Shado Fighter Hands-On Impressions

Although Shado Fighter’s controls are its most admirable feature, the game looks great too. Each of the nine characters has five special moves with combinations comparable to Street Fighter (down, down, kick or forward, back, kick), but executing the actions is relatively smooth. The best addition is a practice mode that shows the button combination, the character’s attack, and the potential damage for each of the moves.

It’s pretty standard stuff, but all the bases are covered. Clean-cut Shun is Shado Fighter’s Ken, a nice all-around fighter with fireballs, while another character offers Chun Li-style kicks. All characters have a detailed home level featuring a cityscape, a Buddhist refuge, or, in the case of the final character, a fiery hell.

The difficulty and speed can be adjusted separately from one to four, though insane fighters can try Survival Mode, with its 125 back-to-back opponents. A game lobby will also carry the best international scores.