The average mental image of fighting games tends to be dominated by frantically tapped-out combos and buxom gals in skimpy outfits smacking the crap out of each other. While this style has certainly carried the genre a long way, wouldn't it be nice if a little variety existed? After all, we aren't all masters of speedy button-pressing, and some of us might actually prefer a more strategic, methodical fighting game. Enter Bushido Blade: a samurai-centric, weapon-based game where a match can end in seconds or drag on forever, if you let it. Rather than memorizing button sequences for combos and special attacks, you spend your time parrying and delivering sword strikes, hoping to score a blow. Hit someone in the arm, and you'll knock it out of use. Manage to score a blow in a vital area, and it's an instant kill. Both Bushido Blade and Bushido Blade 2 are available to Japanese PSN users, but the rest of the world could use some love, too.
