Samurai Shodown V Special recalled in Japan

TOKYO--SNK Playmore is recalling the NeoGeo home console edition of Samurai Shodown V Special (known as Samurai Shodown Zero Special in Japan) after receiving customer reports that the game has a number of bugs. Most of the issues are reported in the practice mode and include such odd occurrences as abnormal damage rates and game hang-ups when certain attacks are executed. The company will begin accepting ROM cartridges of the fighting game starting today, and it will return the fixed games to consumers next month.

Along with the bug fixes, SNK will also bring back the fatality attacks in Samurai Shodown V Special that were present in the arcade but cut from the home edition. Hardcore NeoGeo fans who had always expected the home console edition to play exactly as the arcade original began protesting the omission, which they only discovered after purchasing the 41,790 yen ($379) cartridge.

"We deeply apologize that we could not meet up to our customers' expectations on our last game release for the NeoGeo," stated SNK in a press release. "We will continue to treasure the voices of our customers and do our best to satisfy our users. Thank you for your support."