perfect netcode. That's a hurdle.

The biggest advantage it has as a spectator sport is being easy to understand what players are doing even if you know little about the game. Even Smash has a lot of jargon, techniques and specific character info that make the game more appreciable if you understand it.

If an indie studio wanted to take a crack at it I think a huge plus for them over traditional fighting games is that you really don't need a big cast. Bushido 1 is better than 2 because the cast in 2 get too out there and the characters with guns ruin it. Bushido 1's roster feels more "pure." A new game could feel pretty complete with just 6 characters, somethin like Windjammers.

Like BB1, having a common set of weapons to pick from for the character you choose adds the depth that a larger roster would normally provide.
 
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Crayon

Crayon

Member
Oct 26, 2017
15,580
max.rem said:
Human Entertainment Psikyo created Battle K-Road with a pretty similar approach. Despite the fact that had cyborgs(design-wise they just look like humans) and a bear(boss character), the gameplay is one of the most grounded fighters i've ever played.

btlkroad.png


btlkroad.png


I'd say Psikyo's The Fallen Angels also has a similar grounded approach but there's a character who shoots rockets from his arm.
Click to expand...
Click to shrink...

Well ya learn something new every day. This is relevant to my interests. I'm going to check it out.
 
PLASTICA-MAN

PLASTICA-MAN

Member
Oct 26, 2017
23,620
I think Tao Fang from the Mortal Kombat devs is the most realistic one. You can't use limbs that get heavily hit anymore. It didn't work well since no one wanted a fighting game where your fighter gets handicapped
 
Afrikan

Afrikan

Member
Oct 28, 2017
16,981
Man I've been hoping Square would remake this... one of my all time favorite games... let alone just fighting game.

I still remember when throwing sand the first time...


Love slowly injuring my friend, taking our his legs... then one of his arms..... and getting him to commit suicide.

We played the demo for a LOOOOONG time....before the game came out....with them damn wooden swords..lol.


Also one of the best things about it, if I'm remembering correctly, there was no music... just silence at times...with the fighters making noises, as well as environment sounds.
 
Stiler

Stiler

Avenger
Oct 29, 2017
6,659
I loved those games and wish we'd get a modern one.

DaciaJC said:
I suppose it depends on how you define realism. If you're just referencing lethality, yeah, I guess Bushido Blade would fit the bill. Never played the games myself, but I watch some gameplay from time to time.

If one means authentic swordfighting techniques, though, it's a lot tougher to come up with examples. A melee combat system incorporating stances, feints, parries, grappling, footwork, and all the other minutiae of historical or contemporary practice would be quite hard to pull off in a game, although perhaps the rise of VR will allow for precisely this sort of experience to become feasible. I yearn for the day when games are able to capture the spirit of the sort of unarmored combat you can see in the video below:

Click to expand...
Click to shrink...


Bushido Blade actually does make use of stances, which in turn influence your moveset depending on the stance you are in, you could parry by hitting against that stance. For instance if someone was doing an upward swing, you did a down one to parry it.

Of course being a game it did have some limitations to this, still though to this day it was the best at handling more realistic combat.
 
ghoulie

ghoulie

Member
Oct 28, 2017
1,054
I'll never forget going through the story mode multiple times, and then finally doing it honorably, and having the second half unlock. Better not die.

What a game, I'll never stop wishing for it be remade, have another sequel, or at least playable on a current gen system.
 
cbrotherson

cbrotherson

Freelance Games & Comic Book Writer
Verified
Oct 26, 2017
491
Birmingham
Many of these games were templated/inspired by the one classic:

Explodingfist.jpg




One successful strike ends the round and starts the next, like real life karate comps. So each bout was all about finding an opening, striking and recovering.
 
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